Dexter shows Milo the latest wanted poster he spotted in town. Framed for a crime neither committed, their life on the lam isn’t getting any easier.
Hungry and broke, the brothers quarrel about whether to lay low where they are or hop the next train and head west along the dying Orpheum circuit toward California.
The Bijou’s silent movie premiere is near disaster until Milo realizes the illiterate rural farm hands can’t follow the story on screen. He steps in and reads the inter-titles aloud as Gabby, the house piano player, improvises accompaniment.
Then the action freezes as Milo — alone in the spotlight — sings about the miracle of a performer’s instinct and the transforming immediacy of inspiration.
Gabby tries to comfort Milo after his dashing brother Dexter has betrayed him by stealing the pretty girl he had his heart set on.
The two share the pain of feeling like an outsider in a world that spins on physical attraction.