John Ford - Up the river [1930]

Convicts St. Louis (Spencer Tracy) and Dannemora Dan (Warren Hymer) break out of prison together but split up when St. Louis double-crosses Dan. Dan briefly finds religion, but when he spots St. Louis around the town pretty girls, he causes a scene that leads to them being sent back to jail. Back in jail they befriend another convict named Steve Jordan (Humphrey Bogart). Steve has fallen in love with an inmate in the neighboring women's prison, Judy (Claire Luce). Steve is paroled and promises Judy that he will wait for her when she is released five months later. When Steve returns to his mother's New England home, he is followed by Judy's former "boss," scam artist Frosby (Morgan Wallace). Frosby blackmails Steve to participate in a scheme to defraud his neighbors or else he will expose Steve's prison record. Not wanting to embarrass his mother, Steve reluctantly goes along with Frosby's scheme. However, when Frosby targets Steve's mother (Edythe Chapman), Steve is prepared to confront Frosby with a gun. Back in prison, St. Louis and Dan learn of Steve's predicament and are determined to help Steve and keep him out of jail. They concoct a plan to break out of prison, get to New England to prevent Steve from taking lethal action, steal back the bonds Mrs. Jordan gave to Frosby, and get back to the prison in time for the annual baseball game against another penitentiary.