The Making of O'Malley

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The Making of O'Malley (1925) is an American silent drama directed by Lambert Hillyer. It stars Milton Sills as Policeman O'Malley and Dorothy Mackaill as Lucille.

Plot in simple terms:
Lucille, tired of her life as a society woman, takes a job in a public school and asks for help catching bootleggers. O'Malley is sent to assist. He befriends Margie, a crippled girl, whose father is in prison because O'Malley once arrested him, and helps secure his pardon. The bootlegger boss, Herbert Browne, is an admirer of Lucille. At a masquerade ball, a raid targets the bootleggers. Browne is found, and O'Malley knocks him unconscious. He arrests Browne while Browne is masked, but releases him when he learns Browne is Lucille's sweetheart. As O'Malley leaves the house, he is shot by Danny, a man he had pardoned earlier. Danny then tells the police captain Browne's name. Realizing O'Malley's magnanimity, Lucille turns to him as the film ends.

Background:
The story comes from a Gerald Beaumont short story and would later inspire the 1937 Warner Bros. film The Great O'Malley. The Making of O'Malley was released by First National Pictures on June 28, 1925, and runs about 80 minutes.