From Broadway to a Throne

Summary

In a narrative steeped in the intoxicating allure of ambition and the whimsical nature of fate, "From Broadway to a Throne" unfurls the convoluted saga of "Battling" Jimmie, a pugilist whose aspirations transcend the confines of the prize ring. His impending bout against "Killer" Briggs is not merely a contest of brawn but a pivotal juncture, promising a shot at the championship, financial solvency, and the hand of his beloved Bess. A seemingly innocuous encounter with "Silent" Billie, a down-on-his-luck reporter, introduces a peculiar royal emblem, a talisman gifted by Billie's foster father, Herman Marlex. This eccentric old musician and writer, upon recognizing the emblem, spins a fantastical yarn: twenty years prior, he spirited away the Magonian heir apparent, and Billie, he insists, is the rightful prince. Billie dismisses this as Marlex's delusional ramblings, yet the seed of royal destiny is sown. The fight proceeds, and a devastating blow plunges Jimmie into unconsciousness, initiating a labyrinthine dreamscape. In this vivid reverie, he loses the fight, his dreams of marriage shattered, leading him to pen a despairing farewell to Bess before fleeing New York. The dream intensifies with an intrusion into Marlex's room, where three Magonian emissaries, seeking the kidnapped prince, are rebuffed by Marlex, who fears they intend to usurp his reward. Jimmie intervenes, but his sweater, bearing the very emblem that triggered Marlex's tale, leads the emissaries to mistake him for the king. He is whisked away to Magonia, a reluctant monarch, attempting in vain to disabuse King Felix of his mistaken identity. This unexpected arrival disrupts the ambitions of Heldone, the pretender, who swiftly orchestrates a rebellion. Simultaneously, Bess, now employed by Princess Iona of Magonia during her American sojourn, encounters Billie. Iona, convinced of his royal lineage, journeys with Billie, Bess, and Marlex back to Magonia. Their arrival coincides precisely with the eruption of Heldone's revolt. The sight of Jimmie upon the throne momentarily stuns them, but the palace is soon breached by revolutionaries. Jimmie, caught in the maelstrom, is felled by a sword blow, bringing his fantastical reign to an abrupt, violent end. He awakens, not on a Magonian throne, but in the familiar, harsh reality of the prize ring, the referee's count concluding his defeat. The grand illusions dissipate, replaced by a pragmatic resolution: Jimmie, embracing the pragmatic, agrees to Bess's proposal of a future in vaudeville, their immediate marriage sealing a more grounded, albeit less regal, destiny.

Synopsis

"Battling" Jimmie, a fighter and a dreamer preparing to meet "Killer" Briggs in the prize ring. It is the chance of Jimmie's life, because the winner of the fight is schedule to meet the champion. It is not merely the glory Jimmie is after, but a purse as well, for if he wins the fight he will be in a position to marry Bess. On the afternoon before the fight, "Silent" Billie, a newspaper reporter without a job, presents Jimmie with a lucky coin which has the general appearance of a royal emblem of some art. The emblem was given to Billie by his foster father, Herman Marlex, and eccentric old musician and writer. Marlex catches Jimmie wearing the emblem and he tells Jimmie that the emblem is the key to a throne. He goes on to tell Jimmie a wild story of how twenty years before he kidnapped the heir apparent to the kingdom of Magonia and brought him to this country. He tells Jimmie that Billie is the kidnapped prince. Jimmie is impressed by all this until the arrival of Billie, who tells Jimmie that the story is Marlex's hallucination. The fight is held that night as schedule. In the second round Jimmie receives a blow that knocks him unconscious. As the referee begins to count him out, Jimmie dreams that he loses the fight and returns home. He writes a letter to Bess telling her that he is now broke and that he intends leaving New York and stay away until he makes good. The room of old Marlex is just across the hallway from Jimmie's room. Jimmie hears a noise in Marlex's room. He goes into the hallway and listens. It appears to him that the three emissaries from the King of Magonia are in Marlex's room and are demanding of Marlex that he place the kidnapped prince in their hands. When Marlex learns that the emissaries intent to rob him of the reward he refuses to inform them of the prince's whereabouts. The emissaries bind and gag Marlex and throw him into a closet. Jimmie breaks into the room at this juncture. The emissaries see the emblem upon his sweater front and take him to be the king. He arrives in the Kingdom of Magonia, and tries to explain to King Felix that he is not the prince. The king will not believe him. The arrival of the alleged prince throws Heldone, pretender to the throne, out of favor. Haldone organizes a conspiracy which ripens into a revolt against the king. In the meanwhile Bess is hired by Princess Iona of Magonia, who is visiting the United States. She accompanies her to Europe. The princess meets Billie and convinces him that he is the real prince. Thereupon the princess, Billie, Bess and Marlex leave for Magonia. They arrive at about the time when the revolt breaks. No sooner is their amazement at seeing Jimmie upon the throne over than the revolutionists break into the palace. There is a terrific fight and Jimmie is knocked senseless from a blow from a sword. Jimmie's consciousness returns and he finds himself in the prize ring. He has just been counted out. Right then and there he decides to accede to Bess' request to go into vaudeville with her. They plan to get married at once.