Whirlpool is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Jack Holt and Jean Arthur.
He adopts the alias Duke Sheldon and, with his carnival partner Mac, becomes wealthy by using the gambling skills that Rankin learned while incarcerated.
Sandy's continual late nights, and mysterious comings and goings with an unknown man, disturb her mother and worry her fiancé.
Despite having kept a low profile, Duke is expected to testify on behalf of a fellow gangster, which will court unwanted publicity that could humiliate Helen, who is unintentionally guilty of bigamy because she and Buck Rankin were never officially divorced.
Before they arrive, Duke spirits Sandy, Bob, and Mac away to safety, and then turns the gun on himself—the secret of his past life hidden forever, for the sake of his loved ones.
Critics noted Arthur's sincerity and sympathy, and marveled at Holt's displays of tenderness and compassion never before seen in his two-fisted melodramas.