This is The Great Mouthpiece - A Life Story of William J, Fallon by Gene Fowler. Published in 1931 by P. F. Collier & Son, hardcover,
"This book tries to be a snapshot of life on Broadway in the 20's. Along with the colorful tale of attorney William Fallon you get descriptions of gangsters, showgirls, the places they drank at and the newspapermen hounding them for a story. The life of Bill Fallon was made into several movies ("The Mouthpiece" 1932, "The Man Who Talked Too Much" 1940, "Illegal" 1955). Unfortunately, the two most prominent incidents in the movies don't figure much in this book. The movies make a big deal about Fallon's time as a D.A. and how he sent an innocent man to the chair. In the book this is mentioned in passing as one story Fallon told. Another variation was that the man was saved in the nick of time.
"The other memorable scene in the movies is where he drinks poison in court. This turns out to be wholly fictional, invented for a stage play about Fallon.
What's left is the story of a lawyer so theatrical they said he should have been on Broadway and who never lost a murder trial. Here also is a man who virtually drank himself to death and spent money even faster than he earned it. The book is full of colorful vignettes and long stretches of dialogue. If it had been written in modern times you'd say it was all made up, but this book was written just a year or so after Fallon's death, when all these characters were still living and telling their stories. Fowler writes very entertainingly, but it's quite a mixture of stories all put into one book..."
Please see photos for more on contents and condition.
Hardcover, no dust jacket. Boards have some edge and corner wear. Front endsheets have some writing. Pages are clean, starting to tone.
Thanks for looking !
r201