The Match King

The Match King is a 1932 American PreCode drama film made by First National Pictures, directed by William Keighley and Howard Bretherton. The film starred Warren William and Lili Damita, and closely follows the rise and fall of Swedish safety match tycoon Ivar Kreuger.

Though a lowly Chicago street cleaner, Swedish immigrant Paul Kroll Warren William is ambitious and unscrupulous. When a fellow employee is fired due to one of Krolls schemes, Kroll convinces his foreman John Wray to keep him on the payroll officially at least so they can split his salary. Soon there are eight phantom workers, and Kroll and his partner have amassed 460. However, Kroll has been romancing his partners wife, Babe Glenda Farrell, behind his back.Meanwhile, he has also been lying to the people of his hometown, telling them what a successful businessman he has become. As a result, when the local match factory is in trouble, his uncle begs him to return and save it. Kroll gets Babe to withdraw the money he has stolen, deceiving her into thinking they are running away together, then leaves her behind as he sails away to Sweden. ........

Source: Wikipedia