O. Henry pitches one of his early, more dramatic tales to his publisher Col. Derbin (Russ Thorson). A young woman (Gail Kobe) with abusive parents has led a sheltered life. A handsome hoodlum (Raymond Koslo) falls for her innocence and smile, but their budding romance is interrupted by his two-year jail sentence. They reunite when he is released, but more trouble lies ahead.

"The O. Henry Playhouse" is a 1957 single season, 39-episode TV series. O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) is considered one of America's greatest writers of short stories. His writings are laced with humor and irony and often end with a sly twist ending. Veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell stars in each episode as writer O. Henry himself as he relates his stories to his publisher, his housekeeper, a barber, a bartender, or the cop on the beat. In some episodes, O. Henry meets his characters as he discovers firsthand the story he will later write. This unique storytelling method gives great insight into the famous author's creative process.

You can read the original literary version of "The Guilty Party-An East Side Tragedy" HERE and compare
it with the many changes in the film adaptation. "The Guilty Party" is one of 13 episodes in volume one of "The O. Henry Playhouse." The films have been beautifully restored on DVD by the home video label ClassicFlix!