Million Dollar Baby, or A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight, is a comic melodrama of two acts, which includes the Chicago fire.

Nellie Cavandish is saintly; her greedy brother Creepstone is diabolical. Their Daddy willed $1000 to each with the stipulation that the one who increases the amount most within 30 days will inherit his entire fortune. The struggle between good and evil becomes a tug of war, with Nellie and her gentle friends, including the Chicago Fire Department, pulling honestly and earnestly, and Creepstone and his hoods, gamblers, and show girls using every underhanded, dishonest ploy they can think of.

First produced by Torrington, Wyoming, Middle School and then discovered by professional melodrama theatres, Million Dollar Baby is a play for all groups and all ages. With a beautiful, pure heroine, a brave, handsome hero, and a vicious villain the play has all the requisites of the old-fashioned thriller. But this one has more: Authentic atmosphere—the Chicago fire and a Clark Street mission for the homeless. Three-dimensional characters—the main roles offer more than the usual melodrama stereotypes, and there are a number of feature roles that are fun to play and to watch. A sociological message—in a subtle, non-preaching manner, the script invokes pity and compassion for the homeless, and a desire to do something to help them.

On top of all that, the plot is well developed, and the play is well written. The author, a native of Chicago, and a graduate of Marquette University, has had a number of plays published, with productions in community, professional, and educational theatres.

Million Dollar Baby has been done as a musical, using old favorite songs as suggested in the Production Notes. The set is representational with very brief (3 seconds) blackouts to provide fluid movement. Place, Chicago; time, 1871.

See also: Melodramas