Duke — Steamboat Round the Bend Character Profile

About Duke

Pearly's nephew who is wrongly convicted of murder. He turns himself in to the sheriff, claiming self-defense. His impending execution drives Pearly's desperate race against time, culminating in a jailhouse marriage to Fleety Belle before his transfer.

Character Facts

Played by

John McGuire

Appears in

Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)

Role

Supporting

Relationships (3)

• Duke — Family Uncle And Nephew — Doctor John Pearly (Will Rogers)

  Pearly is Duke's uncle and fights to save him from execution.

  The plot identifies Duke as Doctor John Pearly's nephew and describes Duke serving as crewman aboard Pearly's steamboat.

• Duke — Romantic Spouses — Fleety Belle (Anne Shirley)

  Their marriage intensifies the personal stakes of Duke's impending execution.

  Duke and Fleety Belle are married in a jailhouse ceremony before Duke is transferred for execution.

• Duke — Narrative Beneficiary And Eyewitness — New Moses (Berton Churchill)

  Moses possesses evidence that could overturn Duke's conviction.

  New Moses is the eyewitness needed to clear Duke's name and prevent his execution.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Steamboat Round the Bend

More characters from Steamboat Round the Bend

• Doctor John Pearly (Will Rogers)
• Fleety Belle (Anne Shirley)
• Captain Eli (Irvin S. Cobb)
• Sheriff Rufe Jeffers (Eugene Pallette)
• New Moses (Berton Churchill)
• Pappy (Roger Imhof)
• Jonah (Stepin Fetchit)
• Matt Abel (Raymond Hatton)
• Efe (Francis Ford)
• Chaplain (Hobart Bosworth)
• Breck (William Benedict)
• Jailer (C.E. Anderson)