Former G.I. Stanley E. 'Stan' Fabian (Frank Lovejoy) runs a drive-in restaurant with his waitress girl friend, Joanie Daniel (Mari Blanchard), who receives an unexpected visit from her brother Frank Daniel (Richard Denning). Frank asks Joanie for a loan for a "deal" in Chicago, but she refuses.
Stan drives Frank back to his hotel, he inquires about his deal and Frank divulges that years earlier during the war, he and partner Ray Torres hid a sizable amount of gold, but they have been unable to raise the money necessary to return to Germany to retrieve their treasure.
Later that night Frank sneaks into Joanie's room for a talk. Unknown to Stan, the couple are not brother and sister, but police partners who have been involved in a year-long investigation of Stan, whom wealthy businessman Richard Atherton suspects murdered his son in Berlin during the war.
The following day, Frank suggests that if Stan lends him the money to get to Germany, he would be willing to cut Stan in on part of the treasure, which would make it possible for him to marry Joanie. Stan accepts, and the trio sets off for Chicago, where Frank meets Ramon 'Ray' Torres (Steven Ritch) and informs him of his plan to include Stan on the gold retrieval. When Torres balks, Frank shoots him (with blanks). Stan and Joanie are horrified by the "killing," but concur when Frank suggests that they split up for their journey to New York.
Before departing with Joanie, Frank stops to consult with Tom Jackson (Van Des Autels), an associate of Atherton's, and pays off Torres for playing his role. Frank is then introduced to a group of men, including the chief of Berlin's police, Herr Koenig (John Mylong), and tells them that ten years earlier, just after the war, Stan was involved in a shootout with MPs, one of whom was Frank. Stan shot him in the back. By the time Stan was identified, he had already been honorably discharged and therefore cannot be legally pursued in the United States, but must be implicated and arrested on German soil.
Frank departs with Joanie to meet Stan in New York and arranges passage for them on board a freighter ship. A few days into the journey, Frank is startled by Don Gillen (George Cisar), a veteran who recognizes him, but who is detained by Atherton's men upon arriving in England.
Frank, Stan and Joanie then fly into Frankfurt, where they purchase a car and drive to the private Von Rheimer estate cemetery. There, Frank searches for a specific tombstone, then after digging, unearths a box containing a collection of gold items. The following day Frank takes Stan to Herr Schmidt, who demonstrates how he will melt the gold into wrenches for transport abroad.
Stan finds Frank's police badge. Frank quickly invents a story that Schmidt has made him a phony badge to allow them unhampered access to the cemetery. The following day Frank and Stan drive to the Von Rheimer estate, but to Stan's annoyance, find it blockaded. Frank offers to re-enlist so that he can return to the estate, and although Stan is skeptical, arranges it with his friend, recruiting officer Mike Jancoweizc. Upon medical examination, however, Frank is denied re-enlistment. Frank pleads with Stan to re-enlist in his place, but he refuses. Joanie joins the men and when Stan again refuses to re-enlist, declares their wedding is off. Stan takes Joanie aside and confesses that he is unable to re-enlist because of a murder he committed a decade before. Quickly surrounding Stan, Koenig informs him that his confession has been recorded and arrest him. Later Joanie and Frank celebrate the closing of the case and their own engagement.
A 1955 Black & White crime film-noir B-Movie directed by Nathan Juran, produced by Sam Katzman, written by Lou Breslow, cinematography by Henry Freulich, starring Frank Lovejoy, Mari Blanchard, Richard Denning, John Mylong, Harry Lauter, Steven Ritch, Lou Merrill, and Van Des Autels.
The real Stan's Diner, at the intersection of Sunset and Hollywood Blvds. in East Los Angeles, features prominently in the film. This particular Stan's, one of several operating in the Los Angeles area, no longer exists, but many other landmarks that still survive at this intersection are visible. Most notably, the Vista Theatre can been seen in several shots. This single-screen theater from 1926 is still in operation as of 2023.
Soundtrack music:
"Put the Blame on Mame" (1946) - Written by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher, Played on the juke box at The Barn
"Hold on to Your Heart" - Written by Charles Naylor and Herbert Wittkin
This B-Movie is film-noir Influenced in tone with some sharp twists, convoluted turns and a striking look at Los Angeles. The tension is taught with deception, double-cross, and misdirection. The script is simultaneously absurd and clever. It relies heavily on a trio of compelling B-actors. It’s not an exceptional movie and the plotting gets a tad repetitive, but it has sort of a nutty charm to it and is a little offbeat.
27 фев 2024
