Storyline

During World War II, a soldier is hit by a grenade that deforms his face and leaves him with amnesia. Sometime later, he is recovered and learns that his name is George Taylor and he is discharged from the Army. He finds a letter written by a man named Larry Cravat who would be his pal and he goes to Los Angeles to seek out Larry Cravat to find his identity. He goes to a bank, a hotel, a Turkish bath, and a night-club following leads. He is beaten up by Hubert, the henchman of Anzelmo who dumps him at the front door of the singer Christy Smith who works in a night-club. George tells his story to her and Christy decides to help him. She calls her boss and friend Mel Phillips who schedules a lunch with his friend Police Lt. Donald Kendall and Christy. They learn that Larry Cravat was a private investigator who somehow received $2,000,000 three years ago in Germany from a Nazi who was immediately deceased. Then George receives a tip to go to the Terminal Dock where he meets Anzelmo who explains that Larry Cravat is wanted by the police for the murder of a man at the dock to keep the money. Larry has disappeared and Anzelmo believes George Taylo is the man who was with him and probably the killer. George's further investigation finds that a man named Conroy was a witness to the crime, but he was hit and run by a truck and is interned at the Lambeth Sanatorium. When George meets Conroy, he realizes that the man was stabbed but he tells where he hid the suitcase with the money before dying. Now George is close to solving the mystery.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords

murder, henchman, gunfire, private detective, trauma, hand grenade, waterfront, sanitarium, nightclub singer, chinese restaurant, world war two veteran, 1940s, damsel in distress, turkish bath, deception, double cross, held at gunpoint, extortion, police detective, investigation

Short Review

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's nervous nightmare (made in his first year of directing) isn't an all-hallowed member of the noir canon -- it's fairly slick, and Mankiewicz has little or no existentialist cred. But it sings the school's black-hearted lament.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership