Budget restrictions, my tailbone.
For those who kinda like the plot detail, minus "noirsh" reviews: The midnight murder of a rancher and his wife leaves circumstantial evidence pointing the finger of guilt toward a married couple, George Braden (John Craven) and his wife Ellen (Teresa Wright), who live and work on the ranch.
George confesses to the killings in order to free his wife from hours of grilling by the police. Despite the best efforts of his defense attorney, Doug Madison (Macdonald Carey), George gets the death penalty.
Sunsequent events and his sympathy for Ellen convince Doug that George is innocent but he must find the real murderer to prove it. His man-hunt leads to a former hired hand, Max Verne (Jack Elam.) With the help of the latter's greedy girl friend, Gracie Sanger (Adela Mara), Max is found and admits to the killings. But when a hearing is held, a psychiatrist pronounces him unsound of mind but harmless and the judge sets him free. A precursor to things to come in the judicial system? (Gee, the experts missed this major connection to future Don Siegel films.) After the governor rejects Doug's pleas for an appeal for George, the townspeople turn against him, and his fiancée, Paula Mitchener (Dolores Moran), misconstrues his association with Ellen and breaks their engagement. And, having spent all his own money in an effort to achieve justice for George, and with his practice (job?) gone, Doug prepares to leave town.
Then something happens that makes his day.
For those who kinda like the plot detail, minus "noirsh" reviews: The midnight murder of a rancher and his wife leaves circumstantial evidence pointing the finger of guilt toward a married couple, George Braden (John Craven) and his wife Ellen (Teresa Wright), who live and work on the ranch.
George confesses to the killings in order to free his wife from hours of grilling by the police. Despite the best efforts of his defense attorney, Doug Madison (Macdonald Carey), George gets the death penalty.
Sunsequent events and his sympathy for Ellen convince Doug that George is innocent but he must find the real murderer to prove it. His man-hunt leads to a former hired hand, Max Verne (Jack Elam.) With the help of the latter's greedy girl friend, Gracie Sanger (Adela Mara), Max is found and admits to the killings. But when a hearing is held, a psychiatrist pronounces him unsound of mind but harmless and the judge sets him free. A precursor to things to come in the judicial system? (Gee, the experts missed this major connection to future Don Siegel films.) After the governor rejects Doug's pleas for an appeal for George, the townspeople turn against him, and his fiancée, Paula Mitchener (Dolores Moran), misconstrues his association with Ellen and breaks their engagement. And, having spent all his own money in an effort to achieve justice for George, and with his practice (job?) gone, Doug prepares to leave town.
Then something happens that makes his day.