Montgomery Pittman was a writer-director specializing in Westerns, who penned this unusual and effective little "sleeper" for Schlitz Playhouse.
Its genre is oddly familiar, even though atypical -it reminds me of the starting point for some Sergio Leone films, notably "Duck, You Sucker" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". The story trick is to focus on fringe characters -thrust into the leading roles, who are on the outskirts of a war or revolution. It provides a different point-of-view, tangential rather than the dry story of heroism or tragedy.
In this case, a revolution is in progress (one of many in recent years) in the tiny South American nation called San Dede and three Americans are rounded up and held under suspicion that one of them is fighting for the revolutionaries. An outwardly friendly Colonel is in charge and informs them that all three will face the firing squad at dawn unless the guilty one confesses he is the real freedom fighter.
John Agar plays the son of a grand lady (veteran actres Frieda Inescourt, who briefly brightens up the show in a supporting role), who is dining with the incumbent president; Willard is a soldier of fortune, who could be in San Dede to fight on either side; and Ross Elliott is a citizen of the country who married a lovely resident lady. Clues during the show point at each of them as possible rebel.
The show is done in a light-hearted fashion, contrasting with the deadly fate hanging over their heads. All three give convincing performances, and the final reel provides a happy ending as the rebels prove to be victorious, just in the nick of time.
It's fun to watch this distinctly different approach to a serious matter, neither cynical nor sentimental.