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One night on a lonely highway, a speeding car tosses a satchel of money, meant for somebody else, into Jane and Alan Palmer's back seat. Alan wants to turn it over to the police, but Jane, with luxury within her reach, persuades him to hang onto it "for a while." Soon, the Palmers are traced by one Danny Fuller, a sleazy character who claims the money is his. To hang onto it, Jane will need all the qualities of an ultimate femme fatale...and does she ever have them! Written by Rod Crawford
Plot Synopsis:
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The film starts with a shot of a car pulling over at the side of a winding road at night. There is a man (Robert Neff) sitting in the large car that is parked at the mile marker (3.5) with the engine still running. The man looks at his watch and it is precisely 8:30.A car approaches from the opposite direction. Jane and Alan Palmer (Lizabeth Scott and Arthur Kennedy) are on their way to a party in the Hollywood Hills, hosted by Alan's boss and his wife. Jane Palmer begs her husband Alan, who is driving the couple's convertible, to turn the car around as she cannot face the party's hostess and her condescending ways. Alan and Jane argue and Jane reaches across for the ignition key. Instead, she hits the headlight switch, turning off the headlights. The car swerves as Alan gets it back in control and turns the lights back on. The man in the waiting car pulls out onto the highway and heads towards Jane and Alan's car.As the car passes the Palmer's convertible the driver is holding a large satchel that he throws into the back seat of their convertible. After stopping to examine the suitcase, Alan opens it and discovers that it contains bundles of cash. Jane is instantly infatuated with the cash. They see another convertible approaching theirs and it flashed its headlights on and off. Jane is in the driver's seat and urges Alan to get into the car and she drives on. The car pursues Jane and Alan on the winding road until, after a dangerous left turn onto an intersecting road Jane is able to give the pursuer the slip when his car is forced to stop to avoid a collision at the intersection. Obviously, the car pursuing Palmer's vehicle that gave the headlight on and off signal is the one into which the satchel of cash should have been thrown. Alan is worried about the possibility that the driver of that car could have got their license plate number and be able to trace them and takes over driving. Alan wants to turn the money in to the police.Back in downtown L.A., the couple are driving when a police motor cycle lights and siren appear behind them. Jane encourages Alan to not stop but Alan pulls over. Jane opens the glove-box and pulls out a large flashlight. The police officer writes Alan a ticket for making a turn without signaling. The police officer notices the two are acting nervous. Jane tells him she and Alan are eloping to Las Vegas. When the officer leaves Alan asks Jane what she was going to do with the flashlight and she says she doesn't know. Jane asks Alan why he didn't give up the money and he says he want to take a look at it.When Jane and Alan get back to their apartment in Chateau Michele, they encounter Pete, the garage attendant and he sees Alan carrying the satchel and asks if they have been away and Jane says they have just got the bag out of storage. Alan asks if Pete has seen his sister Kathy who also lives in the building. In their apartment, Jane dumps the contents of the satchel on the bed and Alan estimates there is $100,000. Alan is worried they are committing a crime by holding the money and wants to turn over the money to the police and be done with it. Jane sweet talks him into delaying that and hiding the money. There is a knock on their apartment door, Alan is directed to hide the money and Jane goes to the door.Alan's sister Kathy Palmer (Kristine Miller), who has Apartment 515 across the hall, knocks on their door and invites herself into their apartment, even though it is late. Kathy makes a comment about their awkward behavior and Alan pleads a headache. Kathy leaves, but this scene serves to introduce Kathy, and her close relationship to Alan.After Kathy goes, Jane and Alan again discuss the money. Alan is worried about the car that followed them. Jane urges Alan to delay and hide the money. Alan agrees to keep the money for a week. Alan and Jane go to the train station, Union Station, and Alan checks the satchel and receives a claim ticket. Jane asks about the claim ticket, Alan at first appears to have lost it, and then reveals that it's fallen through a hole in his overcoat pocket and into the lining of his coat. Jane asks Alan about the conversation she notice he had with the man at the check counter. Alan originally claims he didn't speak to the man and then makes up a story about telling the counter man he was going into the hospital and wouldn't be picking up the bag for a while.The next day Jane arrives at the apartment with a bundle of parcels, including a fur coat. Jane hides the packages in a kitchen cupboard. Jane answers a knock at the door and there is small time hood Danny (Dan Duryea), who flashes a badge and says he is Fuller, Detective Bureau. He is looking for Alan Palmer and states it is routine check on a license number. He asks to search the apartment, even though he doesn't have a warrant. Jane acts very coy and nonchalant. Jane allows the search, follows and watches Danny closely. Danny knows they have the money, otherwise, as Danny says, she would have screamed for the police and tried to throw him out. Danny finds the fur coat in the kitchen and is upset that Jane is spending his money. Jane is not shaken and Danny comments on her being smooth, too smooth. Danny demands that Jane give him his money. Jane lies, telling Danny that they have already turned it over to the police; Danny leaves but threatens to be peeved and return if news of the money being turned over to the police does not appear in the afternoon's newspapers.Jane is in the kitchen looking at her fur coat and turns to see Alan watching her. Alan tells Jane their bank called to tell him that Jane has written checks for $580 yesterday. He queries what she's spent and she confesses $790 in total, what she states is less than one tenth of one percent of the cash. Jane has no guilt about spending the money. Alan and Jane argue again because Alan wants to turn the money over to the police. Alan argues the money won't make Jane happy and brings up Jane's first husband, a man named Blanchard, whom she apparently married for his money. Jane tells Alan that growing up she was white-collar poor, that she lived among middle-class people but her family never had enough to keep up. This explains Jane's attitude toward money. Jane want to keep and money and states she won't let Alan just give it away. Jane holds Alan to the plan to hold the money for a week. Alan proposes a date the next night to duplicate the events of their first date, dinner and a boat ride.The next morning Jane is woken by someone rattling the lock and opening the apartment door. Danny has returned, knowing now that Jane lied as there was no information in the papers. Jane is nonplussed and offers Danny a drink and they banter back and forth. Jane tells Danny that her husband has the money and in two days plans to turn it over to the police but she doesn't intend to let him give it up. She states she doesn't think she could take it if she lost the money. Jane proposes her and Danny split the money as the though of losing it makes her deathly sick inside. Danny kisses her. Jane gets Danny's number so she can call him that night. Danny leaves and gives Jane's chin a little twist as he leaves and tells Jane she is in a tough racket now. Jane goes to lake and is deep thought as she watches the boats.Jane calls Danny later and asks him to meet her later that night at a palm tree at the west end shore of the lake where she and Alan are going for a boat ride. Danny is suspicious this overly complicated and is a set up or as he calls it a snipe hunt but Jane is persuasive and Danny reluctantly agrees.When Jane goes to meet Alan for dinner, she takes his pistol from the war from the dresser drawer and puts it in her purse.After dinner, Alan and Jane go to the boat launch, where Jane insists they take a larger 4 person boat. Alan drives the boat onto the lake but Jane loses her nerve and asks Alan to go back to shore. Alan says no, they've just come out unto the lake. Alan wants a cigarette and goes to open Jane's purse but she strikes his hand stopping him. Alan asks her what's in the purse; it's so heavy. And at that point, the gun falls out of the purse. Jane picks up the gun and points it at Alan, they grapple, and it goes off, killing Alan.With Alan's dead body in the boat, Jane drives the boat to the palm tree and picks up Danny, who is stunned to discover Alan's corpse in the boat. He's going to back out; he wants no part of murder. But, Jane holds the gun on him, threatens to shoot him and eventually convinces him to cooperate when he sees he hasn't any choice. Danny questions the plan to dump Alan's corpse overboard and it being found but Jane points out the chains and boat anchor to use to prevent the corpse from rising.Before dumping the body, they recover his coat and hat, and Danny puts them on to masquerade as Alan when they drop the boat off. When the boat pulls up to the dock, Danny gets out, keeping his face and body turned away from the boat rental agent (Billy Halop), while Jane pays. He hurries off, and Jane rushes to catch up with him at the car. Jane proposed they meet later to go get the money which she says is buried in a canyon.Together Jane and Danny drive back to Jane's apartment house where Danny drives the car into the basement garage, according to their plan to convince Pete (Smoki Whitfield), the black garage attendant, that Alan is still alive. Once the car is in the garage, Jane gets out, and Danny drives the car out of the garage, but not before Jane calls Pete's attention to herself and "Alan." She tells Pete "Alan" wants the car washed when he brings it back. As "Alan" drives out of the garage, Jane shouts after him, telling him to purchase some cigarettes for her at the drug store. Thus, it appears that "Alan" is going on an errand of some sort.Once upstairs, Jane knocks on Kathy's door and asks her to come over for a nightcap. Jane tells Kathy that Alan has gone out to get a bottle and some cigarettes, and Kathy says she will stay for a drink. When Alan doesn't come home after several hours, Jane acts worried, phones the drug store and eventually phones the police to report Alan as a missing person. In the course of this time, the nervous Jane asks Kathy to fix them both a drink, whereupon Kathy discovers that there is plenty of liquor in the kitchen cupboard. So why was Alan going out for a bottle? Further, Jane tells Kathy she's sure that Alan doesn't love her anymore, that he's involved with another woman, which Kathy dismisses as nonsense, though this does arouse her suspicions further.After Kathy leaves, Jane goes to keep her appointment with Danny. She believes the claim check is in the lining of Alan's overcoat. Jane finds the car sitting empty and gets in the driver's seat and takes the gun out of her purse and hides it beside the seat. Danny appears and is suspicious and asks Jane to give her the gun but she claims she put it back in the apartment. Danny is concerned but impressed by Jane's cold-blooded behavior. They drive off, ostensibly to get the cash, and Jane questions Danny about where the money came from but Danny refuses to say until he has the money. They almost hit a car pulling out of a side road and Jane pulls over and stops. Danny is panicky and gets out of the car and runs away saying he'll see her in the daylight. Jane is in anguish because Danny is wearing Alan's coat and she believes the claim ticket is in the pocket. Jane drives the car to a beach and leaves the keys in the ignition. She goes down to the beach and throws something in the ocean. Two drifters come along and take the car. Jane gets home and Kathy hears the elevator arrive and calls Jane to see if Alan has come home and Jane tells her no.Jane shows up at the motel unit where Danny is staying. Danny starts with taking away Jane's gun. Jane is fixated on the coat and Danny realizes there is something in the coat. They inspect that lining of the coat and Danny brings out the claim check--only it isn't the claim check, it's a blank piece of cardboard. Jane is so shocked she faints. Alan, suspecting Jane might try to claim the money behind his back, had replaced the claim check with this blank.Meanwhile, the worried Kathy uses her passkey to enter Jane and Alan's apartment. She searches through various items of furniture, coming at last to the chest of drawers in the bedroom. There she discovers that Alan's revolver is missing. And underneath the oily cloth upon which the revolver usually rests, Kathy discovers and takes the claim check. The phone rings but Kathy doesn't answer. She opens the door to leave and finds a man standing there, about to knock. This man identifies himself as Don Blake (Don DeFore), who says he's Alan's friend and a fellow war veteran who flew with Alan in England. Don says Alan told him to drop by if he were ever in L.A. and as Don is in town on vacation he decided to look up Alan. Don says he doesn't know Jane but has seen her picture. Kathy takes him into her own apartment and explains that Alan has just recently gone missing. Don wants to know why Kathy used her passkey and what she was searching for. She tells Blake of her suspicions about Jane. Don says he never met Jane but he doesn't like her and mentions that her first husband killed himself. Don offers to help Kathy.Jane wakes up on the bed at Danny's. She comes clean and explains to Danny where the money really is and how they must find the actual claim check ticket in order to get the money. Jane wants her gun back. Danny is aware of Jane's schemes and tries to kiss Jane, saying he wants to know Jane better and become good friends. She initially resists him but he threatens to hit her and then they embrace.The next morning Jane is searching the apartment when Kathy knocks and asks about Alan and learns he's still missing, Kathy suggests they look for Alan's gun. It was one of his favorite things and if Alan were planning to run away, surely he'd have taken it. Together they find it in the dresser drawer surprising Kathy. There is another knock on the door and Kathy thinks it is Don. It is Lt. Breach (Barry Kelley) from Homicide calling about the missing person's report. The police cannot act upon Jane's report of Alan as missing. Alan hasn't been gone long enough and, besides, there's no evidence of a crime or foul play. Nonetheless, Jane continues to play the role of distraught spouse, worried over a missing husband. Jane is concerned but the Lt. asks about the other woman. The car Jane and Danny almost hit the night before go their license number and the witnesses saw a man and woman in the car. Jane makes up a story about the other woman. Kathy is surprised to hear Jane's story. The phone rings and it is the police calling to notify the Lt. that the car has been located south of San Diego near the Mexican border. Kathy tells Jane she doesn't believe the story about the other woman and suspects Jane was the women. They go to leave the apartment and bump into Don in the hallway. Kathy introduces Jane to Don Blake and leaves them. Jane invites Don in. She repeatedly asks Blake questions about his war service with Alan and is more suspicious when Blake gives her vague answers and he finally asks if he worries her. Jane gets upset with Don's attitude, especially when Don mentions he has noticed Danny hanging around outside. After Blake leaves, Jane looks up another former air force buddy of Alan's in the phone book. Suspicious of Don and his story of being Alan's war buddy, Jane phones Jack Sharber (David Clarke). Sharber tells her that he does not recognize Blake's name and Jane invites Sharber to the apartment the following night to meet Don Blake and validate her suspicions.Danny arrives and Jane tells him Kathy is suspicious because of the liquor story. Danny wants to run but Jane asks Danny to help her kill Kathy. Jane proposes poisoning Kathy and making it appear a suicide as Kathy and Alan were close and she is despondent over his disappearance. Jane convinces Danny to get the poison and she'll do the rest. Don is waiting outside the apartment in the hall and see Danny leave. He follows Danny out and gets his license plate number.Don goes to Kathy's apartment. Don asks Kathy for pictures of Alan and Jane and then proposes he take Kathy sleuthing. They go to the boat rental and show the pictures and confirm that Jane and Alan were there. The boat rental staff noticed that the husband walked away and the woman paid them. Don finds this out of character and is suspicious of Jane and what's happened. Don drives Kathy home and kisses her goodnight. Kathy asks if Don really flew with Alan and knew him. Don admits he has a peculiar feeling about Jane.Danny shows up drunk at Jane's with the poison and gives it to Jane and is upset about having to buy the poison and be suspected by the supplier as a killer.Kathy is at home alone and is just about to drink a glass of milk when Don shows up and interrupts her and ask her to go out on a date. Kathy agrees and grabs the claim check. She gives Don the claim check ticket and they agree to stop at Union Station before going to dinner and present the claim check ticket to see what is there. But as they leave Kathy's apartment, they run into Jane who demands that they come over to her apartment and meet one of Alan's air force buddies. Sharber says that he does not recognize Blake and leaves. Jane pulls her gun and demands that Don and Kathy give her the claim ticket. Kathy runs to her apartment to phone the police leaving Jane with Don. When Kathy returns to Jane's apartment, she finds Don unconscious on the floor and Jane gone. Kathy phones for a doctor and then again phones the police and asks them to intercept Jane at Union Station.At Union Station, Jane spots a man waiting by the baggage claim and decides not to collect the suitcase herself. Instead, she gives a come-on to a lonely guy (Denver Pyle) near the newsstand and asks him to reclaim the bag for her in return for $5. She also promises him that, if he wishes, he can later spend that $5 on her. The guy is only too happy to go get the suitcase. But when picks up the satchel, he sees a note about calling the police and he panics, gives the suitcase to Jane, demands his $5 and takes off. Jane opens the note and sees that Alan left instructions that if a woman tries to claim the bag the claims agent was to call the police.Kathy and Don, now conscious, are attended by two police in uniform. Don wants the police to trace the license number he wrote down. Kathy volunteers to go with Don to find Jane. Don admits that he doesn't know Alan.Jane goes to Danny's apartment, where Danny is in a drunken sleep and she wakes him and tells him she has the money and the bag. Danny asks her to go way, he doesn't trust her, and want to know why she came to him. Jane again questions Danny on where the money came from and if it is safe to spend. Danny explains that he stumbled onto an insurance fraud. A wealthy L.A. insurance agent, who provided insurance on bridges, collected insurance premiums but never took out the policies. Danny blackmailed the man for $60,000. Jane is overjoyed and proposes they drink a toast before heading off to Mexico together. Jane slips some of the poison she had into his drink and Danny dies. Jane leaves the poison, grabs the money and the bag and leaves.Meanwhile, Don has explained to the police his suspicions about what's going on, and they arrive at Danny's. The police discover the dead body. Don advises Lt. Breach of his theory that Alan is at the bottom of the lake and. The Lt. says it is too costly to drag the lake on a hunch. The other policeman catches a woman (June Storey) who's just arriving at Danny's room. She is apparently Danny's girlfriend and explains that she was with Danny when he bought the poison. She knew Danny had some sort of big deal on but didn't know the details of it and the police suspect Danny may have committed suicide when the deal went awry. Don asks Lt. Breach what it would cost to drag the lake himself and the Lt. estimates it would be $4,000 based on a prior case where a husband had the lake dragged looking for his wife later turned up alive and well having run away.Jane is driving down the highway and stops to transfer the contents of the satchel of money to a compartment in the trunk and throws the satchel away into the desert. A stranger in a cowboy hat (George Mann) stops and offers Jane assistance. When he notices a large bill on her bumper, he offers to provide her protection but before the guy can do anything a highway patrol car drives up, and the officer (Alex Montoya) asks her if anything is wrong. Jane calmly says, "No. I just finished changing a flat tire." She drives off alone.Once in Mexico City, Jane checks into a fancy hotel as Miss Jane Petrie. She is out with a group for dinner being escorted by Carlos (John Mansfield) and then blows him off and goes to her suite. There is a knock on the door and Jane thinks it is her escort but she opens the door to discover Don Blake who barges in. Jane claims she used her maiden name as she has filed for divorce, Don knows Jane has $60,000 according to Danny's girlfriend. Don claims he has found Alan's body. Jane calls his bluff and says she told the police where she was going and they would have contacted her. Don revised his story and says he found the body in the lake but dropped it back in and pretends he wants half the money. Jane shows him a suitcase with the money offers him half. Don takes only one bundle of cash and says he's going to use it to pay to have the lake dragged. Jane offers him all the money.Don calls the police, waiting in the hotel lobby, whom he'd alerted in advance with the story that the $60,000 was his and that Jane had stolen it. Jane asks why? Don reveals that he is actually the brother of Jane's first husband, Blanchard, and says that he never believed the report he'd received when he was in the Army that his brother had committed suicide, but rather, he had always suspected Jane of murdering him. But then he admits that perhaps his brother did commit suicide but only because of the actions of Jane.Overwhelmed and panicked, Jane reaches for the suitcase, Don attempts to stop her and throws the suitcase onto the balcony. Jane had pulled a gun out of the suitcase and backs away from Blake. As the police come into her hotel suite, Jane backs up and trips over the suitcase and the money, bumps into the balcony railing and falls from the balcony to her death below with some of the money lying near her outstretched hand.Don goes to the hotel lobby and meets Kathy. Don tells her that it was a short honeymoon and they are going home.0
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