Plot: Arriving on the eve of the annual colonial celebration of Fiestas de San Pablo, Lucky Gagin (Robert Montgomery) is a disaffected veteran on a mission to avenge the death of best pal Shorty. He enters a village divided by ancient class structures where Spanish heritage is valuable and the indigenous are only worth their white market value. A stranger in a strange land, Gagin heads for the posh La Fonda hotel where he's told there's no room for him. Snubbed and harboring his own prejudices, Gagin must rely on the kindness of the local proletariat to snake his way to war profiteer mobster Frank Hugo (Fred Clark). Aided by a mystical indigenous girl that accompanies him to an antique merry-go-round run by gregarious mestizo Pancho (Thomas Gomez, nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role), Gagin's biases soften amidst his new friends who unwittingly shelter him as he readies to strike. Robert Montgomery directs and stars in this striking noir adapted from a novel by IN A LONELY PLACE author Dorothy B. Hughes. Produced and co-adapted by Joan Harrison, who-by the filming of RIDE THE PINK HORSE-had established her reputation co-writing a number of key Alfred Hitchcock films. Harrison was one of the few female producers of her generation.
Alternative Plot: Certain that crime boss Frank Hugo (Fred Clark) has offed a pal of his, Lucky Gagin (Robert Montgomery) tails the gangster to a little New Mexico town. Gagin is seeking hush money, and, if he doesn't get it he'll resort to other means of getting even with Hugo. As FBI investigator Bill Retz (Art Smith) trails both men, Hugo moves to rid the world of Gagin. But in the midst of this macho maelstrom, a savvy local girl (Wanda Hendrix) emerges as a potential heroine.
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