They take their lives in their hands… when they take each other in their arms! -Tagline

Prison Warden: Your generation grew up, married, raised families, went to war. But nothing happened to you, Bill. You just got older.

Bill Clark (Steve Cochran) leaves prison after 18 yrs; he has the thinking of an awkward teen (he was sentenced at age 13) and a grown man’s body. Feeling lonely, he visits a dance hall (Dream Land), where he meets a jaded/platinum blonde, Cathy Higgins (Ruth Roman). Taking pity on the earnest/persistent man, Cay shows Bill around town. After the sudden shooting of a police detective (her “sugar daddy”), the odd couple decides to hit the road. Along the the way, they hitch a ride w/ a family, Stella (Lurene Tuttle) and Henry Dawson (Ray Teal), and their young son who’re going to pick lettuce in California.

Cay: I came to New York from upstate. I was gonna be a dancer. I was a brunette. Started on my toes and wound up on my heels.

The amount ($222.35) that Bill receives from his warden would equal about $2,700 (2024). Less than 10 taxi dance halls existed in NYC (1951), compared to 100+ about 20 yrs earlier. Cay’s comment (quoted above) is a reference to an older slang term for a promiscuous woman (having round heels). Perhaps the censors let it go, b/c of the noir nature of the film. As critics have pointed out, this is the rare noir w/ a (male) virgin. I had NOT heard of this movie until I saw it at the film fest; it was well-made and kept me interested. Film scholars noted that WB tacked on the (happy) ending, BUT I didn’t mind it! This movie delves into issues we’re facing today (in a sometimes lonely/uncertain/disillusioned world): the need for autonomy, intimate/romantic connection, friendship/community, and a sense of purpose.

[1] I can’t think of any other film from the pre-Moon Is Blue period that deals with so many tough social issues (without, of course, QUITE breeching the Production Code): prostitution, rape, pimping, and even premarital sex.

[2] Roman’s the revelation; in her best-known role… Here she modulates persuasively from bottle-blonde taxi dancer to sacrificing wife and mother-to-be (and a brunette, to boot). Cochran’s almost as good, waffling between the suspicion of a wounded child and the explosive reactions of an under-socialized male.

[3] There’s a whole sub genre of noir that involves flights from big cities into the open spaces of America and how those open spaces are no longer safe; the decay of urban environments will follow relentlessly, and the open spaces are even more dangerous because there are fewer places to hide.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews