Regis Toomey

Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) arrives late to his work because a lady has occupied his parking space. He tries to move her car but he only succeeds in getting a parking fine by a police officer (James Westerfield), who doesn't believe his weird story. Roger is a fishing tools expert and shop assistant who has even written a book about the sport. He teaches Major Phipps (Roscoe Karns) how to use a rodding cane at the department store where he works in, at Abercrombie and Fitch, in the fishing sports department. Roger gives him advice which he has heard from somebody else. Roger's customers, Abigail Page (Paula Prentiss) and Isolde 'Easy' Mueller (Maria Perschy), want Roger to participate on the fishing competition in lake C..... Easy is a public relations officer, and Abigail is an important person of the community. Roger will compete against Major Phipps. However, Rock tries to get out of the idea, as he has not idea about fishing. His boss, William Cadwalader (John McGiver) pushes him to win the competition. Abigail and Easy are both interested in Roger, although they realise fast that he has no idea about fishing. They pay John Screaming Eagle (Norman Alden) not to say anything about Roger being useless with fish. John is also a small conman. He isn't unable to put up even his net. Roger's boss pushes Roger to go, so he can't say no. Both girls watch him doing stupid things, and during a lunch together they laugh about a caterpillar which fell onto his salad, and his eating it subsequently. Abby helps Roger, explaining things for him. For example, she recommends him to use a scooter, but it ends up being driven by a bear. Also, when she tries to teach him how to drive a boat to go to the location of the catch, he ends up almost drowning and inside a safety balloon-like trousers, which he doesn't recommend his boss for selling. Roger can't even swim, but Abigail is attracted to him anyway. The frist time Abigail makes him use a fishing cane, he catches a fish. Roger feels disgusted by the slimmy fish. He loses his catch and pushes her into the water. He catches another fish with his baggy clothes after falling to the river. Roger is made to hold a fish for hours as part of his training. Easy tells them that another champion, Filroy from Chicago, is going to compete, so that he can quit. However, Roger knows that he can't say his boss that, so the girls plot to put one of his arms in plaster so that he will have an excuse not to participate. They put the plaster after he has seen her breasts due to the heavy rain. The girls go to meet Filroy, but he is with a broken arm in a plaster, so they can't have Roger hurt at the same time. So now they need to take the plaster out. Roger waits for the call of his girlfriend. Abigail asks for a pill at night as she is interested in him. No surprise, she tries to entice a kiss from him, but he says he has no time. She takes a pill and falls asleep in Roger's room. Furthermore, nobody tells him that Tex Connors (Charlene Holt) is about to arrive the following morning. When she arrives the day of the contest, she sees Easy trying to get Roger out of a stuck sleeping bag. He says that he was trying to try the new equipment. Tex also sees Abigail going out of Roger's room so she almost splits up with him. To win, Roger reads his own book. The book is useless for him. Screaming Eagle watches him as he fishes a fish without even noticing it. Roger is also lucky the second day, when he catches one falling from a tree: a fish commits suicide when the thread gets tangled on a tree brunch. After that, he decides to kiss Abigail, but she pronounces it of poor quality. The third day, the bear scares him causing him to catch another fish. He wins the competition and promises himself never to fish again. He doesn't want to celebrate his win with his boss. A weeping Abigail tells him to "come out" and tell the truth. Mr Bagley (Regis Toomey) and Mr Skaggs (Forrest Lewis), the organizers, hear his confession. He renounces because a bear helped him. Major Phipps has won and Cadwalader fires Roger. Abigail has left. Easy doesn't want to tell him where she is, but he pays to Screaming Eagle to tell him and take him there. Abigail tells him to go away, but she doesn't really want so. A storm is about to break in. Roger finally splits up with Tex. It starts raining, so he gets into her huge sleeping bag. Major Phipps gives Cadwalader an idea: to annouce that if Roger could win with the right equipment, anybody can. It rains so much that Abigail's sleeping bag floats by with them both deeply sleeping on it. Cadwalader even gives a pay rise to Roger. Roger kisses Abigail. CONCLUSION A sepia-coloured scene: Marcia (Kathie Brown) tells John (unnamed) that he doesn't need to kiss her as the film has already finished.

(Because the film has a very complicated plot and features many characters, the events will be told mostly in chronological order to render the plot clearer, rather than strictly adhering to the order we see in the film.) General Sternwood has two daughters: the elder one is Vivian (Lauren Bacall) and the younger one is Carmen, who is a carefree, childish and problematic young woman. General Sternwood has a man named Sean Regan working for him. With the help of Sean, the general has made a man named Joe Brody leave Carmen alone, by giving him 5.000 Dollars. Carmen loves Sean but Sean loves the wife of a man named Eddie Mars, so he refuses Carmens advances. One day, Carmen kills Sean when she is drunk because of her unrequited love. Eddie hides Seans body. He then makes up the story that Sean and his wife have run away together and nobody sees Sean after that day. To support this story, he actually makes his own wife go away and start living in a remote place. Even the general doesnt know Seans whereabouts and wonders why he has left all of a sudden. Eddie then proceeds to blackmail Vivian for Carmens murder. As a way of eliciting money from Vivian, Eddie makes her win big money at his gambling house with cheats, and then he takes all the money from her. Carmens troublesome adventures are not over, though. A man named Arthur Gwynn Geiger blackmails General Sternwood to take the gambling debts of Carmen. The general hires Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) to get rid of Geigers blackmail. Vivian talks to Marlowe, thinking that her father has actually hired him to find Sean Regan. Afraid that Carmen may get into trouble, she tries to take words from Marlowes mouth about his inquiry. But she learns that her father has not actually hired Marlowe about Sean. Marlowe goes to Geigers so-called antique books shop and sees a woman named Agnes, who makes it impossible for him to talk to Geiger. Then Marlowe waits at the bookshop across the street until the evening and follows Geiger and his right arm Carol Lundgren to Geigers house. Before Marlowe gets in the house, however, important things happen. Owen Taylor, driver for the Sternwoods, is in love with Carmen. He goes to Geigers house with her and kills Geiger for her. A secret camera, however, takes Carmens photo just at the moment of the murder. Owen then takes the film from the hidden camera, gets in the car and goes away. Joe Brody, also present that night, follows Owen, takes the film from him to blackmail Carmen, (and most probably) kills Owen and pushes his car in the water. When Marlowe gets in Geigers house, he sees Carmen with the dead body of Gaiger lying on the ground. Marlowe takes Carmen home and tells Vivian to say that Carmen has been home all night if asked by anyone. When he goes back to Geigers house, he sees that his dead body has been taken away. Later, Owens dead body is found in the car in the water. He has been killed before falling into the water. Marlowe learns from Vivian that Owen was interested in Carmen. Vivian then tells Marlowe that somebody is blackmailing her for Carmens photo taken at the night of Geigers murder. The blackmailer, who wants 5.000 Dollars, is actually Agnes. It is Joe Brody that makes her blackmail Vivian. Vivian tells Marlowe that she can take the money from Eddie. When Marlowe meets with Carmen once again at Geigers house, she tells him that it was Joe who took her photo that night. Eddie comes along and tries to scare Marlowe out of his inquiries. Later, Marlowe finds Joe Brody and questions him about Geiger. Agnes and Vivian are also at his house. Carmen comes along with a gun and threatens to kill Joe if he doesnt give her the photo. Carmen takes the photo and she leaves with Vivian. Then the doorbell rings again and somebody kills Joe, then escapes. Marlowe catches the man, who turns out to be Carol (Geigers right arm), who thinks that it was Joe who killed Geiger. Marlowe and Carol then go to Geigers house. Marlowe calls his friend Bernie, who comes and takes Carol away for his murder. Marlowe meets Vivian, who gives him money to close the case, but Marlowe sees behind this and does not want to quit his inquiries. He has to solve the Sean Regan issue. A man named Harry Jones tries to sell Marlowe the name of the place where Sean can be found. The money is to be given to Agnes, who has seduced Harry before. Later, one of Eddies men, Canino, kills Harry, because the information he has given to Marlowe will reveal Eddies secret about Sean. Marlowe meets with Agnes. She tells him that she and Joe have seen Eddies wife and Canino together and followed them. She gives Marlowe the address for 200 Dollars. Marlowe goes to that address and is knocked unconscious by two men. When he wakes up, he is tied and Eddies wife is there. Marlowe learns the truth about Sean Regan: He did not run away with Eddies wife, he was already dead and it is only Eddies wife who is hiding away. The wife tries to defend Eddie, saying that it wasnt him who killed Sean. Marlowe tells her that Eddie is a blackmailer and she goes away. Vivian unties Marlowe and he kills Canino. Marlowe calls Eddie to meet with him at his house. Eddie comes with a lot of men but he enters the house alone. Marlowe confronts him with a gun and makes him confess his bad deeds. He drives him out of the house and Eddies men outside, thinking that the one getting out of the house is Marlowe, shoot Eddie. The men leave, thinking they have done their duty. Marlowe calls Bernie again and tells him that it was Eddie who killed Sean Regan. By saying this, he actually saves Carmen from arrestment. But he tells Vivian that she should take Carmen away from here and should try to reform her. Vivian understand that this means a separation between herself and Marlowe, who are by now very much interested in each other. The film ends vaguely about the future of the two lovers.

After a fight with his wife on their anniversary, Scott Henderson, a 32-year-old engineer, picks up an equally unhappy woman at Anselmo's Bar in Manhattan and they take a taxi to see a stage show. The woman refuses to tell him anything about herself. The star of the show they are watching, Estela Monteiro, becomes furious when she notices that she and the mystery woman are wearing the same unusual hat. When Henderson returns home, he finds Police Inspector Burgess and two of his men waiting to question him; his wife has been strangled with one of his neckties. Henderson has a solid alibi, but the bartender, taxi driver and Monteiro deny seeing the phantom lady. Henderson cannot even clearly describe the woman. He is tried and sentenced to death. Carol Richman, Henderson's loyal secretary, who is secretly in love with him, sets out to prove his innocence. She starts with the bartender. She sits in the bar night after night, staring at and unnerving him. Finally, she follows him home one night. When he confronts her on the street, some bystanders step in to restrain him. He breaks free, runs into the street and is run over. Later, Burgess offers to help (unofficially); he has become convinced that only a fool or an innocent man would have stuck to such a weak alibi. Burgess provides her with information about the drummer at the show, Cliff, who had tried to make eye contact with the mystery lady. Carol dresses provocatively and goes to another of Cliff's shows, hoping to glean more information. By making intense eye contact with Cliff during the performance, she manages to capture his attention. Afterward, Cliff approaches her, and she returns to his apartment with him. Somewhat drunk, Cliff brags that he was paid $500 for his false testimony. However, he becomes suspicious when he accidentally knocks over her purse and among the spilled contents finds a piece of paper with details about him. Richman manages to escape, leaving her purse behind. After she has gone, the real murderer, Henderson's best friend Jack Marlow, shows up at the apartment and strangles Cliff to death. Marlow has put aside business in South America to come home, ostensibly to help Richman save Henderson; secretly he works to frustrate her efforts, while hiding his own deteriorating mental state. Richman tracks down Monteiro's hat maker, Kettisha . One of her employees admits to copying the hat for a regular customer and provides her name and address. With Burgess away on another case, Richman and Marlow go to see Ann Terry. They discover her under the care of Dr. Chase; the man she was to marry had died suddenly, leaving her emotionally devastated. Richman is unable to get any information from her, but does find the hat. Marlow suggests they wait for Burgess at Marlow's apartment. However, while she is freshening up, Richman finds her purse and the paper with Cliff's particulars in a dresser drawer. Marlow admits he became enraged when Henderson's wife refused to run away with him; she was only toying with him. Burgess arrives just in time. Marlow throws himself out the window to his death. With Henderson freed, things appear to return to normal. However, Richman is delighted to learn (from a Dictaphone message) that her boss returns her love.

When reporter ANN MITCHELL (Barbara Stanwyck) is laid off by managing editor HENRY CONNELL (James Gleason) because of streamlining, she begs to stay on since she's supporting her MOTHER (Spring Byington) and TWO SISTERS (Tina Thayer and Carlotta Jelm), but it's no use. Angry, she gathers up her belongings but then, as a parting shot, types up a fake letter from "John Doe" stating that he's so downtrodden by the unfairness of things that he intends jumping off the building on Christmas Eve. The paper prints the letter and it causes a sensation. Everyone relates to and wants to help John Doe. Connell, desperate to get hold of the original letter is shocked when Ann tells him there was no letter. Connell, angry, is ready to print a retraction but Ann suggests that they hire a "fake John Doe" to embody the pathos of the letter. She gets her job back along with a lucrative fee and contract. Several desperate MEN line up claiming to have written the letter, so Ann and Connell must now pick the one. When handsome JOHN WILLOUGHBY (Gary Cooper) walks in, Ann's clearly smitten. A likable, quiet baseball pitcher who's fallen on bad times, John's the one who will become "John Doe." Although he seems too honest to lie, Ann believes he's desperate enough. They create a fake letter, put him up at a fancy hotel with bodyguards, making him sign an agreement. Also in tow (much to Connell's chagrin) is THE COLONEL (Walter Brennan), a confirmed vagabond, distrustful of society, who warns John that he's falling into a trap of privilege. Next come publicity photos, which are directed by Ann to get the correct "angry protest" look. With headlines proclaiming his anger at the unfairness of the world, John becomes an increasing media sensation, courtesy of hyperbolic headlines concocted by Connell. Meanwhile, the GOVERNOR (Vaughn Glaser) suspects John Doe is a myth but mistakenly feels it was concocted by publisher B. D. NORTON (Edward Arnold) to discredit him. Ann convinces Norton to play it for what it's worth. Norton offers her money to write radio speeches to sell Doe. He also wants her to work directly with him and not Connell. Ann goes to work, typing up a storm but nothing comes to mind. Ann's Mother (Spring Byington) suggests that she write something upbeat and simple, using the values of Ann's late father as an inspiration. By now, John has begun realizing that his baseball career might not get started again if the John Doe business is revealed as a phony. Nonetheless, John reads his first manufactured upbeat speech, written by Ann, to a packed house. Ann coaches him to be sincere, suggesting that she's fallen in love with John Doe. The speech, broadcast on the radio, stirs the people with its "love-thy-neighbor" style message. CROWDS love him but John can't get away fast enough. He and the Colonel retreat to riding the rails in a boxcar and flee. B. D. Norton, thinking he was great, wants him located. When a DINER WAITER (Sterling Holloway) recognizes him, John's hope for a return to normalcy is squelched by sudden CROWDS, eager to meet him. Ann and Norton locate him. John isn't happy about it. When Norton offers him a lecture tour, he refuses it angrily. When the common PEOPLE who have a "John Doe" club talk to him, however, he softens when hearing how he's touched them. Now, John's torn. His itinerant pal, The Colonel, thinks he's been "hooked" and, disgusted, walks out on him. Norton arranges the lecture tour. John speaks in state after state, addressing the many national clubs in his name. Connell tells Norton, however, that he's curious why Norton is spending so much money on the tour. In the meantime, Ann, knowing that John now likes her, feels increasingly like the heel she feels she is. She feels even worse when John relates a tender dream that he had about her and talks to her about how he relates to the lonely, hungry people to whom he's been speaking. Norton gives Ann a fur coat and a gift. He then tells her that he wants John Doe to announce a new "third political party," which, it's clear to Ann, was Norton's plan all along. Norton wants to be the presidential candidate for that party, which will be less for the people than it is for those like Norton - big business types. John visits Ann's Mother, telling her he'd like to marry Ann. Her gentle advice is just to ask. While John talks with Connell, the editor, who's had a few drinks, blurts that Norton has a dark agenda. John feels hurt and used, as he'd felt the whole John Doe was legitimate, not a tool for Norton's political ambitions. Connell also tells John how well paid Ann is to write the speeches and would do anything for money. Angry, John walk in on Norton and Ann at a lavish dinner party he's having in his mansion. John overhears Norton's political plotting as well as his toast to Ann for having aided him. Ann sees that John is listening. John asks Ann if indeed she wrote Norton's speech and she admits it. John then confronts Norton and all at his party. John threatens to thwart his efforts. Norton accuses John of being the fake, not him. Norton threatens to reveal such if he talks. Aghast that Norton would kill the John Doe movement to protect his own interests, John is furious with all of them. He tells them off with passion, impressing Ann and the STAFF, who overhear. John feels that the movement is far too powerful for Norton and his cronies to stop. Norton wants John stopped before he can blow the whistle at the huge gathering that has now formed at a public arena. Ann catches up with John, trying to explain, telling him that she didn't know what Norton and his people were doing. John doesn't believe her and won't allow her to accompany him in his cab. John shows up at the event as a huge CROWD stands in the rain singing the National Anthem. A PRIEST introduces John. Before he can speak, Norton has published a report that John Doe is a fake. Norton's TROOPERS storm the event as John tries to get the mob's attention and speak. With John subdued, Norton takes the mike and accuses him of being a fraud. As John tries to speak, the Troopers cut the mike cords. Ann listens on the radio as the mob becomes unruly. John returns to his place beneath a bridge with The Colonel. Newspapers herald his faker. Clubs disband. John feels disgraced. He's tortured by memories of the sweet, simple people that he feels he now let down. Christmas Eve comes, the appointed time that John Doe was to take his life by leaping from the building. Some of his FOLLOWERS are convinced he'll jump, so they head for the roof, as does Ann. Indeed, John shows up, a letter in his hand addressed to the admirers he feels he let down. He's about to jump when Norton steps from the shadows with this MEN, telling him that if he jumps the mayor has been instructed to remove his ID, and thus his suicide will be for nothing. But John tells him he's already mailed a copy of the letter elsewhere. John's glad they're here. He tells Norton that the movement that they killed will be born all over again. Ann shows up as he's about to jump, begging him not to do it. She insists they can start it over again together; his followers agree. John and Ann walk away, and Connell gets in the last word with a thwarted Norton.

In Tucson of the 1860s, a pioneer woman struggles to succeed in the freight and cattle business while at risk at the hands of corrupt and violent local businessmen and rampaging Indians. Phoebe Titus is a tough, swaggering pioneer woman, but her ways become decidedly more feminine when she falls for California bound Peter Muncie. But Peter won't be distracted from his journey and Phoebe is left alone and plenty busy with villains Jefferson Carteret and Lazarus Ward plotting at every turn to destroy her freighting company. She has not seen the last of Peter, however. —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>