The Man Who Walked Alone
A hitch-hiking stranger manages a lift from a young woman into the town he's destined for, and she's from. Both land up in jail, twice, as the small town and its leading family slowly unravel the in-plain-sight mystery behind this man. Marion Scott, honorably discharged WW II soldier, in "civies" and carrying a suitcase containing his uniform and medals, is hitch-hiking to the small hometown of a buddy killed overseas, intending to make it his home. En-route, he encounters wealthy society girl Wilhelmina Hammond, who is running away from her stuffed-shirt fiancée, Alvin Bailey and has taken his car without permission. Marion and Wilhelmina are bickering over a blow-out and an empty gas tank when the local cops appear and haul them off to jail on a car-theft charge. Wilhelmina establishes her identity and is released and, intrigued by Marion whom she suspects is a deserter, arranges his release also. She takes him to the Hammond estate and tells Marion, who does not know her true identity, she is Mrs. Hammond's secretary. Wilhelmina has no keys to the home and they are arrested again when they are caught crawling into the house through a window. This time reporters and photographers discover her identity and plaster the papers with a story of an heiress running out on her rich fiancée to take up with an unknown stranger. Over the objections of the Hammond caretaker, Wiggins, she hires Marion as a chauffeur and stands her ground when her irate mother and angry fiancée rush home from New York with their entourage, including: Aunt Harriet, an old maid who had an unfortunate love affair during WW I; Patricia, "Willie's" young and mischievous sister; Camille, the family dressmaker, and Champ, Alvin's physical instructor. It becomes a battle of wills as Mrs. Hammond and Alvin are determined to break up a romance that doesn't exist, as "Willie" and Marion are constantly bickering, and Aunt Harriet who is all for the pair getting together. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
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