A dancer chucks his tap shoes out the window at a noisy cat and ends up facing a murder charge. I could make a comparison to a certain other film noir (actually a film noir and its remake) but that would be giving away its surprising twist. Given the era, you know the innocent man will get a last minute reprieve, the trick is how we get to that point. When the realization dawned on me -- about 30 seconds before the first real clue -- it was one of those magic "How did I not see this coming?" moments. Certain plot points that at first seemed very contrived clicked into place (although to be totally honest, a lot of it is still kinda contrived... goofy coincidences and twists are something of a trademark for Cornell Woolrich). The film is clearly a shoestring budget production, but even if the performances aren't great, they are at least sincere. The "wrong man" scenario provides the usual (justified) paranoia concerning the authorities charged with protecting us, and the tight running time makes this a worthwhile picture, even if not exactly an undiscovered classic.

Tom Quinn (Don Castle) gets his last meal before his execution. He recounts his story to the other prisoners. He and his wife Ann Quinn (Elyse Knox) are struggling dancers. Police detective Clint Judd (Regis Toomey) investigates a murder investigation with a shoe print as evidence. Tom found a wallet full of old money. Both the shoe print and the money point the finger at him. Ann recognizes Clint as "Santa Claus", the man who gave her a big tip for a dance.

This is a film noir B-movie adapted from a pulp novel. It's a simple crime police drama. I do question the shoe print as that impressive of a piece of evidence. I like the opening on death row. I like Clint and his motivation. This is good pulp. This is a very solid and compelling crime drama.