Douglas Sirk
A woman helps the police catch the serial killer who murdered her best friend.
A smooth-talking French thief (George Sanders) wangles his way into an important position as prefect of police.
Jenny Marsh is a hard-luck dame who’s just finished five years in the slammer for killing a man. Jenny’s not exactly the murdering type — she did the deed while defending her jailbird lover, Harry, which is probably one reason she’s attracted the attention of her parole officer, Griff Marat. In fact, Griff is so taken with Jenny that he gets her a job caring for his ailing mother, but although Jenny tries to fly right, she’s not yet over Harry.
Lora Meredith, a white single mother who dreams of being on Broadway, has a chance encounter with Annie Johnson, a black widow. Annie becomes the caretaker of Lora’s daughter, Suzie, while Lora pursues her stage career. Both women deal with the difficulties of motherhood: Lora’s thirst for fame threatens her relationship with Suzie, while Annie’s light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane, struggles with her African-American identity.
Friends and family want a rich widow to end her romance with a tree surgeon about 15 years her junior.
When churlish, spoiled rich man Bob Merrick foolishly wrecks his speed boat, the rescue team resuscitates him with equipment that’s therefore unavailable to aid a local hero, Dr. Wayne Phillips, who dies as a result. Phillips had helped many people, and when Merrick learns Phillips’ secret, to give selflessly and in secret, he tries it in a ham-handed way.