Richard Coogan is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. He and girlfriend Rosemary Pettit hide out in a carnival, hoping to make the jump across state lines before crazy town boss Harry Bannister can shoot them and blame em for everything.
There isn't much of a story here, barely enough for a three-reeler. What there is is tons and tons of atmosphere in a third-rate carnival where Coogan is co-opted as a tank fighter and Miss Pettit in the burley-cue line, where the dancers are third rate -- except for Renee De Milo and wear cheap costumes that include pasties over their navels. There's no freak show on the screen, but you know there is one just out of camera range, with a dog-headed boy or a pin-headed geek. The sets are shoddy and worn, and cinematographer Victor Lukens -- his only other feature credit is BLACK LIKE ME -- shoots it with an air of disgust. It's another of those movies that I think needs to be seen .... but, no you won't want to see it again.
Supposedly, that's Steve MacQueen in his first movie as a young man trying to ring the bell on the fairway. If you decide to look at it, let me know.
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