Cry Danger (1951) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A wrongly imprisoned man returns to Los Angeles, confronts the forces behind his frame-up, and chooses justice over stolen wealth.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Freedom With A Price

Rocky leaves prison after Delong provides a false alibi. He returns to Los Angeles determined to uncover the frame-up and help his imprisoned friend.

Key Events

• Wrongful Life Sentence — Rocky serves a life sentence for a robbery and murder he says he did not commit. Characters: Rocky Mulloy Location: Court and prison
• False Alibi Appears — Delong suddenly appears and supplies an alibi that secures Rocky's release. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Delong Location: Prison release office
• Return To Los Angeles — Rocky returns to Los Angeles with Delong and begins pursuing the truth. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Delong Location: Los Angeles
• Cobb Orders Surveillance — Cobb informs Rocky that police will watch him around the clock. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb Location: Los Angeles arrival point
• Trailer Park Arrangement — Rocky and Delong rent a place in a trailer park connected to the old case. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Delong Location: Trailer park

The Money Trail

Rocky confronts the bookie and is directed toward a fixed horse race. His search for trial evidence instead reveals a suspicious inheritance.

Key Events

• Demand For Missing Money — Rocky demands fifty thousand dollars at gunpoint from the suspected robbery mastermind. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Bookie Location: Bookie's office
• Fixed Race Proposal — Instead of paying, the bookie gives Rocky money to bet on a fixed longshot race. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Bookie Location: Bookie's office
• Witness Is Unavailable — Rocky learns that the witness's husband died two years earlier after testifying against him. Characters: Rocky Mulloy Location: Mrs. Fletcher's home
• Unexpected Inheritance — Mrs. Fletcher says her husband inherited five thousand dollars after the trial testimony. Characters: Rocky Mulloy Location: Mrs. Fletcher's home

A Second Frame-Up

Cobb confiscates the race winnings because they are stolen payroll money. Rocky recognizes that the bookie has engineered another danger, while Cobb detects the bookie's lie.

Key Events

• Race Winnings Collected — Rocky collects the winnings from the fixed horse race and spends part of the money. Characters: Rocky Mulloy Location: Race betting establishment
• Cobb Reclaims The Money — Cobb identifies the winnings as stolen payroll money and takes them back from Rocky. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb Location: Los Angeles street
• The Second Frame-Up — Rocky realizes the bookie has framed him again, but Cobb notices the bookie's lie. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb, Bookie Location: Police telephone exchange

Violence At The Park

Attackers mistake Delong and his companion for their intended targets. Delong is wounded and the companion is killed, pushing Rocky into a direct confrontation with the bookie.

Key Events

• Mistaken Identity Attack — Two men mistake Delong and his companion for other targets; Delong is injured and the companion is killed. Characters: Delong Location: Trailer park
• Russian Roulette Interrogation — Rocky forces the bookie through Russian roulette until he reveals hidden robbery money. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Bookie Location: Bookie's office
• Friend Blamed For Murder — The bookie claims Rocky's imprisoned friend participated in the robbery and committed the murder. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Bookie Location: Bookie's office
• False Confession Call — Rocky orders the bookie to call Cobb with a full confession, but the bookie contacts his killers instead. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Bookie Location: Bookie's office

Justice Over Escape

Rocky extracts information from the bookie and helps Cobb trap the killers. He refuses to flee with the hidden money and gives Cobb its location.

Key Events

• Police Trap Set — Rocky calls Cobb himself, allowing police to prepare a trap for the two killers. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb Location: Bookie's office and nearby streets
• Killers Enter Trap — The two killers walk into the police trap arranged after Rocky's warning. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb Location: Bookie's office
• Hidden Money Confession — A woman confesses that she possesses the money and asks Rocky to flee with her. Characters: Rocky Mulloy Location: Trailer park
• Rocky Chooses Justice — Rocky tells Cobb where the money is hidden, rejects escape, and walks away. Characters: Rocky Mulloy, Gus Cobb Location: Outside the trailer

Story Breakdown

• Wrongful Imprisonment — Rocky's past conviction establishes the injustice driving his return.
  • Life Sentence — Rocky is imprisoned for a robbery and murder he says he did not commit.
  • Friend Still Imprisoned — Rocky resolves to uncover the truth and help his friend who remains in prison.
• False Freedom — Delong's alibi releases Rocky but introduces a hidden financial motive.
  • Delong Appears — Delong unexpectedly provides the alibi that frees Rocky after five years.
  • Money Motive — Delong hopes to claim a share of the missing one hundred thousand dollars.
• Police Pressure — Cobb keeps Rocky under suspicion while following the money trail.
  • Constant Surveillance — Cobb announces that Rocky will be watched twenty-four hours a day.
  • Stolen Winnings — Cobb reclaims the race winnings after identifying them as payroll robbery money.
• Bookie Conspiracy — Rocky's pursuit of the suspected mastermind exposes repeated attempts to frame him.
  • Gunpoint Demand — Rocky demands fifty thousand dollars from the bookie at gunpoint.
  • Fixed Horse Race — The bookie redirects Rocky toward a rigged race and contaminated money.
• Evidence Unravels — Old testimony and the bookie's contradictory statements weaken the original case.
  • Dead Witness — Rocky learns that the witness's husband died two years earlier.
  • Contradictory Story — The bookie claims not to know Rocky was free, but Cobb knows this is false.
• Violent Escalation — The conspiracy turns deadly, forcing Rocky to confront the bookie directly.
  • Park Ambush — Attackers mistake Delong and his companion for other people, injuring Delong and killing the companion.
  • Russian Roulette — Rocky forces the bookie to reveal the location of hidden robbery money.
• Police Trap — Rocky turns the bookie's attempted counterattack into an opportunity for law enforcement.
  • Failed Confession Call — The bookie contacts his killers instead of calling Cobb with a confession.
  • Killers Captured — Rocky alerts Cobb, and the two killers enter a police trap.
• Justice Chosen — Rocky rejects escape and ensures that the hidden money can be recovered.
  • False Agreement — Rocky pretends to accept an offer to flee with the money.
  • Money Revealed — Rocky tells Cobb where the money is hidden and walks away.

Directed by

Robert Parrish

Key Cast

• Dick Powell — Rocky Mulloy
• Rhonda Fleming — Nancy Morgan
• Richard Erdman — Delong
• William Conrad — Louie Castro
• Regis Toomey — Gus Cobb