Character Relationship Map: Roadblock

Characters

• Joe Peters (played by Charles McGraw) — protagonist

  An insurance investigator earning $350/month who partners with Harry Miller. Initially repelled by chiselers, he falls for Diane despite their class differences. To fund a dream life with her, he secr...

• Diane Morley (played by Joan Dixon) — protagonist

  A woman who initially deceives Joe Peters by posing as his wife to secure a discounted airline ticket. She becomes Kendall Webb's mistress, accustomed to luxury, but ultimately realizes her love for J...

• Kendall Webb (played by Lowell Gilmore) — supporting

  A prime suspect in a series of fur robberies and the wealthy lover of Diane Morley. He secretly recruits Joe Peters to provide inside information for a $1.25 million railway cash shipment heist, promi...

• Harry Miller (played by Louis Jean Heydt) — supporting

  Joe Peters' law enforcement partner who shares his salary lifestyle. They investigate Webb regarding the fur robberies. Harry eventually discovers Joe's involvement in the railway robbery and desperat...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Harry Miller → Kendall Webb (Professional Investigator) — Harry investigates Webb as part of the insurance inquiry.

  Joe and Harry are assigned to investigate Webb as the prime suspect in a series of fur robberies.

• Diane Morley → Kendall Webb (Romantic Mistress) — Diane's relationship with Webb is materially comfortable but emotionally unsatisfying.

  When Joe encounters Diane during the Webb investigation, she has become Webb's mistress.

• Joe Peters → Diane Morley (Romantic Love Interest) — Their romance drives Joe's decision to pursue wealth through crime.

  Joe is attracted to Diane after meeting her during the forced layover, and their mutual attraction returns in Los Angeles.

• Joe Peters → Harry Miller (Professional Partner) — They are investigative partners whose professional trust is damaged by Joe's criminal actions.

  Joe and Harry are insurance investigators who work together on recovery cases and investigate Kendall Webb.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Joe Peters → Kendall Webb (Alliance Criminal Collaborator) — Joe and Webb form a covert alliance to commit the railway robbery.

  Joe secretly agrees to provide inside information for Webb's $1.25 million railway cash shipment robbery in exchange for one-third of the take.

Story Analysis

A financially pressured investigator sacrifices morality for love and luxury, then destroys his criminal alliance before dying during his final escape.

Plot Progression

1. A Chance Layover — Joe and Harry complete a recovery case before flying home. A storm strands Joe with Diane, whose ticket deception creates an uneasy but growing attraction.
2. Luxury and Suspicion — Back in Los Angeles, Joe and Harry investigate Kendall Webb for fur robberies. Joe discovers Diane is Webb's mistress, reopening their attraction while exposing their financial divide.
3. The Fatal Bargain — Webb recruits Joe to exploit inside information about a $1.25 million railway shipment. Diane chooses love and proposes marriage, but Webb's pressure keeps Joe tied to the scheme.
4. The Robbery's Cost — The railway mail-car robbery succeeds, but a railroad employee is injured and later dies. Joe's honeymoon provides an alibi while the investigation moves closer to the conspirators.
5. Flight Without Escape — Joe confesses to Diane, then kills Webb by staging a highway accident. Harry urges surrender, but Joe flees toward Mexico and dies after being located and shot.