Storm Warning Page #3

Synopsis: En route to a job, New York based model Marsha Mitchell decides to stop for less than 24 hours in the southern American town of Rock Point to visit her sister, Lucy Rice, who she has not seen in two years, and meet Lucy's husband, Hank Rice, for the first time. Upon arriving in Rock Point, Marsha witnesses a Ku Klux Klan slaying of who she would later learn is Walter Adams, an out of town reporter who was going to write an exposé on the Klan. Marsha even saw two of the men's faces after they removed their hoods, but they didn't see Marsha. Upon later arriving at Lucy's house, Marsha is shocked to see that Hank was one of the Klansmen committing the murder, he being a Klansman of which Lucy is unaware. Marsha decides to confront Hank and Lucy about what she saw. Meanwhile, county prosecutor Burt Rainey knows that the Klan committed the murder, everyone in town is aware that the Klan committed the murder, but Rainey knows that no one will come forward to implicate the Klan for what they
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir
Director(s): Stuart Heisler
Production: WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES
 
IMDB:
7.2
APPROVED
Year:
1951
93 min
101 Views


it's enough to make anybody sick.

Leave her alone.

Im sorry, honey.

I guess I had it all wrong.

Excuse me.

- What got into you, baby?

- I said Im sorry, honey. I didn't realize.

Will you go to bed?

Will you, please?

I ain't hard to get along with.

Its just that...

I guess,

I kind of flew off the handle a little.

Good night.

You were staring at him.

Lucy, I hate to have to tell you this,

but he was one of them.

- What are you talking about?

- I saw him.

He was with the rest of them

when they shot that fellow in the back.

- Hank wasn't there, he was working.

- Oh, yes, he was.

He told us he wasn't...

Is it true? Is it true what Marsha said?

I was on the road, driving the truck.

Just like I told you.

Call them up. Call them up at the mill.

Look at my time card.

Don't listen to her, hon.

She just wants to start trouble.

You're lying. I saw you.

I was standing in a doorway,

not 10 feet away from you.

All right, I was there.

He came looking for trouble and he got it.

- Why, Hank?

- Forget it.

Nothing's gonna happen.

She ain't gonna say nothing.

What were you doing there?

I don't know how it happened.

I was down at the mill loading the truck

and these fellows come along,

and they were going down to the jail

to scare this Adams.

And I didn't wanna go along.

It was...

Well, you know how it is,

we were drinking

and I couldn't back out,

not in front of all them guys.

So I went along

just to scare him.

That's all, believe me.

Its been burning inside of my stomach

ever since.

I can't stop seeing it.

I didn't wanna do anything. Honest.

- Where are you going?

- Im going out.

I can't sleep now.

Not after what happened.

I wanna walk.

Take this. Its cold.

You heard what he said.

He had to go along.

But he wouldn't hurt anyone.

He couldn't hurt anyone.

Oh, Marsha, I love him so much.

Oh, baby.

I understand. I understand.

Ill catch the first bus out in the morning

and get out of this.

I should be in Riverport anyway.

Everything will be

just the way you want it.

- Hi, Glen.

- Good evening, Burt.

Hello, Mr. Rainey.

- Hi, Cliff.

- Hi, Mr. Rainey.

What your man got there?

We picked it up at the jail.

Heard there was a shooting. Who was it?

They meant to lynch him.

Something went wrong, I guess.

Oh? Who was it?

They use this kind of rope on trucks,

don't they?

Tie-off rope.

Use it on my trucks all the time.

Matter of fact,

that's where we got this one.

At your mill.

They match. Exactly the same.

Beer stains.

Just had this suit cleaned, too.

- Water take off beer stains?

- I think so.

Here.

A man can buy a rope like that

in any hardware store in the state.

This is bad business, Burt.

What are you trying to do?

- Work up a case.

- You won't. You can't, you know it.

Those hotheads, whoever they were,

killed a reporter.

The newspapers are going crazy about it.

You're helping them.

He has to do his duty, Mr. Faulkner.

That's what he's paid for.

Every train, every bus will be bringing

more reporters for the inquest,

ready to smear Rock Point

all over the country.

It'll make a stink you can smell

from here to Canada,

and you're helping them.

What do you want from him? Its his duty.

His duty is to his own folks, his own town,

people who elected him.

It isn't his duty to make us all ashamed

that we live here.

Its his job.

A man has to do what's right.

Walter Adams was a pretty good

reporter, wasn't he, Charlie?

A good reporter could dig up a lot of stuff

about the Klan, couldn't he?

Might even say it was all a phony.

A private moneymaking racket.

Maybe he could prove it, too,

if he lived long enough.

Look, did I kill this Adams?

Ill give you a tip, young fellow.

Never go off half-cocked.

Who's to say the Klan's involved?

You got a witness?

Don't drag people into anything

unless you got solid legal evidence.

Everything that happens

in these small towns,

right away they blame the Klan.

- George.

- Yes, Mr. Barr? Yes?

- Where was I tonight?

- Here.

- When did I come in?

- 9:
00, thereabouts.

- When did I leave?

- Leave? Leave, Mr. Barr? You're still here.

You never left for a minute.

Your bowling score

on the sheet there proves it.

George, every time you tell that story

you get better.

You go right ahead. Look for evidence.

Get your witnesses.

Don't let nobody stop you.

Mr. Barr. Mr. Barr.

I told you to go home and stay there.

I know, but I found out something.

Somebody seen us.

- Who saw us?

- That's what I come here to tell you about.

My wife's sister came in on the 10:00 bus

and she seen me.

She recognized me. She seen all of us.

But it's all right. I took care of it.

She's gonna leave town.

First bus in the morning.

That's all Rainey needs.

One witness, one person who saw it.

I just told you I took care of it.

She ain't gonna do nothing.

I didn't have to come down here

and tell you, did I?

But I did. Don't you worry.

I know what Im doing.

- She'll be on that first bus in the morning.

- Make sure of it.

Be as sure of that

as you've ever been about anything,

or you'll find this whole mess

dumped right into your lap.

Mr. Barr, we was all there together.

Not just me.

You will be left alone with it

if anything goes wrong.

Get your sister-in-law out of town.

- All right, all right, we're...

- Well, hurry up!

Hank's always in a hurry.

What the matter? You want to be late?

There ain't gonna be another...

You go get in the other side.

There ain't gonna be another bus here

until way late tonight.

Well, hurry up!

Come on.

All right, folks. Everyone onboard.

Driver, will you wait for me?

I still have to get my...

Gotta keep off Main Street

when you head out, Al.

Yeah, why?

Chief wants to keep all traffic

clear of the courthouse.

The whole town's turning out

for the inquest.

- Official red tape baloney.

- Yeah, I heard all about it.

Its getting to be

a regular happening around here.

Why don't you put up

a grandstand and sell tickets?

Peddle popcorn.

Go east, see.

Hit the highway off Tyler Street.

Straight east on Tyler. Ill do that.

Come on, come on, lady,

if you're going with us.

Oh, you get my ticket

and Ill get my suitcase.

Please.

Is that your suitcase?

That's right. Heading there at 2:00.

All right, call me if you get anything.

Call me later.

This is the girl

who checked her suitcase, Burt.

Marsha Mitchell.

Won't you sit down, Miss Mitchell?

Rainey speaking.

That's right.

Ill call you back.

Miss Mitchell,

you got off the bus at 10:00 last night.

- Yes.

- Where did you go?

To the Recreation Center.

My sister works there.

- The Valley Caf and Recreation Center?

- Yes.

Then you passed the jail.

You must have seen what happened.

Yes, as I passed the jail

I knew something horrible was going on,

but I couldn't see it.

I couldn't see who did it,

or anything like that.

You, too?

You know, Miss Mitchell,

the people who live around here

never see anything or hear anything.

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Daniel Fuchs

Daniel Fuchs (June 25, 1909 – July 26, 1993) was an American screenwriter, fiction writer, and essayist. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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