The Clay Pigeon

An accused traitor attempts to clear his name is this "taut, lean film noir" (AllMovie.com) directed by Richard Fleischer (The Narrow Margin) and starring Bill Williams (Deadline at Dawn) and Barbara Hale (The Window). Two years after being injured in a Japanese prison camp, amnesiac war vet Jim Fletcher (Williams) awakens from a coma to find he's accused of treason. Escaping from the hospital, Fletcher seeks out fellow POW Mark Gregory, unaware his friend is dead and Fletcher is suspect in his murder. Unable to remember the past, a desperate Fletcher convinces Gregory's widow (Hale) to help him, while an unseen enemy carries out plans to bury the truth with Jim. Written by Carl Foreman (High Noon) and inspired by a true story, The Clay Pigeon was the first film produced under new RKO owner Howard Hughes and costars actor-turned-director Richard Quine (Pushover) and a brunette Martha Hyer as a receptionist.

• drama