Today I Hang (DVD)

A wealthy importer is murdered in an apparent jewel theft gone bad. Henry Courtney's bullet-riddled corpse is discovered in his office soon after his partner, Jim O'Brien, is seen leaving the premises following a heated dispute over a debt. In addition, the priceless DeNormand necklace is missing. The murder weapon is planted in Jim's luggage, and two men, Rand and Hobbs, falsely testify against him. After a speedy trial, he finds himself in a cell facing execution. Assuming that O'Brien knows where the necklace is, Courtney's widow helps him escape from prison. Trusting no one, O'Brien must untangle the web of conspiracy that sent him to death row before the police (or the real killers) get to him.

Director Oliver Drake served in varying capacities on everything from Universal's The Mummy's Curse to the Lassie TV show. Star Walter Woolf King is best remembered as the stuffy Rudolfo Lassparri in the 1935 Marx Brothers' classic, A Night at the Opera, but he continued working until the 1970s, appearing on "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "The Rookies and The Invaders."

• mystery
• thriller