Tarnished

Lou Jellison is a woman living in Maine whose colleague and romantic suitor Joe Pettigrew takes her for a drive. They pick up a hitchhiker, who turns out to be Bud Dolliver, a childhood friend of Lou's who has been gone for many years, believed to be in jail.

Bud bumps into old girlfriend Nina in town. Needing a job, he follows her suggestion that he try the sardine cannery. There he finds that Lou is a secretary and Joe the personnel manager. Joe refuses to hire an ex-convict. Bud next tries boatyard owner Kelsey Bunker, who lets him work in the machine shop.

Kelsey's irritable son Junior causes an accident that renders Bud unconscious. A tattoo is discovered revealing Bud had been in the Marines, not in jail. When he comes to, Bud says he's unwilling to use his military service as a way of improving his reputation around town.

Lou falls for Bud, despite the strong disapproval of her parents. They elope to Vermont but are unable to wed. Upon their return, a jealous Joe picks a fight with Bud, and then Junior also punches him after catching Bud in a bar talking to Nina.

The scheming Junior tries to frame Bud for robberies in the drugstore and cannery. Bud's about to be arrested when a third business owner sets a trap and catches the real thief, Junior, in the act. Lou vouches for Bud and the town welcomes him home.

• Dorothy Patrick as Lou Jellison
• Arthur Franz as Bud Dolliver
• Barbra Fuller as Nina
• Jimmy Lydon as Junior Bunker
• Harry Shannon as Kelsey Bunker
• Don Beddoe as Curtis Jellison
• Byron Barr as Joe Pettigrew
• Alex Gerry as Judge Oliver
• Hal Price as Jed Gills
• Stephen Chase as Sheriff McBride
• Esther Somers as Edna Jellison
• Paul E. Burns as Sam Haines
• Ethel Wales as Ida Baker
• Michael Vallon as Steve Barron

• Tarnished at IMDb