AustLit

'Ellen Cornell seems to be every inch a "lady". She hires Ryan to find her missing husband so she can divorce him and marry the man who wants to become "a father to her children".

'It seems a straightforward case - until Ryan is threatened by a psychotic young man, his office is ransacked, an attractive night-club singer attempts to seduce him and a wealthy dealer offers him a bribe of $100,000 - all to obtain some mysterious object they refer to as "The Prize" and Ryan has never even heard of it.

'Ryan realises that his client isn't all she seems to be. She has no children, and her husband died recently in a drowning accident. The Prize is a precious ruby stolen from the young night-club singer and Ryan is being used as a decoy by his own client.'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'LACEY GLEN: No age mentioned in dialogue, but should be about 21, very attractive, sexy, magnetic. Life has been rough on her - she has been working in nightclubs for several years - there is a brittle, almost cynical quality about her when we first meet her, and when she is with Walter. But Walter's death strips this shield away, and we see the vulnerable, sensitive girl.

'ELLEN CORNELL: An extraordinarily beautiful, soft-featured young woman of just under thirty years. Her manner is subdued, sincere, with a touching genuineness. She is every inch a lady - until we discover otherwise.

'RONNIE METCALF: About 35. He's big, heavy-set, even massive. Should be bigger than Ryan. Fights well - rough-house style. Not dumb, but no mental wizard either. Has more faith in his brawn than his brain.

'WALTER NEWBOY: 19. A hot-headed, ill-mannered young man. Does everything with a touch of frenzy. He feels life has cheated him, and he's right - he thinks the answer is to lash out. Even at his most vicious, there is a pathos about him.

'R.B. SHIELDS: He's described in the script as thin, distinguished, about 70, suffering from gout - but this description should not be allowed to restrict casting. Whatever he looks like, he should be a vivid character.

'MEECHUM: A thin, oily, weasel of a man; the authentic character, a bludger - a shark among minnows. Probably about forty, but again, it is more important that he be vivid than of a particular age.

'JOE WHITE: Middle-aged, a country cop. Maybe less slick than his city counterparts, but he's no less able. He knows his business and goes about it briskly and efficiently.

'MRS. CREW: Maybe fifty. Your traditional nosy neighbour. Hard of hearing - should be a memorable cameo.

'JAMES LOGAN: Big, portly, open-faced American. Middle-aged, obviously wealthy.

'BARTENDER: Doesn't speak, but leaves us with a clear impression - of crushing boredom.

'HOTEL CLERK: A few lines.

'HEAD WAITER: One line.

'JENNY: Part-time prostitute, waitress at the Singapore Bar.

'DANCER: At the Singapore Bar - a stripper.

'WAITER: Hotel dining room. Extra.

'FIVE CUSTOMERS: Singapore Bar - rather grimy night types.

'THREE GUESTS: Hotel dining room - wealthy tourists.'