The Saint (George Sanders) is arrested by two officers as he gets off a ship. He locks them in their own handcuffs and escapes - and goes straight to the office of their boss, Inspector Jonathan Hale. He had Sanders arrested because he needs him to do him a favor. A friend of his is needing to get money to Palm Springs in the form of three valuable postage stamps. Their owner is shot as he is getting them out of the safe to give to Sanders. So he heads to Palm Springs. On the train he meets Linda Hayes, who searches his compartment looking for the stamps. They stay at the same bungalow complex in Palm Springs. And who should Sanders meet there but Paul Guilfoyle, who is now reformed and is the security officer at the complex. He has to report regularly to Harry Shannon, the chief of police. (Guilfoyle is outstanding in his role in this movie, a lovable not-too-bright ex-con who is manipulated by Sanders to serve his ends. He really steals the show.)
Once again Sanders is attacked in his bungalow, but he manages to hide the stamps. He is developing a relationship with Hayes, but we know that it is not for real, since she is working against him. Guilfoyle introduces him to Wendy Barrie, who is the tennis instructor at the complex and the niece of the owner of the stamps. When they go to put the stamps in the office safe, Sanders discovers the stamps are gone from their container, and Barrie becomes suspicious of him. So Sanders persuades Guilfoyle to pick the pockets of everyone in the complex. When all the loot is assembled, they find the stamps in a pillbox, but Guilfoyle cannot remembered who had them. So, they have everyone come in to check the belongings. While the crowd is assembled, a policeman at the door is murdered, and the pillbox stolen off the table.
Sanders delivers the stamps to Barrie (in the moonlight, of course). They and Hayes go for a horseback ride (on some ridiculously unrealistic mechanical ponies). The sniping between Barrie and Hayes is funny. Sanders tells Barrie in front of Hayes that he thinks she should be keeping the stamps on her person. They expect an attempt will be made to get the stamps from her, but Sanders and Guilfoyle will be on guard. It happens, and the robber is Hayes. Sanders then realizes that Hayes is a part of a gang working to get the stamps. He arranges to meet Hayes at a giant Joshua tree out from the complex at midnight, and does so in such a way that the gang will know about it. Later in the bar, he lets the gang think they have slipped him a mickie. The gang capture Guilfoyle and Barrie at the Joshua tree. Then Sanders shows up, and the gang confesses their crimes, just before the lights go on and the police close in. Then, as always, the Saint leaves the girl and rides into the night.
Shannon
Hayes
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