The Big Night

On their way home from a date at an amusement park, two Venice, California teenagers, Frankie Robelo and Ellie Turner, see a car being pursued by police. As the car crosses a bridge, a passenger throws an object into the canal beneath. The chase ends in a shootout between the car's occupants and the police, during which two men from the car are killed and a third escapes. Frankie and Ellie spot a briefcase floating in the canal and Frankie swims out to retrieve it, then hides it in an abandoned boiler. The next morning, Frankie reads a newspaper story about two bank robbers being slain after stealing $209,000. Frankie's father Ed, a slovenly drill press operator, tells him he has to report to his high school counselor, Mr. Shaw, as he is in danger of failing. When Ed stops at Dave Johnson's service station for gas on his way to work, Dave complains that the station has been broken into again and that he suspects Frankie and two of his pals, Tony and Jerry. Later, Frankie takes the padlocked briefcase from the boiler, breaks it open and discovers several bundles of currency inside. He then returns the case to its hiding place. Frankie, who has failed to keep his appointment with Mr. Shaw, finds the counselor waiting for him when he returns home. When Shaw advises Frankie to settle down in school and study, Frankie retorts that he will probably end up making more money than Shaw does. Afterward, Ed breaks down and cries when Frankie accuses him of being a bum. Carl Farrow, the surviving bank robber, returns to the area and rents a room while he attempts to locate the stolen cash. Meanwhile, Ellie's mother expresses concern about her daughter's relationship with Frankie, whom she regards as a cheap hoodlum from a lower social stratum. When Frankie tells Ellie that he has the money, she admonishes him to return it to the bank and find a job. Frankie then asks Dave for a job at the service station, swearing that he is responsible. Although Dave has a feeling that he may be paying for "protection," he hires Frankie. Wegg, an ex-cop fired for corruption, follows a tip that leads him to Farrow, but Farrow, suspicious of Wegg, refuses to talk to him. Later, when Frankie returns home, he discovers that his father has cleaned the house and their relationship improves. With an advance from Dave, Frankie buys an old jalopy and drives Ellie home from school. Her mother is pleased to learn that Frankie is working and behaving more responsibly. That night, Frankie switches the cash from the briefcase to a sack and, when spotted by patrol officers and by Farrow, throws the case into a canal and escapes. Later, in a bar, Wegg tells Farrow that he thinks he was the driver of the getaway car and suggests they join forces, but Farrow turns him down. After Wegg overhears Ed and Dave talking about the positive changes in Frankie, Wegg decides to follow Frankie around. Later, Ed loses his job due to a contract cancellation and becomes despondent about the future. Ellie is also concerned about her future with Frankie as the issue of the stolen money is tearing them apart. One night, Wegg trails Frankie as he goes to retrieve the hidden cash. Wegg is followed by Farrow, who slugs him and throws him into a canal. When confronted at gunpoint by Farrow, Frankie tricks him and runs away, but Farrow chases after him. Frankie dives into a canal and manages to lose his pursuer when Farrow is distracted by the sudden appearance of Wegg's corpse. Frankie returns to the station, changes clothes and phones Ellie to tell her that he intends to return the money to the bank. After foiling Tony and Jerry's plans to rob the station, Frankie calls the police and tells them that he has the money. However, Farrow shows up and, at gunpoint, demands the cash. Frankie runs out of the station and drops the money sack into a U.S. mailbox, but is wounded in the arm by Farrow. When the police arrive, Farrow shoots at them and they return fire, killing him. The next day, after the cash is recovered, a police officer promises to speak favorably to his superiors on Frankie's behalf. Frankie and Ellie later meet on the beach and realize that, although they will never have expensive possessions, they will have each other.