Double-crossed and left without water in the desert, Cable Hogue is saved when he finds a spring. It is in just the right spot for a much needed rest stop on the local stagecoach line, and Hogue uses this to his advantage. He builds a house and makes money off the stagecoach passengers. Hildy, a prostitute from the nearest town, moves in with him. Hogue has everything going his way until the advent of the automobile ends the era of the stagecoach.

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Jason Robards
• Stella Stevens
• Slim Pickens
• David Warner
• L.Q. Jones
• Strother Martin
• R.G. Armstrong
• Peter Whitney