**SPOILERS** Sleaze and corruption in a deep southern state has middle-age carnival dancer Lane Bellamy, Joan Crawford, go from rags to riches. As she's brought full-circle with the man of her nightmares corrupt sheriff and state power-broker Titus Semple, Sydney Greenstreet,in an explosive showdown at the conclusion of the movie "Flamingo Road".
Having no place to stay after her dancing troupe left the town of Bolden Lane is found sleeping in a deserted tent by deputy Sheriff Fielding Carlisle, Zachary Scott, Fielding. Sheriff Fielding gives Lane some money and gets her a job at the Eagle café. Soon he begins to fall in love with the former dancer.
Titus who's looking to put Fielding in the state Governor's mansion is upset at his involvement with the dirt-poor Lane and breaks up his relationship with her by threatening to destroy Fielding's future in state politics if he doesn't. Dropping Lane for the much younger and politically connected, through her family, Annabell Weldon, Virginia Huston, Fielding get's married to her. Later, unknown to Fielding, Titus has Lane framed and arrested for prostitution putting her in a women's work camp for thirty days.
Out without a job or a place to live Lane is determined to go back to Bolden and put her life back together despite Tits's attempt to run her out of town as well as the state. Lane get's a job as a waitress at Lute Mea's place where there's a big convention going on of the state's political boss' including the big man himself Dan Reynolds, David Brian.
Dan get's to appreciate Lane when she cured him of a hangover and later falls in love with her because of her honesty, something that's very alien to him, about herself and her past. Lane for all her honesty doesn't tell Dan about her past involvement with both Titus and Fielding that almost destroys her marriage to Dan later in the film.
By now Fielding's marriage to Annabelle is on the rocks and his future in state politics in just about history with an outraged Titus kicking him out of his job as state senator and having Fielding end up a pitiful drunkard. Titus now turning his rage on Dan Reynolds, for daring to challenge his power,plans to run someone against Dan's hand-picked man for governor Parkhurst and that being himself. Doing what he does best Titus has one of the men who works for Dan's construction company Burr Lassen, William Haade, blackmailed by framing his son on a bogus drunk-driving charge. This is done in order to frame Dan on a charge of having convicts work for him without pay.
Meanwhile Fielding drinking himself blind gets up enough courage to see Lane at the Reynold's house to tell her what a fool he was by leaving her and thus destroying himself. Lane trying to get Fielding to stop drinking and sleep it off turns her back on him, mixing him a drink of all things , for just a moment as he staggers into the bedroom and shoots himself.
With the people of Boden being whipped up by Titus' stooges in the media to drive Lane out of town for being unworthy, her past of her being arrested for prostitution is leaked out, to live among them. An hurt and outraged Lane goes to Titus' place to get him to admit in public that he set up her husband or else she'll kill him. Titus seeing his chance to now get Lane implicated on an attempted murder charge underestimate her determination to stop him; which backfires on him in a way he never expected it to do.
A bit unrealistic but still very effective political power drama with Joan Crawford giving a stand out performance as the abused and maligned Lane Bellamy. A woman who's driven to the limit by those who are out to destroy her but instead stands firm and fight back.
Having no place to stay after her dancing troupe left the town of Bolden Lane is found sleeping in a deserted tent by deputy Sheriff Fielding Carlisle, Zachary Scott, Fielding. Sheriff Fielding gives Lane some money and gets her a job at the Eagle café. Soon he begins to fall in love with the former dancer.
Titus who's looking to put Fielding in the state Governor's mansion is upset at his involvement with the dirt-poor Lane and breaks up his relationship with her by threatening to destroy Fielding's future in state politics if he doesn't. Dropping Lane for the much younger and politically connected, through her family, Annabell Weldon, Virginia Huston, Fielding get's married to her. Later, unknown to Fielding, Titus has Lane framed and arrested for prostitution putting her in a women's work camp for thirty days.
Out without a job or a place to live Lane is determined to go back to Bolden and put her life back together despite Tits's attempt to run her out of town as well as the state. Lane get's a job as a waitress at Lute Mea's place where there's a big convention going on of the state's political boss' including the big man himself Dan Reynolds, David Brian.
Dan get's to appreciate Lane when she cured him of a hangover and later falls in love with her because of her honesty, something that's very alien to him, about herself and her past. Lane for all her honesty doesn't tell Dan about her past involvement with both Titus and Fielding that almost destroys her marriage to Dan later in the film.
By now Fielding's marriage to Annabelle is on the rocks and his future in state politics in just about history with an outraged Titus kicking him out of his job as state senator and having Fielding end up a pitiful drunkard. Titus now turning his rage on Dan Reynolds, for daring to challenge his power,plans to run someone against Dan's hand-picked man for governor Parkhurst and that being himself. Doing what he does best Titus has one of the men who works for Dan's construction company Burr Lassen, William Haade, blackmailed by framing his son on a bogus drunk-driving charge. This is done in order to frame Dan on a charge of having convicts work for him without pay.
Meanwhile Fielding drinking himself blind gets up enough courage to see Lane at the Reynold's house to tell her what a fool he was by leaving her and thus destroying himself. Lane trying to get Fielding to stop drinking and sleep it off turns her back on him, mixing him a drink of all things , for just a moment as he staggers into the bedroom and shoots himself.
With the people of Boden being whipped up by Titus' stooges in the media to drive Lane out of town for being unworthy, her past of her being arrested for prostitution is leaked out, to live among them. An hurt and outraged Lane goes to Titus' place to get him to admit in public that he set up her husband or else she'll kill him. Titus seeing his chance to now get Lane implicated on an attempted murder charge underestimate her determination to stop him; which backfires on him in a way he never expected it to do.
A bit unrealistic but still very effective political power drama with Joan Crawford giving a stand out performance as the abused and maligned Lane Bellamy. A woman who's driven to the limit by those who are out to destroy her but instead stands firm and fight back.