nteresting chase drama. That opening bar scene with Conte and Hughes is a tacky gem. Too bad Hughes disappears much too soon. And where else can you find two of Hollywood’s best cheap blondes, Hughes and Iris Adrian, in the same film. Too bad they don’t have a scene together to see who can out-cheap the other.

Anyhow, Conte’s escaping across the desert from Las Vegas cops for a murder he didn’t commit. Along the way he dragoons two women, Bennett and Hendix, as sometimes helpers, sometimes hostages. The movie’s real star, however, is a four-wheel hunk of junk that’s a real trouper. That it can roll at all amounts to a Detroit miracle. But why someone would drive it off-road into the desert is a genuine puzzle. And that’s a problem with the movie as a whole. It starts off well, but becomes a mounting stretch over time, especially movie star Bennett in her flowing white gown that never gets any dirtier despite a trip across the elements. Good thing Conte’s there to carry the show. Too bad he didn’t give Hendrix some acting lessons.

Credit some producer, maybe Roger Corman in his first gig, for filming doggedly on location. Those desert and Salton Sea stagings really help hold the flick together. Plus, someone had an eye on trends of the day. The title “Highway Dragnet” combines parts from two of the most successful TV crime series of the time, Namely “Dragnet” and “Highway Patrol”. Then add cop Reed Hadley from “Racket Squad”, and you’ve got a cross-section of early 50’s thick- ear, which I’m sure didn’t hurt attendance.