Richard Widmark plays a military doctor fighting the plague and the resentments, protestations, and deep-rooted distrust of the citizenry. Sound familar? A potent and thrilling examination of our remarkable capacity for self-destruction featuring Jack Palance in his screen debut.

(Directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Richard Murphy and Daniel Fuchs (story by Edna and Edward Anhalt). Starring Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Jack Palance. Released 15 September 1950.)