Riverboat: Payment In Full (1959)

A simple minded man (Aldo Ray) works as a flunky for a gambler (William Bishop), who is his only real friend. But when the gambler accidentally kills a man and goes into hiding, the mentally challenged man turns him in for a $1,000 reward so he can give the girl (Barbara Bel Geddes) he loves the things she deserves but his conscience won't leave him alone. Directed by Douglas Heyes (KITTEN WITH A WHIP), this was originally the first episode of the RIVERBOAT television series. On its own, it's a rather formulaic tale of guilt and redemption. But the acting is good, especially Aldo Ray who brings a pathos to his beefy childlike hulk. Director Heyes and his cinematographer Ray Rennahan (GONE WITH THE WIND) give the story an authentic atmosphere of riverboat life on the Mississippi. The rousing score is by Elmer Bernstein (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN). With Darren McGavin, Burt Reynolds, Louis Hayward, Nancy Gates and John Larch.