Task: Story Composition
Input (English): Fact1: Korean War veteran Lucas Doolin works in family moonshine business, Fact2: younger brother be tempted into following in footsteps and becoming moonshine runner, Fact3: well-funded outside gangster gain control of independent local moonshine producers and distribution points, Fact4: Lucas 's father and other local moonshines shut down production for spell to let government deal with Kogan in own time, Fact5: Lucas is forced by circumstances and own code of honor to make final run
Output (English): Korean War veteran Lucas Doolin Robert Mitchum works in the family moonshine business — delivering the illegal liquor his father distills to clandestine distribution points throughout the south in his soupedup hot rod. However, Lucas has more problems than evading the U.S. Treasury agents revenooers, led by determined newcomer Troy Barrett Gene Barry. Lucas is concerned that his younger brother Robin James Mitchum, who is also his mechanic, will be tempted into following in his footsteps and becoming a moonshine runner. A wellfunded outside gangster, Carl Kogan Jacques Aubuchon, tries to gain control of the independent local moonshine producers and their distribution points, and is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way. The stakes rise when an attempt by Kogan to kill Lucas results in the death of a government agent as well as another moonshine driver Mitchell Ryan. In a romantic subplot, Lucas becomes involved with nightclub singer Francie Wymore Keely Smith. He is unaware one of the neighbor girls, Roxanna Ledbetter Sandra Knight, has a crush on him and fears for his life. When a series of government raids destroy their hidden stills, Lucass father and the other local moonshines shut down production for a spell to let the government deal with Kogan in its own time, but Lucas is forced by circumstances and his own code of honor to make a final run. The film was based loosely on an incident in which a driver transporting moonshine was said to have crashed to his death on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee between Bearden Hill and Morrell Road. Per Metro Pulse writer Jack Renfro, the incident occurred in 1952 and may have been witnessed by James Agee, who passed the story on to Mitchum.