).Plot SynopsisUnder the opening credits of the murder mystery/thriller, an enigmatic, nostalgic background image (that recurs throughout he film) is displayed kaleidoscopically.]The Three Main Characters - Doris, Susan, and Fred:While the parade was still in progress, Doris returned to her apartment where she was told that her young 2nd grade daughter Susan Walker (8-9 year-old Natalie Wood) was watching he parade from the front apartment window of their handsome neighbor, lawyer-attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne)." Bart returns to his tale in the sheriff""s office: "And he rest is history." But he has put his audience of one drunken cowboy to sleep.The camera tracks right across a barbed wire fence, resting on a sign which reads: "Administrative Personnel Only, Knock on Barbed Wire Before Entering.In the tremendously competitive atmosphere backstage, the classic ingenue is instantly marked as a innocent by a tough, experienced chorine:Chorine: You, uh, looking for somebody - or just shopping around?Peggy: Could you tell me where I""ll find the gentleman in charge?Chorine: First door to your left, dearie!The ""first door to your left"" is the men""s room.In the auto graveyard as they dug a grave, Dr.Gordon and Thompson sensed a presence - as radios, headlights, wheels, fan blades, windshield wipers and horns of junker cars came to life.