The 1957 film "Hot Summer Night" is a crime film set in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Newspaper reporter William Partain (Leslie Nielsen) and his wife Irene (Colleen Miller) are on their honeymoon in the mountains. William hears about a bank robbery commited by notorious local criminal Tom Ellis (Robert J. Wilke) and figures that interviewing Ellis would make a good newspaper story. William finds Ellis with his gang but one gang member becomes angry and shoots and kills Ellis. The remaining gang members decide to keep Partain as a hostage and try to collect a ransom of $50,000 from a newspaper. During the bank robbery one of the gang stole some bags of quarter (25 cent) coin rolls. The coin rolls appear several times lying on a table. Tom Ellis's girlfriend keeps a large "piggy bank" which she throws to the ground revealing cash and various coins.

The newspaper headline is: "Tom Ellis and Gang Disappear in Ozark Foothills; Believed to Be in Chatsburg Area." There is another small unrelated article: "Mercury New X-Ray Source Two Scientists Report, Berkeley, Cal N.P" "Discovery that Mercury ia new source for X-rays was reported today at the University of California"

William had once worked for a Kansas City newspaper and interviewed Ruth Childers, a sometime girlfriend of Tom Ellis. William and Irene drive to the (fictional) town of Chatsburg and visit a bar where William asks for Ruth's address. They are met by Kermit.

Kermit starts a fight with William and the local sheriff's deputy Lou Follett talks to the couple. William does find Ruth and visits her.

Ruth has a "piggy bank" with the legend "Cadillac for Ruth" indicating that she is saving money to purchase an expensive car. The piggy bank will appear again. Kermit contacts William and tells him that Tom Ellis, who likes publicity, would like to meet him. Kermit takes William to the house where Tom and his gang are living.

Several rolls of coins appear lying on a table.

Tom describes another gang member, Elly Horn as incompetent because at the bank robbery he took two bags of quarter coin rolls and left the more valuable paper money. William begins interviewing Tom who has been described as a local "Robin Hood", leaving money and food for poor residents.

Tom brags about he is a big man in the area and Elly becomes angry.

Elly pulls out a gun and shoots Tom in the back and also shoots Kermit. The remaining gang members, lead by Elly, decide to hold William for a $50,000 ransom. They believe that the newspaper William used to work for will pay the ransom and dictate a ransom note which another member, Oren Kobble, will deliver to the Kansas City newspaper.

Oren delivers the ransom note to the newspaper office. The note instructs the newspaper to post a coded advertisement. Irene, left alone by her husband at a hotel in Chatsburg, starts looking for her husband and learns of the kidnapping. She visits Ruth and then Kermit, still alive but wounded, visits Ruth. Ruth becomes upset.

She throws it on the floor and it breaks revealing cash and coins.

Various prop currency notes and coins are on the floor.

The prop coins include various Los Angeles Rubber Stamp Company dollar-size prop coins.

For more information on these prop coins please visit: Los Angeles Rubber Stamp Coins

Back to the film:

The gang members wait for the newspaper delivery to see if the advertisement appears which it does.

The newspaper lies on a table along with some magazines, loose coins, and the coin rolls.

Orin and Elly argue about collecting the ransom.

He has been looking at the coin rolls and gets an idea.

William slugs Oren who runs into the other room and the surprised Elly shoots him.

A gun battle ensues between Oren and Elly and then Elly and William.

William runs outside and is shot by Elly. The deputy and Irene arrive and the deputy shoots Elly.

The town holds a funeral parade for their famous son.

William and Irene watch the parade.

Deputy Follett expresses the hope that the town can improve it's reputation.

Leslie Nielsen as William Partain
Colleen Miller as Irene
Robert J. Wilke as Tom Ellis
Marianne Stewart as Ruth Childers
James Best as Kermit
Edward Andrews as Lou Follett
Paul Richards as Elly Horn
Jay C. Flippen as Oren Kobble
Director: David Friedkin
Writers: Morton Fine, David Friedkin, Edwin P. Hicks