The 1957 film "My Gun is Quick" is one of the "Mike Hammer" detective films made in the 1950's and based on the hard-boiled crime novels written by Mickey Spillane. Mike Hammer (Robert Bray) is in a coffee shop, tired from working on a case, and starts talking to a young woman. He gives her a dime for a cup of coffee and she shows him an ornate ring. The encounter leads to Mike's involvement with a World War II jewel theft and several murders. The jewel theft in the film is very loosely based on the infamous "Hesse Crown Jewels" robbery committed by three US Army officers in 1946 Germany.

Mike Hammer is walking the streets of Los Angeles, tired after working on a case. He stops at an all-night cafe and makes a telephone call. A young woman, "Red" is sitting at the counter.

Red asks for another cup of coffee and the proprietor asks her for ten cents. She then asks him for "two cents worth."

Mike asks Red where she is from and she tells him that she came from Nebraska. He suggests that she go back home and gives her some money for a bus ride. Mike then spots an unusual ring on Red's finger and asks her about it. She tells him that it was a gift.

Mike writes out his address and gives it to Red and then leaves the cafe. The next day, at his office, Mike Hammer is talking to his long-time secretary Velda (Pamela Duncan) when a policeman arrives.

The policeman asks Mike to come down to "headquarters" and talk to Captain Pat Chambers whom he knows. Captain Chambers tells Mike that his address was found on the body of a young woman who was hit by a car. The police doctor noticed that her finger was marked as if someone took a ring off it. Mike describes the ring and the captain shows him a photograph of it. The captain tells Mike that the ring was part of the "Venacci" jewels which were stolen in 1945 Germany by an American Army Colonel Holloway who was later arrested and sent to prison. The jewels were not recovered and the Colonel has been paroled. Mike makes it clear that he believes that Red was murdered. He goes to a club where she worked and talks to another employee and finds that a French immigrant who worked there gave Red the ring. Mike then spends some time following people around downtown Los Angeles.

Mike learns that the French immigrant has also been killed. Later Mike spends some time on the Los Angeles freeways.

The Los Angeles City Hall is in the distance. Mike stops his car and goes behind a house where he sees something more interesting.

Nancy Williams (Whitney Blake) becomes friendly with Mike and they go out together.

Nancy likes boats and takes Mike boating. She tells him that she lived in Europe for a while and rented out her Los Angeles house to people while she was gone and one of her tenants was Colonel Holloway. She tells Mike that her house was broken into and asks Mike for help. Mike finds a Life Magazine issue dated July 19, 1946 with a cover photo of the jewels.

This magazine is not a real Life magazine but a prop made for the film.

This article is fictional and has photographs of the jewels and a photo of Colonel Holloway. Mike finds the Colonel at a nightclub.

The Colonel hires Mike to locate the jewels and tells Mike that a French gang is also looking for them and that some members of the gang have relocated to Los Angeles. Mike is beaten up by three men and then visits Nancy.

Mike follows a jewel expert who is meeting with members of the French gang and after a couple of fights recovers the jewels. Mike then meets the Colonel who has been shot.

The Colonel expires and Mike takes the jewels. Nancy drives up in her boat and picks Mike up. She asks Mike for the jewels and they have a discussion about ownership.

Robert Bray as Mike Hammer
Jan Chaney as "Red"
Pamela Duncan as Velda
Booth Colman as Captain Pat Chambers
Don Randolph as Colonel Holloway
Whitney Blake as Nancy Williams
Directors: George White, Phil Victor
Writers: Richard Collins, Richard Powell
Based on the 1950 novel My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane