The 1946 film "The Stranger" is a crime film about a United Nations investigator hunting for a Nazi war criminal. The investigator follows the man to a small town in Connecticut where he has ingratiated himself with the local community, taken a position as an instructor at a local boy's school, and is engaged to marry a judge's daughter. At one time a local school teacher enters a drug store and pays for a soda with a fifty cent piece which looks authentic.

A nice American small town with some secrets. Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) is a United Nations investigator who is hunting a mysterious Nazi war criminal named Franz Kindler (Orson Welles) of whom no photographs exist. Wilson has traced Kindler to Harper by following one of Kindler's associates, Konrad Meinike (Konstantin Shayne). Wilson knows only that Kindler has one hobby which is repairing antique clocks.

Meinike stands next to a coin-operated "jukebox" record playing machine which has a sign reading "No Slugs Please." Slugs are counterfeit coins. Wilson visits Potter's Drug Store and meets Mr. Potter (Billy House).

On the table is an antique cash register and radio. Franz Kindler is now Professor Charles Rankin and teaches at a local boys school. He has been seeing Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young) for a while. Mary has a younger brother Noah whom Mr. Wilson befriends. The town church has a clock tower with an antique European statue clock which Rankin has been working on.

Rankin tells Mary a wild story about living in Switzerland and being blackmailed by a man who followed him to Harper whom he had to kill (Meinike). Mr. Wilson has identifed Rankin as Kindler and recruits Mary's brother Noah to watch Rankin. Rankin frequently visits Potter's store.

Rankin buys a soda but leaves without paying for it.

Potter calls him back and he hands Potter a coin.

The coin appears to be a fifty cent or half-dollar coin, a lot of money for a soda. Potter puts the coin into the antique cash register.

Mr. Wilson approaches Mary and her father Judge Adam Longstreet (Philip Merivale) to warn them about Rankin/Kindler and shows them a film.

The film is a US Army film depicting Nazi atrocities. Rankin decides to eliminate witnesses and lures Mary to the church clock tower. She is followed by Wilson and both shoot at Rankin.

Rankin falls onto a moving statue and dies.

Edward G. Robinson as Mr. Wilson
Orson Welles as Franz Kindler
Konstantin Shayne as Konrad Meinike
Loretta Young as Mary Longstreet
Richard Long as Noah Longstreet
Philip Merivale as Judge Adam Longstreet
Billy House as Mr. Potter
Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Orson Welles, Anthony Veiller, Victor Trivas, Decla Dunning