In the 1950's Life Magazine printed a blistering expose on the rampant sin, crime Teamsters-controlled corruption that at the time had a stranglehold on Portland, Oregon. Producer Lindsley Parsons seized upon the considerable publicity and assembled a cast of great character actors for the starring roles. Although the film crew was threatened with physical violence, the result is a dark and gritty filmed-on-location crime drama that contains considerable violence for a 1950s' movie most notably a violent rape scene with the Frank Gorshin character and a teenage girl.