You Only Live Once

Eddie Taylor Henry Fonda is an ex-convict who believes he has reformed and deserves a fresh start. At first, the new life seems to unfold smoothly: he marries Joan Graham Sylvia Sidney, a woman who has always believed in him, and with the support of her boss, Barton MacLane, who plays Stephen Whitney, he lands a steady job and even contemplates buying a house.

But trouble arrives when he is abruptly fired after the inn booked for their wedding night recognizes his picture and ejects him. Eddie’s old gang tempts him with an offer to rejoin a life of crime, but he chooses to seek legitimate work instead. Then a bank robbery goes wrong, six people die, and Eddie is framed for the murders. He is sentenced to death by electrocution.

On the eve of his execution, he escapes from the prison infirmary with a smuggled gun, just as a stay is issued. The case grows murkier as the getaway vehicle from the bank is recovered from a lake, along with the stolen money and the body of the real killer. The prison chaplain, Father Dolan William Gargan, whom Eddie has trusted, urges him to accept the reprieve, but Eddie is too embittered to believe he is free. In a desperate act, he kills the chaplain.

He and a now-pregnant Joan go on the run, becoming infamous and blamed for crimes across the route they take. After the baby is born, Joan arranges a meeting with Stephen and her sister Bonnie, Jean Dixon; they plan for Joan to sail with the baby to Havana while Stephen works to clear her name. But Joan refuses to abandon Eddie, and they press on together. Their flight ends in tragedy when the police ambush them; Eddie and Joan are killed. In his final moment, Eddie hears the voice of the chaplain telling him that he is free.

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 08:38