"The Killer That Stalked New York" is a woman named Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) returning from Cuba having smuggled $40K worth of diamonds as well as bringing the dreaded small pox virus with her.
Sheila's husband Matt Krane (Charles Korvin) is in on the smuggling with her. He has been carrying on with Sheila's sister Francie (Lola Albright) in her absence. Treasury Agents Johnson (Barry Kelley) and Owney (Richard Egan) are on Sheila's trail. She goes to a seedy hotel where shifty Bellhop Danny (Walter Burke) sneaks her out of the hotel away from Johnson.
She goes to Matt and tells him that she had mailed the diamonds to him but they have yet to arrive. While trying to return to the hotel, Sheila becomes weak and is taken by cop on the beat Houlihan (Harry Shannon) to a nearby clinic staffed by Dr. Ben Wood (William Bishop in a good guy role for a change) and his nurse Alice Lorie (Dorothy Malone). Sheila comes in contact with a little girl that Dr. Wood had been treating and she bcomes infected with small pox.
The little girl is taken to the hospital where it is discovered that she has contracted small pox. This sets off the search for the carrier of the disease. Health Commissioner Ellis (Carl Benton Reid) heads up the investigation. The Treasury Department and the Health Department are unbeknownst to each other, for the same person.
Soon other people that Sheila has been in contact with begin to come down with small pox including the Porter at the bus station, her old boss nightclub owner Willie Dennis (Jim Backus) and a young boy (Tommy Ivo) who drank from the same water fountain as Sheila. Commissioner Ellis contacts the Mayor (Roy Roberts) who mobilizes city departments into administering life saving vaccinations to the unprotected citizens of which there are many.
Meanwhile, Matt receives the diamonds in the mail. He desets the ailing Sheila and goes to his fence who advises him that he will have to wait 10 days before he can pay Matt off. Sheila realizes that Matt has deserted her and goes to confront Francie. Francie becomes disillusioned and commits suicide while Sheila is away.
Sheila becomes obsessed with catching up with Matt. She learns from the fence that Matt will return for his money after 10 days. When Matt shows up the fence refuses to pay up so Matt kills him. As he tries to leave, he is met by Sheila who has a gun. In the interim, the police has learned of Sheila's identity and have advised the Treasury and Health departments.
Matt wrests the gun from Sheila but flees when he hears police sirens. He escapes to the roof of the building as the police and Sheila close in and..............................................................
In this budget conscious film, we are never given the back story of the smuggling or where and how Sheila contracted the virus. In any event, Keyes gives an excellent performance as the doomed Sheila. Korvin makes a dirty rat of a villain here as well. Reed Hadley provides the narration. A similar story was told in the 20th Century Fox film "Panic in the Streets" released earlier the same year.
One can't help but draw a parallel to the COVID-19 crisis of today (2021) which is far more serious.
Sheila's husband Matt Krane (Charles Korvin) is in on the smuggling with her. He has been carrying on with Sheila's sister Francie (Lola Albright) in her absence. Treasury Agents Johnson (Barry Kelley) and Owney (Richard Egan) are on Sheila's trail. She goes to a seedy hotel where shifty Bellhop Danny (Walter Burke) sneaks her out of the hotel away from Johnson.
She goes to Matt and tells him that she had mailed the diamonds to him but they have yet to arrive. While trying to return to the hotel, Sheila becomes weak and is taken by cop on the beat Houlihan (Harry Shannon) to a nearby clinic staffed by Dr. Ben Wood (William Bishop in a good guy role for a change) and his nurse Alice Lorie (Dorothy Malone). Sheila comes in contact with a little girl that Dr. Wood had been treating and she bcomes infected with small pox.
The little girl is taken to the hospital where it is discovered that she has contracted small pox. This sets off the search for the carrier of the disease. Health Commissioner Ellis (Carl Benton Reid) heads up the investigation. The Treasury Department and the Health Department are unbeknownst to each other, for the same person.
Soon other people that Sheila has been in contact with begin to come down with small pox including the Porter at the bus station, her old boss nightclub owner Willie Dennis (Jim Backus) and a young boy (Tommy Ivo) who drank from the same water fountain as Sheila. Commissioner Ellis contacts the Mayor (Roy Roberts) who mobilizes city departments into administering life saving vaccinations to the unprotected citizens of which there are many.
Meanwhile, Matt receives the diamonds in the mail. He desets the ailing Sheila and goes to his fence who advises him that he will have to wait 10 days before he can pay Matt off. Sheila realizes that Matt has deserted her and goes to confront Francie. Francie becomes disillusioned and commits suicide while Sheila is away.
Sheila becomes obsessed with catching up with Matt. She learns from the fence that Matt will return for his money after 10 days. When Matt shows up the fence refuses to pay up so Matt kills him. As he tries to leave, he is met by Sheila who has a gun. In the interim, the police has learned of Sheila's identity and have advised the Treasury and Health departments.
Matt wrests the gun from Sheila but flees when he hears police sirens. He escapes to the roof of the building as the police and Sheila close in and..............................................................
In this budget conscious film, we are never given the back story of the smuggling or where and how Sheila contracted the virus. In any event, Keyes gives an excellent performance as the doomed Sheila. Korvin makes a dirty rat of a villain here as well. Reed Hadley provides the narration. A similar story was told in the 20th Century Fox film "Panic in the Streets" released earlier the same year.
One can't help but draw a parallel to the COVID-19 crisis of today (2021) which is far more serious.