New Face in Hell [P J] ** (1968, George Peppard, Raymond Burr, Gayle Hunnicutt, Coleen Gray) – Classic Movie Review 11,322

‘Gun in one hand… Woman in the other!’

Director John Guillermin’s 1967 Universal Pictures thriller New Face in Hell [P J] stars George Peppard, Gayle Hunnicutt, Raymond Burr, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Brock Peters and Susan Saint James.

Villainous tycoon William Orbison (Burr) hires seedy New York private detective P J Detweiler (Peppard) to guard his death-threatened mistress Maureen Preble (Hunnicutt), and then the blood flows steadily as Detweiler (Peppard) kills a man who tries to murder Maureen (Hunnicutt).

This sturdy, hardboiled potboiler is written by Philip H Reisman Jr (screenplay and story with Edward J Montagne) with a jumble of ideas from other, better movies. Nevertheless it is quite gripping in its B-movie film noir way, and the interesting cast keep you watching.

It is tough for its time: some of the violence is cut from the television print, and unfortunately this includes the film’s most powerful moments.

Also in the cast are Susan Saint James, Coleen Gray, Jason Evers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Brock Peters, Severn Darden, George Furth, Barbara Dana, Herb Edelman [Herbert Edelman], Jane Van Duser [H Jane Van Duser], John Qualen, Bert Freed, Jim Boles, and Arte Johnson.

It is the movie debut of Susan Saint James.

The original title of P J is so bad they were wise to change it to New Face in Hell.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,320

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Raymond Burr plays villainous tycoon William Orbison.