No Man’s Woman *** (1955, Marie Windsor, John Archer, Patric Knowles, Nancy Gates, Jil Jarmyn, Richard Crane) – Classic Movie Review 7609

Republic Pictures’ thoroughly enjoyable 1955 film noir No Man’s Woman gives Marie Windsor a rare, much deserved star role as a scheming femme fatale who double-crosses five people but ends up dead.

‘RUTHLESS, SHAMELESS! – There Was Only One Way To Stop This Woman – MURDER!’ Ah, dead woman on the floor – it is a case of murder most foul. But, as ever, whodunit? Director Franklin Adreon’s thoroughly enjoyable 1955 Republic Pictures B-movie film noir crime mystery thriller No Man’s Woman stars Marie Windsor, John Archer and Patric Knowles.

In a rare, and much deserved star role, Windsor is great as scheming Carolyn Ellenson who double-crosses five people but gets her comeuppance and ends up dead.

The five main suspects are (1) Carolyn’s industrialist husband Harlow Grant (John Archer) whom she will not divorce unless he forks out a ruinous settlement; (2) his art studio employee girlfriend Louise Nelson (Nancy Gates); (3) Carolyn’s art-critic lover Wayne Vincent (Patric Knowles); (4) her loyal young assistant Betty Allen (Jil Jarmyn) and (5) Betty Allen’s fiancé Dick Sawyer (Richard Crane) whom Carolyn tries to steal by seducing and blackmailing him. The real killer feels safe – as long as the murder weapon can be removed from the art studio before the police find it.

The cast are Marie Windsor as Carolyn Ellenson Grant, John Archer as Harlow Grant, Patric Knowles as Wayne Vincent, Nancy Gates as Louise Nelson, Jil Jarmyn as Betty Allen, Richard Crane as Dick Sawyer, Fern Hall as Virginia Gillis, Louis Jean Heydt as Det. Lt. Colton, John Gallaudet as Detective Sergeant Wells, Douglas Wood as Philip Grant, Percy Helton as Otto Peterson, Morris Ankrum as Captain Hostedder, Paul Bryar as Sandy, Morris Buchanan as attendant, Ted Cooper as photographer, Franklyn Farnum as police criminologist, and Will J White as policeman.

The screenplay is written by John K Butler, based on a story by Don Martin. It runs 70 minutes, is produced by Rudy Ralston, shot in black and white by Bud Thackery, and scored by R Dale Butts. The sets are designed by Walter E Keller.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7609

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