MARILYN

Sandra Dorne

MARILYN (aka Roadhouse Girl/1953). Writer-Director: Wolf Rilla. Colorized. 

George Saunders (Leslie Dwyer) owns a combination garage and cafe and lives there with his pretty young wife, Marilyn (Sandra Dorne), whom he essentially bought from her father. Who should apply for a job at the garage but handsome Tom Price (Maxwell Reed  of Daybreak), who takes a shine to Marilyn and vice versa. Before you can say The Postman Always Rings Twice, someone dies and Marilyn finds herself in the middle of a testy triangle containing both Tom and wealthy newcomer Nicky (Ferdy Mayne of Maid in Heaven). If that weren't enough for our heroine, her friend, confidante, and housekeeper, Rosie (Vida Hope), seems to have more than motherly feelings towards her. Which one will our gal wind up with and will anyone else wind up dead?

Maxwell Reed and Sandra Dorne

This British variation on Postman is a credible enough melodrama with good performances from all and -- aside from the basic structure -- an unpredictable plot. Although one could argue that Rosie loves Marilyn like a sister or daughter, the intensity of Vida Hope's performance and the dialogue she is given ("I would have died for you") really makes one wonder. Absorbing enough, with a little more seasoning Marilyn could have been a contender.  Dorne is quite beautiful, and a good actress, and Reed has a lot of screen presence as well. Like Beyond the Forest, this is another story of a desperate woman who longs for a better life and will do just about anything she can to get it. This UK production was released in the US as Roadhouse Girl. Wolf Rilla's most famous movie is Village of the Damned, which he also wrote and directed.

Verdict: Strangely compelling despite its flaws. ***.