Sandra Dorne and Maxwell Reed in `Marilyn` aka `Roadhouse Girl`
Marilyn (1953). British B Movie. Directed and Written by Wolf Rilla, based on the play Marion by Peter Jones. Starring Sandra Dorne and Maxwell Reed.
Marilyn was released in the US under the title Roadhouse Girl
The first part of this film was really not that engaging. Frivolous blonde Marilyn dreams of the high life but is stifled by her domineering garage-owner husband. She seeks comfort in the arms of his new employee, mechanic Tom Price (Maxwell Reed).
Her husband catches the two together and threatens his wife. Reeds` character steps in to protect her and before we know it the husband is dead.
So far, nothing new.
Immediately after this things take an unexpected turn. With her husband lying dead upstairs and her lover standing watching, Marilyn flirts openly with a stranger who has called to buy petrol.
Once a Coroner has accepted the death as the result of a drunken accident, Tom is quickly relegated to the role of employee. He is hurt, but she can`t see what the problem is.
She takes up with a wealthy man, the stranger who called on the night of her husbands` death, but even she admits he will be jettisoned when he is no longer useful or if someone more interesting (i.e. wealthier) comes along.
Sandra Dorne`s portrayal of Marilyn goes from silly girl to psychopath in a very convincing style. Maxwell Reed seems miscast as Tom but overall the film turns out alright in the end.
Yorkshire girl Sandra (she was from Keighley) made many films in the `40 and `50s - all of them `B` movies I gather - and later appeared in popular TV series of the day such as Z Cars and The Avengers. I don`t know what she`s like in other films but undoubtedly it`s her performance in the later part of this film that saves it.
FOOTNOTE - This film was released in the USA as Roadhouse Girl. From reviews I`ve read I suspect the American version was edited differently and possibly had a slightly different ending.
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