If you love Marie Windsor, "The Narrow Margin" (1952) & "The Killing" (1956), you are certain to enjoy "'No Man's Woman." Here we see the statuesque beauty at her nasty best. Marie plays Carolyn Grant, a conniving, duplicitous,cheat who will do anything, short of murder, to get her way. She's highly successful too. Unfortunately, after double-crossing five people, one of them shoots her dead.
The story is told in a linear format with no (or minimal) flashbacks. This alone makes it refreshing. Though Carolyn is "snuffed" about midway through the film, considerable screen time is devoted to the character and Marie takes the spot-light up to the point of her character's death.
Carolyn has an arrangement with her husband. They live apart and he pays her an allowance plus the mortgage on her home. She also owns a gallery. You get the distinct impression that Carolyn was cheating on him, but it isn't clearly stated. Her husband, Harlow Grant (played by John Archer) has a new love interest, but Carolyn isn't about to give him up to divorce without a very lucrative settlement. This annoys both her ex and his new lady friend, Louise Nelson (played by Nancy Gates). Both now have a motive to get Carolyn out of the way.
Add to this the fact that her business partner,Wayne Vincent (played by Patric Knowles) has just been fired and blacklisted as an art reporter for giving Carolyn far too much free advertising. Wayne asks Carolyn for help, but she turns him down because he's unemployed. Considering that his career was ended for helping her, Wayne is none too happy about Carolyn's attitude. Another "burn victim" with a motive.
Finally, Carolyn goes after her assistant's boyfriend by inviting herself on a fishing trip with Dick Sawyer (played by Richard Crane). When her advances are rejected by Dick, Carolyn threatens to tell her assistant, Betty Allen (played by Jil Jarmyn) that Dick has been unfaithful. Dick rejects the threat and basically tells Carolyn that she's the nastiest woman he has ever met, and he has met quite a few as a soldier.
We now have five people with sufficient motive to kill Carolyn.
The police quickly determine that all five are prime suspects. It doesn't help that some lie about their whereabouts from the outset, that the husband was blind drunk and doesn't remember anything, and that three others have access to both the weapon and access to Carolyn's home.
The second half of the movie is a straight up "who done it" with the expected plot twists and revolving prime suspects.
It's certainly entertaining and the fact that the "flashback" device wasn't used makes it refreshing.
This is a "B" picture though so don't expect any stand-out performances.
The story is told in a linear format with no (or minimal) flashbacks. This alone makes it refreshing. Though Carolyn is "snuffed" about midway through the film, considerable screen time is devoted to the character and Marie takes the spot-light up to the point of her character's death.
Carolyn has an arrangement with her husband. They live apart and he pays her an allowance plus the mortgage on her home. She also owns a gallery. You get the distinct impression that Carolyn was cheating on him, but it isn't clearly stated. Her husband, Harlow Grant (played by John Archer) has a new love interest, but Carolyn isn't about to give him up to divorce without a very lucrative settlement. This annoys both her ex and his new lady friend, Louise Nelson (played by Nancy Gates). Both now have a motive to get Carolyn out of the way.
Add to this the fact that her business partner,Wayne Vincent (played by Patric Knowles) has just been fired and blacklisted as an art reporter for giving Carolyn far too much free advertising. Wayne asks Carolyn for help, but she turns him down because he's unemployed. Considering that his career was ended for helping her, Wayne is none too happy about Carolyn's attitude. Another "burn victim" with a motive.
Finally, Carolyn goes after her assistant's boyfriend by inviting herself on a fishing trip with Dick Sawyer (played by Richard Crane). When her advances are rejected by Dick, Carolyn threatens to tell her assistant, Betty Allen (played by Jil Jarmyn) that Dick has been unfaithful. Dick rejects the threat and basically tells Carolyn that she's the nastiest woman he has ever met, and he has met quite a few as a soldier.
We now have five people with sufficient motive to kill Carolyn.
The police quickly determine that all five are prime suspects. It doesn't help that some lie about their whereabouts from the outset, that the husband was blind drunk and doesn't remember anything, and that three others have access to both the weapon and access to Carolyn's home.
The second half of the movie is a straight up "who done it" with the expected plot twists and revolving prime suspects.
It's certainly entertaining and the fact that the "flashback" device wasn't used makes it refreshing.
This is a "B" picture though so don't expect any stand-out performances.