Wicked Woman (film)
Wicked Woman is a 1953 American film noir film starring Beverly Michaels, Richard Egan, Percy Helton, and Evelyn Scott. Directed by Russell Rouse, the film was written by Rouse and Clarence Greene.[1][2]
| Wicked Woman | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Russell Rouse |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | Clarence Greene |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Edward Fitzgerald |
| Edited by | Chester W. Schaeffer |
| Music by | Buddy Baker |
Production company | Edward Small Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
An attractive blonde drifter (Beverly Michaels) arrives in town on a bus and gets a job as a waitress at a local bar. She sets her sights on the bar's handsome owner (Richard Egan), who is married to an alcoholic waitress there, (Evelyn Scott), who inherited the lounge from her father. Michaels seduces Egan and schemes for the pair to sell the bar without the wife's knowledge and skip to Mexico together. Before they can a boarder at the rooming house where Michaels is staying that she had enticed then jilted, (Percy Helton), discovers her plans and attempts blackmail.
Cast
- Beverly Michaels as Billie Nash
- Richard Egan as Matt Bannister
- Percy Helton as Charlie Borg
- Evelyn Scott as Dora Bannister
- Robert Osterloh as Larry Lowry
- Frank Ferguson as Bill Porter
- Bernadene Hayes as Mrs. Walters
Production
The low-budget film, produced under the working title of Free and Easy, was the first leading role for Richard Egan.[3]
Reception
A contemporary review in The New York Times called the film a "misguided little melodrama" that "manages to squander some persuasively realistic upholstery".[4]
In 2004 The Village Voice praised her performance as "wonderfully lurid," and included the movie in a list of the 25 most memorable cult films.[5]
References
- "'Con' Game Motivates Melodrama". Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1954. p. A15.
- Wicked Woman at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- Scott, John L. (Aug 2, 1953). "Actor Muscles Way Into Fatter Roles: Richard Egac Muscles Way Into Fatter Roles". Los Angeles Times. p. D1.
- "film review". The New York Times. March 27, 1954. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- Sarris, Andrew (December 4, 2019). "Those Wild and Crazy Cult Movies". The Village Voice. Retrieved 17 January 2021.