A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN can best be described as a psychosexual drama in a slow-moving mould. It's essentially a love triangle between old-timer Keenan Wynn, his sinister new wife, and his son, played by '70s favourite Andrew Robinson. It soon transpires that the sexually-charged young woman has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, bedding all and sundry and eventually driving the men in her life to murder. Sadly, this plays out in a limited way, with an extremely slow-moving narrative and little in the way of interesting incident. For the first two thirds it feels like a typical skin flick, nothing more, and only really picks up towards the climax, but even then by not very much.
13 Reviews
Part-Time Entertainment
Chase_Witherspoon11 July 2010
Compact but talented cast headlined by sexploitation starlet Judy Brown as "the woman" brought home from one of cantankerous millionaire Keenan Wynn's frequent Las Vegas excursions, only to be mistreated by Wynn's drunken abuse and jealousy. His sons soon discover she's 'too much woman for any one man' (quote, unquote) and the web of seduction, murder and double cross is spun. But just who is the spider?
Notable in the cast are Andy Robinson and Peter Hooten playing the sons, while Alex Rocco has a small role as a police detective. There's not much prohibited content to warrant the R rating; a lot of semi-nude embraces, vaguely transparent negligees and soap opera dialogue but the film still manages to look like a 70's style loop. The trashy wallpaper, cheap sets and stage decor give an authentic render, but there's often too much talk, and too little action to sustain the interest.
Still, it's good to see Wynn in both a dominant and vulnerable characterisation, showcasing some acting talents he rarely had the opportunity to display in the latter part of his career (even if his screen time is limited).
Notable in the cast are Andy Robinson and Peter Hooten playing the sons, while Alex Rocco has a small role as a police detective. There's not much prohibited content to warrant the R rating; a lot of semi-nude embraces, vaguely transparent negligees and soap opera dialogue but the film still manages to look like a 70's style loop. The trashy wallpaper, cheap sets and stage decor give an authentic render, but there's often too much talk, and too little action to sustain the interest.
Still, it's good to see Wynn in both a dominant and vulnerable characterisation, showcasing some acting talents he rarely had the opportunity to display in the latter part of his career (even if his screen time is limited).
A Drive-In Drama.
tarbosh2200030 September 2005
"A Woman For All Men" aka "Deadly Intrigue" is a good movie. It's about two brothers: Steve (Andy Robinson) and Paul (Peter Hooten) who work for their father Walter (Keenan Wynn). When Walter brings home the beautiful Sarah (Lois Hall), everything spins out of control. Soon, blackmail, double-crosses, and murder become family traits.
The performances are well-acted, and the plot has some fun twists. Alex Rocco is only in it for 10 minutes, but his presence is always welcome. The only problem with the movie is that the 2nd half drags a little.
In the end: If you can locate this movie, it's definitely worth watching.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
The performances are well-acted, and the plot has some fun twists. Alex Rocco is only in it for 10 minutes, but his presence is always welcome. The only problem with the movie is that the 2nd half drags a little.
In the end: If you can locate this movie, it's definitely worth watching.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Average Noir Lite Masquerading As Sexploitation
thomandybish-1511424 March 2022
Arthur Marks had a respectably consistent career as a director and producer, working on TV series like "Perry Mason", then transitioning to exploitation films in the 1970s: blackspoitation ("Friday Foster", "Detroit 9000", "J. D.'s Revenge"), sexploitation ("Togetherness", "Linda Lovelace for President"), and things like the sexploitation/proto-slasher hybrid "The Roommates". While these films were popular, none of them would hit any artistic high marks, which brings us to this film, something of an anomaly in Marks' oeuvre. I watched this on a DVD/Blue Ray set that included both "A Woman For All Men" and "The Roommates", so I could compare Marks' style. "A Woman For All Men" wins hands down in terms of being the better film. That being said, it's still not a great or even good film when held up against other "mainstream" titles of the era. Marks was not a great screenwriter, so he was wise to bring in Robert Brees to provide the story. Brees had also had a respectable career, writing (or more accurately, collaborating on) potboilers like "Magnificent Obsession" and "Autumn Leaves" before graduating up (or down, depending on your preference) to exploitation like "From Earth to the Moon", "Frogs", and "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"
What we have here is a domestic soap opera with some noirish overtones, accented with some rather demur nudity by Judith Brown. Anyone who is familiar with Ms. Brown inevitably remembers her as she looked in "Women in Cages" and "The Big Doll House", with long auburn hair. For this film, she totally changed her look, getting a curly, dyed-blonde bob that would become the standard coiffure of middle-aged, gated-community housewives during the 1980s; she looks a younger Rue McClanahan. I won't bother to rehash the plot, but I do believe the movie begins to fragment once the affair between Brown and Andrew Robinson's characters is underway. The supporting characters, such as the older brother and his girlfriend and Steve's girlfriend, all but vanish from the story. There's also a lot of choppy editing and scenes that end suddenly. One complaint: we see a randomly inserted scene where Karen, Brown's character, witness the daughter masturbating. The scene cuts from Karen's face, to the daughter doing the act, then back to Karen, then a close-up of the daughter screetching at Karen that she's ruined everything. Apparently this was some sort of leftover from an incest plot point that was cut from the final print. It would have been interesting, but some slipshod editing let it go. And of course, the twist ending that you could more or less suspect: there were two characters that might have possibly wanted Karen out of the picture, so it was no big surprise to learn who it was.
Despite being a decent thriller, Marks couldn't resist marketing the movie like one of his "girly" flicks, insinuating all kinds of sexy shananigans (the movie's alternate title was "Part Time Wife") which ultimately were not there. The version I saw looked great, the only noticeable grain was on the opening montage of Karen putting on make-up under the credits. The dialogue in the first half of the film is crisp, but as I said erratic editing plagues the second half. The ending seems like something out of a TV movie of the era, most of which look like high art when stacked up against recent theatrical offerings. Given this was made by a sexploitation director/producer, all around it's rather good. Average, but good.
Despite being a decent thriller, Marks couldn't resist marketing the movie like one of his "girly" flicks, insinuating all kinds of sexy shananigans (the movie's alternate title was "Part Time Wife") which ultimately were not there. The version I saw looked great, the only noticeable grain was on the opening montage of Karen putting on make-up under the credits. The dialogue in the first half of the film is crisp, but as I said erratic editing plagues the second half. The ending seems like something out of a TV movie of the era, most of which look like high art when stacked up against recent theatrical offerings. Given this was made by a sexploitation director/producer, all around it's rather good. Average, but good.
A Rather Standard Film-Noir Greatly Enhanced by the Presence of Judith Brown
Uriah4330 September 2016
This movie begins with a beautiful woman by the name of "Karen" (Judith Brown) marrying an older man named "Walter McCoy" (Keenan Wynn) and subsequently driving home with him to meet his adult daughter "Cynthia" (Patty Bodeen) and his two sons, "Steve" (Andrew Robinson) and "Paul" (Peter Hooten). It then becomes known that Walter is a multi-millionaire who owns a construction company and is extremely selfish and over-bearing to everyone. Karen, as it turns out, was a high-class Las Vegas prostitute who never loved Walter and has married him only because he is rich. Needless to say, both Paul and Cynthia suspect that Karen is nothing but a golddigger and they now feel threatened by her influence with Walter and the probable impact on their inheritance. Steve, on the other hand, becomes attracted to Karen and discovers that Karen is equally attracted to him. They eventually have an affair which threatens everything. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather standard film-noir which was greatly enhanced by the presence of Judith Brown and some decent mystery toward the end. It isn't a great movie by any means but I didn't think it was necessarily that bad either and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
it put me to sleep
sandcrab27724 September 2019
Keenan wynn always was a loud mouthed womanizer and andrew robinson was only unforgettable as the psycho in dirty harry ... i fail to see how judith brown qualifies as some raving beauty and she only has fried eggs for chest ornaments...dul, dull, dull
See this one for the cast.
Hey_Sweden12 June 2016
The title character is Karen (Judith Brown, "The Big Doll House"), a young lady from Vegas with a dubious past. She marries the cranky, domineering construction company magnate Walter McCoy (Keenan Wynn at his most amusingly irascible), which doesn't sit well with his young sons Steve ("Dirty Harry" villain Andrew Robinson) and Paul (Peter Hooten, "The Inglorious Bastards"). Not unjustly, they wonder if they'll now be shut out of his will. Things take an even seedier turn when sexpot Karen comes on to Steve, leading to various other complications, such as death and cover-ups.
Written by producer Robert Blees ("Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"), and directed by prolific 70s exploitation filmmaker Arthur Marks ("J.D.'s Revenge"), "A Woman for All Men" definitely owes a fair bit to classic film noir, but spices it up with a "modern", drive-in style approach. As such, it's not a great story, or even that well written, but it IS entertaining and watchable all the way through. It's very well shot by Robert Birchall and nicely scored by Luchi De Jesus ("Black Belt Jones"). There's a little bit of violence and a minimal dose of female skin. Blees tries to keep you on your toes throughout, as you figure out what's going on, and ends things with a twist.
Really, the main reason to watch is for this impressive cast of familiar faces. Certainly, this is a more high profile cast than one might ordinarily see in this sort of thing. And that includes Alex Rocco as an investigating Missing Persons detective, and Don Porter ("White Line Fever") as the McCoy family lawyer. The female cast are all very attractive, including Lois Hall as family housekeeper Sarah, Patty Bodeen as the teen aged daughter Cynthia, Ginny Golden as Steves' gal Rodell, and Elaine Fulkerson as Pauls' girl Allison. Veteran character actor Tom Bower ("Die Hard 2") has a bit as a construction worker. Brown makes the most of her meaty role, but the movie just doesn't pop as much when Wynn's not around.
Worth a look for 70s exploitation devotees.
Six out of 10.
Written by producer Robert Blees ("Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"), and directed by prolific 70s exploitation filmmaker Arthur Marks ("J.D.'s Revenge"), "A Woman for All Men" definitely owes a fair bit to classic film noir, but spices it up with a "modern", drive-in style approach. As such, it's not a great story, or even that well written, but it IS entertaining and watchable all the way through. It's very well shot by Robert Birchall and nicely scored by Luchi De Jesus ("Black Belt Jones"). There's a little bit of violence and a minimal dose of female skin. Blees tries to keep you on your toes throughout, as you figure out what's going on, and ends things with a twist.
Really, the main reason to watch is for this impressive cast of familiar faces. Certainly, this is a more high profile cast than one might ordinarily see in this sort of thing. And that includes Alex Rocco as an investigating Missing Persons detective, and Don Porter ("White Line Fever") as the McCoy family lawyer. The female cast are all very attractive, including Lois Hall as family housekeeper Sarah, Patty Bodeen as the teen aged daughter Cynthia, Ginny Golden as Steves' gal Rodell, and Elaine Fulkerson as Pauls' girl Allison. Veteran character actor Tom Bower ("Die Hard 2") has a bit as a construction worker. Brown makes the most of her meaty role, but the movie just doesn't pop as much when Wynn's not around.
Worth a look for 70s exploitation devotees.
Six out of 10.
Misguided filmmaking with meager results
lor_29 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Drive-in movie director and TV grad Arthur Marks teamed up with a one-time big name screenwriter Robert Blees (some classics in the '50s) to produce A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN, an interesting case study in movie failure.
Before the advent of video I used to see a lot of unreleased (and unreleasable) movies: never acquired by a distributor; stuck in a lab due to non-payment of fees, or unfinished in some way. It was fun to analyze what went wrong -here is a similar case (typical of the video era where old films are resurrected rather indiscriminately) of a complete film that just isn't hitting on all cylinders.
Blees' overwritten script is the main problem -it has dubious plot twists, especially in the later reels, that would have been blue-penciled at an early stage by some staffer at a major studio. But this was produced by Blees with director Arthur Marks at the tail-end of the life of latter's home base General Film Corp., and emerges intact, warts and all.
I never liked the Marks films I saw in cinemas 40 years ago: specifically I went to every Pam Grier and Fred Wlliamson release, even amateurish ones like Fred's "Adios Amigo". Marks directed my two least favorite (out of dozens), both very disappointing when brand-new: Friday FOSTER (Pam's first "clean" and thereby pointless movie, lacking her requisite nudity); and BUCKTOWN, utterly old-fashioned and lame despite teaming the two greats. In both cases production value was substituted for gutsiness.
In this completely different movie he makes the same mistakes: no edge, no sleaze (the film seems made for TV with only minor cuts warranted) and a misguided quest for respectability. Casting is awful: on the DVD as bonus, Marks in an interview regrets not having a star, and it really shows, as attractive Judy Brown in the femme fatale leading role is miscast -she's an Eve Arden type (as styled here), not a leading lady. It would be like putting Eve Plumb or the great Amy Madigan in as a sex symbol -they're character actresses.
Similarly Andy Robinson, fresh off a career peak as Clint Eastwood's DIRTY HARRY nemesis, is unappealing from the git-go, in a leading role where he's supposed to start off somewhat sympathetic before becoming the baddie. As his dad, Keenan Wynn is embarrassing, overplaying the already domineering (as written) role as the 100% mean patriarch so as to ruin the film early on - I missed him twirling his white mustache as Snidely Whiplash. Peter Hooten as Andy's brother is literally lost in the shuffle as Blees' script has way too many characters.
Marks is proud of his repetitious use of a grandfather clock - a hoary and cornball device that sticks out like a sore thumb in later reels -he lectures us in his interview on suspense but doesn't have a clue. The grade-Z resolution of the drama with twist ending is horrendous, as the script's (almost) only sympathetic character (I'm leaving out Wynn's daughter, whose role also gets lost) turns out to be a deranged murderer.
It's a case of handing in merely adequate (technically - in-focus, no bloopers) dailies, proper coverage, but forgetting to put some life into a picture, resulting in a dull, stillborn product that no reasonable sub-distributor or regional exchange would want to book back in the day. With the advent of VHS and now DVD (plus streaming soon to take over completely), any old artifact is deemed potentially interesting to viewers with low (or no) standards. That perhaps 95% of what is euphemistically put on a pedestal as new "independent" features is crap doesn't help matters.
Before the advent of video I used to see a lot of unreleased (and unreleasable) movies: never acquired by a distributor; stuck in a lab due to non-payment of fees, or unfinished in some way. It was fun to analyze what went wrong -here is a similar case (typical of the video era where old films are resurrected rather indiscriminately) of a complete film that just isn't hitting on all cylinders.
Blees' overwritten script is the main problem -it has dubious plot twists, especially in the later reels, that would have been blue-penciled at an early stage by some staffer at a major studio. But this was produced by Blees with director Arthur Marks at the tail-end of the life of latter's home base General Film Corp., and emerges intact, warts and all.
I never liked the Marks films I saw in cinemas 40 years ago: specifically I went to every Pam Grier and Fred Wlliamson release, even amateurish ones like Fred's "Adios Amigo". Marks directed my two least favorite (out of dozens), both very disappointing when brand-new: Friday FOSTER (Pam's first "clean" and thereby pointless movie, lacking her requisite nudity); and BUCKTOWN, utterly old-fashioned and lame despite teaming the two greats. In both cases production value was substituted for gutsiness.
In this completely different movie he makes the same mistakes: no edge, no sleaze (the film seems made for TV with only minor cuts warranted) and a misguided quest for respectability. Casting is awful: on the DVD as bonus, Marks in an interview regrets not having a star, and it really shows, as attractive Judy Brown in the femme fatale leading role is miscast -she's an Eve Arden type (as styled here), not a leading lady. It would be like putting Eve Plumb or the great Amy Madigan in as a sex symbol -they're character actresses.
Similarly Andy Robinson, fresh off a career peak as Clint Eastwood's DIRTY HARRY nemesis, is unappealing from the git-go, in a leading role where he's supposed to start off somewhat sympathetic before becoming the baddie. As his dad, Keenan Wynn is embarrassing, overplaying the already domineering (as written) role as the 100% mean patriarch so as to ruin the film early on - I missed him twirling his white mustache as Snidely Whiplash. Peter Hooten as Andy's brother is literally lost in the shuffle as Blees' script has way too many characters.
Marks is proud of his repetitious use of a grandfather clock - a hoary and cornball device that sticks out like a sore thumb in later reels -he lectures us in his interview on suspense but doesn't have a clue. The grade-Z resolution of the drama with twist ending is horrendous, as the script's (almost) only sympathetic character (I'm leaving out Wynn's daughter, whose role also gets lost) turns out to be a deranged murderer.
It's a case of handing in merely adequate (technically - in-focus, no bloopers) dailies, proper coverage, but forgetting to put some life into a picture, resulting in a dull, stillborn product that no reasonable sub-distributor or regional exchange would want to book back in the day. With the advent of VHS and now DVD (plus streaming soon to take over completely), any old artifact is deemed potentially interesting to viewers with low (or no) standards. That perhaps 95% of what is euphemistically put on a pedestal as new "independent" features is crap doesn't help matters.
A Hottie For All Seasons
TheFearmakers5 November 2020
The fact a sexpot from Roger Corman women-in-prison flicks (directed by Jack Hill) could hold more power and importance over Andy Robinson and Keenan Wynn is proof that the seventies were far from over... In fact, racy drive-in vehicles from the infamously dirty decade were going through an awkward and contrived mid-life crisis...
That same summer, 1975, a giant shark named JAWS was devouring audiences in record-breaking numbers. Because of this "bigger boat," it was up to smaller theaters to suit those embarrassed to frequent porno houses: Sitting on the fence were a pileup of R-Rated wannabe X's, and most were pretty bad: Enter Judith Brown, star of THE BIG DOLL HOUSE and WOMEN IN CAGES when she was billed as Judy (whose name seemed to change with a haircut), playing the title character with a title that's exploitation enough: A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN...
The basic though tangled plot has the usual grouchy millionaire marrying a young beauty. In this case the rich dick is Kennan Wynn, who owns a construction company where his two sons, played by "The Scorpio Killer" Robinson and blue-eyed oddball Peter INGLORIOUS BASTARDS Hooten, work hard outdoors without cozy office jobs, providing enough frustration in what's already predictably forced into the overall Film Noir template...
Soon enough, oldest son and dad's trophy wife hook up and, like TAROT starring Sue Lyon and Gloria Graham a few years earlier, it's the heart-of-gold housekeeper (a respectfully aged Lois Hall) who begins figuring things out: along with dad's only-daughter played by Patty Bodeen, a blue-eyed, round-faced, pouting beauty who should have been in a lot more of these kitschy thrillers... Her melodramatic gusto really fits when needed: And with more dialogue than action, anything spontaneous is welcome to wake things up: Especially since Brown, usually the "straight woman" of Corman films, has to remain firm and one-dimensional in the lead role.
The suspense builds nicely but it's almost too late once the viewer gets lethargically captured. Then again, random twists and turns occur too soon for the essential "boiling point" to amount to anything beyond a reason for square-jawed Brown to shed her clothes (in an ongoing homemade film within this film).
And yet, with recognizable actors Don Porter as Wynn's lawyer and Alex Rocco as the inevitable snoopy cop, this WOMAN is better than one might think. Perhaps those who had served in classic crime heaven (the likes of THE GODFATHER, THE MECHANIC and CHARLEY VARRICK) lacked the usual guilt while reigning in this sizzling perdition of super-low-budget fare.
That same summer, 1975, a giant shark named JAWS was devouring audiences in record-breaking numbers. Because of this "bigger boat," it was up to smaller theaters to suit those embarrassed to frequent porno houses: Sitting on the fence were a pileup of R-Rated wannabe X's, and most were pretty bad: Enter Judith Brown, star of THE BIG DOLL HOUSE and WOMEN IN CAGES when she was billed as Judy (whose name seemed to change with a haircut), playing the title character with a title that's exploitation enough: A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN...
The basic though tangled plot has the usual grouchy millionaire marrying a young beauty. In this case the rich dick is Kennan Wynn, who owns a construction company where his two sons, played by "The Scorpio Killer" Robinson and blue-eyed oddball Peter INGLORIOUS BASTARDS Hooten, work hard outdoors without cozy office jobs, providing enough frustration in what's already predictably forced into the overall Film Noir template...
Soon enough, oldest son and dad's trophy wife hook up and, like TAROT starring Sue Lyon and Gloria Graham a few years earlier, it's the heart-of-gold housekeeper (a respectfully aged Lois Hall) who begins figuring things out: along with dad's only-daughter played by Patty Bodeen, a blue-eyed, round-faced, pouting beauty who should have been in a lot more of these kitschy thrillers... Her melodramatic gusto really fits when needed: And with more dialogue than action, anything spontaneous is welcome to wake things up: Especially since Brown, usually the "straight woman" of Corman films, has to remain firm and one-dimensional in the lead role.
The suspense builds nicely but it's almost too late once the viewer gets lethargically captured. Then again, random twists and turns occur too soon for the essential "boiling point" to amount to anything beyond a reason for square-jawed Brown to shed her clothes (in an ongoing homemade film within this film).
And yet, with recognizable actors Don Porter as Wynn's lawyer and Alex Rocco as the inevitable snoopy cop, this WOMAN is better than one might think. Perhaps those who had served in classic crime heaven (the likes of THE GODFATHER, THE MECHANIC and CHARLEY VARRICK) lacked the usual guilt while reigning in this sizzling perdition of super-low-budget fare.
A very under rated 1970's drama highlighting a rich but dysfunctional family
Ed-Shullivan10 September 2019
Judith Brown who plays the young hot wife and gold digger to her much older and very rich recent newlywed husband Keenan Wynn come home to a not too friendly welcome by Keenan Wynn's three (3) adult children. I find it hard to relate to these particular family dynamics as my own upbringing was much simpler.
In direct contrast to my own upbringing the McCoy family owned a huge general contracting business building large industrial plazas in and around California, they drove the most expensive vehicles, lived in a luxurious home on a large property, and they had servants taking care of any and all their household needs, but the McCoy children were lacking any semblance of love and/or affection from their matriarch father Walter (Keenan Wynn).
The new young hot looking wife Karen (Judith Brown) made no bones about why she married the much older businessman Walter McCoy it was because of his enormous wealth and nothing else. Walter liked to brag how rich, strong and virile he was and he ran his house as if everyone was expected to cow tow to him, not only the servants, but his new bride and three (3) adult children as well. If any of his family even breathed a sigh of discontent Walter would quickly tell them they knew where the front door was and they were free to leave and try and make it on their own without any of his financial support.
It doesn't take long for one of Walter's son Steve McCoy (Andrew Robinson) to be exposed to Walter's new bride Karen who starts having wandering eyes towards her much younger stepson who she begins grooming to be her next and new lover. This sets off even higher levels of mistrust and emotions between the various McCoy family members until Walter is suddenly and unexpectedly pronounced as missing and assumed to have committed suicide.
Now the family members including Walter's recent new bride Karen call in their husband/father's lawyer to commence dispersing his last will and testament which the lawyer states unequivocally that he is not prepared to do as he has specific orders from the missing Walter McCoy to follow.
I won't divulge how the family dynamics deteriorate further but suffice to say that the McCoy family show their greed, lust and anger towards one another even with their father still missing and assumed to have committed suicide, and their hussy stepmother grinning like a cheshire cat.
This is a strange family which reflects that money can't buy happiness. It is an under rated film which is why I have given it a slightly higher rating at 8 out of 10 to counter some of the lower under appreciated IMDB ratings.
In direct contrast to my own upbringing the McCoy family owned a huge general contracting business building large industrial plazas in and around California, they drove the most expensive vehicles, lived in a luxurious home on a large property, and they had servants taking care of any and all their household needs, but the McCoy children were lacking any semblance of love and/or affection from their matriarch father Walter (Keenan Wynn).
The new young hot looking wife Karen (Judith Brown) made no bones about why she married the much older businessman Walter McCoy it was because of his enormous wealth and nothing else. Walter liked to brag how rich, strong and virile he was and he ran his house as if everyone was expected to cow tow to him, not only the servants, but his new bride and three (3) adult children as well. If any of his family even breathed a sigh of discontent Walter would quickly tell them they knew where the front door was and they were free to leave and try and make it on their own without any of his financial support.
It doesn't take long for one of Walter's son Steve McCoy (Andrew Robinson) to be exposed to Walter's new bride Karen who starts having wandering eyes towards her much younger stepson who she begins grooming to be her next and new lover. This sets off even higher levels of mistrust and emotions between the various McCoy family members until Walter is suddenly and unexpectedly pronounced as missing and assumed to have committed suicide.
Now the family members including Walter's recent new bride Karen call in their husband/father's lawyer to commence dispersing his last will and testament which the lawyer states unequivocally that he is not prepared to do as he has specific orders from the missing Walter McCoy to follow.
I won't divulge how the family dynamics deteriorate further but suffice to say that the McCoy family show their greed, lust and anger towards one another even with their father still missing and assumed to have committed suicide, and their hussy stepmother grinning like a cheshire cat.
This is a strange family which reflects that money can't buy happiness. It is an under rated film which is why I have given it a slightly higher rating at 8 out of 10 to counter some of the lower under appreciated IMDB ratings.
Something a Little New from Something Very Old
nammage16 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not usually into these type of films: love triangles, jealousy etc., mainly because each film is basically the same plot but I keep watching them hoping for something different. Is this film different? Yes. Yes, this film is different. Probably because you have a Sexploitation director behind it; and yes, this film has elements of Sexploitation but it's less that and more of a Drama; one that, if it didn't have so much nudity, you could watch it with your mom, unless you have a free-spirited mother who isn't prudish.
It does have its flaws. While there are some A-listers in this, the acting is wooden, at times. And while I think some of the actors improvised with their lines, it didn't help in certain scenes. There's a mystery element to the film, and I'm not talking about the supposed murder but the introduction of the characters like Sarah (the housekeeper), Cynthia (the daughter), who's just creepy and a bit incestuous, in my opinion; and though the character of Paul barely breathes in this film, even he has a bit of a mystery to him. Are the mysteries hard to figure out? No.
Some of the photography is lame. Like the 'dun dun dun' moments. You know: the freeze frame at the end of certain scenes. The haziness when a scene approaches a 'dun dun dun' moment. Even the paranoia scenes become pretty lame. The 'murder' scene isn't even murder, it was clearly self-defense. Adultery isn't a crime, even with your step-mother. The ultimate problem with that scene is: it seemed to imply or outright state "It was murder!" The father attacked his son, and then tried to shoot him with a pistol. The son fell to the floor and grabbed something nearby and stabbed his father with it, killing him. Self-defense. Yet the next scene Steve tells his step-mother "We're not guilty of anything. We've killed someone who's already dead." That last part eludes to the fact that Steve's father went missing earlier and was presumed dead. Also, "we" is nonsensical. Steve killed his father (in self-defense), it wasn't planned, at least not by Steve. Adultery isn't a crime in the US, it may be immoral but not a crime. The crime they both commited was getting rid of the body and making it appear as murder to anyone who doesn't know it was self-defense. Of course Karen (the step-mother) mentions this later but Steve's an idiot and thinks he knows what he's doing. Of course, to a point: the same could be said of Karen. If one thinks I gave too much away, you're mistaken. The true villain is revealed in the beginning and one is just waiting for s/he's grand entrance. You get it in the last two minutes of the film.
The film, as a whole, is cliché, subplots hurried along, main characters (like Paul and Sarah) who are prominent in the beginning and disappear entirely in the last second act, and questions unanswered yet I still enjoyed it. That's something.
It does have its flaws. While there are some A-listers in this, the acting is wooden, at times. And while I think some of the actors improvised with their lines, it didn't help in certain scenes. There's a mystery element to the film, and I'm not talking about the supposed murder but the introduction of the characters like Sarah (the housekeeper), Cynthia (the daughter), who's just creepy and a bit incestuous, in my opinion; and though the character of Paul barely breathes in this film, even he has a bit of a mystery to him. Are the mysteries hard to figure out? No.
Some of the photography is lame. Like the 'dun dun dun' moments. You know: the freeze frame at the end of certain scenes. The haziness when a scene approaches a 'dun dun dun' moment. Even the paranoia scenes become pretty lame. The 'murder' scene isn't even murder, it was clearly self-defense. Adultery isn't a crime, even with your step-mother. The ultimate problem with that scene is: it seemed to imply or outright state "It was murder!" The father attacked his son, and then tried to shoot him with a pistol. The son fell to the floor and grabbed something nearby and stabbed his father with it, killing him. Self-defense. Yet the next scene Steve tells his step-mother "We're not guilty of anything. We've killed someone who's already dead." That last part eludes to the fact that Steve's father went missing earlier and was presumed dead. Also, "we" is nonsensical. Steve killed his father (in self-defense), it wasn't planned, at least not by Steve. Adultery isn't a crime in the US, it may be immoral but not a crime. The crime they both commited was getting rid of the body and making it appear as murder to anyone who doesn't know it was self-defense. Of course Karen (the step-mother) mentions this later but Steve's an idiot and thinks he knows what he's doing. Of course, to a point: the same could be said of Karen. If one thinks I gave too much away, you're mistaken. The true villain is revealed in the beginning and one is just waiting for s/he's grand entrance. You get it in the last two minutes of the film.
The film, as a whole, is cliché, subplots hurried along, main characters (like Paul and Sarah) who are prominent in the beginning and disappear entirely in the last second act, and questions unanswered yet I still enjoyed it. That's something.
Effectively seamy exploitation melodrama
Woodyanders31 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Irascible and domineering millionaire Walter McCoy (a marvelously cantankerous Keenan Wynn) marries the beautiful, but shady and duplicitous Karen Petrie (expertly played to the wicked and conniving hilt by the ravishing Judith Brown). Walter's son Steve (the always excellent Andrew Robinson) automatically becomes smitten with Karen while both Walter's daughter Cynthia (adorable Patty Bodeen) and loyal housekeeper Sarah (a fine performance by Lois Hall) suspect that something is up. This provokes a tangled web of deception, infidelity, and even murder.
Director Arthur Marks relates the engrossingly sordid story at a steady pace, adroitly crafts a cold and amoral film noir-type mood (Brown makes for a deliciously ruthless, seductive, and manipulative femme fatale), and delivers a generous sprinkling of tasty female nudity courtesy of the delectable Mrs. Brown. Moreover, the sound acting from the able cast keeps this picture humming: Don Porter as Walter's faithful lawyer Barney, Peter Hooten as Walter's angry other son Paul, Ginny Golden as the snippy Rodell, and Alex Rocco as the pesky Lt. Biase. The enjoyably trashy script by Robert Blees offers a few cool twists. Robert Birchall's sharp cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. The funky percolating score by Luchi Dejesus hits the groovy-throbbing spot. A nifty little drive-in flick.
Director Arthur Marks relates the engrossingly sordid story at a steady pace, adroitly crafts a cold and amoral film noir-type mood (Brown makes for a deliciously ruthless, seductive, and manipulative femme fatale), and delivers a generous sprinkling of tasty female nudity courtesy of the delectable Mrs. Brown. Moreover, the sound acting from the able cast keeps this picture humming: Don Porter as Walter's faithful lawyer Barney, Peter Hooten as Walter's angry other son Paul, Ginny Golden as the snippy Rodell, and Alex Rocco as the pesky Lt. Biase. The enjoyably trashy script by Robert Blees offers a few cool twists. Robert Birchall's sharp cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. The funky percolating score by Luchi Dejesus hits the groovy-throbbing spot. A nifty little drive-in flick.
Part Time Wife
gregorycanfield6 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Part Time Wife was an alternate title for this movie, and a better one. Whichever title you prefer, this is actually a pretty good movie! Judith Brown is Karen. Karen is a prostitute who marries Walter (Keenan Wynn) for his money (what else?) Of course, she is more interested in Walter's son, Steve (Andrew Robinson). Much of what happens is predictable, but there are also some surprises along the way. As for Judith Brown, her topless scenes were nice, but too brief. Also, what was with that blonde hair? Didn't do her justice. After watching the movie, I watched an interesting featurette with Judith and the late Arthur Marks. This segment, released in 2014, showed Judith at age 70. She looked great!!! She looked better than she did in the movie, when she was only 30! Overall, a pretty good movie, and not the "skin flick" that the title (either one) might lead you to expect.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
