Missing Women

Penny Edwards is on her honeymoon when her husband is killed by a carjacking ring. She can't identify anyone in the police files, but some discussion of the sorts of gangs that steal autos triggers something. She walks out of the police station, changes her clothes and hair, and goes underground looking for the men who murdered her husband. Meanwhile, the Missing Person squad is looking for her.

It's a decent way into this lone-women-against-the-crooks plot, and Miss Edwards offers a nice performance, changing her register as she changes her haircolor. There's the usual competent cast and crew that Republic had available to it when they weren't doing Vera Hruba Ralston movies: Fritz Feld, Robert Shayne and Phillip Van Zandt are a few of the names old movie buffs will recognize; and while Philip Ford may be better remembered for being John Ford's nephew and the AD on almost three dozen movies, his direction here is, as was common with Republic's better output, brisk and competent.

Newlyweds Penny Edwards (Claudia) and John Hedloe (Phillip) are hijacked on a country lane and Hedloe is shot and left for dead. Penny decides to exact revenge on the killers and especially James Millican (Hans) who forced himself on her during the attack. She changes her name and appearance and goes undercover to infiltrate the gang. However, the police are on her case as she has been reported missing.

The film zips by and it is ok. There are a couple of memorable scenes - the stealing of a car from the parking lot and the moment went Edwards is forced to meet ex-con Marlo Dwyer (May) who she claims to have known in prison - but on the whole there is not really any tension as one scene follows another before we get the anticipated rushed ending with a simplified shoot-out. The goodies win and the baddies lose. End of film.

There is some wordplay going on as you think that Millican's nickname is "Hands". Connoisseurs of good British comedy will immediately make the link to the iconic character of "Super Hands" from the comedy show "Peep Show". Watch this show if you haven't seen it for a far better level of entertainment.