Deadly Duo

Saw this movie on TV recently; not much to get excited about. The actors seemed charming, especially supporting actor Robert Lowery, who has a resemblance to Clark Gable or Cesar Romero. It seems like the entire movie was shot inside a single Hollywood sound stage. Marcia Henderson, whom I have never heard of, played two characters who were twin sisters: one nice, the other mildly evil. The evil sister's part was overacted to say the least, but perhaps that was what the script called for. The movie took place entirely in Acapulco, Mexico, but it sure could have used a few more Acapulco scenes. i agree with an earlier commenter: what happened to Craig Hill? He had leading-man good looks, but he seems to have disappeared from view after Whirlybirds.

Strictly a low-budget programmer, DEADLY DUO is a deadly boring attempt as a detective story involving twin sisters--one good, one bad, naturally. It's full of expository dialog, especially the first half-hour which sets up the entire situation in exposition--then drifts off into the main story with no distinction whatsoever.

Performances are mostly sub-standard--especially MARCIA HENDERSON as the twin sisters (one blonde, one brunette), and especially ROBERT LOWERY, looking a far cry from the young actor whose career began in the 1940s with small roles in big films. CRAIG HILL, as the lawyer on a mission for a wealthy client, gives the only credible performance in the whole film.

The story moves along at a crawl, never establishing any crackling tension or sparkling dialog--and hampered by a poor child performance from PETER OLIPHANT.

Summing up: Dreary to sit through--no tension at all. CRAIG HILL never did go on to full-fledged stardom but fit the requirements for leading man roles.

And all that I can remember about it is that it starred Craig Hill (Kenneth Tobey's sidekick in "Whirlybirds") and I believe some of it took place in pre-Castro Cuba (although I could be wrong about that). Great memory, huh? I could swear it was more like 1959 instead of 1962, but in retrospect, what's a coupla years? (lol). I remember Craig Hill as a very attractive leading man-type who got zippo publicity in this country, but just scanning over his IMDb resume he has appeared in an incredible amount of films and TV work. How could someone who was so much in children's' eyes in the 1950's (i.e. Whirlybirds) manage to remain so anonymous, yet appear in so many different projects? Maybe I should write to the guy on Turner Classic Movies (hey, he was just talking about Kenneth Tobey tonight) and ask him.

Most of this movie takes place in Acapulco. It's not that we don't believe that ... Exactly ...

The sets look for all the world, though, like sets from TV series of the time. And wait! Not that Bette Davis and Olivia De Havilland hadn't done it already. But isn't the good twin/evil twin reminiscent of "I Dream Of Jeannie" and "Bewitched"? The sisters, both played by Marcia Henderson, really don't look alike. Yes, they are the same actress. But the evil sister wears a long platinum wig and presents herself so differently, no one would think them related. Unless, of course, there were constant dialogue commenting on their remarkable similarity of appearance.

Craig Hill plays a California lawyer down on his luck. He is hired to do something moderately dishonorable, down in Mexico. He's not bad. He looks good in a brief bathing suit and he's filmed hat way for quite a bit. He is often filmed (fully clothed) from the back, walking, though. This was unflattering to several major female stars in the 1940s. And it does him no favors.

This is not great film making. It's moderately entertaining. And the cars in it are fantastic! It's not one of those projects in which they all are from the same company. The then-Big Three are all represented; and we get to see some real beauties.

The problem with "Deadly Duo" is that the script idea is very good and should have been the basis of a nice film noir drama. Unfortunately, the film just isn't that interesting and feels quite flat.

When the film begins, a rich old lady (familiar TV character actress Irene Tedrow) meets with a young lawyer and offers him a very enticing proposition. It seems that her son married some lady a few years back and since then, he died and she has been left with a kid...her grandkid. If he can manage to convince the daughter-in- law to give her custody, she'll pay the lawyer a bundle.

When the lawyer visits the mother, she seems like a decent person and a perfectly good mother. Not surprisingly, she won't sell her kid and tells the lawyer to take a hike. But, the lady has a nearly identical sister and she and her sleazy boyfriend concoct a plan to kill her and make it look like an accident. Then the new guardian, this sister, could sell the kid!! What's next? See the film.

I am NOT saying this is a bad film but the suspense wasn't handled properly. The ending came too quickly, seemed too pat and wasn't entirely satisfying.