DEADLY DUO (1962)

The wealthy Leonora Spence hires struggling lawyer Preston Morgan for a delicate job. Her son Robby has just died in a car racing accident in Acapulco and she wants custody of her grandson Billy. Robby had squandered his money and his widow, Sabena, was just a common dancer when they got married, and Leonora thinks that she can give the child a better life than Sabena can. Preston will get $50,000 for getting Sabena to accept $500,000 for Billy. The job must be low-key because she wants no publicity. In Acapulco, Preston makes his offer and Sabena, who is a much better mother than Leonora gives her credit for, is not inclined to take it. Even Preston begins to question the offer. But Sabena's twin sister Dara tells Preston to hang around a while because she might change her mind. Dara's husband Jay thinks that Dara and Sabena should revive their twin sister dance act, but Dara has another plan: get rid of Sabena, impersonate her, and take Leonora's offer. The plan is set up, but Manuel, Sabena's loyal servant, threatens to muck things up when he beats up Preston, whom he is suspicious of, and the fight makes headlines. Leonora and her lawyer head down to Acapulco to see what's going on, and all the pieces are in place for a clash of morals, with Preston caught in the middle. This 70-minute second feature got more exposure than the average B-film because it was paired with the very successful DR. NO in second-run houses. It's very much a mild by-the-numbers thriller but it's well produced, looks good, and has at least two solid performances. The handsome vanilla lead, Craig Hill, is quite good as Preston. It's difficult to tell where he'll land on the moral continuum: unaware of Dara's plan, will he keep working for Leonora or will he counsel Sabena to hold her ground? Classic-era character actor Robert Lowery is also good as the slimy Jay. Unfortunately, Marcia Henderson (pictured with Hill) is a bit of a weak link in the dual role of the sisters. She doesn't really give the goody-goody Sabena or the wicked Dara their due. Irene Tedrow is not particularly impressive as Leonora. Between those bland performances, and the movie’s rather antiseptic visual style, there is a lot less tension built up than there should be. Still, taken on the level of a TV-movie, this is enjoyable enough and there's a nice twist near the end that is predictable but satisfying. [YouTube]