Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?

While the tagline is hilarious—"Somebody just murdered your friendly neighborhood hooker"—the crime thriller Who Killed Mary Whats'ername? is far from funny. It's a whodunnit without police intervention, because, since the victim was a prostitute in skid row, no one really cares about finding the killer. Red Buttons, a retired boxer with nearly constant references to his diabetes, is determined to take matters into his own hands and find out what happened to Mary.

Along the way, he recruits his daughter, Alice Playton, another hooker who knew the deceased, Sylvia Miles, the landlord and pimp, Dick Williams, and a young filmographer who had filmed Mary before her death, Sam Waterston. Who's helping because they care, and who's really guilty? You'll have to watch this extremely dated 1970s flick to find out. The one drawback is the dated filming style. If you normally like movies where a rugged hero gets immersed in a seedy environment, you might be able to get through the slang, hair, fashions, stereotypes, and camera-work. If the dated-ness will bother you, try a more modern version. This type of premise has been made dozens of times through the years.

DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. It's nearly exclusively filmed with a hand-held camera, and without warning the camera will zoom in and out. It will probably make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

A very small film which was born into instant obscurity, WHO KILLED MARY WHAT'S'ERNAME deserves to be exhumed from the graveyard of forgotten movies and given a second look. Red Buttons is surprisingly good in his out-of-character role as a decent Joe Anyman who's trying to unravel the mystery of a hooker recently murdered in a rundown part of the city...a case to which the authorities have been entirely unresponsive.

He comes to find that she was known to the many creatures of the street, but as little more than a nameless, faceless blur in the periphery of a sideways glance.

An unfortunate truth is brought to the fore, that a sizable swath of the population simply doesn't matter...not to each other, maybe not even to themselves. WHO KILLED MARY WHAT'S'ERNAME dares us to look at those we've tuned our backs on in a tactful, but honest portraiture of someone else's America.

5.5/10.

"Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?" is a movie starring Red Buttons as well as an unusual ensemble cast, including Sam Waterston, Conrad Bain, Sylvia Miles, David Doyle and Ron Carey.

When the story begins, an aging ex-boxer, Mickey (Buttons) moves in to a crummy skidrow apartment. He's learned that the woman who lived there before him was a prostitute who was murdered...and no one seems to have really cared...including the police. So, he decides to do some digging to see if he can figure out her sad fate. And, along the way, he finds a few folks who decide to help him in his quest.

This film looks as if it was filmed with a very limited budget. This is not a complaint and it worked pretty well considering the setting. As far as the story goes, it's so unusual that I'm giving it a 7. It is far from great but I appreciate the film taking some chances. Plus, I have to respect a few of these actors playing very icky characters!

Red Buttons is unbelievably riveting as the skid row detective in search of the truth with nothing to lose, not even his non-existent pride. The movie expertly mixes wit, pathos, mystery, and social commentary in a fast-paced classic film noir. The supporting cast play their parts to perfection, and the final solution is both satisfying and incalculable. A hidden gem.

I saw this movie long ago. It was on a VHS tape with a somewhat worn cover. I thought "Red Buttons - I've watched him all my life, and he's a good comedian. But a detective? Well, OK, but I'm not going to get my hopes up." Well, I'll be darned if it wasn't one of the best movies I've seen! The cast is wonderful. It consisted of actors who were already big stars and actors that would become big stars. This movie was well made and under-publicized. I had never heard of it before I saw it in a video rental store. My advice would be to get out the popcorn, and prepare to be impressed. I don't know if it is on DVD yet, but it certainly should be!