Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?

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 watched this on YouTube because I expected it to be tawdry fun or a good whodunit. It is neither. The script is void of suspense or wit.

Red Buttons was a beloved second banana, but didn't have the charisma or presence to be a leading man. Sylvia Miles looks like a truck driver dressed up as Doly Parton. You know what? That is why we loved her.

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!

Viewed this one for the first time in the summer of 2015.

Discovering it on an ancient ' Prism ' video cassette.

A treat for more than one reason.

If you're of a certain age or just an enthusiast of old films and television, you're in for at least a half dozen surprises concerning the cast. Characters pop up on a regular basis from the 60's and 70's, who, you may not immediately connect the face with a name, but you know you know them.

You have Red Buttons unlike I've never seen him. Don't want to call him a ' tough guy ' but he doesn't take any bull and he knows how to use his fists. Yes, that Red Buttons. Amazingly, it's not at all awkward and he plays it very, very well.

If, like me, you miss his name in the opening credits, you will eventually realize who the amateur film maker was who recorded ' Mary ' in the last moments of her life.

Late 60's , early 70's bleakness, to be sure. Throw - a - way citizens and how large parts of New York, and most other large, American cities, were allowed to deteriorate to the point that they did.

Worth looking for.