Why Must I Die

Why Must I Die (1960)
AIP Production #504 

Jeff and Cheryl strap in for an emotional tale about the application (and misapplication) of the death penalty in Why Must I Die. 

Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Screenplay by Richard Bernstein and George W. Waters
Story by George W. Waters
Produced by Richard Bernstein 

Cast:
Terry Moore as Lois King 
Debra Paget as Dottie Manson 
Bert Freed as Adler 
Juli Reding as Mitzi 
Lionel Ames as Eddie Rainey 
Richard Le Pore as Sinclair 
Sid Melton as Morrie Waltzer 
Selette Cole as Peggy Taylor 
Dorothy Lovett as Mrs Benson 
Phil Harvey as Kenny Randall 
Fred Sherman as Red King 
Robert Shayne as Charlie Munro 
Damian O’Flynn as District Attorney Walter Dennison 
Holly Harris as Miss Bradley, the Superintendent 
Mark Sheeler as Jim 
Jhean Burton as Trixie 
Abbagail Shelton as Dawn 
Jackie Joseph as Marge Brennan the Cigarette Girl (uncredited)  

A Viscount-Terry Moore Production 
An American International Picture 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We're not talking about actors. We mean a real monster. I brought her back. She'll live and I'll get her another body.

(00:07):
I know they’re gonna catch me but don't let anyone see me like that! Please, doctor, help me!
Biologically speaking, it's a primary importance that man should want to mate.
Hey, that's right!
You don't get all your kicks from surfing, do you?
We want to be free to ride our machines without being hassled by the man.
And we want to get loaded.
You think you're gonna make a slave of the world? I'll see you in Hell first!

(00:33):
The American International Podcast.
Are you ready?
Hello and welcome to the American International Podcast. I'm Cheryl Lightfoot.
And I'm Jeff Markin.
And today we're gonna talk about the movie that asks and answers the question,
Why Must I Die? from 1960.
Why Must I Die was directed by Roy Del Ruth.
From a screenplay by Richard Bernstein and George W. Waters, which itself came from a story by George W. Waters,

(00:58):
and produced by Richard Bernstein for Viscount films.
Why Must I Die stars Terry Moore as Lois King,
Debra Paget as Dottie Manson,
Bert Freed as Adler, Juli Redding as Mitzi,
Lionel Ames as Eddie Rainey, Richard Le Pore as Sinclair,
Sid Melton as Morrie Waltzer,
Selette Cole as Peggy Taylor,
Also appearing our Dorothy Lovett as Mrs. Benson.

(01:21):
Phil Harvey as Kenny Randall,
Fred Sherman as Red King,
Robert Shayne as Charlie Munro,
Damian O'Flynn as District Attorney Walter Dennison,
and an uncredited Jackie Joseph appearing as Marge Brennan the Cigarette Girl.
Why Must I Die opens with a doped-up Terry Moore lurching forward,
and some other scenes from the upcoming movie.

(01:42):
This lets you know that you're in for 80 minutes of intense melodrama.
But first, we are going to start at a gritty city exterior
and move inside to a bank where a safe cracking is already in progress.
Two men are inside cracking the safe and manning the walkie-talkie,
and outside Lois King is in a car,

(02:03):
also on walkie-talkie acting as a lookout.
One of the men inside, this one is Eddie,
he's the one holding the tummy gun,
calls Lois on that walkie-talkie,
reminding her to speak up if they have any visitors.
No visitors, she says, but she's nervous.
The guy who's cracking the safe is Lois's father, Red King.
He says he's ready, and with that, he blows the door to the safe.

(02:25):
This triggers a silent alarm,
a dispatcher sends two patrolmen to the bank.
Lois walkie-talkies to Eddie that he better hurry up
as we start to hear the approaching sirens.
Red pulls out a bank deposit box and opens it, but it's empty.
The safe appears to not contain any money whatsoever,
Eddie cuffs Red an anger.
But there's no time to dally,

(02:46):
they both jump into Lois's waiting car as the police arrive,
and shots are fired as the police give chase.
Lois successfully eludes the police,
and the next time we see our gang,
they're in a city hotel room.
Eddie is complaining about red being a jinx,
is tipped and pan out as it was supposed to,
and it cost him $500, I guess?
Lois is upset about these events as well,

(03:07):
and she's packing her things into a suitcase.
She tells Eddie that this was too close.
If that perhaps aim had been better, they wouldn't have gotten away.
Eddie promises there'll be a big score soon,
but Lois grabs that he's a small time chisler
that she was too young and dumb to know to avoid.
She was an easy mark, a hungry girl without pretty clothes,
but she'd starved to death in a potato sack
before she'd taken another chance like tonight.

(03:29):
She says to Eddie,
he convinced her to come on this bank job,
but that was the first and last time she's leaving.
As she's talking, red comes into the room,
and Lois asks her father why he got involved in this in the first place.
He'd already spent years in prison,
and he'd gone straight for a while,
but then he let this leopard up off on him, meaning Eddie.
Lois asks her father to get in on his job,
but he says there's no honest workout there for the likes of him.

(03:52):
Then she tells him not to worry about it.
She can make money singing at gin mills,
and she'll send him what he needs.
She calls red and Eddie slow poison,
and says she's sick of them.
And with that, she closes the suitcase,
puts on a coat and leaves, saying,
"I'll see you at your funeral."
Now we have a job hunting montage.
Lois hits the streets to find herself a singing job.

(04:13):
We see various want ads pop up,
and finally she ends up in Charlie Monroe's club,
which is apparently in Toledo, Ohio,
shout out to our former hometown,
where she asks to audition.
There's a man mopping the floor,
and she asks if Charlie Munro is around,
and the man calls over to Charlie.
Lois tells Charlie that she's heard he's looking for a talent,
and Charlie tells her they get all types to this club,

(04:34):
but if she can keep the crowd happy, he'll be happy.
Lois adds some sheet music to the janitor,
who also doubles as the piano player, obviously,
and sings "Don't Let Go" written by Les Baxter, or Charlie.
And then we fade to Lois still singing,
but now in a fancy gown and performing for an audience
in Charlie's Tiki Bar,
as her new boss watches in approval,

(04:55):
and maybe a little more.
Later on, she's dancing with a patron.
He asks her what a pretty girl like her is doing
in a place like this.
"I'm writing a book," she says.
I love that line.
His hand moves down her back.
"Lose something?" she asks.
Charlie sees this, and he comes over to tell the man
that the show's over.
Lois thinks him, and Charlie tells her he ought to hang
and no trespassing sign on her.

(05:17):
She smiles, so there's obviously something between them.
In Lois's dressing room, she opens a box of flowers
and reads the card.
It says, "Will you marry me?"
Lois smiles as Charlie enters the room.
"Yes, do you have an admirer?"
She says, "Yes, the same one is always."
Then she tells Charlie, "He's like a little boy
wanting a new piece of candy."
And that she's not that sweet.

(05:39):
Two months ago, he didn't even know she existed.
He's been married twice already,
and neither of those worked out.
So why would this be any different?
Because I love you, says Eddie,
but I don't love you, says Lois.
And that must comfort something.
Just give it a chance, Eddie Begser,
and Lois agrees to think it over.
Settle for me.
Lois returns home to find it Lillian,

(06:00):
who is something between a land lady and a housemate,
vacuuming her floor with some kind of scraping device.
Lillian hands Lois a message that was delivered
while she was out.
Lois reads it.
It's from Eddie.
Uh-oh.
He's in the Clarage Hotel downtown,
and he needs to see her tonight.
Lois is not thrilled to read this.
Just then the phone rings.

(06:21):
At Lois asks Lillian to answer it.
Lillian answers and says, "She's right here.
You better tell her yourself."
So Lois takes the phone.
She looks devastated at the news she receives.
She hangs up the phone.
Eddie Monroe's dead.
Heart attacks are sudden, honey.
Lillian tries to comfort her.
It was only 40.
That's too young, isn't it?
It sure is.
Lillian agrees.
He didn't look 40 though.

(06:43):
Oh, it's a easily 60.
Something always happens to the nice man I meet,
Moan's Lois.
And then we cut to Lois,
meaning her agent, Mori Waltzer, in his office.
She's trying to get him to listen to one of her records,
but he's shaving with an electric razor.
He finishes and says that he loves her voice,
but she gripes that he never even heard it.
He says he did.

(07:04):
Then he gets a call from someone experiencing a midget shortage,
but he can't help them.
Mori tells her that she's not spectacular,
but she's dot, dot, dot, sweet.
Supplies Lois?
Mori agrees.
Mori tells her she's got a tear in her voice.
The night clubs will eat that up.
Then Lois starts going over her work experience.
She hasn't played any of the top spots,

(07:25):
but she's kept busy.
Mori tells her not to move.
He's going to make a call.
He phones Kenny Randall,
a club owner who has been looking for a good-looking singer.
Mori has Lois put the record on again
so Kenny can hear it over the phone.
Kenny says she sounds good,
but he can't see her over the phone.
Mori gets another call about midgets.
Somehow he gives Kenny the idea Lois is a midget,
but Mori corrects that error.

(07:46):
She's fully grown and stacked as well.
Kenny wants to know what she looks like,
so Mori tells Kenny to look at her.
Over a pre-smart phone, rotary dial number,
but Kenny can't see her,
and he won't be able to for about 45 years or so.
Kenny tells Mori to send her over so Lois heads out,
asking Mori to cross his fingers for her.
Two weeks later, a man is putting up a sign
in Kenny Randall's Kakatu Club

(08:08):
that Lois King is appearing nightly.
He declares that she's accomplished quite the feat
from unknown to headliner in just two weeks.
Then he asks Marge, the cigarette girl.
How things are going with Mr. Randall?
Well, apparently Lois is living Marge's dream.
Marge snaps, give me time.
She's yet to lose a race,
meaning she's going to get one over on Lois.

(08:29):
And now we see Lois singing,
"How can I let him know a top of piano?"
The song ends to thunderous applause.
And later we see that same standee is a news sign,
held over for a third month, so time is passing.
Sometime later, Kenny is in Lois' dressing room,
congratulating her on her success.
The public and the critics adore her and business has doubled.

(08:50):
It's more his success than hers.
Lois jokingly asks for a bump in her salary,
and Kenny tells her to stick with him and she'll go places.
"No strings attached?" Lois asks.
"Never use 'em," Kenny says.
"You know a lot of important producers come in here.
You could end up on Broadway.
For a guy who doesn't use strings,
you sure wrap things up in a hurry, and I like it."
Cute kiss.

(09:12):
[laughs]
Sometime after that kiss,
we see Kenny showing Lois around a place where she can stay.
It's an upgrade from where she lives now,
and she likes it, but she says she couldn't afford it.
Kenny says that the residents are traveling
so she can sublet and just pay the utilities.

(09:34):
Lois calls Kenny out.
"This is your place, isn't it?"
Kenny admits it and says, "He's never there.
Lois thinks it's a fine place for honey mooters,
and Kenny pouts.
Are we talking about marriage again?
He's not into that."
Kenny admits he has nothing against marriage.
He just needs more time.
And Lois apologizes and asks Kenny to be patient with her.
She just doesn't want to lose him.
Then we cut to a diner where Eddie is with a new broad.

(09:57):
This is Daddy Manson.
Daddy doesn't know what they're doing in Riverport,
so Eddie shows her a newspaper review.
It says Lois King, the girl with the heartthrob in her voice,
is continuing to wow the crowds at the Kakatoo Club.
Eddie thinks that they can go have a word
with their former accomplice.
Lois comes home to find Daddy and Eddie sitting in her living room.

(10:18):
She's upset that they got in by convincing the dormant
that Eddie was her brother.
Eddie introduces Lois to his new safe cracker, Daddy,
and wonders why she never returned the message
she sent to her in her hotel in Toledo.
Lois says that she planned never to see him again.
Eddie breaks the news that her dad's back in prison in Louisville,
and though he was a great safe man,
Daddy could teach them all a thing or two.

(10:40):
Lois wants to know what happened with all the money
that she's been sending her father.
We just couldn't make out on it, says Eddie,
and Lois is furious, but Daddy stops any fight
that might be about to start.
Eddie says that they plan to go to San Francisco.
There's a lot of action there.
And Lois says she can give them the train fare
and they can be on their way.
Daddy says not so fast they've got business here first.

(11:03):
They've been casing the Kakatoo Club,
and as the knowledge of the layout,
she can help them cash out on the joint.
Eddie strongly hints that a word from him
could increase her dad's jail time by years
instead of the months that he's in for.
Daddy lays it out.
The Kakatoo Club has a big take every night,
and they want it.
Lois has to give them the pass keys.
Lois once again offers to give them all the money she has

(11:24):
if they'll get out now.
But that's not what's happening while Lois is out getting the pass keys.
Daddy and Eddie will hang out her place, Daddy says.
And then he reveals that she has Lois' gun and she'll be keeping it.
They've got it all planned out.
They'll hit the place at 3.15 a.m.
and Lois will deliver a thermos of special coffee to the night watchman.
It will put him to sleep but nothing more.
He won't even have an attic.

(11:45):
And there'll be nothing left in the cup pack, be traced to her.
And then we cut to Lois performing.
She's shimmying on stage as she sings "Rulette."
Her percussionist goes to town on his bongos.
She exits the stage to grade applause.
In Kenny's office, Mars the cigarette girl is her ringing,
Kenny for giving Lois everything that Mars wants.
Kenny tells Mars to take it easy, baby, and they embrace.

(12:07):
And of course, this is when Lois walks in and catches them in Flegante.
Lois says, "You sure do wrap things up in a hurry and storms out."
Kenny goes after her and says, "I can explain this."
He reaches for her and she throws him off her.
Kenny returns to his office and we see that the night watchman was a witness to this little spat.
That night, Eddie and Daddy pull up outside the Kakatsu Club.

(12:29):
Eddie will stand watch while Daddy works the safe.
Daddy goes in and discovers that the night watchman has had his coffee and is not like a light.
By radio, she reports to Eddie who is still watching from the car.
She finds the safe and starts rigging up her explosives.
She ducks out of the way as the safe blows and then helps herself to the bounty within.
Back at Lois' apartment, Lois decides to cave and call Kenny,

(12:50):
but Kenny's not home. He's at the club.
Lois runs out of her apartment, headed that way.
Back at the club, Daddy is going over the take.
They've done pretty well for themselves. Eddie radios to her to work fast.
There's a guy at the door. It's Kenny.
He goes in and he's surprised to see someone in his club at this hour.
"Who are you?" he asks.
"Get out of my way," says Daddy, shooting Kenny twice with Lois' gun.
Daddy drops the gun. Then she goes out to Eddie waiting in the car and says,

(13:14):
"So long, sucker," and runs off.
Eddie chases after her in the car.
They go down an alley where Eddie crashes into a bunch of boxes and mobilizing the car,
allowing Daddy to get away.
Now we see that Lois has returned to the club.
She finds Kenny's body and starts lamenting her role in his death,
declaring that she killed him.
But this sort of confession is overheard by the night watchman, who has just come too.

(13:38):
Then he sees that she's holding the gun.
Her gun, which is the murder weapon.
The night watchman grabs her gun and holds it on her, demanding to know why she killed Mr. Randall.
Lois has no answer, so he shuffles off to a phone to summon the police.
Next we see Lois is being questioned at the police station by Sinclair.
Lois says she loved Kenny. She didn't kill him.
Sinclair says the watchman said that she and Randall had a fight earlier that morning.

(14:01):
And Sinclair knows that the watchman's coffee was drugged. Lab results proved that.
And the watchman says that she was the one who brought him the coffee.
Sinclair asks if she often brought him coffee.
No, then why this particular night?
Sinclair accuses her of drugging him and then she went and emptied the safe.
And there was powder on her gloves and that proves that she held the gun that killed Kenny Randall.
Lois said that there was nothing in the coffee, so I was wondering if he just fell asleep.

(14:25):
But then he never really answered that question.
And she probably never would have admitted it.
Her thing is that she's entirely innocent in this whole affair.
Lois flustered as Sinclair how long he's been having these dreams.
Then the cop blaster with the knowledge that she got the gun from Kenny as a gift.
Lois shrieks for protection.
Sinclair says that the cigarette girl told him that Lois threatened Kenny if he didn't give her the money.

(14:47):
Lois says that's a lie.
Then Sinclair says, oh, so everyone's lying, but you Lois looks defeated.
Sinclair says that he'll check on this Eddie and Dady.
But honestly, he thinks it's another one of her lies.
A radio news bulletin on the Kenny Randall murder and the Lois King case is playing out in a hotel room in San Francisco
where Eddie and his new new broad Mitzie are staying.
Eddie is shaving and Mitzie is in the bath.

(15:08):
The bulletin stops so that Mitzie could ask Eddie why they're focusing on Lois and not Dady.
Since she's the one that, you know, actually committed the crime.
Eddie says they must not know about her or at least they're keeping quiet about it.
Then with this conversation over, the news bulletin can continue.
Marge Brennan, the cigarette girl at the cockatoo club, is disputing Lois King's claims that she and Kenny were engaged and that in fact Marge and Kenny were engaged.

(15:31):
Thank God for a plot point radio.
We never know what was going on.
Further news as the story develops.
Mitzie is now out of the tub and offers to do a job with Eddie.
But he's not sure that she can do what Dady does.
Besides, Eddie is so hot right now, he can smell the smoke.
So he can't even think about any new jobs.
Mitzie tells him, well, he better think of something because she's used to going first class.
We're back with Lois who is in a jail cell.

(15:53):
Her attorney, Mr. Adler, is brought in.
She asks them to sit and he asks her why she chose him as her attorney.
His name begins with A. He was the first in the phone book.
She asked if he thinks she's guilty.
He says his job is to defend her and he'll see she gets a square deal.
Adler asks Lois about the little doll she's playing with.
She tells him a story about shoplifting and getting hot and literally getting bailed out.

(16:16):
Then she tells Adler that she named the doll after her mother.
And Julie.
After the story of the doll, Adler asks Lois about her own origin story.
She starts that she never intended to mention Eddie's involvement in all this
until she saw that they were serious about the murder charge.

(16:38):
We find ourselves at the office of Walter Denison, District Attorney.
Sinclair and another cop are at the office with Walter Denison and they're discussing the case.
An APB has been put out for Eddie Rainey and Daddy Manson.
They don't believe they have anything to do with the case, actually,
but they still want to speak with them in regards to Lois' testimony.
Now back in San Francisco, Eddie and Mitzier are listening to the radio.

(17:00):
The news tells us about the second woman ever put on death row in California, Phyllis Berry.
She's scheduled to be executed tonight, but I think it's actually in the next night.
And that Lois King has been found guilty of murdering Kenny Randall,
making her the third woman in the history of the state to receive the death penalty.
It's really racking up there.
As Eddie listens, Mitzier is looking at a reflection in a full mirror, wearing a mink cape and apparently nothing else.

(17:25):
Mitzier asks Eddie, how could he do this?
How can he let that girl die when he knows she's innocent?
But Eddie isn't willing to risk his own freedom to save her.
Especially since it was Doddy that committed the murder, not him.
Then Mitzier realizes that this relationship might not be the best for her and says she's getting out.
She takes her mink and goes, in Lois' cell, she's nearly catatonic.
She can't believe she got a death sentence.

(17:47):
Attorney Adler tells her all the ways that she made herself look bad.
That night, Washman's testimony was pretty damaging, and Lois herself admitted to helping with the robbery,
and the murder weapon belonged to her.
So it's really not Adler's fault they lost the case.
Though he really does think she's innocent.
And he's still on the cops to try and find Eddie and Doddy.
Eddie informs her that they're moving her to Green Acres Prison.

(18:09):
It's the place to be.
But Lois isn't happy to hear this and she collapses into the bed.
Then we see Lois arriving at Green Acres State Prison for Women.
Where she's put in a cell with Tucky Peggy Taylor and Silent Mertle.
Peggy wants to know what Lois is in for, but Lois doesn't want to say.
Then Peggy starts prettling on about Bibles or something.
Peggy says she knows all about Lois who killed her boyfriend.

(18:31):
Lois says don't believe everything you hear.
Peggy says Phyllis Berry is also on death row for killing her boyfriend.
Apparently a trend.
Peggy yourself is a small timer.
Just stick up.
No homicides.
Next we see Mrs. Benson, the warden, escorting Lois to her new cell on death row.
Lois isn't worried.
She knows she's innocent and one way or another her attorney will get her out.
From across the hall, Phyllis, the second woman to ever receive the death penalty in the state,

(18:55):
calls out, "You're stupid like me. You sound like me. You look like me. You're gonna die like me."
Then the guards come and escort Phyllis to old Sparky.
Later, Lois' lights dim entirely for a moment and that tells us that Phyllis is dead.
Mrs. Benson tells Lois not to worry.
Death is quick from the electric chair.
I'm sure that's very comforting.
Lois laments that she only has 12 days to live.

(19:17):
Mrs. Benson tries to give her some hope.
Maybe they'll find this any person Lois has spoken of.
But Lois knows that Eddie has crawled out some pretty greasy holes in his lifetime and he knows how to hide.
Mrs. Benson tells her to pray, but Lois says she tried that during her trial and it obviously didn't help.
And now let's find ourselves at a new crime scene.
We're at a liquor store and Dottie goes in with ill intent.

(19:38):
She sticks up the place for the cash and the register.
As the clerk is trying to comply, a blind newsboy aged approximately 60 comes in to drop off newspapers.
As the blind man goes to leave, Dottie tells him to get away from the door.
When he doesn't comply, Dottie shoots him in the back.
The liquor store owner asks why she had to do that.
He's blind.
He can yell "Copper, canny," says Dottie.

(20:00):
And she has the liquor store owner finish emptying the cash register.
Then Dottie runs off with the loot as the owner phones the police.
Well, she tells them not to phone the police while she can see him.
The way he waits till she's gone and then he makes the call.
And we know that it worked because next we see the daily chronicles headline informing us that
there was a girl caught in bloody liquor store hold up.
And also that blind newsboy seriously wounded is expected to live.

(20:22):
So Dottie has been brought in for questioning into the DA's office.
St. Clair is on hand as his addler, Lois is his attorney.
William Dennison is there of course with his office and the other cop.
St. Clair asks about Eddie Rainey and Dottie says she doesn't know any Eddie Rainey or Lois King.
And she didn't hold up a liquor store.
St. Clair says the liquor store owner IDed her in a line up so they've got her dead rights on that count.

(20:43):
Adler asks if he might have a crack at her.
Yes, Dottie how it is that Lois could identify her yet.
Dottie claims to know nothing about Lois King.
Dottie rails on about Lois grasping at straws and Adler says he's utterly convinced of Lois's innocence now.
Dottie's a cold little liar.
In Lois's cell Miss Bradley the superintendent enters.
She's watching Lois have hysterics.

(21:04):
Lois wants to know why in this whole place.
She's the one sentenced to die.
Is she like Phyllis Berry?
Miss Bradley tries to adjust Lois's calendar and Lois wreaks out.
She doesn't want to know how long she has to live.
The superintendent now filled with regret awkwardly leaves Lois looking out the window.
As the superintendent leaves Mrs. Benson comes in.
Lois lights up at something she sees on the window.

(21:27):
Dottie she's here.
Lois wants to talk to her but Mrs. Benson says that's something that will have to be arranged through her attorney.
But finally there's hope.
Lois tells Adler that she's got to see Dottie.
She could make her talk like really.
Lois asks about Eddie but Adler can only say that the cops are still looking for him.
And so a meeting is arranged in Miss Bradley's office.

(21:48):
Dottie is already there when Adler and Lois enter.
Miss Bradley makes sure they're aware that this is highly irregular
and the discussion will be limited to five minutes.
Lois starts off with a reasonable request.
Tell the truth.
Which Dottie declines to do.
Then Lois grows more desperate and more shouting.
Lois says she's facing punishment for a murdered Dottie knows Lois didn't commit.
Please just give her a chance.

(22:10):
Dottie says she had 13 chances, 12 jurors and a judge and they all found her guilty.
She eventually lunges at Dottie and must be restrained by Adler.
Dottie says she wants to go back to her cell now and is escorted out.
And outside for Terry Moore to deliver her attempt at an Oscar worthy monologue.
Miss Bradley is unmoved by this performance though.
And Lois's hysterics get even more obnoxious until Miss Bradley is forced to send her back to her cell.

(22:33):
So Dottie is brought to the prison barracks where she gets to meet the other prisoners.
Of note is Don Morrell.
She kind of owns the joint.
She gets money and can buy things.
So it would be in Dottie's best interest to do as she says.
There's Trixie who's happy to be here.
She hull up a store to help pay bills and now she doesn't have to pay bills at all.
And she loves the food.
And there's Peggy, the mouthiest of the bunch, who we've already met through Lois.

(22:56):
But Dottie hasn't.
So she introduces herself and lets her know that Don has a knife.
They had a stoolie in there with them once and she got it right between the shoulder blades.
So Dottie had better do what Don says.
And Peggy drops the bomb that Lois King is a prisoner at that same prison.
And also that they all know that Dottie talked to her because they could see it through the office window from their vantage point.

(23:17):
Also, Lois's cell is visible from across the courtyard.
And Lois is allowed to keep her lights on it all times, unlike them.
So I guess for entertainment they just watch her.
The next day Dottie is looking out the window towards Lois's cell.
Peggy comes up behind her, startling her, and says that she's been spending a lot of time looking up at that window.
So Peggy figures Dottie knows Lois and she must know something about the Randall murder.

(23:40):
Dottie says she's wrong and moves to a less populated area of the cell.
Peggy comes up to play the part of Dottie's conscience previously non-existent.
While everyone else is sleeping, Dottie gets up again to stare out the window at Lois's cell.
Peggy also wakes.
Now Peggy is straight up threatening Dottie, saying that she won't enjoy being there after Lois dies.
It looks like this terror campaign might actually work.

(24:03):
The next day, Dottie is pacing an easily around the room.
She goes to her bed and grabs a cigarette.
She reaches for a match book and finds a skull and crossbone drawn onto it.
Why do they have matches in prison?
I don't know. People smoke in prison?
Well, you can do a lot more with matches than just smoke cigarettes.
Anyway.
So Dottie decides to brush her hair instead.
But her hand mirror also has a skull and crossbone drawn on it.

(24:26):
Dottie drops the mirror with shatters.
Peggy tells her that seven years' bad luck.
But not to worry, she'll never live that long.
Dottie tells Peggy to leave her alone.
Or what says Peggy will kill one of us?
I never said that, says Dottie, lunging at Peggy.
Trixie comes over and pulls Dottie off at Peggy.
Then Trixie tells Dottie about Rita.
Rita had found a skull and crossbones carved into her dresser drawer.

(24:48):
And then Peggy reminds Dottie that she told her about Rita.
She was the stooly who got it right between the solar blades.
And now we see some more newspaper headlines.
Hope fades for Lois King.
Adler requests that the Supreme Court reconsider.
We see Adler entering Lois's cell and asking how she feels.
And she glared at him.
How do you think she feels?
The Supreme Court has denied the appeal, so now the only hope is to find Eddie Rainey.

(25:12):
If they find him, says Lois bitterly, we'll make him talk.
But somebody is found Eddie Rainey.
Red has been released from prison, more escaped.
And as tracked down, Eddie, he climbs up the building's fire escape.
Eddie hears a noise outside his window.
He looks out and red is there.
Red clobberz em or tries to with his gun.
Red wants Eddie to confess and save his daughter.
But red only suites seeds and backing Eddie to the edge of the fire escape after which he predictably

(25:36):
calls four to five stories to his death.
Back in Lois's cell, Miss Bradley comes in and Lois says she heard about the unsuccessful appeal with the state Supreme Court.
And all she could do now is pray.
Miss Bradley says that by law, she has to serve Lois with these papers.
Lois takes the papers, but doesn't read them.
It's some sort of death warrant.
He has a skull and crossbones.

(25:57):
In the morgue, some Claire and Denison show Adler the late Eddie Rainey.
He's not going to help Lois now.
Adler says, but the cops are still going to chuck for clues in his room.
We're all good. That'll do.
So Adler goes to tell Lois the bad news.
Funny how you can hate someone so much, but still want them to live.
Adler says he could have been a big help improving.
He was dotty. They killed Randall and he'll be going to see the governor tomorrow to plead her case.

(26:19):
Lois asks about her father, but Adler says that they can't find him.
He's disappeared. I'll get next.
We see Adler coming out of the governor's office.
There's two reporters there. One to ask questions and one to write down the answers.
The question askers goes up to Adler and wants to know what the governor said.
Adler says the governor is considering his request for more time to establish the link between Eddie and Dottie.

(26:40):
Then the reporter asks for Adler's views on capital punishment. Adler is against it.
Only God can take a life. He says.
Clearly that's not true. We saw Dottie take one at the prison. The dust cover on the electric chair is being removed in preparation for tonight's execution.
Then Adler goes to Lois to break the news that the governor has turned down their request for a stay of execution.
Adler says that he's sorry, but he's tried everything. Nothing worked.

(27:04):
And Lois forgives him. Red enters the prisoner's lobby visitor center where he asked to see Lois.
A receptionist says he's probably not going to be able to.
Then tells Red have a seat. Her attorney Adler will be coming through that room soon. They all will, she says.
Back in her cell, Lois is given an injection. She falls onto the bed and drops Angeli her doll.

(27:25):
Mrs. Benson, a priest and Mr. Adler come in to take her away. Adler stops to pick up the doll before following them.
In Dottie's barracks, the other prisoners see Lois's lights go out and confront Dottie.
But Dottie is still unwilling to help. Then we see the priest praying out loud as Miss Bradley and Mrs. Benson escort the barely conscious Lois to her final destination.

(27:48):
Back across the courtyard and the other prisoners barracks, Dawn pulls out that knife that has been legend around these parts.
Check off snife and tells Dottie that if she knows something, she'd better say something now before that girl dies.
Then they all begin pushing Dottie around until she breaks. I did it. I don't want her to die. A guard comes in to see what's going on.
And Dawn says that Dottie killed Randall. She admits it and they have to stop Lois's execution.

(28:14):
We're wasting time, Dottie cries out as she tears into the hallway.
Followed by the guard. I now we see some intercut scenes.
First we see Lois slowly being taken to the chair. She's very much out of it. And Dottie running to the same location.
She's being chased by the guards though. Back in El Abbey, Red asks the secretary when might Mr. Adler get here?
Any moment now she says Lois walks into the room with the electric chair, sees it and pleads to God. No!

(28:40):
But no one listens to her cries and she is strapped into the chair.
Dottie races to the waiting area where the warden and Adler and Denison are. Two guards are restraining Dottie, but she's still able to yell out.
I did it. I killed Ken Randall. Please don't let that girl die.
Adler looks at her sternly and says that her confession is a little late. Dottie collapses on the floor.
Those reporters are there too. They ask Denison for a statement. Oop, he says. No, not really.

(29:05):
Denison says that Dottie Manson will also pay for the murder of Kenny Randall.
Then they ask for another quote from Adler who asks, who is going to pay for the murder of Lois King?
Who is responsible? A young innocent girl has died. Who is to blame? I think society is to blame.
The sobbing Dottie is dragged away as red watches from a window. The dust covers, returned to the electric chair awaiting its next victim.

(29:30):
And the song, The Girl on Death Row by Lee Hazelwood with Dwayne Eddie and his orchestra, lays us into the credits. And that's the end.
Welcome back to the American International Podcast where this week we're talking about why must I die from 1960?
The working title for Why Must I Die was The Girl on Death Row, which was also the foreign release title and the name of the theme song composed by Lee Hazelwood.

(29:58):
Although the opening titles read and introducing Lionel Ames, Ames had previously appeared in several films.
The closing credits read of I Count Films Terry Moore Production. Although a June 1963 LA Times news item stated that more produced Why Must I Die with her than husband Stewart Kramer III, his name is not mentioned in any other source.
Several production credits such as Film Editor and Music Score were not on the print but were included in reviews.

(30:24):
It is possible that some title cards were missing from the print viewed.
Prior to appearing in Why Must I Die, Terry Moore caused a scandal when she went to Korea as part of a Hollywood effort to entertain servicemen.
She appeared on stage wearing a white fur bathing suit, which the AIP Pressbook for the Slui reported as providing more coverage than three bikinis would have.
The fur, according to the Pressbook, came from reformers who hadn't seen the suit. When a picture of her looking like a little white bunny was published, she reportedly was forgiven.

(30:53):
The film was originally scheduled for production in May of 1959.
A May 11, 1959 daily variety news item stated that William Hole had been selected to direct it. In January 1960, however, the Hollywood reporter said that Roy Del Ruth had just been signed as director.
Robert Williams was originally cast as Red King, but Hollywood reporter news item said in February of 1960 that he left that production because of a conflicting assignment.

(31:17):
Why Must I Die was released on a double bill with jailbreakers in June of 1960?
In March 1960, the Hollywood reporter said why Must I Die was to be the first American film to screen at the Manheim Film Festival in Germany.
Under the title of the girl on death row, the film won the festival certificate of recognition and merit.
That's sort of like a participation prize. Box Office Magazine recommended theater owners screen the film for crime reporters and those employed in law enforcement.

(31:44):
They also suggested conducting an essay contest in local newspapers with the theme of capital punishment, probably arguing for or against the issue.
AIP's Pressbook offered the idea of finding a GI who was stationed in Korea when more made her brief and briefly glad appearance.
Presumably to create an opportunity to get some free publicity, they also recommended conducting a guest the ending contest for the film's first showing that would involve stopping the film before the ending is revealed to pull the audience on what they think will happen.

(32:13):
Viewers whose guesses were closest to the actual ending of the film would win prizes.
It would be so frustrating as a moviegoer and then stop the movie, especially when you want it to be over with.
Taglines for a Why must I die include honey you're nothing but a good time girl you're guilty as sin. I'm damned if I'm innocent damn if I'm guilty the only thing that counts is to live.

(32:35):
Only the motion picture screen would dare tell this shocking story. The true story of a girl on death row.
They said she was guilty as sin the naked shameful life of a good time girl. What is a good time girl?
Launcher. Oh okay. I guess. Maxine Dowling of the New York Daily News said in her review, why must I die as a not too exciting story about the daughter of a safe cracker who becomes involved in her father's the various escapades.

(33:02):
There is a considerable amount of suspense as to whether Miss Moore will be saved from the death chamber, but the rest of the picture is an overly familiar ho hum prison tale acting is tilted.
Casper Monahan of the Pittsburgh press devoted most of his review space to the newsreels proceeding the film probably because he did not enjoy the film.
Though he called it awful, he did have praise for Deborah Paget's character. He wrote that why must I die offer something rather rare.

(33:28):
A lady safe cracker who blasts safes with expert ease and communicates with the look up in a car outside the joint by means of walkie talkie.
She's a luringly tired and dark slacks and sports hairdo.
I like somebody has a little crush. I think so.
The review in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle called why must I die a shocker without shock saying Miss Moore glumps in her cell knowing that she is paying for the crime of another Deborah Paget who was landed in prison for another crime.

(33:56):
Each is acutely aware of the other, but more is despair is not enough to move the hard heart of Paget.
The whole business is absurd.
Box office magazine was much kinder to the film stating this may very well evolve as the biggest grocer in the still young American international organizations history.
It contains just about any element in the topical general appeal genre that a showmanship wise exhibitor can ask for.

(34:21):
Production wise this a IP release has been accorded first rate surroundings aided a measurably by a hard hitting script credited to George W. Waters and Richard Bernstein.
The latter also functioning as producer the veteran Roy Dale Ruth handled the directorial details and it's a fine job is come up with to.
And now's the time the show where we give our own opinions on the movie and I'm going to throw it to you Jeff.

(34:51):
What did you think about why must I die the first thing that came to my mind the first time I viewed it was that the main character's name was lowest king.
And that was the name of Kathy downscarator in the phantom from 10,000 leagues so I tried to look at this as a sequel.
With the recasting yeah so I imagine that soon after low is his father died in phantom 10,000 leagues she was with Ted who eventually left without saying a word and ductop screen.

(35:18):
And that she been on her own ever since but that didn't work because her father is in this movie so I had to throw that all out.
And I missed it from 10,000 leagues not too long ago so had a year pass we might have forgotten that both characters have the same exact name but yeah they're different people.
But I thought this was kind of a neat movie it's kind of a noir. I don't know if it's just because it was a rookie print.

(35:39):
But the music that was played and everything it just kind of had that feeling and I kind of enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it too and part of the time it was in or because it's about a crime and well several crimes and it's got that gritty look to it.
And it kind of devolves into a prison melodrama which I think is not as effective as the beginning part of the movie.
I do like Terry Moore in this but she does overact at times but sometimes she's just right.

(36:05):
And I really loved her singing even though some critics thought that slowed down the movie I thought it was a lot of fun and that the songs were not that bad.
Since Terry Moore was a producer of this I kind of look at it as being a vanity project.
Oh for sure and I did think she was maybe gunning for an Oscar with some of her emoting but you know who can blame her I would too.

(36:26):
I thought it was a good movie and it held together well. I didn't like it as much the second time around when we had to do all the stop downs and examine it more thoroughly than we do at our first viewing.
But I didn't dislike it.
Well one thing I appreciate about this film is that this one is pretty good at giving characters names.
Oh right yeah sometimes we never know what people are called the first time we see low as she's being called lowest over the walkie talkies so we know her name right away and there are times.

(36:54):
We're watching other films and we're halfway through the movie before we figure out who this character is supposed to be.
Yeah if it weren't for IMDB we wouldn't know at all.
Why does script writers do that why don't they have somebody say the character name and even Marge Benin the cigarette girl they give her name over the radio report because we wouldn't have known otherwise.
And she was an uncredited character anyway like by Jackie Joseph so that was nice of them very thoughtful.

(37:18):
I thought the pacing was really good in this I don't it seemed like the death row stuff happened both too fast and too slow.
They really fast track your execution.
It seemed like it maybe two weeks elapsed between her conviction and her going to the electric chair.
But also in that time we had to do a lot of appealing and pleading and looking for Eddie and daddy and all that happened to so I don't know how much time actually passed but it didn't feel like how we do it now where people are in death row for years.

(37:48):
And there are many appeals and it just drags on for a very long time well it's kind of strange that everything happened in court happened off screen we don't see any courtroom drama at all during the song.
But in a way that would have slowed it down I think more all we need to know is the verdict we don't need to see all the we don't need to but I think I would have added to the drama to see how she's trying to prove her innocence and just unable to with the evidence against her she does it in the cops office and they do that with the dialogue but it would be nice to see it as it happened with jurors staring at her and continue.

(38:22):
I don't know they could have just showed us some headlines to well they certainly did that yeah there are a few familiar faces here I don't know if you realize this but Richard LaPore who played Sinclair would go on to play the professor in seven did he yeah I didn't realize that you wouldn't recognize him no because it was like 20 years later almost and but free to play to addler played Max Jacob flat towel senior in wild in the streets so he was married to Shelley winners wow.

(38:50):
And Deborah page it would appear in journey to the lost city which was a combination of two previous films the Tiger of Espinar and the Indian tomb and would appear in tales of terror and the honey palis so we'll get to see her again.
Yeah she was good in this movie she was a tough broad apparently this role was very different from what she normally played was sort of the more demure charming women not a hard boiled safe cracker.

(39:15):
I think this was a two to force for both women I think that's why Terry more chose to do this and it was a chance just to be over dramatic and to play that I mean she's crying to the point she's horse half this movie yeah that's true it's very realistic.
And I like that there's a lot of women in this movie even though they're all criminals or gold diggers it's nice to see a movie that's more balanced all the men were really disappointing.

(39:42):
They're all wrong or useless not probably the most useful guy is Adler he's not the best attorney I don't think no you just get spy on being the first.
You know his name been badler she never would have picked him and she might have got off you never know.
He did seem quick to point the blame everywhere else when he couldn't win the case.

(40:05):
I mean in his defense lowest did kind of effort up for herself she made a lot of mistakes don't pick up the gun.
But it was her gun don't admit to a killing you didn't do right in front of a witness so dramatic a bird.
Well this movie is so melodramatic that's I and really enjoyed it a lot of was just so over the top and that's something I really appreciated.

(40:28):
The first time I watched this movie I thought wow this is the best movie for a IP podcast that we have seen in a while.
And I still feel that way it didn't have a lot to pick apart sometimes the plot just doesn't hold together here it did even if it seemed rushed in places and a little like you said melodramatic and others the plot actually worked.
The details of the plot made sense and I didn't wonder like the why is this happening why are they doing this everyone's motivation was pretty well established and the story was tight and it went where it was supposed to go.

(41:03):
Yeah this is a film that was maybe nearly lost sinister cinema saved us have it available.
And if you're streaming on Amazon sinister cinema is the supplier of the film would you like to distill your thoughts into a grade using our a IP scale where is awesome eyes intermediate and he is pathetic.
Why must I die is one of the ones that I personally picked to cover on the podcast for no other reason than I just wanted to see it.

(41:29):
And I'm really glad I did like you I thought this is one of the better movies we watched in a while kind of a hot boiler that we might expect to see from some other company other than a IP.
But I'm glad a IP really sit because we got to cover it for the podcast and I really like this movie and I think it's an awesome a what do you think Cheryl I agree I said that this was one of the better movies we've seen in a long time.

(41:53):
I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a movie this much even though it was sad and the ending although kind of predictable was disappointing.
Like you want everything to work out for your characters when you like them and it didn't lowest was not innocent she wasn't as bad as those taglines made her out to be.
She only did one job for Eddie and her father before she got roped into the Kenny Randall one.

(42:17):
So she wasn't really a bad girl she was a good person with a bad father and a bad boyfriend and well who can't relate to that I'm kidding I have a great dad but she wasn't evil I can identify with her frustration she knows she's not perfect she knows she's being punished for something she didn't do.
And who wouldn't go crazy who would be over the top hysterical knowing that you're about to be killed because someone else killed somebody.

(42:45):
And having that guilt being wrapped up into it where it was her fiance allegedly that got killed and if it weren't for her it's still alive and.
That's a whole jumble of emotions that she's trying to deal with just have a lot of time to process all this because she's getting punished so I can forgive this sort of super over the top performance that she gives at some points not all points in this movie I think it's an a movie to.

(43:12):
I really liked it I like Terry Moore I love the singing parts I loved her performance in this I love Deborah page it she was a lot of fun being as evil as she was I even liked Adler even though he's basically ineffective.
I thought his relationship with lowest was kind of sweet.
We really was dedicated to trying to savor even though obviously everything was against them so yeah definitely an a movie and I do recommend it rented on Amazon Prime that's where you can find it now worth it.

(43:41):
What do you think of the song that played over the closing credits?
I don't think much of it it was very schmaltty it doesn't really fit in because we got that jazzy score you hear with a crime drama of the period going through the whole.
Movie and then almost this country sounding well the part I didn't like was the singer verse and then some woman says why must I die over and over throughout the song and that's just really dorky I don't.

(44:05):
Didn't like that at all I wouldn't buy that record I did I know you did that's why I don't have to buy it to find out more about why must I die in other films we covered on the American International Podcast visit our website aippod.com.
There you can view trailers posters and lobby cards and learn more information that isn't necessarily available on an audio only for them.

(44:30):
You can also message us and let us know what you thought of our reviews or request films you think we should cover.
Or if you have any knowledge that we don't have about an AIP film we'd love to hear it again that's aippod.com.
Alright well we've given our final verdict and the sentence has been carried out so for the American International Podcast. I'm Cheryl Lightfoot and I’m Jeff Markin and we'll meet you at the drive in.

(44:54):
Follow the American International Podcast on Instagram and Letterboxd @aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast
The American International Podcast is produced and edited by Jeff Markin--a man whose mind is distorted by hatred and Cheryl Lightfoot--a girl hungry for too many things.

(45:19):
The American International Podcast is part of the Pop Culture Entertainment Network.
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