Single Room Furnished (1968)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Matt Cimber

Writers:

Gerald Sanford (play)
Matt Cimber (adaptation) ...

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The torture chamber of a woman who lived too full... too fast!

Plot:

The fall of a blonde, Mansfield, from innocence to prostitution. Mansfield died before the movie was completed.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Pregnancy | Independent Film | Based On Play

Cast

Jayne Mansfield	...	Johnnie / Mae / Eileen
Dorothy Keller	...	Flo
Fabian Dean	...	Charley
Billy M. Greene	...	Pop
Terri Messina	...	Maria
Martin Horsey	...	Frankie
Walter Gregg	...	Billy
Velia Del Greco	...	Mrs. Adamo
Isabelle Dwan	...	Grandmother
Jean London	...	1st Girl
Nancy Brock	...	2nd Girl
Bruno VeSota	...	Mr. Quack Quack
Marty Levine	...	Mr. Ferdente (voice)
Lucille Ford	...	Lucia
Erie MacGruder	...	Girl at Window (as Erie McGruder)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Vivicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Newark, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Empire Film Studios

Trivia:

In 1969, Crown International Pictures distributed this film on a double bill with Jag - en älskare (1966) (English title: "I, A Lover").

A quiet, desperate tale about human nature and loneliness

I thoroughly enjoyed `Single Room Furnished,' a beautiful film about quiet desperation. The cinematic equivalent to a Graham Greene novel, this darkly daring film centers on Maria, an irrepressible girl in her teens played by the very catching Terri Messina (who looks a bit like Marlo Thomas and Mary Tyler Moore, only hotter) and the desolate trifecta character of Johnnie / Mae / Eilene, played by Jayne Mansfield.

Pop (Billy M. Greene) tells Maria the story of Johnnie's lowly life, as if it were one of Hilaire Belloc's `Cautionary Tales for Children,' against a backdrop of real, unadorned people in their real, drab existence. Director Matt Cimber, in his debut feature film, illustrates the ruthlessness and dreariness of life and how it gleefully pulverizes people who never had a chance. It's not a satirical film, just a bleak soul-shriveler of the cruelest kind. Throughout, Mansfield conceals a depth of softness and vulnerability, hinting that there's always a hopefulness hidden under her sobs and disappointment. The feel-good film of the year this isn't (Mansfield even died before the movie was completed)! But, if you're looking for a quiet tale about human nature and want to see how the majority of American people feel, definitely watch this one!