Why Must I Die? (1960)

A young singer (Terry Moore) with a sordid past is trying to make a new life for herself when her hoodlum ex-boyfriend (Lionel Ames) and his hard hearted accomplice (Debra Paget) coerce her into helping them rob the nightclub she works at. But when the owner (Phil Harvey) of the nightclub is killed during the robbery by the accomplice, it's the singer who is arrested for the murder. This "B" movie is an obvious knock off of I WANT TO LIVE (1958). The film makes a clear case against the death penalty but it's an exploitation film at heart and if it has good intentions, they're almost coincidental. In the hands of stronger actresses, they might have given the film some weight regardless of its low budget programmer status. But Moore and Paget, while often effective in other films, don't have the acting chops to make weak material like this work. The underscore by Richard LaSalle shamelessly steals from Herrmann's VERTIGO. Directed by veteran Roy Del Ruth (ON MOONLIGHT BAY). With Bert Freed, Sid Melton and Jackie Joseph.