A solid little British suspense melodrama, The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (1965) is based on a novel by Jay Bennett entitled Catacombs, which was also the film's original British title. American star Gary Merrill plays the increasingly wary husband to a wealthy and domineering British executive (Georgina Cookson), and falls for her niece (Jane Merrow). Cookson, meanwhile, is blackmailing her secretary (Neil McCallum), who would love to have his freedom back. So naturally the two men team up to eliminate their nemesis, with a plan involving a lookalike, also played by Cookson -- but, as the film's title indicates, things don't go according to plan.

If the storyline has a somewhat Hitchcockian feel, that's because the source novel was originally considered as the basis for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was ultimately rejected, but Hitchcock associate Gordon Hessler took a fancy to it and decided to turn it into his first film as director. Hessler had been under contract to Hitchcock for years, serving as associate producer and then producer on dozens of Hitchcock's TV shows, so he had picked up some ideas on how to mount suspense. He went on to a 25-year directing career.

He was also savvy enough to hire a fine screenwriter for the project. Daniel Mainwaring had been one of the most important writers of film noir, having penned the novel and screenplay for Out of the Past (1947), and credited with the story or screenplay for such other noirs as The Big Steal (1949), The Tall Target (1951), Roadblock (1951), and Baby Face Nelson (1957). He also wrote Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).

Produced in England and released in America through Warner Brothers, The Woman Who Wouldn't Die drew fine reviews ("taut script and direction," said Variety) and satisfied audiences with its twisty plot turns.

Gary Merrill, who had also appeared in several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and so knew Hessler well, later wrote of this period of his career that he enjoyed doing international productions simply because they afforded him the chance to travel.

By Jeremy Arnold