She gives it her best shot in these variable slices of 50s B-moviemaking, but the problem was that the femme fatale had really become a caricature by this point in time and there were almost no roles that provided opportunities for two-sided characterization. For those familiar with Michael Curtiz' THE SCARLET HOUR (1956), think about the notion of replacing Carol Ohmart with Blanchard and see what that does for/to you.
NOTE: the last two of these links won't work here at the Board, but you can click on the "Go to YouTube" link to watch it directly there.
THE CRUEL TOWER (1956)
with John Erickson and (of course!) Charles McGraw. Too bad the YouTube print isn't a bit better...
THE CROOKED WEB (1955)
with Frank Lovejoy and Richard Denning. Some good work from the reliable, incredibly B-unit camera whiz Henry Freulich.
MACHETE (1958)
Kurt Neumann and Karl Struss are far from their former heights, but they still deliver a good-looking film, even if the story is muddled...
SHE-DEVIL (1957)
Neumann and Struss can't quite get the lid lifted for a sci-fi/horror/noir hybrid, though there are (again) some nifty visual moments. Blanchard gives it her all...
NO PLACE TO LAND (1958)
Albert Gannaway and Vance Skarsjedt made a pretty good western, MAN OR GUN, the previous year; this slice of present-day western pulp has some interesting names (John Ireland, Gail Russell, Robert Middleton) floating around a too-loose story that's livened up by Blanchard's antics. A rough print, but ultra-rare. Steve Lewis at mystery*file is high on this (but maybe mostly due to the presence of Russell, clearly on the decline but still bringing that unique quality of hers to the screen nonetheless).
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