Five Minutes to Live *** (1961, Johnny Cash, Donald Woods, Cay Forrester, Pamela Mason, Vic Tayback) – Classic Movie Review 11,968

The low-budget crime drama Five Minutes to Live (1961), re-released as Door-to-Door Maniac, is notable as one of only two theatrical film acting roles Johnny Cash performed on screen.

Johnny Cash, Donald Woods, Cay Forrester, Pamela Mason and Vic Tayback appear in the low-budget crime drama Five Minutes to Live (1961), re-released as Door-to-Door Maniac by American International Pictures in 1966.

The 1961 American neo-noir crime film is directed by Bill Karn (1913-1966) and stars Johnny Cash, who also wrote and sang the title song, and Cay Forrester, who wrote the screenplay, plays the role of Nancy Wilson, and whose husband, Ludlow Flower, produces. After mixed reviews back in the day, it has since become a cult classic.

Vic Tayback plays Fred Dorella, who narrates the film in flashback, sitting in a dark room and detailing a suburban bank robbery that goes awry and about how he teamed up with hardened criminal Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash) to execute his plan.

Solo guitar on the title song is by Merle Travis.

It is notable as one of only two theatrical film acting roles Cash performed on-screen in his career, followed in 1971 by A Gunfight.

Five Minutes to Live is available for free download at the Internet Archive. The film is in the public domain because it was published in the US between 1927 and 1963, and the copyright was not renewed.

The cast are Johnny Cash as Johnny Cabot, Donald Woods as Ken Wilson, Cay Forrester as Nancy Wilson, Pamela Mason as Ellen Harcourt, Vic Tayback as Fred Dorella, Ron Howard as Bobby Wilson, Merle Travis as Max, Midge Ware as Doris Johnson, and Norma Varden as Priscilla Auerbach.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,968

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com