Mr. Mari's Girls (1967)

A wealthy philanthropist provides financial aid to young ladies coming to him for help.  This obscure B&W oddity demands our attention...

Unfortunately, I don't have the names of anyone in this movie - except the nude blonde at the very beginning of the picture - Sharon Kent.  It's funny because she's credited only as "blonde on couch" in this film, then, the same year, she's in a movie called The Sex Killer - and credited as "blonde on couch"!

Mr. Mari's first charity case is Glory.  She's a happy housewife... but she has a gambling addiction.

She was recently visited by a gangster collecting on her gambling debt.  When she couldn't come up with the loot, he raped her. 

Mr. Mari offers to pay her the $700 she owes for gambling. Glory is infinitely grateful.

 Next, Mr. Mari tells us another story.  It begins with Max, a photographer.

 One of his models, Stella, has become a junkie.  He supplies her with some marijuana.

 One of the nude models takes a break and enjoys a joint herself.

 But weed isn't enough for Stella.  She ends up in a seedy apartment where a black guy cooks her some heroine.

 Apparently, you need to need to get naked in order to shoot up heroine.  I didn't know this.
Whoever this actress is playing Stella, she's got surprisingly big boobs for her frame.  I really wish I could locate acting credits for this film.

 The drug dealer wants something in return for his generosity. [A very similar scene occurs in Ginger (1971).  A white woman, out of place in a ghetto apartment, is raped by a black guy in exchange for drugs.  It was a weird scene as it had really no connection to the story.]

 Stella tries to escape, but it's to no avail.  The guy has his way with her. [Note that when it comes to white girls getting raped by black drug dealers, Hot Summer in the City (1976), a Tarantino favorite, can't be beat for its horrific, grimy realism.]

Stella pleads to Mr. Mari for his merciful charity.  

Mr. Mari tells her there's a syringe waiting for her in the medicine cabinet.  Stella shoots up sitting on the can.

As she undresses for the shower, we get a brief glimpse of full frontal nudity.  It probably got missed by the editing guy.

 Stella takes a shower. 

 Stella thanks Mr. Mari for his kindness.

She rewards him by dancing in a see-through gown (then getting naked) to a tune from Mari's record collection.

Mari's next charity case is Diana.  She was receiving tutoring from her school teacher, when things got out of hand.

 She tried every trick in the book to get a rise out of her teacher.

Diana even removed her panties and played Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct" with her nerdy tutor. [This scene plays out almost identically in Schulmädchen-Report 7 (1974).  Christina Lindberg tempts her study-mate with an intentional upskirt.]

 I love the teacher's expression when he catches sight of Diana's upskirt.

 He can take it no longer.  The teacher mounts his pupil.

Diana asks Mari for money to pay for her abortion.  He gladly helps out.

Mari's next charity case is Dirk (?).  She's a lesbian who's worried about the future of her relationship.

Dirk's woman is a blind painter named Barbara.  What's the problem? Dirk has just learned that there may be a cure.

Dirk is worried that, if Barbara's sight is restored, she'll no longer need her help getting dressed, cleaned up, etc.  She might even move on to men.  What to do?

Mr. Mari's solution is to marry them.  Yes - that's his solution.  WTF?

 Anne is a gang girl who works for a mobster named Cue Ball.  He wants her to be part of a high stakes robbery.

 Whoever the actress is playing Anne, she's the cutest in this film's lineup.

 Gratuitous nudity is provided as Anne undresses for bed.

 Anne confides in her friend Jerry that she doesn't want to go through with the robbery.  It's too dangerous.

 Jerry betrays her friend when she snitches to Cue Ball.  He subsequently has her killed... which is weird because I thought this movie about Mr. Mari helping girls.

 The final scene is beyond bizarre.  Mr. Mari invites all the girls over to fight to the death!  From left: Barbara, Dirk, Stella and Glory.

Clothes are ripped off, upskirts abound as the ladies fight it out. Here, Dirk has Glory pinned.

 Stella kills Barbara by strangling her to death.  Dirk then kills Stella... then, is grabbed from behind by a revived Glory.

 Then Diane arrives and is subsequently killed by Glory (after her blouse is torn open, of course).

It ends with Mr. Mari dropping dollar bills on the four dead girls. 

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Damn, this was bizarre as hell.  The question is whether it was odd enough to be worth watching.  I think the answer is 'yes'.  While the acting, directing, and everything else was laughably bad, it is definitely is a curiosity of the highest order.  Mr. Mari is one minute marrying lesbians, paying for abortions the next, then giving girls heroine and finally having his charity cases fight to the death.  If bizarro oddities are your thing, then this is for you.

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆