Amanda Blake, born in 1929 in Buffalo, New York, began her career at MGM in the late 1940s before making a mark in genre cinema. In Miss Robin Crusoe (1953), she delivers a spirited performance, embodying the titular character's adventurous spirit. Decades later, she appears in B.O.R.N. (1988), further demonstrating her range as an actress in the realm of cult and exploitation cinema. Blake's contributions to these films underscore her versatility and enduring appeal in the world of cult film.
Miss Robin Crusoe
On September 28, 1659, a ship founders. The captain's daughter and cabin boy named Robin Crusoe (Amanda Blake) and a sailor named Sykes reach a deserted island. When Sykes tries to force Robin to show her appreciation for his efforts, she flees up a hill. In the ensuing struggle, he falls over a cliff and is killed. She soon settles in, building herself a tree house where she prays to God for saving her from the terror of the seas and the treachery of Sykes. In addition, she also prays for protection from any hostile creatures that would threaten her. Taking the flintlock in her possession, Robin explores the rest of the island and even stops by a lake to go skinny dipping. When a group of savages shows up with two women captives one day, she watches from hiding as they execute one in gruesome fashion. She then rescues the other (Rosalind Hayes), and the two fight off the men with the aid of her flintlock. She names her new companion Friday, as that was the day of her rescue. The two women become friends and Robin soon starts wearing the same native dress as Friday. In December, Royal Navy officer Jonathan (George Nader) washes ashore. Robin's experiences with lecherous sailors and her cruel father have embittered her against men, and she is hostile and suspicious at first. When Jonathan learns that she is repairing a longboat that can hold only two, he suggests that the "fittest" take it and send help back for Friday. Robin, however, insists she and Friday will use the boat. Eventually, Robin overcomes her prejudice against him, and they spend the night together. The next morning, she awakens to find he has stolen the longboat and is sailing away. When he returns, she assumes he is a coward, and sets out to kill him. He informs her that he turned back for her. Before she can shoot him however, the savages return and capture Friday. Robin and Jonathan rescue her, but are surrounded. When all seems lost, Robin admits she wants to marry Jonathan. Just then, a warship appears and bombards the attackers, enabling the trio to steal an outrigger canoe and reach the safety of the ship.
