Teen-Age Crime Wave (1955)

Jail Bait

Cast:

Tommy Cook is Mike Denton
Molly McCart is Terry Marsh
Sue England is Jane Koberly
Frank Griffin is Benjamin David 'Ben' Grant
James Bell is Thomas Paul Grant

What the IMDB says about the plot:

A delinquent girl involves an innocent friend in an armed robbery followed by a jail-break and hostage-taking with her equally delinquent boyfriend.

Plot:

We learn the evils of juvenile delinquency. At a diner, some middle aged guy starts hitting on some teen girl, Teri. Elsewhere, Jane, Teri's friend is on a blind date with Al. Mike(Teri's boyfriend) is with them as they head to pick up Teri. Mike doesn't appreciate any guy hitting on Teri by beating him. The cops pull up however, Mike and Al are able to escape and leave the girls behind.

Jane's parents are at a hearing. They lecture her. The judge sentences Jane and Teri to a girl reformatory. Later, they have to get ready in the 1950s clean shower fashion. Jane and Teri get into a catfight before being taken to the reform school. As they're being driven, Mike is able to crash the car and shoot the cop. He frees Teri and Jane (is forced to go along).

Little while the radio announces the girl's escape. Mike decides to ditch the car. They go and hide out in a nearby farmhouse and take the farmers captive: Tom and Sarah Grant. Jane swears to testify against Mike. Teri keeps threatening Jane. Mike and Teri act snarky to the old farm couple and Jane.

The farmer's son, Ben arrives. He is continually hassled by Mike who keeps threatening him to no avail.

Jane's dad has seen the light of his ways and wants to help the police find Jane. The chief reluctantly agrees to let him go.

Teri starts throwing herself at Ben. Sarah gets woozy. Mike refuses for a doctor to be called. Jane manages to talk Ben down from attacking Mike who threatens to shoot Ben's mother for any provocation.

The cops and Jane's dad find the ditched car and check the nearby farms. Teri and Mike force the Tom to be very good to keep Sarah safe.

Mike has Ben call for Al to bring them the money, etc...

Later, a neighbor stops by to have Ben check on his rifle. Mike grabs the neighbor and shoots him. Teri is finally gotten sick of Mike's attitude of "shoot first and shoot more."

Teri is still putting the moves on Ben. However, she keeps him from grabbing her gun.

The cops stop Al and shoot him when he draws on them.

Back at the farm, Mike shoots Tom. He drives off with Teri, Ben, Jane, and Sarah in Ben's car. .

The cops find the wounded Tom.

The cops put an APB on Ben's car. Mike drives up to the observatory and runs off. Teri shoots at the cops who are far better aim than her. Ben chases Mike and the smackdown ensues. The cops catch Mike. The dying Teri confesses that Jane wasn't involved in the escape or anything. Mike starts bawling as he sees Teri die.

What I say:

The 1950s and early 1960s movies had the threat of well everything. Be it nuclear war, Red Scare, the Teen Scare (Teenagers listening to Rock And/Or Roll, gyrating in strange fashions, the goatee teen using slang like "hip" and "daddio", etc...) However, more than just that the thought of juvenile deliquents was more in movies than the teen-shooting news reports from the past decade on the local news broadcasts. The "Teen Scare" subgenre had to have a rather different idea than the preppie respectful teen. These 1950s movies have to have the typical morality play feel.

Jane, teen girl who's running wild, gets sent to the reformatory. The local judge, who I almost expected to be lecturing Jerry Mathers because she was the Principal from Leave it to Beaver, chews out the one girl and her parents who took umbrage to the comments. All this does is alienate Jane from her parents. However, she starts to realize her friend who's been getting her into trouble isn't quite the best idea especially when psycho-boyfriend springs them and holds an elderly farm couple hostage.

Normally, teens are the ones who can defeat alien monsters like the Blob (especially if you happen to be a Steven McQueen) or hot-rodders that can defeat embiggened irradiated reptiles such as the Giant Gila Monster. But, these are the movies that show us that teens are disrepctful, evil, etc...

So much of the story is just crazy guy threatening some of the hostages. It feels like a watered-down Desperate Hours. Since Teenage Crimewave was made 8 years before the far better Sadist, it can't get critical analysis comparing them together. He just waves the gun around and ranting how his hostages have to respect him since he's got a gun..

Point to Ponder

Isn't the observatory also the one from Rebel Without a Cause?

Quotable Dialogue
"Don't you believe in them, child."
"I change from scullery maid to Cinderella."
"Hey college boy, what's heinous mean?"
Morals of the Story
Middle aged guys typically hit on teenage girls in public places.
Psychopaths need to drink milk to ease their ulcers.
Psychopaths need cigarettes.
Revolvers have infinite ammo.