The Green-Eyed Blonde

It was a good movie t'il the end which made basically no sense.

The title to this film is odd, as it's NOT the story of one girl but of a group of teens who are incarcerated in a juvenile residential home. The title character is played by Susan Oliver....a 'teen' who was 25 at the time the film was released!

The story is an odd one as at first it seems like an exploitation film (the scene with 'Cuckoo' and the window is classic exploitation fodder) and then backs off from this. And, overall, I am not exactly sure what the message really was in this film. In fact, that there is no message...no moral...that does make the film unique...but also unsatisfying as well. An odd little film.

"Betsy Abel" (Melinda Plowman) is a teenage girl who has given birth to a baby outside of wedlock and because of that she is sent to a female boarding school until such time as a judge orders otherwise. While there she meets several other young women who have similar problems with society in general. One particular young lady goes by the name of "Green Eyes" (Susan Oliver) who has only a month or so until her release. As it so happens, Green Eyes has a boyfriend who visits her at the gate during curfew and together they plan on building a life together when she finally gets out. In the meantime though, another girl named "Cuckoo" (Norma Jean Nilsson) does something totally reckless which creates huge problems for everyone. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that this was a fairly interesting drama which managed to illustrate a certain societal mindset that was prevalent during this period of time in the United States. Not all of it is flattering. Be that as it may, while the movie poster may indicate otherwise, this particular film isn't strictly focused on Susan Oliver's character as much as it is about several other people as well. The drama and the acting are both decent and as a result I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly above average.

Betsy Abel is the new girl at a Los Angeles reform school for girls. She is distraught after giving up her baby. She refuses to name the baby's father and hates the sight of the baby. Other girls include the volatile Cuckoo and short timer Green Eyes (Susan Oliver). New kind-hearted teacher Maggie Wilson tries to be the girls' friend. Cuckoo steals Betsy's baby out of her parents' car. The girls decide to hide the baby.

I actually like for a good while. It's not going over the top until Girls Gone Wild. I get the idea of that section, but the movie feels less real with it. Maybe that scene should done with one or two girls. I like a lot of these young performers. This seems to be transitioning from the 50's to the 60's.

Provocative-for-the-time B-film, with a memorable performance by winsome Susan Oliver as a tough young woman in a woman's prison. This film is more watchable than most B/W B-films of the 1950s, and concludes with a gripping, shocking climax. Watch this on video as a fun escape/indulgence on a rainy Saturday afternoon with a steaming cup of Suisse Mocha...