Cage Without a Key

Teenage girls in a state-run detention center--addicts, thieves and criminals of the more hardened kind--welcome a new 'bride' to the cottage: polite, fresh-faced Susan Dey, a recent high school graduate who has been implicated as an accomplice in a homicide committed by a fellow student she accepted a ride from. Despite some strong scenes, this cautionary TV movie-of-the-week is similar to the glut of teen-traumas churned out in the 1970s: well-meaning examinations of social problems that were also somewhat exploitative (the networks wanted big ratings, after all). Written by Joanna Lee, who is heavy on character exposition and statistics, we're privy to rough justice and incarcerated young women who lie, cheat and kill to get their way--but all in a melodramatic vacuum. Dey's predicament, while not entirely improbable, is presented in a sensational way--the first ingredient in a potboiler. The queen bee of the cell block is a black girl who declares herself "the Papa"; there's also an Asian girl who harbors a psychotic side, a white lesbian with glasses and a Hispanic girl who writes angry poetry. Juvie is apparently an equal opportunity snake pit.

"Cage without a Key" attempts to tell a rather worn-out,innocent-teenaged girl-behind bars story with a surprisingly effective disguise as a commentary on our nation's indifference towards it's troubled youth!Nonetheless "Cage without a key" reveals some heavy moments of genuine drama within it's shell of a story that we've all seen before!

The story concerns 17-year-old Valerie Smith.During her summer vacation she accepts a ride from a boy she barely knows and finds herself forced (at gunpoint) to participate in a botched robbery and charged as an accessory to a murder!Sent to the state reformatory for girls,young and naive Valerie is wrongly surrounded by the usual circle of tough lesbians,half-crazed druggies,warring gangs(called"families") and the panel of efficient and uncaring professionals who exclaim pride in their "school" and it's "rehabilitation" program!Of course young Valerie gradually becomes just like the others and even loses all hope of any eventual "release".But all in all,the movie is rather smoothly done!With some excellent and believable performances and scenery."Cage without a Key" does a good job of making us believe that we haven't seen it all before!

I would like to see this movie again, but don't feel like buying it. Some interesting points of this film are the lesbian connections, and that is why I probably remember having a liking toward it. As a 35 yr. old male now, why not? At the time, I was just 7 yrs. old, and equate it to "Jenny-portrait of a teenage runaway" with Eve Plum from the Brady Bunch. Mybe I can find it at a good video store. Yesterday I went therem, and found out they carry "Trilogy of Terror". I hope I like this just as I did back in 1975.

TYPICAL 1970'S MADE FOR T.V. YOUTH / CRIME FILM. A YOUNG GIRL IS KIDNAPPED BY A MALE CLASSMATE AND FORCED TO PARTICIPATE IN A ROBBERY ATTEMPT.PROSECUTORS PORTRAY HER AS GIRLFRIEND AND WILLING ACCOMPLICE OF THE DERANGED BOY,WHICH LANDS HER IN A "REFORM SCHOOL FOR GIRLS" UNTIL ADULTHOOD.ONCE INSIDE, SHE ENCOUNTERS THE USUAL STEREOTYPES DEPICTED AS INHABITANTS OF THESE "HOMES"-"THE MILITANT BLACK GIRL","UNWED UNEDUCATED EXPECTANT TEEN","TROUBLEMAKING LEADER OF THE LESBIAN GANG"AND "THE SYMPATHETIC TEACHER". OF COURSE,CONFLICTS ARISE BETWEEN ALL

OF THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT FOLLOWS IS A HIGHLY ENTERTAINING LOOK AT HOLLYWOOD'S TAKE ON TEENS IN THE 70'S.

OTHER RECOMMENDED FILMS OF THE GENRE- --BORN INNOCENT --OVER THE EDGE --THE GIRLS OF HUNTINGTON HOUSE --SWITCHBLADE SISTERS {A.K.A. THE JEZEBELS}

I just now "found" this film after looking for it for years. For some reason, it made a great impression on me, even though I wouldn't call myself a huge Susan Dey fan. I was surprised to see that it was made so long ago, which makes me wonder whether I saw it on a re-run. Anyway, the characters were fairly well drawn -- maybe they are stock/cliché characters that I'm simply too naive to recognize as such, not being a devotee of women-in-prison films -- but I recall the basic plot, characters and even some of the dialogue, even now. I thought there was a good ethnic mix, which strikes me as fairly forward-thinking for that time period, especially. And I liked that the squeaky-clean-imaged actress of Partridge Family fame would end up in a picture like this, albeit as the stereotypical "good girl" who doesn't truly deserve to be there.