The Green-Eyed Blonde

I guess this 1957 film was a wake up call for many families who were in the midst of either raising teenage children, or more importantly being teenage children, especially if you were of the female persuasion. I realize that teenagers in the 1950's were more likely to incur an unexpected pregnancy compared to children in the past half century are due to the advances in sex education, and acceptance of women being on the pill (without shame) and men purchasing rubbers over the counter as easy as they can buy a package of gum and/or a chocolate bar.

Nonetheless I recognize the need even in today's society for shelters for young ladies to exist not as much to be imprisoned as this film seems to depict but to protect these young ladies who may have had a one night affair that got them into a bit of a jam, or been associated at a very young age with someone who was a bad influence on them.

The acting in this film was superb, and the (then) 25 year old actress Susan Oliver who plays the green-eyed blonde was certainly a mature leader of this wayward ban of unwed mothers and juvenile delinquents with mental problems or criminal pasts. I won't include any spoilers but I must say on a personal note I did find the storyline a bit hard to relate to even though the circumstances these young ladies found themselves in are very real, even in todays standards.

I give the film a respectable 6 out of 10 IMDB rating.

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...

I used to catch this film fairly regularly back in the days when local TV stations ran the Late Show, the Late-Late Show, the Omigosh Are YOU Still Up? Show etc. instead of infomercials (**sigh...**) "Gone With the Wind" it's not, but I found it surprisingly memorable anyway and would like to find it on VHS or DVD someday. a lot of the movies I saw in those days--well, I don't remember having seen them until I see them again on AMC or Turner, or on the bargain-basement video rack at Wal-Mart. for some reason, "The Green-Eyed Blonde" stuck (I can even remember the downbeat theme music!) I've never seen it in any company's video catalog, though... (***SIGH...***)

"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.