Untamed Youth

As awful as most of the musical numbers are, it's great to see Eddie Cochran performing!

Mamie Van Doren is pretty good in this movie, as corny as it is. John Russell is great as the jerk ranch owner; very convincing bad guy.

On their way to seek fame and fortune in Los Angeles, top-heavy singer Mamie Van Doren (as Penny Lowe) and her guitar-strumming accomplice Lori Nelson (as Janey Lowe) are caught hitch-hiking. The sisters are brought before a small-town southern judge. Apparently, filmmakers decided the shapely pair would be more alluring skinny-dipping than hitch-hiking, so this is how the film opens. The script says hitching, but the visual suggests nudity (of course, their naughtiest body parts are hidden). Looking sexy and sexier, Ms. Nelson and Ms. Van Doren are sentenced to pick cotton on a farm...

They are treated very poorly by dastardly John Russell (as Russ Tropp). He is secretly involved with matronly judge Lurene Tuttle (as Cecilia Steele). Her handsome son Don Burnett (as Bob Steele) arrives to set things right and romance Ms. Nelson. "Untamed Youth" features a tightly-attired, ample-bodied and highly arousing Ms. Van Doren. She sings pseudo-rock 'n' roll in a slip, swinging and swiveling. The soundtrack highlight is Eddie Cochran (as Bongo) performing Les Baxter's derivative "Cotton-picker". The song arrangement doesn't really rock, but Mr. Cochran makes it seem authentic.

***** Untamed Youth (5/10/57) Howard W. Koch ~ Mamie Van Doren, Lori Nelson, John Russell, Don Burnett

Okay, I confess to paying money to see this exploitation flick back in '57. No doubt the juicy title plus mammary goddess Van Doren is what pulled this horny teenager in. Then too, it's likely my standards haven't risen much in the meantime. Anyway, back then, I thought the movie just plain weird—after all, the sight of super stud John Russell passion kissing a frumpy 50-year old Irene Tuttle was like seeing him, oh my gosh, passion kiss his mother. But now I think the movie's just plain goofy.

It's really two films badly stitched into one, like some mismatched two-headed critter that can't make up its mind. On one side is the rock-and-roll skin show, with kids in trouble but having a lot of fun anyway. The wild rebellious dance scene is still a grabber and could stand for that teen era, as a whole. Now, however, Van Doren looks more like a cartoon than anything real as she keeps slipping sideways for the camera.

The other half is a serious type expose with Russell showing no sense of humor or fun, at all. And he's backed up by a lot of corrupt county officials and thuggish henchmen who keep threatening the kids. Too bad the movie guys in charge didn't split this serious side from the R&R. With a little work and that monster cotton-combine, they might have had a follow-up to the classic farm-nightmare of Border Incident (1949).

Instead, this flick leaves us to ponder the eternal question of why Calypso didn't replace R&R as record exec's of the time expected. Oh well, some cosmic mysteries just aren't meant to be solved. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to hunt down more of these silly old teen flicks.

You have to be a real stick in the mud not to get a kick out of this movie; or it's sister film "Girl's Town." I am still wondering what inspired Pinky's great speech ("I am a just man") but the rest is simply. Cheesy rock and roll, cool chicks, and a moral lesson driven home with the subtly of a huge Cotton gin falling on you. Many of the current political problems with our immigrant work force are foreshadowed. If only today's politicos had a Mamie to help iron out all the fuss. If only they had given Eddie Cochran a better song.... The MST3K version is worth seeking out; but this is one that stands on it's own.

When the film begins, a cop comes upon two sexy sisters skinny dipping. When taken to court for this, it becomes obvious that the arrest was part of a scam to get free labor at a local cotton farm. Once sentenced to this work farm, the women (Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson) see that it's practically slave labor...and the 'pay' they are to receive is next to nothing....and they feed them dog food! Can anything be done to stop this obvious abuse of power?

This is a weird film. It easily could have been a great exposee film. However, instead of just focusing on this work farm, the film ALSO is a rock 'n roll flick....and seeing folks picking cotton and singing rock is surreal to say the least...as well as a bit ridiculous! After all, they are worked like dogs all day yet somehow have the energy to rock all night long!! Too bad most of the singing wasn't all that great.

So is it any good? Well, it is entertaining though not exactly subtle! And, because the Catholic Legion of Decency panned the film because of its overtly sexual plot...lots of Catholics lined up to see it! Regardless, the picture made a lot of money...so Warner Brothers got the last laugh! But overall, it's not an especially good film due to its strange combination of exposee and second-rate rock....it just didn't make a lot of sense. It would have been much better with less rock and less cheesecake and more on the abuse of power. Overall, an enjoyable 'trash' film that might also make you laugh at times....but not a particularly good movie.

By the way, if you do watch this film, get a load of that final number about the Calypso! It's hilarious!!