Teenage Caveman

Made during the "I was a teenage..." cycle, this is more thoughtful than those other teen exploitation films. The story is told simply and yet with a serious purpose that makes us look at our technology as the mixed blessing which it is.

Don't let the title put you off. This is better than average and has some surprises.

Roger Corman's 1958 "Teenage Cave Man" (three words), retitled from its original "Prehistoric World" to capitalize on Herman Cohen's Teenage Werewolf and Frankenstein, was released to theaters on a double bill with Cohen's "How to Make a Monster," introducing the Paul Blaisdell costume that would be utilized for his next production "Night of the Blood Beast" (plus stock footage from "Day the World Ended" and "The She-Creature"). Screenwriter R. Wright Campbell was no stranger to Corman, having scripted his directorial debut "Five Guns West," going on to do the same for "Man of a Thousand Faces," "Machine-Gun Kelly," "The Young Racers," "The Secret Invasion," "Hells Angels on Wheels," "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" and "The Masque of the Red Death." What at first appears to be a simple 50s retread of the Lon Chaney classic "One Million B.C." becomes actually quite watchable, as the tribe depicted here speaks English and lives in the familiar environs of Griffith Park, right there in front of Bronson Caverns. They could qualify as either Hill People or Rock People, though it's a bit jarring to see the Corman repertory company dressed in caveman togs, regulars like Jonathan Haze, Ed Nelson, Beach Dickerson, and lovely Barboura Morris (seen briefly twice, no dialogue). 25 year old Robert Vaughn made his starring debut as The Boy, hardly a teen but questioning the laws of his elders as his father (Leslie Bradley) tries to keep him from venturing across the river to the great beyond. Frank DeKova is naturally cast as the villain, eager to usurp the power of both father and son as tribal leader, and even murdering a visitor astride a horse rather than make peace as requested. Once The Boy journeys into the forbidden zone he finds dinosaurs (footage from both "One Million B.C" and 1948's "Unknown Island"), marauding dog packs, and a strange creature that walks on two legs, supposedly the one whose touch causes instant death. The small role of the blonde maiden is played by Darah Marshall, not to be confused with Sarah Marshall, British-born daughter of actor Herbert Marshall, enjoying a skinny dip under a waterfall to The Boy's approving flute. Vaughn was embarrassed enough to proclaim this his worst film, but by the 1990s there must have been stronger contenders for that title, like Christopher Lee's "Starship Invasions" or John Carradine's "Buried Alive." The final twist typical of a Roger Corman picture was quite a novelty at the time, but has grown tired from overuse in the decades since.

Although its obviously low budget and cheesy special effects prevent this early Roger Corman film from a higher rating, Teenage Cave Man actually turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would. It shows that in every generation teens rebel, even back in prehistory.

Robert Vaughn who later turned in performances as rather sophisticated people be they good guys or bad guys, is a rather erudite teen Cro Magnon who does not think the tribal religion has all the answers. His tribe is restricted in its turf by the Word which gives them only certain parameters to live.

Frank DeKova is our villain, a hidebound sort of caveman, a fundamentalist in his beliefs who says death should happen to those who wander out of the tribal area. But Vaughn goes and in the process learns the answers to many things. And the film has a surprise ending, very similar to Planet Of The Apes which many critics have compared Teenage Cave Man with.

Or for me this could easily have been a good Twilight Zone episode, as directed by Roger Corman.

Made in the 50s to cash in on the unexpected success of the "I Was a Teenage.......", this entry at least dared to be different. Corman shows promise in this early directoral effort, and the story does have a neat twist at the end (if you make it that far), All that said, the slow, dragging plot and the non-existent production values make it a chore to watch. Notable also for an early screen appearance of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." Robert Vaughn.

Strangely, I liked this movie. Okay: low budget, bad acting, cheesy spliced-in scenes from other "dinosaur" movies. Yet there is something innocent and compelling about it -- Roger Corman in his naive and earnest phase. It reminds me very much of the old Twilight Zone series (because of the ending). Just imagine Rod Serling saying, "For your consideration, a group of prehistoric cave dwellers ..." and you will truly enjoy this odd little film.