Date Bait

Date Bait (1960)

* (out of 4)

Romeo and Juliet type story of a rich girl who falls for a poor kid. Her father is against them dating as is her ex-boyfriend who just happens to be crazy and has a gangster for an older brother. Bad acting, bad direction and a bad script make for a pretty bad film that feels five times longer than it actually is. The title song is a real hoot however.

High School Caesar (1960)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A bully fixes a vote so that he can be elected Class President where he then plans on stealing even more money from students. Here's another drive-in era teen flick that tries to tell a message but even at just over 60-minutes this thing drags along. No camp value whatsoever and not bad enough to get any laughs. Just plain dull.

High School Big Shot (1959)

** (out of 4)

Drive-in era drama about a nerdy teen who gets his shot at the big time when he hears about a million dollar drop off. If you're a fan of these teenage "B" films of the 50s then this here is certainly one of the better ones but we're certainly a long way off from Rebel Without a Cause. The film runs out of steam around the fifty minute mark but the bad acting leads to some nice laughs.

Okay, it is a cheapie, which comes as no surprise for a no-name production. The sets are bare bones, the sound quality comes and goes, while the acting is spotty. Still, it's got everything a teen of the time wanted—fast cars, rock&roll, switchblades, and a wedding night. Plus, the strung-out doper Brad (Gering) adds a wacko wildcard. Blonde cutie Sue (Ryan) seems a natural for her lively teen role, even if her sweetie, upward-bound Gary Clarke, acts a little bored.

The plot concerns a common topic for teens of the time—are we too young to get married. Sue's gruff dad certainly thinks so. Worse, jealous Brad won't let his former blonde cutie go, and he's got one bad older brother who sort of cleans up after him, that is, when brother isn't dealing dope. Mix 'em all together and it's not a bad little drive-in flick. Better than I expected for a shoestring indie. And, oh yes, catch that very last frame—looks like writer-director Ireland was trying for something genuinely thoughtful.

Dick Gering returns from rehab to go back to work for his drug-pushing brother, John Garwood. First, though, he goes to the bar where they play rockabilly to let Marlo Ryan he's back. She doesn't know what he's talking about. She's with Gary Clarke. Gering attacks Clarke and gets beat up for the effort. Meanwhile, Clarke and Miss Ryan want to get married. But her father forbids it. So they elope to Vegas. When they gt back, her father tells her he's getting the marriage annulled. And Garwood is looking for Clarke to beat him up, as well as a junkie who owes hm money.

Everyone is very clean cut here, and Clarke drives a modified Buick that looks really cool. Other than the general mess everyone seems to have made of their lives, I'm not sure what this movie is about, nor how the title relates to anything. Still, cool car.

As the 1950's was Closing and the "Teenage" Icons of "Ozzie and Harriet", Leave it to Beaver", and the Rest, were Fading Fast.

The Teen-Angst Shown in this Surprising Entry was Totally Absent in the Teens of the TV Sit-Com.

Also, on the Way to "No-Where-Ville" was the Juvenile-Delinquent, or "JD" Movies,

that Lit Up the Dark Back-Seats of the Drive-In, and the Balcony at the Main-Street Movie-Palace.

This is One of the Last in the Wild Wave of No-Budget, No-Star, Quickies.

That Capitalized on the Youth Market with "Forbidden" Come-Ons like Rock n' Roll, Hot-Rods, Hot-Chicks, and Parental Defiant Behavior of All Sorts.

Most of the Genre was Typically a Lot More Sizzle than Steak.

With Maybe a Scene or Two that Cut the Edge of "Respectability".

"Date Bate", Odd Title Aside, goes the Extra-Mile by Including Dope-Addicts (actually showing Needles and Usage.

A Teen Romance Eloping to Vegas, and We get to See the "Wedding Night" Jitters at the Motel in Close-Up.

A First-Act Hot-Rod Car-Chase that Betrays the Low-Budget that is Effectively Shot and quite the Ride.

Razor and Fist-Fights Galore, Smack-Peddlers Preying on a Disfigured Junkie, and its All Backed with Rockabilly Beat.

More Sensational Stuff than Expected in This Type.

An Under the Radar Treat that is...

Worth a Watch.

It's funny, but in a three film DVD involving juvenile delinquents, the lowest rated on IMDb entertained me most ("High School Big Shot") and this film, which was the highest rated, bored me the most! It seems that some people really did like "Date Bait"--I just thought it had tons of plot problems and spent too much time on two stories when it probably would have been best to just stick with one plot...and do that one better.

The film begins with a psycho teenager getting out of months of drug treatment. It seems, however, that his biggest problems aren't the drugs but that he's a loony hot-head! Within minutes of arriving in the hangout where the teens (most of which looked in their 20s) go to dance, he pulls out a knife and tries to kill another guy--all because this other guy 'stole his girl'---but the loony druggie never really did go out with the girl more than a couple times. A bit later, the loony druggie's brother arrives and convinces him to go home. BUT, this is not the end of it...then the brother and one of his friends chase the innocent guy who was almost stabbed--running him of the road and beating him! Yet, despite a knife fight and near vehicular homicide, NO ONE BOTHERS TO CALL THE POLICE!!!!! Up until near the end of the film, you just assume this town doesn't have a police force!!! Now at this point, the film appears to be an exposée on drug abuse or juvenile delinquency or perhaps on a weird relationship between brothers. However, oddly, much of the next 40 minutes or so consists of the relationship between the girl and guy who was attacked at knife-point. The idea of two frisky young lovers wanting to defy her parents and run off to get married was rather interesting--even if her father in the film was silly! The dad was rather irrational and his acting consisted of irrational screaming 'for her own good'! His character really was dopey.

Late in the film, the loony druggie AND the two teens (who have since secretly married) come together once again when loony-boy kidnaps the young lady! Finally, after a knife fight and about a dozen assaults through the course of the film someone thinks to get the police! And it's a showdown in which you don't know who will and won't survive...but by this point, who really cares?! Too disjoint, too cheap and too unbelievable to be much good for anything but a few unintended laughs.