The Young Runaways

In 1974, our vice-principal -- who was also our guidance counselor -- made us watch this film. We were in Grade 8, it was the last week of school before the summer holidays, and we were soon going to experience the frightening world of high school.

Needless to say, we were completely absorbed. Our vice-principal's attempt to scare us straight certainly worked. To this day, I have never stolen a car! Thanks, Richard Dreyfuss.

Terrible writing, directing, acting, music, and plot combined to form an unintentionally funny pile of garbage!

It's worth watching for laughs, but it's also full of notable actors and actresses. Isabel Sanford, Duck Sargent, Richard Dreyfuss, Brooke Bundt, Norman Fell, et al.

Horribly out of touch film attempting to draw young people back to the movies.

Even the theme song seems like a spoof of itself!

This film is about three suburban teens who run away to Chicago and encounter 1960s life in the big city. It was a time capsule with psychedelic music and a lot of "what's your bag/groovy" kind of talk. It reminded me of TV show episodes from that time that provided cautionary tales about the siren call of the youthquake of that era.

Brooke Bundy is a girl recruited by prostitutes. Kevin Couglin is a boy who runs out on his pregnant girl friend. He was a former child star, had a good role in "The Defiant Ones" "Bad Seed" herself, Patty McCormack ,is here as boy crazy teen who ends up in a triangle with two rock musicians. She's all grown up but still recognizable with those scary eyes.

The film is most enjoyable for all the familiar faces in the cast. Lloyd Bochner is Bundy's ad exec dad, a pre "Bewitched" Dick Sargent is a kind hearted guy who supplies food and shelter to runaway kids, James Edwards as a cop who works with juveniles, Norman Fell and Lynn Bari are McCormack's bickering parents and best of all, Richard Dreyfuss is a car thief.

Some of the dialog was trying so hard to be hip it ended up being camp but maybe it was because I wasn't use to actors like Dick Sargent speaking hippie-speak (yea, man can you dig it!). Then there are the strangely contemporary pink hues in the hair of the alcoholic mother of the runaway son, the sets, the costumes, and the jargon-laced dialogue especially from Dreyfuss all combined to make this a "Mod Squad" experience. All that was missing was Sgt. Friday of Dragnet showing up with his eyebrows knit giving all of these wayward youth a monotone yet rapid fire lecture.

This is a less pretentious "Rebel Without a Cause". It is lighter, more pleasant and digestible. Coughlin shines, and he also wrote the charming title song, sung by the sadly forgotten Arthur Prysock. It is highly ironic, that whereas Dreyfuss was a bit player and Coughlin the lead, five years later, the roles were reversed on the memorable Gunsmoke episode "This Golden Land" where Coughlin plays a bit part and Dreyfuss gets a chance to shine. This film is preachy, but in a respectful and loving manner. And it has an artistic dimension.

This movie is a good cautionary tale... for filmmakers! See this movie and try, try, try your best not to make anything this dumb and hopelessly out of touch. This is "Rebel Without A Cause" on pablum, baby! The best thing about this movie is watching Richard Dreyfuss putting his all into these horrible, meaningless lines. I mean, this is my bag, know what I mean? I mean, I'm all hung up in my own hassles, baby! The dialogue is screamingly funny, baby, and Mike Myers' vision of the Sixties is more accurate! And he wasn't even there! Neither, obviously, was the screenwriter, because Orville Hampton was fifty-one when this gigglefest was released in '68. My advice: get together with some real Sixties veterans (they should be at least fifty years old), have a few beers (low-carb, if they insist) and laugh, laugh, laugh. Turn down the volume and make up your own dialogue. You won't miss anything.