Teenage Millionaire

I had wanted to see "Teenage Millionaire" for a long time. For one thing, I have found many "teensploitation" movies from the 1950s and 1960s to be campy fun, and the idea of portraying a teenage millionaire had the potential to be a hoot. Also, I like music from the 1960s, and hearing that this movie was full of musical numbers made me want to see it more.

After seeing the movie, I must confess I was very disappointed with the results. Even though the central youth of the movie is a teenage millionaire, there's almost nothing done with it. Where's the acting wild? Where's doing whatever you want? There's nothing like that here.

In fact, I'd say about half of the movie is instead devoted to cut-aways to top recording stars of the era lip-synching their hits. If the music had been good, this might have saved the movie. But almost all of the music is terrible, even though it comes from famed singers like Dion. I hadn't heard just about any of these songs before, and listening to them, it's clear why oldies stations haven't resurrected them. The songs are slow and not catchy. That is, except for Chubby Checker's numbers - they are spirited and directed with some energy. However, even his numbers suffer from a problem with all the song numbers - the annoying color tints used to try and pass this off as a partially color movie instead of 100% black and white.

This movie has never been issued on video or DVD. I suspect that issues with music rights have prevented this. But trust me, you are not missing anything.

Entertaining little musical about a spoiled young teenager who comes into his parents millions after their death and find love and fame and a stint in the US Army all within the 84 minutes of the movie.

Bobby Chalmers, Jimmy Clanton, likes to play and write music and one afternoon at his old mans radio station he secretly cuts a record "Green Light" that becomes the biggest hit in town but there's only one hitch; nobody knows who made and sang the song.

Having a bodyguard at his side in what seems like around the clock Rocky, Rocky Graziano, Bobby is not as free as he wants to be. The tough but lovable Rocky also sees that the kid needs more to do with himself then just hang around at the mansion drinking tea and eating crumpets with his overprotected Aunt Theodora, Zasu Pitts, who keeps him from going out in the world and having a good time for fear he would hurt himself.

When Bobby finally got the go from Aunt Theodora to work at his dad old radio station he meets Bambi, Diane Jergens, who also works there. Later with Rocky Bobby secretly makes the record "Green Light" under the name of Bob Schultz and the rest is history.

It was good to see former middleweight champ Rocky Graziano in what is a leading role in the movie, instead of a cameo like he usually was seen in the movies, that he was in and Rocky really did a good job acting even though he was only being himself.There were a number of songs in "Teenage Millionaire" in a number of colored over haze or cast, in reds blues yellows and greens, that looked a lot like music videos some twenty years before they came on the scene in the 1980's.

I liked the song with Cuubby Checker doing his tune "The Jet" where he looked and acted like a duck being chased across the hills valleys and ponds by a fleet of hostile UFO's. There was also the song that I liked a lot by pretty Vicki Spencer who was singing to, and hugging, her Teddy Bear with the tune "Hello Mister Dream".

With Bobby's tune now the biggest hit on the air his parents radio station is bought out from under him and it looks like the whole show is about to be over but, surprise surprise,the person who bought out the station is none other then Bobby's girlfriend Bambi's dad Mr. Bennie Price, what a stroke of good luck that was.

Before Bobby can start his singing career he gets a letter from Uncle Sam asking him that he's needed to serve and protect his country, the good U S of A. Bobby is now as happy as a drunk locked up in a liquor store overnight with him, for once, being able to do something that he'll be proud of; weren't those early 1960's a great times to live in.

This was like watching the proverbial car wreck...truly horrible, but you can't turn your head away.

The editing was the worst I have ever seen in a movie. (They cut to a musical number for no reason whatsoever, and sometimes they would lose a word or two of dialog - no great loss as the scriptwriters obviously failed grade school English class.) The film was in B&W, but they "jazzed it up" by having cheesy sepia color hues in the background...orange-ish, lime green-ish.

The only way to see this film would be with a six pack and a group of friends to laugh at how bad it is. The clothes, hairstyles, stupid plot and bad acting were a hoot.

A great little period piece! Was 17 when this movie was made. What an innocent time for America. The movie centers around the record industry and is a showcase for some of the singers of the time. Kinda cool to see everyone with a shave and the girls looking like girls! No hippies in this one, just a light story with lots of videos of the stars of that era. Yeah the plot line is corny and the dialog coached but then again maybe we were corny back then and our dialog a little coached. Liked it a whole lot better when you could tell the boys from the girls the biggest thing I worried about was getting gas for the car and palmade for my hair. A movie without drugs, fighting, sex or murder, what a concept! Maybe we should go back to corny and coached dialog....

EJ

I always remembered this movie because it was so vacuous. Half the film was shot by a pool, with a minimal plot. There would be a little action, sometimes with Rocky Graziano as the boy's assistant doing his shtick about boxing, after which the the boy hero would ask him to put on a record. Then the audience saw the performer doing a number. Thus, only half the film deals with the storyline. It wouldn't surprise me if the segments with the performances were shot separately for promotional purposes and then included in the film. I believe some of the performances were later cut from that film and occasionally turn up on television today. This and films like it are a major source of performances from early rockers.