The Delinquents

The opening voice-over warns "The Delinquents" will be a story of "teenage violence and immorality" in Kansas City, Missouri. Then, we meet hunky dark-eyed Tom Laughlin (as Scotty White). He and sweet-as-honey girlfriend Rosemary Howard (as Janice Wilson) - playing mid-teens - are ordered to stop seeing each other because they are too young. Upset, Mr. Laughlin goes out to a drive-in alone, and falls in with perpetually rebellious Peter Miller (as Cholly) and his sneaky sidekick Richard Bakalyan (as Eddy). They turn out to be part of what you could call the WRONG crowd. But, they act well. A closing narration pounds home the moralistic point.

Not a great film, but one obviously full of potential, which was in at least two cases, fully realized.

****** The Delinquents (3/1/57) Robert Altman ~ Tom Laughlin, Peter Miller, Richard Bakalyan, Rosemary Howard

A frustrated young man, separated from his younger girlfriend, gets involved in a juvenile gang.

Robert Altman wrote, produced, and directed this film in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri during the summer of 1956 on a $63,000 budget raised by local theater owner Elmer Rhoden. He was hoping to cash in on the juvenile craze that American International Pictures made popular with films such as "Hot Rod Girl" (1956) and " Shake, Rattle & Rock!" (1956). Indeed, the film is very much in the AIP style and could pass for one of their productions.

As summed up by Altman, "I wrote the thing in five days, cast it, picked the locations, drove the generator truck, got the people together, took no money, and we just did it, that's all." Shooting was a bit of a pain, with Altman in constant disagreement with star Tom Laughlin (a Milwaukee native who went on to be known for the "Billy Jack" film series).

Cameraman Charles Paddock, on Altman's advice, imitated the lighting of "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950). This is probably why the film looks more professional than it actually was. Despite anything it might lack, the photography is smart and sharp.

United Artists bought the film for $150,000, earning it a quick profit before even hitting theaters. Altman maintained for years (at least up to 2001) that he did not care for the film, but Alfred Hitchcock of all people did and got Altman hired on for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Success! Rhoden produced one more film in Kansas City -- AIP's "The Cool and the Crazy" (1958) -- and was even featured in Time magazine as one of the "new wave" of producers. He then produced a delinquency film in Hollywood featuring the debut of composer John Williams, AIP's "Daddy-O" (1958), but his mini-mogul reign was short-lived.

Delinquents, The (1957)

** (out of 4)

Tom Laughlin plays a good teenager who suffers heartbreak when he must break up with his girlfriend because her parents feels she's too young to go steady. The boy then gets mixed up with a group of delinquents, which could cost him his life. This here was director Altman's first feature length film and with that in mind the movie really isn't too bad. I've seen countless juvenile films from this era and a lot of them work because of their campy appeal but this film here doesn't have any of that. In fact, the thing plays pretty straight forward and Altman's direction is good enough to keep it out of the camp range. There are several problems with Altman's script including some stupid narration and the start and end of the film but the biggest problem is with the girlfriend character played by Rosemary Howard. For one thing, Howard gives a really bad performance and comes off quite annoying because of it. Another problem is that she's written as such a spoiled brat that it's hard for us to care about her problems with Laughlin. Laughlin turns in a pretty good performance as does Peter Miller as the leader of the gang. There's really nothing too groundbreaking here but the film remains mildly entertaining through its 72-minute running time.

I enjoyed this vintage film because it shows 50s era kids as perceived by adults of the day. It opens with dialogue from an announcer explaining about the plight of todays teenagers, then the story begins showing kids in real life then as they deal with problems about going steady and socializing. Unlike most teen films of the 50s, they apparently used real police officers in the movie as they are credited for this during the film credits. I must, however, criticize the music the teens are playing at their party. It is definitely pre-rock n roll type music when, in reality, they would have been dancing to Elvis, Fats, and many other 1956 era artists. Of course, adults of the day were just learning about the teenage music of choice then.

Despite the budget, the movie shows genuine flair, and it's not surprising that Altman went on to Hollywood following this energetic little indie. The KC locations manage to turn a budget disadvantage into an atmospheric advantage by creating a middle-America flavor well beyond Hollywood's usual sound-stage scope. Sure, the movie is dated. Nonetheless, many touchstones of teen culture are present— drive-in's, underage drinking, "good girls" and "bad girls". Too bad Altman didn't work in some Elvis or, at least, R&R.

Whether luck or acumen, Altman gets a strong cast with Bakalyan, Miller, and Laughlin. Bakalyan is a true teen superstar from that era and maybe it's best actor. Catch him in "The Cool and the Crazy" (1958), to appreciate a versatile sensitive side. Miller too impresses as the sneering and thoroughly dislikable gang leader. Apparently, he was too good at business to stay in the movies. And, of course, there's "Billy Jack" Laughlin practicing his limited form of pacifism that would later become a stock-in-trade. Unfortunately, there's also poor Rosemary Howard who struggles emotively as the good girl, but does look the part.

There is one scene like nothing I've seen from that era. Good guy Laughlin is taken to a tract home by the gang, where he's forced to drink an unlimited amount of hard liquor. One agonizing drink after another, you expect him to refuse. But he doesn't, going submissively along, and I'm getting sick just watching. It's almost excruciating to sit through, and is a much more effective warning against delinquent behavior than all the official ones. Altman also shows his way with crowd scenes in both the opening ruckus in the bar and in the teen party. Such byplay scenes, of course, were to become his trademark.

On the downside, the narrative is pretty choppy. I don't know if it comes from the script or the editing, but the story unfolds awkwardly at times, showing less than a polished hand. And, of course, there's that heavy-handed epilog and prolog that sounds like the voice of Big Brother warning the plebs. I guess that was the price for putting all the fun stuff before the public. And what about parents dragging all those 25-year olds down courthouse steps at movie's end!

Anyway, it's probably worth pointing out to younger viewers that despite what's on screen, the 50's generation was arguably the most conformist of any since WWII. They weren't called the "Silent Generation" for no reason. Good jobs were plentiful; at the same time, most youth simply wanted "to marry and settle down". Their biggest worry was whether they were too young to marry, and, of course, sex outside marriage was forbidden, which is what motivates Janice's dad in the movie. Real youth rebellion was still a decade away, and only strange cats like Jack Kerouac were on the road. All in all, the movie itself remains an interesting slice of that teen era.