John Ashley

HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR-1960-At a high school for over aged teenagers tough guy Matt Stevens (John Ashley) and teen thug buddies rule with fists and intimidation. He even rigs the school election so he becomes class president and his little boy toy Cricket (Steve Stevens) becomes treasurer. The principal is a real dullard who has no idea what's going on. Matt is actually a spoiled rich kid whose parents aren't around. Despite being a big bully he’s unhappy and after ripping off some student dance money he goes home and cries. Trouble starts when Matt plans to set up Cricket with a girl named Wanda (Judy Nugent). He dispatches his girlfriend Lita (Darla Massey) to set this up but Wanda wants no part of it. Lita doesn't tell Matt and pretends the whole date is ready but Wanda only has eyes for Bob (Gary Vinson). At a place called The Wagon, Matt confronts Bob who punches Matt after he slaps Wanda (who called Matt a “pampered pretty boy”). Then Bob’s friend Kelly (Lowell Brown) wins Matt’s gold coin in a drag race. Later Matt forces Kelly off the road and he’s killed in a crash (Matt takes his coin back). Everything seems ok until two of his henchmen are almost caught stealing from the school. And when Matt kidnaps and tries to molest Wanda, Cricket in a jealous rage admits to everyone that Matt was responsible for Kelly's death. Matt’s birthday party is ruined when everyone turns against him and Bob roughs him up. He’s left alone in the dirt a whimpering jerk. 

HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR really pushes the envelope on adults playing teens and it's obvious this kind of teen drama was on the way out by 1960 to be replaced with “beach” movies. Ashley would co-star in a few (and suffer a starring role in Larry Buchanan's ATTACK OF THE EYE CREATURES) before acting in and producing horror movies in The Philippines. Writer/director O'Dale Ireland also made a movie called DATE BAIT (with Gary Clarke) the same year. Other than that his claim to fame is having edited Al Adamson's PSYCHO A GO GO!

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