Girls with Guns

 

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GUN GIRLS-1957-Girl gangs are the trouble this time. Nice girls from decent families committing armed robbery for kicks. Con artist Joe (Timothy Farrell;his role is identical to the one in GIRL GANG)) sells guns to two girls, Teddy (Jeanne Ferguson) and Dora (Jacqueline Park) deal in larceny and stolen goods. He romances semi-innocent Joy Jenkins (top billed Eve Brent) to set up a robbery in the warehouse where she works. The girls rob the place, conk a guard and leave behind some clues and only get 14 dollars for their trouble! Deciding to leave town they steal Joe's money then Joy drops a bombshell. She's pregnant with Joe's kid! Joe of course rejects her and she shoots him. Teddy and Dora wreck their getaway car. Dora has a long scene on her deathbed and the story ends with a police lineup of tough girls and the narrator asking if one of them could be yours. 

Harry Keaton (also on GIRL GANG) plays Joe's henchman Luke and Barbara Weeks (from Wood's THE VIOLENT YEARS) plays Teddy's mother. More low budget sleazy crime drama morality from director Robert C. Dertano (it was his last movie}. A year after making this movie lead actress Eve Brent was cast as Jane to Gordon Scott's Tarzan in TARZAN'S FIGHT FOR LIFE.

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The Crazy '50's

THE WILD AND THE WICKED (aka FLESH MERCHANT)-1956-In this badly acted and directed morality play, innocent dope Nancy Sheridan (Joy Reynolds) comes to Hollywood to live with her older sister Paula (Lisa Rack). Nancy wants to be a model like her big sis but Paula wants her to go back home. Instead of leaving Nancy goes to model at an "art school", modeling nude for the sleazy pair of Mr. Barnes and Mr. Sogel (Guy Manford). Sogel sends her to "the colony", run by sleazy Vito Pirelli  (Mark Perri) and his comic sidekick Joker. She strikes up a friendship with her roommate Easy. Everything goes along fine until some middle-age guy puts the moves on her. She tries to leave but Vito won't let her. She becomes a whore real fast. After a party where one of the girls does a weird dance, Vito beats up Easy and sends her to "skid row". Easy helps the cops and Vito is killed in a shootout. Ironically, Nancy gets a big surprise when Easy's replacement turns out to be sister Paula! At another party Paula freaks out and shouts "You're all drunks and lechers! You're scum! Buyers of sin!". Just before Rogell and Joker can harm the sisters the cops show up.

Director W. Merle Connell also made TEST TUBE BABIES.

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The Rifleman & Loose Girls

I was just watching some episodes of the 50's western THE RIFLEMAN with Chuck Connors in the title role, Lucas McCain, a widowed rancher who has a pretty impressive self made rifle. He's also raising his young son Mark, played by Johnny Crawford. Many of the episodes had McCain killing some desperado and then lecturing Mark on why "it had to happen this way". Paul Fix as the local sheriff was the only other regular. The best thing about the show was the guest stars. So far I've seen James (billed as Jim) Coburn, John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Robert Webber, Vic Morrow, Sidney Blackmer and Raymond Bailey (the future Mr. Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES).



GIRLS ON THE LOOSE-1958-Night club owner Vera Parkinson (Mara Corday) and her girl gang rob a bank of 20 thousand dollars. They bury the loot and go back to working at the club. Unfortunately, Vera's younger sister (Barbara Bostock who sings) falls for the detective (Mark Richman) who's investigating the robbery. Double crossing and death follow as Vera goes to any means to protect her ill gotten gain. The climax features a cat fight at the site of the buried money.

GIRLS ON THE LOOSE reminded me a little of Ed Wood's THE VIOLENT YEARS (made two years before) but is not nearly as entertaining. Star Corday was also in the cheapies THE GIANT CLAW and TARANTULA around the same time. Also with Joyce Johanesson, Lita Milan, Abby Dalton and Fred Kruger. 
This low budget exploitation quickie was one of the half dozen films directed by actor Paul Henreid (he did much more TV).

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Bad Girls

SO YOUNG SO BAD-1950-CASABLANCA's Paul Henreid stars as Dr. Jason, a psychiatrist sent to a girls reform school to help out. He runs into a lot of bureaucracy and is hindered in his progress to help the troubled girls by the uncaring staff. Catherine McLeod plays Ruth, a social worker who resents Jason's presence. He and Ruth have a heated debate on a moving merry go round! Mike Kellin has a few brief shots as the operator and some seem to think a guy selling balloons looks a lot like Phil Silvers! Jason tries to expose the sweat shop like conditions and ignorance of Mr. Riggs, the idiot who’s in charge. At one point, the girls sneak a rabbit into the school and a matron stomps it to death! The girls then riot and set fire to the school. As punishment some of the girls are hosed down like Charlton Heston in PLANET OF THE APES! Later Jason kind of blackmails Riggs into letting him run the school his way. He does do a lot of good but when the evil matron punishes one of the girls by cutting her hair, suicide, deception and an inquiry that could lead to Jason's dismissal follow.

It’s an earnest low budget little movie but the most interesting thing about it really is that it introduces three actresses who went on to famous careers: Anne Jackson, Ann Francis and Rita Moreno! Director Bernard Vorhaus also made THE AMAZING DR. X.

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