THE
REBEL SET-1959-Mr. Tucker (Ed Platt), the too sure of himself phony
hip owner of a beat club hires 3 losers to help him and his partner
Sidney (Ned Glass) rob an armored car. Down on his luck actor Johnny
(Gregg Palmer; ZOMBIES OF MORA TAU), law breaking spoiled rich kid
George Leland (Don Sullivan) who's mother is a movie star and
deadbeat writer Ray Miller (John Lupton; a busy TV actor at the
time). His plan involves the fact that there is a 4 hour layover in
Chicago while taking the train from LA to NY. They all agree and
board a train. Johnny has no choice but to bring his wife Jeanne
(Kathleen Crowley; in CURSE OF THE UNDEAD the same year) which
doesn't go over well with the others. The robbery goes as planned and
the trio re-board the train with Tucker now dressed as a priest.
First Leland goes a little nuts and wants to keep the 5 mil to
himself. Johnny knocks him out. Later Leland winds up shot in the
head. Then Tucker kills Ray and throws his body off the train. Guilt
ridden Johnny confesses to Jeanne that he helped in the robbery and
plans to give himself up. He tells the police chief in charge (Robert
Shayne) about the money but Tucker has already absconded with it.
Johnny escapes the police and gives chase. He and Tucker have several
fights and chases until Tucker is electrocuted leading to the macabre
ironic ending featuring Leland’s mom. Gene Roth is also featured as
the train conductor and I. Stanford Jolley is a beat poet.
This is a
moody kind of film norish little drama with a beatnik backdrop by
director Gene Fowler Jr. a year after he made I MARRIED A MONSTER
FROM OUTER SPACE. It was a big year for co-star Sullivan who was also
in two ultra cool low budget horror classics :THE GIANT GILA MONSTER
and THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS. Oh yeah..and the not so cool
TEENAGE ZOMBIES. You dig?
Thanks for reading!
