The Delinquents (1957)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer:

Robert Altman (writer)

Release Date:

1 March 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Hoods Of Tomorrow! The Gun-Molls Of The Future!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Juvenile Delinquent

Cast

Tom Laughlin	...	Scotty White
Peter Miller	...	Bill Charters aka Cholly
Richard Bakalyan	...	Eddy
Rosemary Howard	...	Janice Wilson
Helen Hawley	...	Florence White
Leonard Belove	...	Charles White
Lotus Corelli	...	Mrs. Wilson
James Lantz	...	Mr. Wilson
Christine Altman	...	Sissy White
George Kuhn	...	Jay
Pat Stedman	...	Meg
Norman Zands	...	Chizzy
James Leria	...	Steve
Jet Pinkston	...	Molly
Kermit Echols	...	Bartender

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Company:

Imperial Productions Inc. (III)

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock was impressed with this film. As a result, Robert Altman was hired to direct episodes of Hitchcock's TV series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955).

Quotes:

Narrator: The story you are about to see is about violence and immorality - teenage violence and immorality, children trapped in the half-world between adolescence and maturity - their struggle to understand, their need to be understood. Perhaps in its rapid progression into the material world, man has forgotten the spiritual values which are the moral fiber of a great nation: decency, respect, fair play...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Robert Altman (#2.9)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid

Shows Promise

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.