The Violent Years (1956)

Director:

William Morgan

Writer:

Edward D. Wood Jr. (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Teenage Killers Taking Their Thrills Unashamed!

Plot:

A newspaper publisher's daughter suffers from neglect by her parents. She and her friends turn to crime by dressing up like men...

Plot Keywords:

Parties | Gas Station | Judge | Reporter | Teen

Cast

Jean Moorhead	...	Paula Parkins
Barbara Weeks	...	Jane Parkins
Arthur Millan	...	Carl Parkins
Theresa Hancock	...	Georgia
Joanne Cangi	...	Geraldine
Gloria Farr	...	Phyllis
Glenn Corbett	...	Barney Stetson (as Glen Corbett)
Lee Constant	...	Sheila
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Judge Clara
Timothy Farrell	...	Lt. Holmes (as Timothy Farell)
F. Chan McClure	...	Det. Artman
Bruno Metsa	...	Manny

Also Known As:

Female
Girl Gang Terrorists
Teenage Girl Gang

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Headliner Productions

Trivia:

The Glenn Corbett appearing in this film is not the same actor as the better known Glenn Corbett who entered films in 1959.

Goofs:

Continuity: Paula's parked getaway car from the school has two white vertical strips beneath the rear driver's side window. When the car is on the road, the strips are missing.

Quotes:

Carl Parkins: It does no good to look back. It can only be more of a hurt. We must now look forward, using the past only as a pattern of judgment for the future.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Extra Weird (2003) (V)

"So what!"

The 1956 sociological study of the serious, but rarely spoken about, problem of armed robbery of gas stations perpetrated by affluent young women in tight sweaters during the mid 1950's is one that should surely receive further serious study. The footage of the "criminal attack" on the innocent young man on lovers lane by the beautiful, but depraved, bandits is one that I found highly disturbing. The expose became even more shocking as the pulchritudinous quartet were enlisted into the service of a foreign power, and during a particularly nefarious mission to overturn chairs and tables and knock over books in a classroom, they almost succeeded in doing something terrible to our flag. Also, during the latter mission, policemen, guards, and members of the evil gang were shot during a ferocious gunfight. At the end, the leader of the gang is finally sentenced to the state penitentiary where she gives birth to an out-of-wedlock baby. She dies and the baby is rightfully made to serve out the remainder of her sentence. Meanwhile, the affluent, but self-absorbed, parents of the wayward gangster are given several severe talkings to by the same judge who sentenced their daughter, and they are told to attend church more frequently in the future. This shocking expose was written by Mr. Edward D. Wood, Jr. I for one definitely intend to give a great deal of thought to the problem of bad girls in tight sweaters.

10 stars...or zero stars...? I don't know how to rate Ed Wood's anti-masterpieces. They're so freakin' bad that they go all the way around the dial and become great! Hilariously bad. Not as hilariously bad as Plan 9, but then what is?

Pan-10