****SPOILERS**** A now it can be told-like movie about a talented but troubled young actor Johnnie Dennis, Ken Clayton, who's success in the world of movies is destroying his ability to cope with the world of reality.
Johnnie who has became alienated from his fellow actors due to his rise to stardom has become so obsessed with his early death that his friend and acting teacher Tanya, Lilya Chauvin, fears the worst and wants him to get professional help. Tanya who guided Johnnie in his movie career and is also in love with him is shocked by Johnnie's obsession with death and wants him to overcome it before it's too late.
Johnnie "Death Wish" has reached a point to where he drew a self portrait of himself of being half dead and half alive as well as him reading everything about death in all the books and articles that he can find on the subject.
Johnnie's friend and fellow actor Walt, Richard Gilden, has developed a deep resentment of him due to his success which Walt is jealous of feeling that he's as good as an actor as Johnnie is. This leads to two fights with Johnnie that Walt initiated. The first at the actor's diner, where Johnnie knocked Walt out, and the second fight sometime later at the parking lot outside the diner where Johnnie almost killed Walt after Walt tried to smash Johnnie's head in with a wrench.
One afternoon Johnnie driving wildly down the street almost ran over a young girl Hellen "Preach" Preacher, Barbara Wilson. Later at the public library where Johnnie was reading a book about death and dying, what else, he sees Preach again and awkwardly tries to apologize to her about his actions earlier that day but makes no impression on her.
The next night at the big premiere of Johnnie's movie Johnnie who tried to avoid the huge crowd by blending into it spots Preach again and starts a conversation with her. Johnnie is impressed with Preach by her not recognizing him at first even after she just saw him in the movie. When she finally did recognize Johnnie Preach was anything but star struck over him where he had to almost kidnap her to go swimming at a deserted lake. This in order for Johnnie to get away from the public who were very impressed by his performance on screen.
Johnnie was also moved when he met Preach's father Mr. Preacher, Frank Stallworth, who knew nothing about Johnnie's film career who liked Johnnie very much and was happy to see his daughter have such a good and kind friend like him. It was Johnnie's meeting both Preach and her father as well as his relationship with his drama coach Tanya that made him get away from his morbid fascination with death. It was by him seeing that there are people in the world that like him just for what he is as a person not what he is as a movie star that turned Johnnie around. Still the final event that exorcised Johnnie of his "Death Wish" was his fight with Walt who he almost killed. That had Jhonnie drive himself almost to the point of getting killed in a car accident down the highway at night to the lake, where he and Preach were just a few hours ago. It was then and there that Johnnie threw away the self-portrait of himself into the water and once an for all took away all those negative feeling that he had about himself and the world. In the end Johnnie went back to face the world with Preach and her father and Tanya by his side with him being a much better and stable person for it.
Better then you would expect from a movie having a title like "Lost, Lonely and Vicious" about troubled youth in the 1950's with, for once instead of the usual depressing and sad, an happy and uplifting ending. Johnnie found out the hard way that facing an uncertain future was better then trying to run away from it. The movie is worth watching just for the honesty that it brings out about the troubled youth portrayed in it.
Johnnie who has became alienated from his fellow actors due to his rise to stardom has become so obsessed with his early death that his friend and acting teacher Tanya, Lilya Chauvin, fears the worst and wants him to get professional help. Tanya who guided Johnnie in his movie career and is also in love with him is shocked by Johnnie's obsession with death and wants him to overcome it before it's too late.
Johnnie "Death Wish" has reached a point to where he drew a self portrait of himself of being half dead and half alive as well as him reading everything about death in all the books and articles that he can find on the subject.
Johnnie's friend and fellow actor Walt, Richard Gilden, has developed a deep resentment of him due to his success which Walt is jealous of feeling that he's as good as an actor as Johnnie is. This leads to two fights with Johnnie that Walt initiated. The first at the actor's diner, where Johnnie knocked Walt out, and the second fight sometime later at the parking lot outside the diner where Johnnie almost killed Walt after Walt tried to smash Johnnie's head in with a wrench.
One afternoon Johnnie driving wildly down the street almost ran over a young girl Hellen "Preach" Preacher, Barbara Wilson. Later at the public library where Johnnie was reading a book about death and dying, what else, he sees Preach again and awkwardly tries to apologize to her about his actions earlier that day but makes no impression on her.
The next night at the big premiere of Johnnie's movie Johnnie who tried to avoid the huge crowd by blending into it spots Preach again and starts a conversation with her. Johnnie is impressed with Preach by her not recognizing him at first even after she just saw him in the movie. When she finally did recognize Johnnie Preach was anything but star struck over him where he had to almost kidnap her to go swimming at a deserted lake. This in order for Johnnie to get away from the public who were very impressed by his performance on screen.
Johnnie was also moved when he met Preach's father Mr. Preacher, Frank Stallworth, who knew nothing about Johnnie's film career who liked Johnnie very much and was happy to see his daughter have such a good and kind friend like him. It was Johnnie's meeting both Preach and her father as well as his relationship with his drama coach Tanya that made him get away from his morbid fascination with death. It was by him seeing that there are people in the world that like him just for what he is as a person not what he is as a movie star that turned Johnnie around. Still the final event that exorcised Johnnie of his "Death Wish" was his fight with Walt who he almost killed. That had Jhonnie drive himself almost to the point of getting killed in a car accident down the highway at night to the lake, where he and Preach were just a few hours ago. It was then and there that Johnnie threw away the self-portrait of himself into the water and once an for all took away all those negative feeling that he had about himself and the world. In the end Johnnie went back to face the world with Preach and her father and Tanya by his side with him being a much better and stable person for it.
Better then you would expect from a movie having a title like "Lost, Lonely and Vicious" about troubled youth in the 1950's with, for once instead of the usual depressing and sad, an happy and uplifting ending. Johnnie found out the hard way that facing an uncertain future was better then trying to run away from it. The movie is worth watching just for the honesty that it brings out about the troubled youth portrayed in it.