Jail Bait (1954)

Director:

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Writers:

Alex Gordon (story) and
Edward D. Wood Jr. (story) ...

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

She's A Good Girl... To Leave Alone!

Plot:

Vic Brady draws young Don Gregor into a life of crime. He then blackmails Gregor's plastic surgeon father...

Plot Keywords:

Plastic Surgeon | Detective | False Identity | Plastic Surgery | Police Officer Killed

Cast

Lyle Talbot	...	Inspector Johns
Dolores Fuller	...	Marilyn Gregor
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Doctor Gregor
Steve Reeves	...	Lieutenant Bob Lawrence
Clancy Malone	...	Don Gregor
Timothy Farrell	...	Vic Brady
Theodora Thurman	...	Loretta
Bud Osborne	...	Night Watchman
Mona McKinnon	...	Miss Willis
Don Nagel	...	Detective Davis
John Robert Martin	...	Detective McCall
La Vada Simmons	...	Miss Lytell
Regina Claire	...	Newspaper Woman
John Avery	...	Police Doctor

Also Known As:

Hidden Face

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16988) | Spain:T | Australia:PG | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Howco Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The score was "borrowed" from Mesa of Lost Women (1953).

Goofs:

Continuity: After the operation to change Vic Brady's face, the first time the bandages come off, the scar on his forehead runs diagonal from the top of his nose to well above the eye. However when he's shot by the pool, the scar runs laterally across the middle of his forehead.

Quotes:

Doctor Gregor: This afternoon we had a long telephone conversation earlier in the day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood Jr. (1996)

Probably the worst acting you'll see in an Ed Wood, but it's still entertaining

This movie is basically about a son of a famous plastic surgeon who causes trouble by carrying a gun and eventually ends up killing somebody when he was with his partner in crime. Obviously, his family becomes worried about him. Another one of those "rich kid gone bad" stories. Basically, all the acting in this movie is bad except for some detective. Delores Fuller stars as the kid's brother, and she had a pretty bad performance (at least she's good looking, though,) But still, the bad acting adds to the unintentional humor you will find with this. Also, Timothy Farrell stars as partner in crime Vic Brady, and his performance is the funniest especially after he says lines like "let's unwraps the Christmas presents and see the presents inside." (Tim would later star in a terrible movie, The Violent Years, another "rich kid gone bad story") Other lines include "plastic surgery can be strenuous and very, very complicating" and "carrying a gun can be dangerous business, miss." Other humor in this film are included in the scenes themselves. When you see the two thieves robbing a safe, you will see a picture of a gingerbread man on the wall for absolutely no reason. In addition, you'll also see a stupid dance sequence (I saw the director's cut) You should also watch out for this annoying guitar theme that is played throughout the entire movie.

My overall opinion though is that this is an entertaining movie because it was so bad (not to mention the obvious ending) It really didn't bore me as much as other trash flicks. It also should be watched since the director ,Ed Wood, is only known for Plan 9, Glen or Glenda, etc. You should really check this out if you're in the mood for something different.