Street Corner (1948) User Reviews

Not as badly made as you'd think...but,....ugghh!!!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 26 March 2010]

This is an exploitation film that was made to both teach about sex as well as make a buck...but mostly just to make a buck! It begins with a court hearing in which a lady is being prosecuted for performing illegal and highly dangerous abortions. The doctor who testifies in the case then begins addressing the audience as he tells the sad tale about the lady whose abortion was botched by the lady on trial. Because it was the 1940s, however, some of the details are a bit vague. In fact, the word 'abortion' doesn't even occur until very late in the film! This is odd, though, as the sex lecture late in the film is very explicit--even for today. I must warn you, though, as the film is high on the ICKY FACTOR!! You get to see closeups of vaginas and penises that have been ravaged by syphilis and gonorrhea--and it's very, very, very hard to watch. Yuck! The film is broken down into a story about a young girl and her boyfriend and an educational component near the end. The first portion is a dramatization of an unmarried woman who becomes pregnant. When her lover dies in an accident, she decides to get an illegal abortion and as a result, she nearly dies. In an interesting twist, the doctor tries hard not to blame the young girl. Though, also in a bit of a nasty cliché, attacks the parents for their ignorance.

Overall, compared to most exploitation films, this one is a bit better. First, the guy who narrates and plays the doctor actually was a pretty good actor. Second, while they dance about the topics a bit, the film is filled with some very good information--information that most teens and even adults of the day knew nothing about--which is rather sad.

While some of the film seems very quaint and silly today, it isn't terribly bad, but I also wonder who would want to see the really nasty video late in the film! Interesting but nasty! Also, Something Weird Video has done something to make the film interesting--having a guy who used to show such films and give sales pitches concerning buying sex ed manuals did a little introduction and shilled his books in the middle of the show--an interesting addition to put the film in context.

Exploitation Movie

[boblipton · 4/10 · 28 July 2019]

Marcia Mae Jones is pregnant. Her boyfriend rushes home to marry her, but is killed on the road. Unable to talk about it with her parents, she goes to an abortionist.

It's a well-meaning exploitation picture that end with Joseph Crehan narrating a poorly drawn cartoon version of a woman's reproductive system. That pretty much sums up this movie: good intentions, bad execution, and they probably made a nice profit on it, four-walling the film to teenagers hoping for some dirty pictures and parents, like Miss Jnes' parents in this movie, too embarrassed to discuss these matters with their teenagers.

Looking at it seventy years later, the lines are banal, the actors are directed to speak to the camera when they are supposed to be talking to each other, and the sets indicate that as little money as possible was spent on the production.

Like an Educational School Movie

[impeteadkins · 5/10 · 31 August 2019]

The movie is like watching an in classroom movie from back in the fifties or sixties about sex. The young girl was pretty hot though and had nice outfits to wear.

Decent Drama Hidden Behind Exploitation

[Michael_Elliott · 7 April 2010]

Street Corner (1948)

** (out of 4)

Teenager Lois (Marcia Mae Jones) and her boyfriend have sex for the first time after his Senior Prom. She ends up pregnant but he's off at college and when he's on his way home he gets into a car crash and dies. Afraid to tell her parents Lois decides to go to an abortionist but things take a dark turn. I love watching these early exploitation films because, to get around the Hayes Office, producer's would present their films as educational subjects but then try to make a quick buck by adding in nudity, drug use, sex and various other no-no items that wouldn't be playing at most theaters. This film pretty much falls into that level as we get a pretty straight drama that takes a turn towards the end when the host of the film goes into detail about the "miracle of birth". As far as the actual film goes, the thing isn't too bad even though many scenes contain way too much dialogue and go on far too long. The film is pretty predictable and none of situations are fully explored as the goal is obvious and that's to get to the exploitation at the end. Jones actually isn't too bad in the role of the teenage and she had a pretty long career, which includes working with John Ford years before this picture. Joseph Crehan plays the doctor in the film and he too appeared in several high profile films including THE BIG SLEEP, THE BRUTE MAN and countless other films with the likes of Bogart, Tracy, Cagney and Karloff. The "exploitation" part of the film hits at the very end and lasts for nearly fifteen-minutes. We start off seeing a vaginal birth and then a C-section birth. These here will make one appreciate women and what they have to go through. We then turn to more disgusting stuff including seeing various men and women parts who have syphilis and gonorrhea. The film takes pleasure in showing what the diseases will do to a penis or vagina so be prepared to see some ugly sites. After this stuff we see the conclusion of the main film but I'm not sure who will care after these images. Fans of exploitation might want to check this out due to it being an early example of the subject but I'm sure most will want to stay away.

Like watching an army training film for women

[bkoganbing · 1/10 · 22 November 2019]

Street Corner is about a young and most naive teen who goes all the way with her boyfriend on prom night. Then after Don Brodie goes off to college Marcia Mae Jones misses a period and then Brodie is killed in a car crash. What's a girl to do who hasn't had a heart to heart with mom about the facts of life?

This low budget indie is like watching an army training film for the WACS. It could be the Reefer Madness of sex ed. Kindly, but stern Joseph Crehan the family doctor narrates Marcia Mae's story. Mind you this is all before the pill, before abortions were made legal and the word 'condom' is not mentioned.

Gretl Dupont plays this evil foreign looking and sounding woman who is your back alley abortionist of the day. She's the reason why Planned Parenthood came into existence.

Let us thank the Creator/Deity that ludicrous films like this are now seen for what they are.

Views of abortion and child birth spares no details.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 15 September 2015]

Expecting a typical 1940's drama of scandal and controversy, I was surprised by the sensitive manner in which this message drama was transfered to the screen. Most of the story focuses on 18 year old Marcia Mae Jones, an innocent young lady who loses her virginity on prom night and braces unwed motherhood when her boyfriend goes off to college. She can't confide in her too busy parents, and when the unexpected occurs, she has no choice but to make a drastic decision.

The last quarter of the film has the more exploitive documentary about child birth and sexually transmitted diseases. This part of the film shows both male and female anatomy and is even shocking today. I can't even imagine this being shown in schools let alone movie theaters, but the message is clear. Old forms of abortion are dramatized, and the operator at the clinic where Jones goes is an old hag who could be considered a 40's version of a witch. Joseph Crehan is sincere in his narration of the story. Jones also delivers a believable performance. So even if certain elements in the structure of this tale seem very dated, a lot of other parts remain very timely.

Shirley Temple Meets Sex-Ed

[dougdoepke · 12 September 2019]

The doggondest movie I've seen in years. From the title, I was expecting an exploitation cheapo where titillation is concealed in a public service wrapper, Elmer Clifton style. But no. Whatever else the flick is, it's sincere in its anti-abortion and non-marital sex message. But, oh my, what titillation there is is the grotesque kind the Army used to scare recruits away from vd risks. It's sex as anti-titillation.

The narrative itself starts out as a routine teen drama of the time. Middle-class Marcia Mae Jones is the embodiment of girlish innocence. Unfortunately, she gets romantically careless one night with her boyfriend and one thing leads to another. In the censored fashion of the time, her intercourse is conveyed by a dropped flower and her missed period by subtle innuendo. Now, being respectably middle-class, she and boyfriend must marry, except her intended is suddenly killed in a road accident. So now, what is Jones to do. She can't tell her parents who are wrapped up in their own concerns. So what else can she do given her class background but get an abortion and keep outward respectability.

Now, the 1948 movie's rather daring to this point, but not wildly so. But then, out of the blue, we're suddenly exposed to a lecture using clinical footage of live vaginal birth, a C-section, and the grotesque effects of syphilis on both male and female sex organs. I had to pinch myself that such visual explicitness would occur in what appeared to be a conventional Hollywood-type production. But there it is in all icky up-close detail.

To me, the question is where could this package with its x-rated material be shown, especially in Production Code, 1948. My guess is that the x-rated footage could be edited out for commercial neighborhood showing and then re-inserted for instances of special viewing. Because of shrewd storyline construction, I think this could be done without harm to the story or its emphatic anti-abortion message. However that may be, the sudden transition from teen angst to vaginal and penile close-ups is jarring, to say the least.

The production itself is quite competent for a low-budget indie. Jones is sweetly sympathetic in the lead and makes me wish I were her age again. Then too, Crehan, the authoritative voice of proper behavior, manages not to be too off-putting. My only complaint is with the abortionist who's made to look like the ultimate evil in an obvious effort at visual manipulation.

All in all, it's a strange flick impossible for me to rate, and unlike any I've seen in many years of movie watching. I just wish IMDB had more info about it. Anyway, catch up with this genuine oddity if you can, but be prepared, as reviewer Hafer puts it, for a heavy "yuck" factor.

"This Case Will Make A Lot Of People Stop And Think!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 12 July 2021]

STREET CORNER is about Lois Marsh, told retrospectively by Dr. Fenton. Lois is a typically naive young girl, living with her typically loving parents.

One night, Lois and her boyfriend, Bob, go to a swinging party at the country club. Alas, if only Lois' parents had simply explained "the facts of life" to her! If only Dr. Fenton had stopped by before the kids left! Then, they would have understood the importance of his classes!

Instead, Lois entered into perdition,

The good Doctor narrates as Bob and Lois park by the river, which can only lead to one thing! If only Lois had sat in on one of Dr. Fenton's seminars. Now, she's in the throes of satanic passion, and soon, kisses are exchanged! Not even a stop at the diner can assuage Lois' guilt at this point. Only Dr. Fenton's disembodied voice accompanies her in her grief.

As time passes, Lois' blissfully oblivious parents don't notice the accursed "bundle of joy" growing within her. The devil's bun is certainly in the oven!

Oh! Dr. Fenton! Save us!

Lois and Bob plan on doing the right, morally correct thing, but tragedy strikes. Lois must now turn to worldly waitress, Kitty Mae for the "low down", the "dope" as it were. Kitty tells Lois of a place where a hideous hag resides. A hag that performs a certain "procedure". With the criminal operation performed, Lois is surely darned to heck!

Let this be a warning! Avoid this poor girl's fate!

In the end, we're shown the "Miracle of Birth" film from one of Dr. Fenton's classes. Let's just say that this film holds nothing back, making us glad it's in black and white! Next, a Caesarian section is performed. Then, it's male and female genitalia on parade! In various stages of disease! All, while Dr. Fenton narrates...