The Delinquents (1957)

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

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer:

Robert Altman

Stars:

Tom Laughlin, Peter Miller, Richard Bakalyan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Laughlin	...	Scotty
Peter Miller	...	Cholly
Richard Bakalyan	...	Eddy
Rosemary Howard	...	Janice
Helen Hawley	...	Mrs. White
Leonard Belove	...	Mr. White
Lotus Corelli	...	Mrs. Wilson
James Lantz	...	Mr. Wilson
Christine Altman	...	Sissy
George Mason Kuhn	...	Jay
Pat Stedman	...	Meg
Norman Zands	...	Chizzy
James Leria	...	Steve
Jet Pinkston	...	Molly
Kermit Echols	...	Bartender

Storyline

Scotty White (age 19) must stop 'going steady' with Janice Wilson (age 16) when Janice's parents intervene. Frustrated, idle and without Janice's restraining influence, Scotty encounters Cholly and his band of disorganized, fun-loving delinquents. Soon he has Janice (who seems considerably the more mature of the two) mixed up in their doings, which begin to seem less and less like harmless fun...

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Plot Keywords:

teensploitation | psychotronic film | directorial debut | two word title | juvenile delinquent | 

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Taglines:

The Screen's Most Shocking Expose' of the Baby Faces Who Have Just Taken Their First Stumbling Step Down Sin Street USA!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

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).

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Goofs

About the 13:30 mark, when Scotty (Tom Laughlin) is being invited out of Janice's house by her dad, the front door (interior) is a beautiful leaded glass number. As he walks away from the house (exterior) the door is solid. Not Glass.

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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... Perhaps he has forgotten to teach these values to his own; he has forgotten to teach his children ...

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Connections

Featured in Altman (2014)

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Soundtracks

A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid
Written by James P. Johnson and Andy Razaf
Performed by the Bill Nolan Quintet Minus Two
Sung by Julia Lee in the opening sequence

User Reviews

Robert Altman cuts Tom Laughlin loose in Kansas City

The opening voice-over warns "The Delinquents" will be a story of "teenage violence and immorality" in Kansas City, Missouri. Then, we meet hunky dark-eyed Tom Laughlin (as Scotty White). He and sweet-as-honey girlfriend Rosemary Howard (as Janice Wilson) - playing mid-teens - are ordered to stop seeing each other because they are too young. Upset, Mr. Laughlin goes out to a drive-in alone, and falls in with perpetually rebellious Peter Miller (as Cholly) and his sneaky sidekick Richard Bakalyan (as Eddy). They turn out to be part of what you could call the WRONG crowd. But, they act well. A closing narration pounds home the moralistic point.

Not a great film, but one obviously full of potential, which was in at least two cases, fully realized.

****** The Delinquents (3/1/57) Robert Altman ~ Tom Laughlin, Peter Miller, Richard Bakalyan, Rosemary Howard

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Delinquents

Filming Locations:

Crest Drive-In, 11400 Hickman Mills Drive, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imperial Productions Inc. (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1