Platinum High School (1960)

At an exclusive military academy on Sabre Island (played by Catalina Island), rich young delinquents think money puts them above the law. Enter Steve Conway (Mickey Rooney) - there to ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles F. Haas

Writers:

Howard Breslin (story), Robert Smith

Stars:

Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, Dan Duryea

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview:
Mickey Rooney	...	Steven Conway
Terry Moore	...	Jennifer Evans
Dan Duryea	...	Maj. Redfern Kelly
Conway Twitty	...	Billy Jack Barnes
Warren Berlinger	...	'Crip' Hastings
Yvette Mimieux	...	Lorinda Nibley
Jimmy Boyd	...	Bud Starkweather
Richard Jaeckel	...	Hack Marlow
Jack Carr	...	Joe Nibley
Harold Lloyd Jr.	...	Charlie-Boy Cable
Christopher Dark	...	Vince Perley
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Harry Nesbit
Mason Alan Dinehart	...	Bob Treadwell

Storyline

At an exclusive military academy on Sabre Island (played by Catalina Island), rich young delinquents think money puts them above the law. Enter Steve Conway (Mickey Rooney) - there to investigate the death of his son, who he had been told died in an accident. The Mick(ey Rooney, that is) finds himself quickly in 5 feet of trouble (over his eyebrows), when he's met with hostility by the school's commandant, Major Redfern Kelly (Dan Duryea), and the latter's sweetheart-secretary, Jennifer Evans (Terry Moore); intimidated by the cadet drill instructor, Vince Perley (Christopher Dark), and the P.E. instructor, Hack Marlow (Richard Jaeckel). Attempts are made on his life by a trio of cadets, known collectively as "the 3 beasts", and he's trapped in a 3-against-1 fight with rifles, Just to keep him tested, there's a big speedboat vs. small motor boat (Rooney's craft of course) chase through shark-infested waters. This happens right after he makes a startling discovery when he talks to his ...

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | female stockinged foot | female to male footsie playing | footsie under the table | 

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Taglines:

TERROR IN A BOYS' SCHOOL! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Conway Twitty receives an "introducing" credit.

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Quotes

Harry Nesbit: It's a school for solid platinum rats... It's a rich kids' penitentiary!

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Soundtracks

Platinum High School
Written by Conway Twitty
Sung by Conway Twitty

User Reviews

Not very good quality

Ah, yes, another film about a mysterious stranger who comes into town with an ulterior motive, and everyone he meets makes him feel unwelcome and tries to cover up a big secret. If you like those movies, you might have heard of Platinum High School, starring Mickey Rooney and Dan Duryea. Mickey is the unwelcome stranger, and he comes to a private military high school to find out what happened to his son. Elisha Cook, Jr., a diner owner, Dan Duryea, the head of the school, and a bunch of cadets try to get Mickey to leave, but he's determined to get to the bottom of things.

The first part of the movie is entertaining, as these movies tend to be, but it gets pretty silly as time wears on. For example, Yvette Mimieux prances around in an extremely skimpy bikinis, while surrounded by love-starved cadets, and her only protector is her deaf-mute father. Terry Moore is Dan Duryea's secretary, and while it makes sense that they're having an affair, it doesn't make sense that she suddenly switches teams and completely joins Mickey's side. Poor Mickey tries to give a good performance, but it's such a silly script, it's hard to take anyone seriously. At least you get to see Dan looking handsome in a uniform, but really, girls, if that's all this movie has going for it, just pick another of his movies.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trouble at Sixteen

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zugsmith-Fryman

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1