Tag Archives: Juvenile Delinquency
Movie Madness And/Or Mania: Go, Johnny, Go! (1959)
Welcome back, constant readers! Never fear, there are still Imaginary Summer Autumnal Book Club and Whitman series reviews to come this month, and I am catching up on comments, Name That Book requests and e-mails! Watch this space! But just … Continue reading
Letter Perfect By Charles P. Crawford
“What a perfect crime!” So, how old would you say the kids on the cover are? 10? 11? Well apparently they are high school upperclassmen, and some particularly nasty ones at that. The Plot: …is a pretty pulpy knock-off of … Continue reading
Movie Madness and/or Mania: Back Door To Heaven (William K. Howard, 1939)
The 1950s might have been the golden age of Juvenile Delinquent movies, but the concept stretches back to the 1930s: Dead End and its subsequent spin-offs, and William Wellman’s Wild Boys of the Road dealt with teenagers on their own … Continue reading
Donna Parker Takes A Giant Step (#7) By Marcia Martin
“Senior high!” she whispered. “Can you really believe it? We’ll actually be in tenth grade, going to Summerfield Senior High School!” Back to school! Let’s double down with a good attitude cautionary tale wacky scheme inspirational message epic wish-fulfillment fantasy slightly anachronistic feminist career romance Eh, … Continue reading
Crash Club By Henry Gregor Felsen
His answer to Outlaw’s bid for power was a new kind of hot rod club- he called it CRASH CLUB! Background: Henry Felsen began his career writing military adventure stories for juvenile readers during World War II, but earned his … Continue reading
Movie Madness and/or Mania: The Cry Baby Killer (Jus Addis, 1958)
I say this even as a devotee of 1950s JD movies: there is only one reason to see this one, and that is for a glimpse of a scrawny 20 year old Jack Nicholson, a decade before Easy Rider, before … Continue reading
Think Wild! By Arnold Madison
Ted Alford had racked up a glorious A in Driver Education, but his father still wouldn’t allow him to solo in the family car. Enter the BLUE MONSTER…. The Plot: 16 year old Long Island “townie” Ted Alford has two … Continue reading
Movie Madness and/or Mania: Girls Town (Charles F. Haas, 1959)
While Father Flanagan may have claimed that “there are no bad boys”, its opposite number begs to differ. With a cast led by eternal bad girl Mamie Van Doren, the girls of Girls Town are born to be bad… So … Continue reading
Fridays By Patricia Lee Gauch
For the girls at Calvin Junior High, looking for thrills could mean finding trouble… First off: this is a great cover. The scheming! The outsider! The lurking delinquents! The Mom Jeans! That hair. Aren’t you dying to find out what … Continue reading
The Amboy Dukes By Irving Shulman
Irving Shulman’s novel about delinquent Jewish teenagers in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn was a publishing sensation upon its release in 1947, selling five million copies. It was also widely condemned as “pornographic” and reportedly banned altogether in Canada. Almost … Continue reading
Lost Classics of Teen Lit: 1939-1989 