''The Violent Years'' is a 1956 American

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

directed by William Morgan and starring

Jean Moorhead Alma Jean Moorhead (born February 4, 1935) is an American retired actress and model. Billed under an alternatively spelled surname, Jean Moorehead, she was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for the October 1955 issue. Her centerfold ...

as Paula Parkins, the leader of a gang of

juvenile delinquent Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

high school girls. The film is notable for having an uncredited

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

as the author of its screenplay. It was released in 1956 on a double bill with the German import ''

Conchita and the Engineer ''Conchita and the Engineer'' (german: Conchita und der Ingenieur), a.k.a. ''Macumba'', is a 1954 Brazilian-German adventure film directed by Franz Eichhorn and Hans Hinrich and starring Paul Hartmann, Vanja Orico and Robert Freitag. It was base ...

'' (aka ''Macumba'').

Plot

The gang's core members—besides Paula—are Georgia, Phyllis, and Geraldine ("George", "Phil", and "Gerry" for short). (The film implies that Sheila is in league with the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

and their anti-American movement.) Gerry and Phil are fatally shot while fleeing the wrecked school; Paula herself guns down one of the cops. Seeking refuge from the police, George and Paula return to Sheila's, where they report their wrecking of the school. But Sheila, who never had any intention of paying the girls, attempts to have them arrested as "loose ends"; as she reaches for the phone, Paula shoots and kills her. A highway patrolman notices the girls driving Sheila's car and wearing clothes from her wardrobe. In the heat of the ensuing car chase, the girls crash their car through a store's plate-glass window; George is killed and Paula is hospitalized. Because Paula is a minor and therefore ineligible for the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, the judge sentences her to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. However, Paula gets a reprieve of sorts...dying from the complications of giving birth to a child she accidentally conceived during her make-out party with Sheila's fellow mobsters. The judge who delivered Paula's conviction also denies Jane and Carl custody of their granddaughter, based on the neglectful way they raised Paula. The cynical tag line "So what?" is used repeatedly by the girls to underscore their uncaring,

nihilistic Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning of life, meaning. The term was pop ...

attitude.

Cast

as Paula Parkins * Barbara Weeks as Jane Parkins * Arthur Millan as Carl Parkins * Theresa Hancock as Georgia * Glen Corbett as Barney Stetson * Joanne Cangi as Geraldine * Gloria Farr as Phyllis * Lee Constant as Sheila * I. Stanford Jolley as Judge Clara * Timothy Farrell as Lt. Holmes * F. Chan McClure as Det. Artman * Bruno Metsa as Manny * Harry Keaton as Doctor

Production

*The screenplay, originally titled ''Teenage Girl Gang'', was written (without billing) by

Edward D. Wood, Jr. Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

, the director of ''

Glen or Glenda ''Glen or Glenda'' is a 1953 American exploitation film directed, written by and starring Ed Wood (credited in his starring role as "Daniel Davis"), and featuring Wood's then-girlfriend Dolores Fuller and Bela Lugosi. It was produced by George We ...

'' and ''

Plan 9 from Outer Space ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' is a 1957 American independent science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and had a theatrical preview screening on March 15 ...

''. ''The Violent Years'' was the most financially successful film with creative input from Ed Wood. *Star

was the

Playboy Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

for October 1955. The film's working title was "Teenage Killers". Although the opening credits indicate that Headliner Productions copyrighted the film in 1956, it is not included in the Copyright Catalog. ''The Violent Years'' was actually based on the story by Roy Reid.

Critical reception

Film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

savaged the picture: "Tawdry and preachy, with wooden-Indian acting all around...Fans of the one, the only, Ed Wood are in for a treat; however, if it's another '' Clockwork Orange'' you're expecting, bring plenty of salt!" ''Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide''

In popular culture

The

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

band

Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

incorporated many lines of the film's dialogue in their song "So What?" from the 1989 album ''

The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'' is the fourth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on November 14, 1989 by Sire Records. The music took a more hardcore, aggressively guitar-driven direction, with Jourgens ...

''. Long stretches of the judge's monologue are used in two different parts of the song ("you have had all that money can give you...", "kill for a thrill", etc), as well as multiple characters' readings of the song's titular line. The film was mocked on a 1994 episode of ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'' ( Season 6, Episode 10). Subjects for jokes included the occasionally wooden acting, the same car-on-road shots being repeated, and the judge's rambling closing monologue.

Home media

The film was released on VHS several times, including a release under Rhino's "Teenage Theater" banner- hosted by Mamie Van Doren. The film received several DVD releases of varying quality, one from

Something Weird Video Something Weird Video is an American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis. Ins ...

, as part of the Ed Wood box set ''Big Box of Wood'', and the box set of vintage exploitation films called ''Girls Gone Bad''. In 2017, the film was released on Blu-ray through a partnership by

and the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) including a commentary track from

Frank Henenlotter Frank Henenlotter (born August 29, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter and film historian. He is known primarily for directing horror comedies, especially '' Basket Case'' (1982), ''Brain Damage'' (1988), and ''Frankenhooker'' (199 ...

and

Rudolph Grey Rudolph Grey is a musician and the biographer of filmmaker Ed Wood. As an electric guitarist, Grey has recorded and performed with Mars, under his own name, as well as leading various ad hoc ensembles called The Blue Humans. His music draws on ...

References

* ''The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson *

, ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1992)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Violent Years, The 1956 films 1956 crime drama films 1950s teen drama films American black-and-white films American exploitation films American crime drama films Films with screenplays by Ed Wood Films directed by William Morgan (director) American teen drama films Articles containing video clips Films about juvenile delinquency 1950s English-language films 1950s American films