Released by: MGM Limited Edition Collection
Released on: 5/16/2011
Director: Edward Bernds
Cast: Yvonne Lime, Brett Halsey, Jana Lund
Year: 1958
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The Movie:
Edward Bernds 1958 B-movie High School Hellcats tells the tale of Joyce Martin (Yvonne Lime), a pretty blonde teenager whose family has just moved to a new town. On her first day at school she meets Connie Harris (Jana Lund), the tough talking leader of a girl gang known as The Hellcats who meet on a regular basis in the ladies lounge of an abandoned movie theater. Connie tells Joyce in no uncertain terms that she definitely will want to be a member of their gang, otherwise no one will like her and she won't get any dates with boys. When Connie plays a prank on Joyce and convinces her to wear slacks to school knowing full well it's against the school's dress code, the poor girl flips out and cuts class, opting to hide out at a local cafe. There she meets the dreamy soda jerk, a hamburger loving nice guy named Mike Landers (Brett Halsey), who she eventually warms to and who she starts to date secretly so that neither her parents nor the Hellcats will find out.
Joyce is starting to slip under Connie's influence, however. It starts with the theft of a $1.99 pair of earrings but culminates in a scene where she and a few other kids head to a party held at the house of a couple out of town for a month. Here these no good kids chug Pabst Blue Ribbon and do the twist until, when the lights go off, someone winds up dead, seemingly much to the delight of Hellcat's second in command, Dolly Crane (Suzanne Sydney)!
A movie immortalized to those with good taste in the song of the same name by The Cramps, this seventy minute movie zips by at a great pace and is a fun watch right from the get go. Not without a certain amount of semi-innocent sex appeal, the girls all strut about in tight sweaters, dolled up and looking good, all the while keeping the guys at just enough of a distance so as not to run into any problems of the carnal kind (despite some mild groping at the party scene). Most of the film's enjoyment comes from the dialogue, however, particularly when it comes to Connie whose tough talking bad attitude ensures that she steals the show.
Definitely made to cash in on the increasing teen movie-going market that made AIP loads of money decades back, this is a typical teen angst picture in that the parents don't understand the characters, the perfect case in point being Joyce's mother (Viola Harris, who just can't shake her addiction to her bridge club?) and father (Don Shelton), the latter of whom slaps his offspring at one point for wandering around the house in a slip. Thankfully there's a kindly social studies teacher in the form of Trudy Davis (Rhoda Williams) for Joyce to confide in. Lots of people smoke at inappropriate moments, the movie features a great score full of some dramatic stings, and the cast are all a lot of fun here.
Video/Audio/Extras:
MGM's 1.33.1 fullframe widescreen transfer looks very good and despite the fact that this probably played theaters in a wider aspect ratio, there aren't any obvious cropping or framing problems and the compositions appear fine. The black and white image does show some minor wear and tear and some scenes show a tiny bit more print damage than others for some reason but overall the image is very stable and generally quite crisp, detailed and clean. Contrast is decent, black levels reasonably solid though never quite reference quality - nothing to complain about here, really, and quite a nice transfer overall.
The only audio option on the disc is an English language Dolby Digital Mono track, there are no alternate language tracks or subtitles provided. The clarity is generally fine, though there are bits that sound a little flat, which likely stems back to the source. Minor hiss is present once or twice but if you're not listening for it you probably won't be bothered by it.
The disc includes a static menu, chapter selection and… that's it.
The Final Word:
Saucy, sexy and stupid, High School Hellcats is a blast from the past well worth revisiting for fans of fifties era teen angst and girl gang high jinks. MGM's MOD DVD-R looks and sounds very good, though the absence of any extras at all is a disappointment. Still, this is a definite upgrade from the VHS release and fans of the film will appreciate it.