Dangerous Years

Billy Halop is being tried for murder in the first degree, As the trial advances, information comes out. Some of it is not presented to the court, but in private conversation. If this somewhat preachy but ultimately kind-hearted courtroom drama is remembered, it is as the first movie that Marilyn Monroe appeared in. If you look, you can recognize her, as the blonde waitress at the roadhouse in a couple of shots. As for the other performers, among the adult performers, Jerome Cowan has a nice non-comedic role as Halop's defense attorney, and Nana Bryant is sweet as a nurse from an orphanage. The movie is littered with past and current juvenile performers, including Scottie Beckett, Ann E. Todd, Darryl Hickman, and Dickie Moore. I think the presence of these players is to underscore the message of Cowan's closing argument, that some youngsters get the break of loving parents, and others don't, and the latter often turn out bad; it's the unloved who deserve a break. Perhaps these performers are there to emphasize that message to the audience.

This movie wasn't very exciting nor was the acting in it as well. I had picked this movie up at a pawn shop while I was buying strings for my guitar and decided to watch it because I had heard Marilyn Monroe was in it. It was the typical teenage movie where it displays the slums looking like San Francisco and made the teenagers all have New York accents and bad attitudes. I felt I was robbed when I noticed that Marilyn had a bit part in the movie and her name was called only once. I despise movies that promise the settings will be better the plot doesn't move you at all. The scriptwriter doesn't know how to write anything. This movie really should of stayed back in the pawn shop where I first found it.

A whole lot of Hollywood's best known juvenile actors got into this film about juvenile delinquency post World War II. It could have should have been a whole lot better. High school teacher Donald Curtis starts a boys club in his town. But some of the followers have slipped away courtesy of a new juke joint that is catering to the young. Who;'s leading them away is new arrival Billy Halop who recruits some of them in a heist gang he's organized. Trying to stop a heist and save his kids Curtis is shot dead and Halop the only legal adult is put on trial. The trial takes up the bulk of this short film. There are so many extraneous issues and situations brought in he whole thing became ridiculous. A lot of talent wasted here.

I disagree with that reviewer who didn't think very highly on this film. I found this quite powerful and moving film about juvenile criminality and while watching it, I couldn't help thinking that back in those days (in 1947) films were usually well written,contrary nowadays when sometimes I wonder did they have an actual script at all...The message of this films was well delivered and the result was actually genially moving! Yeah, then the other aspect of this film is the fact that it was the second film featuring the young Marilyn Monroe (the third if you count the SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM, I believe there exists some controversy about Marilyn actually being in it). Marilyn was still very young and has that same kind of glowing presence and still a little timid charm as in the LADIES OF THE CHORUS, her next film. Yeah, it's a bit part, but still a whole character with some lines - much more appealing and also more interesting than, say "Polly" in the FIREBALL...