The Violent Years
The Violent Years is a 1956 American exploitation movie starring Jean Moorhead as Paula Parkins, the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquent high school girls. Ed Wood, Jr., the director of Glen or Glenda and Plan 9 from Outer Space, wrote the screenplay. It was originally titled Teenage Girl Gang. Star Jean Moorhead was the Playboy Playmate for October 1955.
| The Violent Years | |
|---|---|
 theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | William Morgan |
| Written by | Ed Wood |
| Produced by | Roy Reid |
| Starring | Jean Moorhead |
| Cinematography | William C. Thompson |
| Edited by | Gerard Wilson |
Production company | Premier Productions |
| Distributed by | Headliner Productions |
Release date | 1956 |
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cast
change- Jean Moorhead 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
Story
changePaula Parkins gets her kicks leading a gang of bored young women in criminal activities. The gang dresses in men's clothes, robs gas stations, and terrorizes couples in a local lovers' lane. Paula even rapes a young man.
Paula and her pals wreck a few classrooms in a public school. The police arrive and a deadly shootout takes place. Two members of Paula's gang are killed. Paula shoots and kills a policeman.
Paula is captured, convicted, and dies in the hospital giving birth to the child she conceived during the rape. Paula's parents are denied custody of their daughter's baby because they did a poor job of raising Paula.
Reviews
changePatrick McKinnon writes, "There are some movies that shouldn't be watched alone or sober. This is one of them. It makes you want to go back in time and beat Ed Wood Jr. to death with one of his own angora sweaters."[1]
Notes
change- ↑ "Bad Movie Review - The Violent Years". Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
References
change- The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson
- Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992) ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8