Untamed Youth **½ (1957, Mamie Van Doren, Lori Nelson, Lurene Tuttle, John Russell, Don Burnett) – Classic Movie Review 4863

Director Howard W Koch’s 1957 rock ‘n’ roll, juvenile delinquency, youth drama exploitation movie, written by John C. Higgins and Stephen Longstreet, stars Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson as American starstruck sisters Penny and Jane Lowe.

Alas, Penny and Jane are arrested for the crimes of hitchhiking and skinny dipping and sentenced by Judge Cecilia Steele (Lurene Tuttle) to labour on a rural Texas farm for corrupt agricultural magnate Russ Tropp (John Russell).

The middle-aged widowed judge, who is dating Tropp, is unaware of the treatment of the prisoners, until her son Bob (Don Burnett) is hired to work at the farm and uncovers a wicked scam. The evil Tropp marries the judge to ensure a regular supply of cheap labour. Bob falls for Jane, but Penny wants a showbiz career. It’s a good, unusual, well worked-out plot.

The film features Eddie Cochran as Bong, one of prisoners in the farm camp, and he performs the song ‘Cottonpicker’ on screen.

Van Doren became the first actress to sing rock ‘n roll in an American musical film, performing four songs, ‘Salamander’, ‘Oobala Baby’, ‘Rolling Stone’ and ‘Go, Go, Calypso’. Cochran co-wrote ‘Oobala Baby’ with Les Baxter, Lenny Adelson, and Jerry Capehart.

It is written by John C Higgins based on a story by Stephen Longstreet.

It was released in 1957 in a double bill with Hell’s Crossroads (1957) with Robert Vaughn.

This is the movie that Mamie Van Doren (born Joan Lucille Olander on 6 February 1931) is perhaps best remembered for. Here she is at the launch of her wine brand in 2007. It pays to advertise.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4863

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