Hot Rod Girl ** (1956, Lori Nelson, Chuck Connors, John Smith, Mark Andrews, Roxanne Arlen, Frank Gorshin) – Classic Movie Review 10,002

‘CHICKEN-RACE … ROCK ‘N ROLL … YOUTH ON THE LOOSE!’

‘ARE THESE OUR CHILDREN? Teenage terrorists tearing up the streets!’

Director Leslie H Martinson’s campy 1956 black and white teensploitation action psychotronic film Hot Rod Girl stars Lori Nelson, Chuck Connors and John Smith.

The then topical plot, written by John McGreevy, is about keeping hot-rodding teens off the city streets and on to the safety of the San Fernando Drag Strip, but an aggressive biker jacket-wearing bully named Bronc Talbott (Mark Andrews) arrives in town, terrorises the teens, appoints himself leader, replacing Jeff (John Smith), and goads them back to street racing.

Carolyn Kearney, Frank Gorshin, and Lori Nelson in Hot Rod Girl (1956).

Produced by Norman T Herman, Hot Rod Girl is released by American International Pictures in a double bill with Girls in Prison.

The main cast are Lori Nelson as Lisa Vernon, Chuck Connors as Detective Ben Merrill, John Smith as Jeff Northrup, Mark Andrews as Bronc Talbott, Roxanne Arlen as L P, Frank Gorshin as Flat Top, Fred Essler as Yo-Yo, Carolyn Kearney as Judy, Eddie Ryder as Two Tanks, Del Erickson as Steve Northrup, Russell Thorson (credited as Russ Logan) as Captain Logan and Dabbs Greer as Henry Frye.

Roxanne Arlen and Eddie Ryder in Hot Rod Girl (1956).

It is Frank Gorshin’s debut but Mark Andrews and Roxanne Arlen had appeared in earlier films despite their ‘introducing’ credits.

Hot Rod Girl was shot at Hancock Park in Los Angeles, Larchmont Village and San Fernando, California, the site of the then new San Fernando Drag Strip. It opened in 1955 and closed in 1970.

It was distributed in the UK on 24 June 1956 by Anglo Amalgamated with cuts for a U-certificate.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,002

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