Jail Bait

Plot synopsis:
In the opening shot, a police car moves through the streets of Alhambra, California. The car stops at a police station, and the officers inside it transport their drunk prisoner to the station. Inside the station, Marilyn Gregor (Dolores Fuller) meets with Inspector Johns (Lyle Talbot) and Lt. Bob Lawrence (Steve Reeves). Through their discussion, the viewers learn that her brother Don Gregor (Clancy Malone) had been arrested for carrying an unlicensed handgun. She has just posted bail for him, and the two officers warn her that she would forfeit if her brother fails to show up for his trial. They release her brother, but they refuse Don's request to return his handgun. As the Gregor siblings leave, John Muses about the son of a great doctor being a jerk. Lawrence suggests it could be a result of the "sins of the father". Johns suspects the young man was an associate of gangster Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell).The Gregor siblings return home and Don immediately heads for the liquor cabinet in the living room, pouring himself a drink. He then reminds Marilyn that he is a legal adult, and claims to know what he in doing. Both statements aim to prevent Marilyn from lecturing him on his behavior. They briefly argue and she breaks his glass. Afterwards, Don opens a book safe and retrieves a hidden revolver. As he prepares to leave, Don has a chance encounter with his father Dr. Boris Gregor (Herbert Rawlinson) at the front door. The son exits into the night, while the father enters the home. As his daughter pours a drink for him, the Doctor reveals that he is already aware of Don's association with Vic Brady and his recent arrest. Inspector Johns had notified him with a phone call. But he is not particularly worried, feeling that everything will work out in the end. He blames Don's current behavior on the premature death of Mrs. Gregor and his own upbringing having had the unintentional effect of spoiling the boy.While Marilyn expresses concern over the influence of Brady on Don, her father continues to drink. He then heads for the book safe and discovers that the revolver is missing. He seems aware of his son's secrets, despite his apparent denial concerning his criminal tendencies.The scene shifts to the Hunters' Inn, a local dive bar in nearby Temple City, California, where Don and Brady meet. Don receives his share of the money for his role in a recent robbery. They are then joined by Johns and Lawrence, and briefly "cops" and "crooks" (as they call each other) drink together. The policemen provoke Don into a confrontation, and he knocks over Johns' drink. As the officers intended, this gives them the excuse to frisk him. They fail to find the revolver, as he had earlier offered it to Brady for safekeeping. John orders both criminals to leave the bar and they obey.Outside the bar, Brady chastises Don for his impulsive behavior with the officers. Don wants revenge against Johns, but Brady dismisses the idea and reminds his partner that they have other plans. They are going to rob the payroll of the Monterey Theater, though Don has his doubts about the plan.At the Gregor House, Marilyn has changed into her nightgown while her father sleeps in an armchair, probably drunk. She wakes him up to discuss their concern over Don's nocturnal activities. The father states that he can't see his own son as a wrongdoer. But he also expresses guilt over his own failure as a father.In the theater, Cotton Watts performs in blackface. After his act, which involves comedy, dancing, and orchestra music, the theater closes for the night. Brady and Don break into the closed theater and ambush the nightwatchman (Bud Osborne). The nightwatchman is forced at gunpoint to open the safe for the criminals. At this point Miss Willis (Mona McKinnon), a bookkeeper, end her shift and attempts to leave the building. She startles the criminals, and the robbery starts having casualties. Don shoots and kills the nightwatchman, while Brady shoots the fleeing woman in the back. Afterwards Brady collects their loot while Don seems to be in shock over his own actions. The two criminals flee while police sirens are heard approaching the theater. A short car chase scene follows, with the driving Brady managing to lead their car to safety.At the theater, a doctor examines the wounded Willis, while Johns receives the basic information on the case: robbery, murder, and attempted murder. The nightwatchman is identified as a recently retired veteran of the police force, who took his last the job just to relieve his boredom. The officers decide to treat this case as one involving cop killers. The press has already arrived at the murder scene, in the person of a female reporter (Regina Claire) and her photographer.Brady leads Don to the residence of his gun moll, Loretta (Tedi Thurman). While he explains their situation to her, Don leaves unnoticed. When Loretta notices his absence, Brady decides to search for him. The following night, Don wanders the streets until deciding to visit his father's office. He confesses the murder to his father, and the doctor urges him to surrender to the police. The guilt-ridden Don agrees to do so eventually, but wishes for more time to think things through. His father helps him escape the arriving police. While fleeing Don is captured by Brady, who drives him back to Loretta's residence. The three of them listen to the radio, where the case of Paul McKenna (the nightwatchman)'s murder is covered and both their names are announced as murder suspects. Also mentioned in the broadcast is that Don is the son of a famous plastic surgeon. Don repeatedly expresses his decision to surrender and face the consequences of his actions. Fearing for his own safety, Brady kills his partner. The corpse is temporarily stored behind a curtain.An argument between Brady and Loretta follows. She accuses him of destroying everything and everybody that comes in contact with him, while Brady reminds her that he once rescued her from the gutter. He insists that she should stay by his side to the end. The two end the argument in an embrace. At this point, Brady conceives a plan to elude the police by undergoing plastic surgery. He contacts Dr. Gregor, claiming that he is holding Don hostage until plastic surgery is completed. The doctor decides to have Marilyn assist him, since she is a trained nurse.Several days later, Lawrence attempt to romance Marilyn, with the ulterior motive of seeking further information on Don. She coldly turns him down. Later than night, Brady, the doctor, Loretta, and Marilyn gather in preparation of the operation. Brady expresses his distrust of the Gregors and has to be convinced that anesthesia is necessary. With Brady sedated, Don searches Loretta's residence for a water basin. He finds it, but also finds Don's stored corpse. He keeps this a secret and maintains a facade of calmness while performing and completing the operation. He claims that the bandages covering Brady's face have to stay on for two weeks. The necessity of a second visit saves his life and that of his daughter, as Loretta had orders to kill them both once the operation was over.Two weeks later, Brady and Loretta arrive to the Gregor residence on schedule. But so do Johns and Lawrence, who were both summoned by the doctor. They want to know who the bandaged man is. When Brady's bandages are removed..... his new face is revealed to be modeled after that of Don. Besides the Doctor, everyone else considers him to be the wanted murderer. And the Doctor claims that the man is his son. A horrified Brady/Don attempts to flee and is killed in a shootout with the police. His dying body falls into a swimming pool.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder

Review:
Horrible, but In A Good Way. Last night I decided to watch Ed Wood's crime film, "Jail Bait." Now, much like Wood's other films, the storyline, acting, direction, music and just about everything else are completely weak.
A lot of people like to go on about how Ed Wood is the worst director of all time, but how can this be when he's made movies that so many people have enjoyed?
I have just watched "Jail Bait", his attempt to make a serious film-noir, and I really laughed along its 72 minutes running time.
'Jail Bait', directed by the legendary Ed Wood, is an enjoyably bad attempt at Film Noir on a shoestring budget.
The cast includes Lyle Talbot, Dolores Fuller and Timothy Farrell from Wood's classic 'Glen Or Glenda', as well as a very early appearance by Steve Reeves.
Brady has corrupted Fuller's brother Don (Clancy Malone) the middle class son of a world renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Boris Gregor (Herbert Rawlinson).
The combination of Wood's trademark lousy dialogue and the stilted performances of the actors (especially Malone and Fuller) with Farrell's hammy Vic Brady and the nutty denouement make 'Jail Bait' a lot of fun to watch..
It's always sad to see competent actors who once had careers, end up in this manner.If you have never seen an Ed Wood film, put this one on your "must see list"..........really all of his films are "must sees" if you are a fan of "so bad that they are good" movies.
This movie is basically about a son of a famous plastic surgeon who causes trouble by carrying a gun and eventually ends up killing somebody when he was with his partner in crime.
Also, Timothy Farrell stars as partner in crime Vic Brady, and his performance is the funniest especially after he says lines like "let's unwraps the Christmas presents and see the presents inside." (Tim would later star in a terrible movie, The Violent Years, another "rich kid gone bad story") Other lines include "plastic surgery can be strenuous and very, very complicating" and "carrying a gun can be dangerous business, miss." Other humor in this film are included in the scenes themselves.
In addition, you'll also see a stupid dance sequence (I saw the director's cut) You should also watch out for this annoying guitar theme that is played throughout the entire movie.My overall opinion though is that this is an entertaining movie because it was so bad (not to mention the obvious ending) It really didn't bore me as much as other trash flicks.
It's practically a manual on how NOT to make a noir: despite a generous dose of hard-boiled - yet godawful - dialogue (particularly in the scenes depicting the gangster's constant bickering with his moll), the film has absolutely no sense of atmosphere, a headache-inducing and inappropriate score, an irrelevant musical number (in blackface, to boot!) and some of the worst, most amateurish acting you're ever likely to see!
Perhaps the main culprit in this regard is elderly Herbert Rawlinson (who, amazingly, kept working on such rubbish when he was dying of lung cancer and, in fact, kicked the bucket a day after production wrapped!) as an eminent surgeon who has to contend with a delinquent son; the latter gets embroiled in armed robbery and murder and is subsequently killed by his associate, after the surgeon persuades him to give himself up to the Police.
However, the gangster blackmails the old man into doing a makeshift job of plastic surgery in order to avoid capture - but, in perhaps the most uproarious scene of the entire film, the doctor discovers his son's corpse in the gangster's kitchen, without so much as a reaction, and decides to turn the tables on him.
The cops arrive but Don and Vic shake them after a languid car chase that (maybe because Ed Wood forgot to get a shooting permit and didn't want anyone to know he was making a movie) obeys all traffic laws.
Justice having been done, we can all shake our heads ruefully and go home.An essentially unremarkable cops-and-robbers potboiler, Jail Bait is pretty good evidence that Ed Wood gets far too much credit for making bad films.
Though Wood's dialogue delivers the occasional trademark nonsequitur-when a police inspector (Lyle Talbot) explains to Marilyn that "carrying a gun can be dangerous business," she rejoins that "building a skyscraper" can be dangerous business, too, thus demonstrating that she's missed his point entirely-by and large this movie is marginally competent.
When Doc and Marilyn are preparing to meet with Vic for the first time the movie seems to consider pursuing this idea seriously-Marilyn, wanting only to protect Don, drops another in an apparently interminable supply of handguns into her purse-but once there the gun never resurfaces so the movie never makes good on its promise to transform Marilyn into a murderous fiend once she decides to pack heat.Don't be fooled by the tagline-underage girls are not the "jail bait" of this movie's title.
Ed Woods was in love with the movies and no matter what people thought about him and his films he just got pure enjoyment out of making them; and that after all is what entertainment is all about..
Before we analyze whether this movie is great or just really good, let's mention Herbert Rawlinson who plays the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Gregor.
Not that Bill Holden wasn't good, just that Steve looked like a boytoy at the time and it would have been a daring casting choice.Ed Wood understood what was needed in a movie.
Brady shoots him and hides his body behind a curtain in his kitchen.Wishing to disappear to escape the police, Brady enlists the help of Gregor's father, a plastic surgeon who admits, "Plastic surgery, at times, seems to me to be very, VERY complicated." The surgeon shows up to give Brady his new face, but when he finds his son's dead body STANDING(???) behind a curtain in the kitchen, he decides to have a little fun with Brady instead.
Two weeks later, Brady's bandages come off, and he's horrified to find whose face is underneath."Jail Bait," Ed Wood's attempt at gangster film noir, is unintentionally silly, ludicrous, and terribly enjoyable.
Ed Wood is mostly known for his complete ineptness behind (and in front of) the camera in such "bad" film "classics" as "Glen or Glenda" "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space." However, Wood's brief foray into film noir, "Jail Bait", is notable for a few reasons.
A necessary rental for Ed Wood or "bad movie" fans, and possibly an educational video on how NOT to do film noir..
Yes. 1954's "Jail Bait" (with its cardboard sets, its poverty-row production values, its cheap atmosphere, etc., etc.) is a perfect example of cinematic ineptitude like no other - But, hey, that's because it's an Ed Wood picture (which, pretty much, explains everything).
And being an Ed Wood production, I don't think that it could (or should) be any other way.Apparently inspired by the TV show "Dragnet", within the first 10 minutes of Jail Bait's dry and clumsy story of murder, robbery and plastic surgery miracles, you'll be glad to know that this film's running time is only a mere 70 minutes.
I actually think this is one of the best bad/good films Wood ever did.
Wood Jr. managed to make so many films, you would think that his career would have stopped after the first one, I guess is that he just always worked with the same actors who would play there parts for almost nothing, he also would have a budget that was enough for him to by a nice pair of shoes and lunch.
The police in the people of Lyle Talbot and Steve Reeves investigate this one like Osborne was still on active duty.This is as far as I go, the film takes some bizarre twists that only the mind of an Ed Wood could conceive.When I say Steve Reeves that is indeed the original Hercules.
It all turns out horribly  of course  in an outrageous ending that Ed cribbed from a 30s potboiler, but ultimately makes it all Wood.On the trail of the cop killers is dependable Ed Wood regular Lyle Talbot (Glen Or Glenda, Plan 9) as Inspector Johns, and a surprise early appearance by bodybuilder and future Hercules star Steve Reeves as his Lieutenant.
Yet, the fact that Ed Wood was a one of a kind auteur and his vision comes shining through makes the film totally enjoyable -- at least for any movie fan.I think the film is really good for film-making 101 classes.
Many times, if I'm watching an Ed Wood movie and something inexplicable comes across the screen, I can usually take a deep breath and say to myself, "Well, at least I can see what he's *trying* to say." But when I was bludgeoned with an old Vaudvillian sketch in the middle of "Jail Bait" for seemingly no reason, I was speechless.
Finally, I had seen something in and Ed Wood movie that I couldn't explain.This scene is probably a good reason this film never ended up on MST3K.
'Jail Bait' has much more coherent story line and consistent script than we are used from Ed Wood movie.
Thanks to tight writing 'Jail Bait' is more serious in tone and offers less unintentional comedy and as that it just stays a badly made film-noir, but stands as 'best' film directed by infamous Ed Wood.The film's score with its pseudo flamenco guitar and obnoxious piano pounding takes off lot of tension from several scenes and adds some weird atmosphere to the movie.
The mood of otherworldly is enhanced by that, that all the action takes place at night time and we see California without sunshine - dark and murky place instead of bright scenery we are used to.'Jail Bait' has its charm and it is entertaining to watch wooden actors sleepwalking through bad dialogue and unbelievable procedures (plastic surgery done on the living room sofa without almost no medical equipment).
I had heard of Ed Wood from people in the past so I never looked for any of his movies.If people talk about him, he must suck.Boy was I ever right.I didn't search for this movie and didn't know it was a Wood movie until the opening credits.This movie takes place in a world where everyone has thirty foot high ceilings and a liquor stand/bar type thing.Everyone wears a suit, even when they are out committing crimes.They even put their tie back on before they leave jail when they get bailed out.The main character is a guy named Don Gregor and that's funny to me because I know a girl named Dawn Gregor.The only good thing in the movie happens rather early.We are treated to a great performance by a man in blackface.It has absolutely nothing to do with the story either.None of the characters where there watching him.It was blackface just for the fun of it.So Don's dad is a plastic surgeon who carries a house call bag with him.Because that makes sense.Anyway, Don and a friend decide to rob a theater late at night and of course the door is unlocked.His friend says the guard will know the combination to the safe.The only guard in the history of the world who would have the safe combination.And the guard does know it.Don kills the guard and you immediately hear police sirens.Then they get chased by the cops at a blistering twenty miles an hour and have no trouble eluding them.Even though no one saw who shot the guard, the radio news announces that Don did it.So Don goes to his dad's office in the middle of the night and dad and his secretary are there!Then the cops show up and they know everything.It was literally dark through the entire movie and everyone in the world was wide awake.Did I mention that there was lame flamenco guitar and piano in the background through the entire movie?As if that wasn't bad enough, the ending was even worse.And why does the DVD cover have a man with a bandaged face in a jail cell?That never even happened.Never see this..
The police detective asks the woman who works at the theater two or three times, is she SURE she saw Don Gregor actually shoot the night watchman, and she insists yes, she did.
Brady is played by dependable D-grade movie sleaze, and frequent Woodworker, Tim Farrell.If you are familiar with Ed's oeuvre or simply like bad films, Jail Bait is great.
The acting is what you would expect from an Ed Wood movie, the music is stock (and terrible and repetitive), and the direction is poor, however it's the plot of this movie that sets it apart from his other films.
This bad dude subsequently forces the dead guy's father – a plastic surgeon – into giving him a new face, and hence different identity.Many of the cast from Wood's earlier Glen or Glenda return here.
When Dolores Fuller and Theodora Thurman engage in a conversation towards the end of the film it's a bad acting master class; at moments like this Wood's movies create their own hyper-reality of the absurd, where almost anything ridiculous seems possible.
It's hilariously omnipresent.Jail Bait is full of the kind of things that make Ed Wood movies fun.
I have to admit I saw the end coming but even still, I thought it was pretty good plotting except for the fact that the surgeon would have tipped off the cops that his son was being held, rather than waiting two weeks.
Jail Bait while having a lot of continuity errors is also one of Wood's better-looking movies, the camera work is not as static and the sets not as wobbly.
The adult son of a respected plastic surgeon falls into a life of crime and winds up killing a former cop while pulling off a payroll heist with his mentor, small time hood Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell).
The picture even takes it's name from a line from Don Gregor's sister Marilyn (Dolores Fuller), admonishing her brother about his association with Brady - "You know that gun is jail bait!"On top of that, did you ever expect to see the future Hercules in this flick?
The hit-or-miss acting is likewise a lot of fun: Lyle Talbot does well as no-nonsense Inspector Johns, lovely blonde Dolores Fuller ain't half bad as Don's concerned girlfriend Marilyn Cooper, and legendary muscleman Steve Reeves in his less-than-sterling film debut as Johns' hopelessly stolid partner Lt. Bob Lawrence gives a performance that's so incredibly stiff and wooden you could use it as an ironing board (Steve even goes shirtless once to show off his admittedly impressive six-pack for no real credible reason as well!).
Lyle Talbot plays Inspector Johns and Steve Reeves as Lt. Bob Lawrence close in on a young man(Clancy Malone), the son of a prominent plastic surgeon(Herbert Rawlinson), who after hanging with a small time criminal(Timothy Farrell)is wanted for murder.
The cast includes Steve "Hercules" Reeves and Wood mainstays Lyle Talbot, Dolores Fuller, and Timothy Farrell.
Factor in the repetitive, mariachi-styled film score, and I knew I was in for one Edwoodian good time!Career criminal Vic Brady (Farrell) draws young Don Gregor into a life of crime.
Dolores Fuller plays Marilyn, whose brother Don, is involved with "big time" gangster Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell).
He had been in films from the earliest times and unfortunately died soon after the film was made.Surrounded by hacks and amateurs Lyle Talbot (as a police chief) comes across as an award winning actor.Herbert Rawlinson, being Dr. Gregor, the world famous plastic surgeon - it is a piece of cake to perform "major and dangerous" plastic surgery on a living room couch using a bowl of hot water and not much else.The ending has to be seen to be believed.
The next movie in my Ed Wood box that I did not see was Jail Bait, one of the smaller treasures and not so well known films of his since he was more known for bad movies which is sad.
Jail Bait, I wasn't sure what to expect, but honestly I was wondering if it was about underage sexual acts since I know Ed Wood ended up directing porn, I didn't know if he had a thing with weird sexual stuff.
Ed Wood proves that he was meant for film with this piece.Don Gregor, the son of a plastic surgeon, is jailed by the police for carrying an unlicensed handgun.
See, most of Ed Wood films I'm expecting something really bad, but Jail Bait took me by surprise with the writing and actors.
However, Jail Bait is a small treasure that I would recommend for anyone who loves film, given the proper chance, this is a good movie.6/10.
"Jail Bait" is another El Stinko Ed Wood movie, probably only good viewing for those cold snowy nights with nothing to do.
It's then that Brady comes up with this ingenious plan to have Don's father rearrange his mug, or face, where no one at the scene of the robbery and cop shooting at the Monterey Theater could possibly identify him!With Don's body now deep sixth at the bottom of the lake and nobody knowing that he's dead Brady and his loyal, despite his constantly abusing her, gun moll Loretta, Theodora Thurman, trick Dr. Gregor together with his daughter Marilyn (Dolores Fulle), who also happens to be his nurse, to operate on him if he ever want's to see his son, and Marilyn's brother, alive again!***SPOILERS*** Even though the film "Jail Bait" was pretty interesting up to the point of Brady's operation the out of the blue ending was the cherry on top of the birthday cake.
"Jail Bait" also happened to be Rawlinson last movie appearance in him suddenly passing away on July 12, 1953 the very day that he completed his scenes in the film!