The drag racing scene in "Rebel Without a Cause" set off a string of B movies about that dangerous sport with some not so bright teenagers risking their lives and the lives of their friends in doing some really stupid stunts that will lead to no good. Critics complained that this film represented the promotion of a fad that shouldn't be exploited onscreen, yet that didn't stop the teenage crowd from going to the drive-ins to see these films. The film itself isn't horrible, but gives cliched views of teens of the time, square parents and an Italian American couple (Grazia Narciso and Tito Vuolo) who get laughs as the stereotypical owners of a pizzeria, providing the comic relief as the overly chatty mama and the quiet papa who gets one very funny moment when he adds presentation to the teen passed out on their floor after being beaten up. Vuolo gets the last line to the nagging Narciso which is very funny and gives the film a satisfying conclusion.
The film's leads are Fay Spain as a young girl who is just as much a speed demon as her boyfriends, Steven Terrell and John Ashley as the rivals for her affections. The opening scene has one of the boys standing between the two cars as it goes down a busy Los Angeles Street, a stunt that with how fast they are going seems impossible to do without falling to a violent and bloody death. Their actions leads to a hit and run, which of course leads to a lot of cover-up and pain for the families of the perpetrator and the victim. The film culminates with a legitimate drag race where the police show up to stop it because of the hit and run. Frank Gorshin (a decade before "Batman") is standout. There's a few moments of the film that do seem to be written with a bit of common sense, but overall it's a silly teen action drama that takes an ironic look at the characters who would probably n9w be great grandparents.
The film's leads are Fay Spain as a young girl who is just as much a speed demon as her boyfriends, Steven Terrell and John Ashley as the rivals for her affections. The opening scene has one of the boys standing between the two cars as it goes down a busy Los Angeles Street, a stunt that with how fast they are going seems impossible to do without falling to a violent and bloody death. Their actions leads to a hit and run, which of course leads to a lot of cover-up and pain for the families of the perpetrator and the victim. The film culminates with a legitimate drag race where the police show up to stop it because of the hit and run. Frank Gorshin (a decade before "Batman") is standout. There's a few moments of the film that do seem to be written with a bit of common sense, but overall it's a silly teen action drama that takes an ironic look at the characters who would probably n9w be great grandparents.