This movie has something to offend everyone (especially those interested in the art of filmmaking).
Gerald Mohr plays a detective who sends two cops undercover at the local high school. The cops are played by Mark Damon and Douglas Hume. Their job is to find out who or what is causing racial disturbances at the school. Damon is supposed to pretend he is half Mexican and half black. The makeup man tries to convince us by giving Damon's face the George Hamilton look. Hume is just supposed to pretend he's a white guy. As is usual in films of this type, all the "kids" look about ten years older than they are supposed to be
There are three gangs at the school: the Royals (white dudes), the Ebonys (black dudes), and the Caballeros (Mexican dudes). For some strange reason, they just all can't get along. Damon tries to get in with the Caballeros, but he is shunned because he is part black. He can't get in with the Ebonys because he is part Mexican. Along the way, we are treated to racial slurs which would be excised from films today. And everybody packs a switchblade.
Rita Moreno plays a Mexican whose brother is the leader of the Caballeros. When her boyfriend is killed, suspicion falls on her brother (but we already know who the real culprit is). Moreno looks great; too bad she is stuck in this piece of crap - fortunately, West Side Story was just around the corner. Dyan Cannon (billed as Dianne) has a small but meaty role as a character named "Wiggles." Use your imagination. Here, Cannon looks uncannily like my favorite B-movie tramp, Yvette Vickers. The most repulsive character in the film is played by Richard Rust, who is the leader of the Royals. He is so low that he foists some marijuana on a couple of little black kids.
Oh, back to the plot. Turns out some fat guy is selling the grass to the schoolkids, with Rust's assistance. Tubby's theory is that if he can incite the schoolkids to violence, they will buy his stash to get high for the rumbles. This is what passes for entrepreneurship in the 1960s.
The final rumble involves the Royals, the Caballeros, the two undercover cops, plus Moreno and her onscreen father, played by character actor Jay Novello. The fat guy ends up handcuffed to a lawn jockey. Damon and Moreno make nice to each other. Mohr tells everyone to wise up.
Several scenes were obviously added to this film after its initial release. Most seem to involve Hume walking into a room unannounced and coming across some scantily clad dames making out with guys. My guess is that the film was then re-released to sleazy drive-ins. It should have been incinerated instead.
Gerald Mohr plays a detective who sends two cops undercover at the local high school. The cops are played by Mark Damon and Douglas Hume. Their job is to find out who or what is causing racial disturbances at the school. Damon is supposed to pretend he is half Mexican and half black. The makeup man tries to convince us by giving Damon's face the George Hamilton look. Hume is just supposed to pretend he's a white guy. As is usual in films of this type, all the "kids" look about ten years older than they are supposed to be
There are three gangs at the school: the Royals (white dudes), the Ebonys (black dudes), and the Caballeros (Mexican dudes). For some strange reason, they just all can't get along. Damon tries to get in with the Caballeros, but he is shunned because he is part black. He can't get in with the Ebonys because he is part Mexican. Along the way, we are treated to racial slurs which would be excised from films today. And everybody packs a switchblade.
Rita Moreno plays a Mexican whose brother is the leader of the Caballeros. When her boyfriend is killed, suspicion falls on her brother (but we already know who the real culprit is). Moreno looks great; too bad she is stuck in this piece of crap - fortunately, West Side Story was just around the corner. Dyan Cannon (billed as Dianne) has a small but meaty role as a character named "Wiggles." Use your imagination. Here, Cannon looks uncannily like my favorite B-movie tramp, Yvette Vickers. The most repulsive character in the film is played by Richard Rust, who is the leader of the Royals. He is so low that he foists some marijuana on a couple of little black kids.
Oh, back to the plot. Turns out some fat guy is selling the grass to the schoolkids, with Rust's assistance. Tubby's theory is that if he can incite the schoolkids to violence, they will buy his stash to get high for the rumbles. This is what passes for entrepreneurship in the 1960s.
The final rumble involves the Royals, the Caballeros, the two undercover cops, plus Moreno and her onscreen father, played by character actor Jay Novello. The fat guy ends up handcuffed to a lawn jockey. Damon and Moreno make nice to each other. Mohr tells everyone to wise up.
Several scenes were obviously added to this film after its initial release. Most seem to involve Hume walking into a room unannounced and coming across some scantily clad dames making out with guys. My guess is that the film was then re-released to sleazy drive-ins. It should have been incinerated instead.