Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

OVERLOOKED FILM: JAIL BAIT (1953)

You say you're in the mood for an Ed Wood movie?  I'm sorry, no one is in the mod for an Ed Wood movie, but I have one for you anyway -- and this one stars Lyle Talbot, an actor whose credits stretch a mile and a half long.

It also features Delores Fuller, one-time angora-sweater-wearing girlfriend of Ed Wood and the co-star of Glen or Glenda?  Sara Jessica Parker, who portrayed Fuller in Ed Wood, called her "The worst actress in Hollywood."  Fuller went on to become a song-writer and founder of a record company and helped launch the careers of Johnny rivers and Tanya Tucker, among others.

Also featured is Herbert Rawlinson, a one-time silent film star who morphed into a character actor in the talkies.  The story is that Rawlinson died the day after he finished shooting his scenes for this Jail Bait -- which may or may not say something about this movie.

As a special treat, you also get Steve Reeves -- Mr. Hercules himself -- early in his career.  (Actually, it's his first film.)  Jail Bait  is supposedly only one of two movies in which the audience hears his actual voice; all of the Italian muscle-man flicks he made used a dubbed voice.

Timothy Farrell supplemented his job as a L.A. Sheriff's Department bailiff.  While filming one movie he appeared in was raided, the set was raided by police, which caused him "professional embarrassment."  (The movie evidently had a few key scenes with strippers.  At the same time he was also working in religious films under his real name, Timothy Sperl.)  Farrell went on to a 20 year career as a deputy marshal, eventually being appointed County Marshall.  Shortly afterwards, he was convicted on felony charges and was given (due to poor health) six months probation.

Rounding out the main cast is Clancy Malone in his only acting credit.  Malone had earlier worked as a unit director on Glen or Glenda?  Beyond that, I could not find any information about him.

You may have noticed I haven't said anything about the plot yet.  Let me correct that oversight.  First off, the title does not refer to underage sex, rather to a gun.  (It's Ed Wood.  Go figure.)  Clancy Malone is the son of world-famous plastic surgeon Herbert Rawlinson.  Malone starts hanging around vicious small-time crook Timothy Farrell.  A robbery goes wrong and Farrell kills a night watchman.  Malone wants to turn himself in but Farrell has a different idea, which leads to plastic surgery being performed at gunpoint on a living room sofa.  Lyle Talbot and Steve Reeves are cops.  Delores Fuller is Malone's sister and Rawlinson's daughter.  The film is a mish-mash of sincere ineptitude that is the hallmark of Ed Wood.

Grit your teeth and enjoy this one.

https://archive.org/details/JailBait


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