High School Confidential (1958)
Directed by Jack Arnold
Genres - Drama, Culture & Society |
Sub-Genres - Detective Film |
Release Date - May 30, 1958 (USA - Limited), Jun 13, 1958 (USA - Unknown), Jun 13, 1958 (USA) |
Run Time - 85 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Producer Albert Zugsmith serves up another all-star exposé with High School Confidential. Delivering a superb performance under the circumstances, Russ Tamblyn heads the cast as "typical" high schooler Tony Baker. Usually seen in the company of his voluptuous "aunt" Gwen Dulaine (the truly impressive Mamie Van Doren), Tony convinces one and all that he's looking for kicks of the controlled-substance kind. In truth, however, our hero is really an undercover narcotics agent named Mike Wilson, bound and determined to smash the operation of drug lord Mr. A. (Jackie Coogan). The once-in-a-lifetime cast includes such worthies as John Drew Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's daddy), Ray Anthony (then married to Mamie Van Doren), Charles Chaplin Jr., Michael Landon, and Jerry Lee Lewis as "himself." This updated Reefer Madness is not to be missed!
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Themes
Keywords
aunt, delinquency, drug-dealer, drugs, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), high-school, undercover