Teenage Jungle; Teen Age

2106. TEENAGE JUNGLE (Teen Age) (1959-usa). With wheeler Oakman. Despite the fact that it is “copyright 1959 by Social Service Pictures Of Hollywood,” this astonishingly inept turkey about “juvenile gangs running rampant” is one Of those cautionary potboilers from 1944 which features oodles Of unintentional laughs. It opens with a sobering pronouncement: “The future Of our nation lies in the hands Of the youth Of today. Their problems are our problemsÉyoung peoÂple, unguided, are like a ship without a rudder; carried along by ill winds and cross currents lo inevitable destructionÉLet us join together a union Of strength that will guide our children through the perilous teen age to become Honest, upright citizens.” What follows is a preachy, patched- together Offering about a group Of misguided adolescents whose deeds have landed them in the Office Of a district attorney. The D.A. rambles on and on about the teen menace while the plights Of the youths are recounted. Bear in mind that all this is bottom-Of-the-barrel moviemaking. Fight scenes are amateurishly staged. The performances by the no-name cast are collectively over-the- top. There are flashbacks within flashbacks which seem like out-takes from completely different movies. In the midst Of the story, a couple Of starlets inexplicably perform some acrobatic dance routines that might have been rejects from a high school cheerleading squad. A vaudeville comic does a third-rate James Cagney imitation. An oriental fan dancer appears and does her thing. Et cetera. This movie is perfect fare for when you are in desperate need Of some healthy guffaws. 53 minutes. Teen-Age Drama