Violent Years, The

2190. THE VIOLENT YEARS (1956-USA). “This is a story of violenceÉof the uncontrolled tension of adolescent youth,” a narrator somberly observes as several surly teen girls parade action on screen. They smirk at such words and phrases as “self-restraint” and “politeness” that are written on a blackboard. Their leader is Paula, an 18-year-old hellcat from a wealthy family who has long bee ignored by her parents. Mom is too busy with her charity work to notice that Paula is hungry for love. Her newspaperman father is too overworked and tired to give Paula attention. “One of these days I’m gonna take a day off and get to know her again,” he promises. Yet he is blissfully unaware that his daughter is the ringleader of the gun-wielding all-girl gang his paper has been tracking. For opener Paula and her pals rob a gas station and bash in the head of its proprietor. Next they harass a young couple necking in a car. They order the girl to strip off her clothes and physically assault the boy “These fool kids. When will they learn,” a cop declares. That’s precisely the point of this deliciously vulgar, moralistic juvenile delinquency drivel. No one is listed in the opening credits as the film writer. However, the screenplay was penned by that legendary purveyor of cinematic ineptitude EDWARD D. WOOD, JR.! So you know you are in for a movie so numbingly awful that it actually is quite entertaining. 57 minutes. Juvenile Delinquent