Alma Rebelde

This is a very good film about family problems. However, too often I wanted to yell at my TV telling the mother (Ginger Rogers) how to handle her nasty daughter, Dodie! This isn't so much a complaint but shows that I was involved with this film.

When the movie begins, you learn that Nancy Fallon (Rogers) was divorced eight years ago. It seemed that she wanted out of this loveless marriage and her rich ex-husband took their 7 year-old to Europe to prevent them seeing each other. Now, unexpectedly, they get word that this 15 year-old is coming for a visit...which is strange considering the father's actions.

When Dodie (Betty Lou Keim) arrives, she's cold and haughty---which isn't a bit surprise considering that her father has been filling her mind with hatred towards her mother. But the daughter's nastiness extends to EVERYONE--her step-brother, her step-father and even the neighbors. The situation seems intolerable...but they are stuck with each other. It seems that Dodie's father has dumped her on the ex- because he's getting remarried and wants time alone with his new wife! How is this mess ever going to get worked out successfully?!

The film has a very interesting plot and you feel for the mother and everyone else around her. My only complaint is the step-brother-- what an annoying little brat! Well worth seeing and engaging.

By the way, the IMDb trivia for this one is really, really interesting. It seems that Dodie was in love with Dick in the film...and a few years later, these same actors actually married, raised a family and were apparently very happy together. That's sweet.

Most teenage films from the 50's and 60's portray the children as much more innocent than they actually were; and, usually the boy is more mature than the girl, which we always knew was the opposite. Yes, Dick is the most mature, but Dorothy (Dodie) is right up there with him, which is why they click. Ginger is very svelte in the film, yet older than when she danced with Fred Astaire in the 40's. Ginger, as well as the rest of the cast, is excellent and the script is not your usual Hollywood teenage oriented tripe. I assume the Fallon's lived in L.A. and I know from experience that kids were faster than portrayed. I grew up in the Great Lakes area and we were even more mature than the kids in southern Cal; girls in 1956 started having sex with older boys (18, 19) because they had cars and those 'farmers daughters' were hot to trot. Whatever the case may be, this film, despite such extreme parental interference, was the best Hollywood could do in the late 50's. Notice that the Fallon's (Ginger & Michael) beds were not separated by a nightstand, but rather side by side. I guess the censors were becoming more realistic.

"Teenage Rebel", released in 1956, was one of Ginger Rogers' last feature films, made when she was 45. It featured a couple of "future stars" (opening credits) Betty Lou Keim, as estranged daughter "Dodie" and Warren Berlinger as the nice kid "Dick" next door. As an interesting sideline, Betty Lou Keim only made 4 more movies over the next 3 years, then married Warren Berlinger in 1959, quit showbusiness, and has 4 children.

Dodie, 15, had been estranged from her mother for 8 years since her parents' divorce. Because her mother was the one who apparently had an "adulterous' relationship with the man she then married, Dodie's father was awarded custody. Since they traveled extensively, and had a home in NY, she had never been able to spend the court-ordered 3 weeks annually with her mother. At the age of 15, she was sent to her mother in California so that her father could secretly get married. It was obvious that she was unhappy being in California, resented her mother, resented her stepfather, and was generally angry with the world.

The movie is about Dodie's growth as a young adult, learning to fit in with normal teenagers, and learning how to accept her mother's love that she had rejected for so long. The story is done very well, and thgis movie is a good representation of 1950s B&W movies. I rate it a solid 7 of 10.

First of all, as has been pointed out, the title is God-awful, something from some of the sleazy '50s Z movies. Jeez, who dreamed that up? Was it a ploy to entice those who enjoy tastelessness?

This movie is sweet, funny, loaded with warmth. The story of a sort-of disconnected teenager is excellent. She is a child of divorce who bounces from un-warm dada to momma Ginger Rogers. (Remember when she was 15 in "The Major and the Minor"?) Michael Rennie is an odd choice for her husband, but he is excellent in the part. He even gets to dance with Ginger - tha "ka-tu boogie" I think).

The scene stealer is Betty Keim as the teen who has to be angry, loving, warm, confused. It was her first flick and she did quite a lot of work after that - and she deserved it.

Warren Berlinger was also introduced in this movie and, as another critic pointed out, they eventually became husband and wife. How fuzzy puppy can you get?

The movie is an unusual entry for 20th Century Fox. They spent no money on technicolor but, no matter, it worked beautifully in black and white.

It shows the difference between the more carefree teeners of the '50s as opposed to today's young people.

I recommend this movie and it is one I will enjoy seeing again. The way FMC operates, there is a good chance of a repeat presentation - or three.

This film is a cut above most 50s teenage movies which deal with music and fun times like "Rock, Rock, Rock" and others. Then there are the ones dealing with a serious plot with little teenage fun times shown. Unlike these, "Teenage Rebel" has the best of both in one film. The kids have loads of fun here. They clown at the malt shop, go to a drag race and enjoy a real fun party with plenty of music and dancing. Yet, at the same time, a serious drama is going on where a resentful girl learns a valuable lesson about the value of her mothers unconditional love for her. This is very intense drama combined with the fun.