Too Young to Love

An astonishing exercise in late fifties sleaze worthy of pre-code Hollywood set in a surreal British visualisation of Brooklyn (complete with American-style slang) based on a play by Elsa Shelley called 'Pick Up Girl'; but then wrecked by garrulous scripting by Sydney Box and leaden direction from Muriel. Raymond Durgnat in 'Films in Review' said it "seems to be slanted for American television", and it certainly feels like an ancient TV production.

Presumably rushed into production to capitalise on the 'shock' impact recently achieved by 'Anatomy of a Murder', the script includes words like 'sex delinquent', 'marijuana', 'abortion' and 'syphilis' delivered by Thomas Mitchell (who presumably had been imported to lend the sort of folksy gravitas Joseph Welch had brought to Preminger's film). British-based Yanks & Canadians Joan Miller (who was in the original stage production), Jess Conrad, Cec Linder, Alan Gifford, Austin Willis and Charles Farrell fill out supporting roles in the tiny courtroom presided over by a clerk primly played by - believe it or not! - Bessie Love.

Sheila Gallagher is breathtaking as platinum blonde bad girl Ruby.