The in Crowd

I saw this movie back when I used to get the "Encore" movie channel. The movie to me was campy at first but the more I saw it the more I loved it.Great dancing,likable kids,and songs you just don't hear in

every teen 60's movie.I was heart-broken when I read Orion Studios went broke and this movie was never released on a big scale.I'm not saying the acting is great in fact most of the actors are bad but the spirit of teen dance shows is alive and making you want to get up and boogie. Betten than the show "American Dreams" to me and picking Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" to end the movie was perfect.I, like others also found this movie in the dicount bin and it made my day.Again kudos to whomever picked the songs used in the movie."When You're Young and In Love", "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"..... oh it made me cry.......

The first time I watched this movie, I knew from the beginning's great vintage clips of local dance programs that this movie was going to convey the fun feel of the early 60's. The "In Crowd" must have been written by people who really grew up in early 60's Philadelphia. Instead of a generic Hollywood "retro" feel, I saw a more distinctive, local atmosphere to this film. Joe Pantoliano's "Perry Parker" character is a dead-on reference to Philly's own Jerry Blavat (a local radio legend) from his looks right down to his jive patter. The old Philly Dances (Mickey's Monkey, the Soul Street) are performed fantastically by the dancers to overlooked soul/dance classics that would be considered obscure anywhere else. Even the local "clash of classes" is well-represented in the characters' respective areas; Del and Gail from Cheltenham's conservative, upper-middle-class area, and the gritty, streetwise but lovable characters from the urban Philly areas (the tv station scenes were shot in and around Upper Darby's Tower Theatre). One of my favorite scenes is when Del is upstairs in his typical 60's teenage boy's room, attempting to pick up Philly's "WIBG Radio 99" on his little transistor radio. You can even hear classic dj Hy Lit's famous "Hyski O'Roonie McVoughty O'Zoot" jingle amidst the static. And what Philadelphia native doesn't remember the old Wildwood radio record hops "down the shore" in the 60's? And lots of kids snuck out of school early then, to try to get on the local dance programs. Ok, so this film may not have been Oscar material, but it truly makes me feel good every time I see it; it brings back so many good feelings from that era, and showcases great 60's Philly music.

The earlier review saying this is one of the worst movies ever made is obviously from someone who hasn't seen a lot of bad movies. All I can guess is that it brought back too many bad memories of the reviewer's teen-age years, teen-age angst being one of the things with which this movie deals. All in all, I found it quite enjoyable, especially because it made such good use of the music from the time, including Vince Guaraldi's big hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (and when that song plays in the background, it is really telling you something about what is going to happen). The story line is not much, dealing with teen-age romance and growing pains, and with the difficulties of trying to fit into the currently popular styles, whatever they may be, but it's not terrible either. Joey Pants' speech in the classroom is a classic, and a lot of the other scenes in the movie transcend the story. I certainly wouldn't call it a great movie, but if you enjoyed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", or "Some Kind of Wonderful", then you'll have a good time watching this one too.

I caught this one while channel searching. At first I simply took a look and then moved on but I found myself coming back and by about the third trip back I was hooked. Yeah it's a little campy and it is a dance movie but I found myself wanting to watch and even dance a little. It is a heartfelt coming of age movie for a young man growing up in the 50 - 60's. Teen love, angst, peer pressure, and the desire to find out who we really are; this movie has it all. I even tried to find it 2nd-hand to buy. I recomend it to anyone who remembers what teen life is all about.

This coming-of-age movie is sort of a male version of "Dirty Dancing" with a young man from a wealthy suburb falling for a tough city girl. The best thing about it is the soundtrack, which is packed with undeservedly overlooked R & B from the '60s--great songs like the Marvelows' "I Do," Tina Britt's "The Real Thing," the Majors' "A Wonderful Dream" and the Marvelettes' "When You're Young And In Love." It's a refreshing change from the typical '60s movie with songs you've already heard a million times. The dancing is terrific, Donovan Leitch and Jennifer Runyon are appealing as the young lovers, and Joe Pantoliano is outstanding as DJ Perry Parker.