On the Loose

Holy Cow!!! And I thought I knew so many great old flicks - I don't know how I missed this one! Sure the storyline sounds a bit dated. However, the acting is top notch. By the end of the film you are ready to strangle one of the characters. This film has points where you might guess what will happen. But it also has some real zingers that are unexpected and makes you say wow.

It takes us along the path of high school clicks, and the reputation of young girls. Sure it leaves out boys which are half of the equation, but you have to remember when this was made. Taking that into account, it really does parallel current situations more that it does not.

Watch it - This is something really worthwhile.

A sensational beginning. Opening narration by the great Ida Lupino. And we're off on a taut and poignant story about messed-up teens.

If anyone doesn't believe that parents like Melvyn Douglas and Lynn Bari actually existed off-screen, I'm here to say from experience tat they play extremely accurately drawn distracted parents from that time period.

Though Douglas is the more sympathetic of the two ultimately -- who ISN'T more sympathetic than Lynn Bari? -- there are very strong hints almost from the start that he is inappropriately interested in his daughter. The way he looks at her, the way he hugs her, the daughter's guilt over nothing she herself has done: This movie was very much ahead of its time in depicting parental abuse.

Unfortunately, a Hollywood ending is tacked on. Suddenly the self-involved mother becomes loving and concerned, and she and Douglas miraculously stop squabbling in order to help their troubled daughter.

And -- who thought up that thoroughly misleading title? It makes this sound like Abbott and Costello, which is (and surely was at the time) a great disservice to a small, serious, thoughtful movie.

ON THE LOOSE is a relatively unknown but watchable film dealing with the alienated youth/juvenile delinquency theme that was popular in the 1950's. It predates the blockbuster "Rebel Without A Cause" by four years, and could have been a great influence on it. The main themes of the two films are very similar, but in the case of "On The Loose", the story is told from a female point of view. The film is well-paced, well-acted, and it held my interest throughout its brief 78 minute running time. The young star Joan Evans is gorgeous, looking very similar to Anne Francis and with an acting style similar to Lauren Bacall. It is unfortunate that her career as an actress remained so obscure. Parents played by Melvyn Douglas and Lynn Bari are typically (and convincingly) self-absorbed and detached from their daughter. A youthful Hugh O'Brian has a small part as an emergency room doctor. Overall, an enjoyable film that deserves more frequent showings.

"On the Loose" is a cautionary tale for parents. Jill Bradley (Joan Evans) is a neglected teen whose parents are so absorbed in their own issues they virtually ignore her, when they are not berating her. The parental relationship has the appearance of warring camps who communicate sparingly during ceasefires.

Jill, who is an only child, is left with time on her hands. She fills it with trips to the beach and school dances with her friends. She tries to fill the emotional hole in her heart with the attentions of Larry Lindsay (Robert Arthur), a teenage lothario with a convertible and, apparently, no parents.

After Larry falls by the wayside, Jill goes "on the loose" as portrayed by a barely ten-second clip showing her in the company of other young men. This earns her huge helpings of scorn from classmates and society at large. A girl must protect her reputation! When it is almost too late, her father, Frank (Melvyn Douglas), tries to heap on the paternal affection to save his daughter.

The story feels uneven and so does the acting. The dialogue is uninspired.

Other posters have compared this film to "Rebel Without a Cause". The two films certainly belong in the same genre, though "Rebel" really focuses on the teens and brings them to life. "On the Loose", though it focuses on Jill, seems to view the teen problem through society's eyes. It is more removed, less visceral.

After watching this film, the alerted teen will be wise to choose his parents more carefully.

Any possible cautionary message for parents might be undercut by the revelatory tagline "School-Girl by day... Thrill-Seeker by night!"

ON THE LOOSE opens with Jill Bradley's (Joan Evans) attempted suicide. Told in flashback, we see what led up to this desperate act.

Jill's bickering, self-absorbed parents (Melvyn Douglas and Lynn Bari) hardly notice her running around with her boozing friends, and getting into trouble.

When Jill is rejected by a man, she quickly becomes one of "those girls", fast and loose.

A bit less melodramatic than most of the "JD"-type films, this is still a cautionary tale about alcoholism and parental neglect. Everyone is believable, especially Ms. Evans' character.

EXTRA POINTS FOR: The father / daughter dance routine!...