High School Caesar

I bought a DVD from Best Buy that had several movies on one disc. There was a large rack in the middle of the aisle and all the movies were marked down to $5.99! There were two discs in the box with a total of four movies. This movie was one of those in the set. I did not recognize any of the people listed on the jacket but watched it anyway. I had a great time seeing all the old cars looking like new and the music took me back to the 50's. I turned 13 in 1959 and this was a great flashback. The main character was a spoiled, self serving, rich punk. A good example of how money can corrupt an otherwise decent person. I kept hoping he would get his just rewards. I always like to see those type take a fall. I won't tell you how it turned out, you'll have to watch it for yourself. It will give you a fairly decent look at how clothes, music, and cars were back then. I agree some of the acting was only a little better than my senior class play, but I still enjoyed it. I rate it 7* out of 10.

Girls in flared skirts, high school hops, big-finned cars and road races, so what else can geezer refugees from the 50's ask for. Okay, maybe the jd's don't look so tough throwing their weight around, but this is a middle-west, middle-class town, not Big City. Seems teen Ashley runs his classmates like a minor Al Capone. He's got his gang he keeps in line with threats and payoffs. Money comes in from test copies for sale, fees paid to the hops, and other services and shakedowns. Note that there's no mention of drugs or even alcohol among the teens, likely a Production Code result. Trouble is our teen Caesar's dedicated to a gold coin Dad gave him, and that leaves an ironical trail.

It's a well-crafted drive-in flick, but nothing memorable. Fortunately, Ashley mimics a high school hoodlum as well any Hollywood pretty boy could. For action, there's some knuckle bashing and pushing around. Too bad, however, the hop dancing is so modest- no swirling skirts or flashing legs, darn it. Then there're some not very convincing road races, maybe because of careless editing. Surprisingly, filming was done on location in Missouri; too bad we don't see more of the local neighborhoods. That would be an interesting non-Hollywood glimpse.

(In passing-- I just finished actor Steve Stevens' reminiscence on his acting years. In the movie he plays Cricket, Ashley's compliant go-fer. In the book, Stevens surprisingly describes having been a part-time go-fer for notorious LA gangster Mickey Cohen! Which I guess proves that old adage about truth being stranger than fiction.)

Anyway, the movie's a decent time-passer for 50's geezers like me, and maybe even those younger folks interested in seeing power plays among the well-scrubbed.

I watched this movie last night and came away from it a bit disappointed. I definitely do not expect too much from these "teenage gang films" from the late 50's and early 60's but usually they are fun to watch. I found HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR to be short on action which may have taken the fun away. There are some "fun" parts, like the drag/road race but most of the film features a lot of "wooden" dialogue delivered by mainly "wooden" actors which, again, can be fun but not here. Now having said that, I was really taken by and enjoyed the lead performance of John Ashley as Matt Stevens. Ashley, clearly the professional of the cast, delivers a multi-faceted performance which kind of intrigued me. Definitely one of the "cooler" and more "suave" punks you'll come across in this type of film but he is not the low-life, one dimensional, 24/7 always nasty kind of punks you see in these movies. He has another side to him. He has a heart and is a very emotional sort when he is not rigging school elections or shaking down fellow students for protection money. He clearly is troubled and affected by the fact that his parents are never home and spend their time travelling throughout Europe and it was a little strange seeing his fondness for the family maid who he clearly looks at as a surrogate mother while railing on the family butler who he clearly sees as a substitute for his always absent father.

Now, perhaps it's silly to over-analyze a low budget gang film from the era but I found that facet of Ashley's character facinating and his performance even more enjoyable to watch. I thought it was also pretty unique that they would show Ashley as this young, Don Corleone type who holds meetings with his "family" and has payday for his leather jacketed high school "soldiers". I guess it might sound like I enjoyed the film more then I realize but if not for those sequences I mentioned or Ashley's performance, the film would just be a total flop because outside of that, there isn't much. Fans of these types of films may want to check it out, if only to see Ashley's layered performance and perhaps it's a film I should be watching again myself because it does have a pretty good rock and roll score.

John Ashley stars as rich kid Matt Stevens, who is the Don Corleone of his high school. He runs a protection racket, skims money off the high school dances, and sells exams to students too lazy to study. He also manages to get elected Class President, but Al Gore cries foul.

The Principal, who is played by I don't know who, calls newly-elected Ashley into his office to discuss a "problem" at the school - seems some kids are getting roughed up. Hey Mr. Principal - check out the guys wearing the leather jackets - that's a clue. Imbecile. You're now qualified to be Superintendent.

Ashley's buddy is named "Cricket," whose whining will have you yearning for some pesticides. Daria Massey, who plays Ashley's girlfriend "Lita," regularly wears tight dresses to school. Apparently, there was no dress code back then. She also works for the Principal, so maybe something was going on around the mimeograph machine. Judy Nugent plays "Wanda," the new blonde at the school. Cricket wants Matt to "set him up" with Wanda (I love this 60s talk), but Wanda is more interested in "Bob," played by Gary Vinson - the only recognizable actor in this, aside from Ashley.

Ashley organizes a road race (entrance fee - two bucks) and puts up his gold coin as the prize. He loses to his rival (the guy he beat for Class Prez), and decides he is gonna get his coin back. Exit the rival. Ashley plays with his coin more often than Captain Queeg plays with his steel balls.

The director goes for some Shakespearean symbolism (I think) at the climax, when virtually everyone turns on Ashley. "Not you too, Crickett??" Ashley moans. Yes, I can see the resemblance between Ashley and Louis Calhern.

This film isn't half bad. Ashley always seemed better at playing the part of a slick scumbag than an ineffectual hero (see his useless performance in "Frankenstein's Daughter"). And we're also spared his singing. Of course, he was more successful as a producer, if you call The A-Team art. The actors are all in their 20s, so they are not too convincing as high school students. Then again, this IS 1960, and students were actually "retained" back then, before school systems got tired of lawsuits. I suppose it's conceivable that 20-year-olds could still be stuck in high school - it's the algebra that kills them, I tell you. Which reminds me - Crickett has difficulty figuring 10 percent of $75. Some things never change.

Oh, I'm no animal expert, but Ashley promises to buy the school a bulldog. Whatever he buys isn't even close.

John Ashland is "Matt", big man on high school campus. of course, he was 26 at the time. and the sound is TERRIBLE! so much echo in the microphones. so cheesy. Matt runs everything in this school, but it seems like much ado about nothing. Kind of feels like a john waters film, without the humor. played so straight, its painful. avoid this one. not worth the time. Written and directed by O'Dale Ireland... is that his real name? he only made a couple films. not much on him anywhere. Produced by marathon pictures, which made four more after this. Showing on "Film Detective" channel.