Alex Film Society Presents High School Confidential (1958)

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL is a 1958 teen exploitation picture where all the teens seem to be played by thirty year olds. This hilarious marijuana exposé, directed by Jack Arnold, opens with the title song performed by Jerry Lee Lewis. It became an instant hit for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records and reached #21 on the Billboard charts. The wildly improbable cast is headed by fifties pinup queen Mamie Van Doren and features Russ Tamblyn, Jan Sterling, John Drew Barrymore, Jackie Coogan, Michael Landon, Charlie Chaplin Jr. and even William Wellman Jr. A perfect time capsule of ’50s teen angst and beatnik rebellion, High School Confidential is a rare example of a major studio (MGM) trying to cash in on a burgeoning teen market. Filmed in glorious black and white CinemaScope, The Official Razzie Movie Guide rates it one of The 100 Most Enjoyable Bad Movies Ever Made.