After a 16-year-old, neglected by his movie producer father, gets in trouble, his father doesn't believe his claim of self-defense.After a 16-year-old, neglected by his movie producer father, gets in trouble, his father doesn't believe his claim of self-defense.After a 16-year-old, neglected by his movie producer father, gets in trouble, his father doesn't believe his claim of self-defense.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
Photos
- Jerry Doyle
- (as Jeff Silver)
- Boy in Courtroom
- (scenes deleted)
- Peter Kalish
- (uncredited)
- Carhop
- (uncredited)
- Usherette
- (uncredited)
- Detective
- (uncredited)
- Woman in Movie Theatre
- (uncredited)
- Boy
- (uncredited)
- Man at Police Station
- (uncredited)
- Lottie
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- Robert Dozier(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on a real incident between this film's screenwriter Robert Dozier and his father William Dozier, then head of production at RKO.
- GoofsAfter Harold gets up to leave after asking his father to borrow the car, the shadow of the boom mic can be seen moving in and out of frame in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
- Quotes
Helen Ditmar: [about their sixteen year old son, Hal] We've taught him to tell the truth. You and I, we've tried to teach him to be honest and fair, haven't we? Isn't that what we've tried to teach him? If he's telling the truth, you should be proud of him, but all he got from you is a lot of abuse. He's right about one thing: you don't know him. He's a stranger to you.
Tom Ditmar: I... always thought I knew him pretty well. How do you talk to him? I don't know. I can't say three words to him without offending him some way.
Helen Ditmar: The only time you see him is at the dinner table... or when you want to punish him for something. I remember once when you lectured him about charging too many things at the department store. He came to me later, very upset, and very confused. He was sorry about the money, but asked me, "why is it Dad always bawls me out for spending money, when money is the only thing he ever gives me?" I couldn't answer him. Maybe you can. I even had to tell him you loved him yesterday. He didn't know that. Your son didn't know you loved him.
- Crazy creditsopening title card "James MacArthur as The Young Stranger."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Decoy: Ladies Man (1958)
But this film is pretty good. You have John Frankenheimer in his directorial debut, James MacArthur in the lead in only his third film appearance as the "young stranger", with veteran Kim Hunter as his mother. Character actors Whit Bissel and James Gregory turn in fine supporting performances.
Although this film is allegedly about juvenile delinquency, it isn't really. James MacArthur plays Hal Ditmar, the 16-year-old only child of movie producer Tom Ditmar and his wife Helen. Today such a teen would be completely isolated from all normal problems and normal people but, in the high taxation days of the 1950s, his family lives well enough and has a big house and a maid, but Hal goes to public high school, drives a beater of a car, and is friends with the most middling of middle class kids.
Hal goes to the movies one night with his best friend. A guy and his date sit down in the row in front of him. When Hal puts his feet up on the seat in front of him and next to the guy with the date, words are exchanged. The guy gets the theater manager who ejects Hal and his friend from the theater, but not before he demands that they go to his office for a reason he won't disclose. When Hal tries to leave the theater, the manager grabs him and Hal defends himself by punching the manager.
Of course, this is not the story the theater manager tells the police. He said he was assaulted without cause. So Hal is arrested after - 1. Exchanging words with an obnoxious fellow patron. 2. Being accused of delinquency by the manager in retaliation for all of the actual delinquents the manager never managed to catch 3. Being detained for no particular reason. 4. Defending himself when grabbed. The police and Hal's father believe the manager and won't even let Hal say what really happened. Complications ensue.
This is a really good examination of the price of post war success often being borne by the children of said post war successes who don't take time to get to know their own kids. In this case the wife feels left out too as success can be a demanding mistress. I'd recommend this entertaining yet rather obscure film.
- AlsExGal
- Sep 17, 2023
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $350,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1