Synopsis
Who are the delinquents- kids or their "respectable" parents?
Troubled teenagers, ineffectual parents, and a climactic tragedy.
The Party Crashers
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Theatrical
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USA
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USA
01 Sep 1958
- Theatrical
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Clean cut teens go to parties. Slightly less clean cut teens crash those parties. Parents of teens get drunk, work too much, and have affairs. Everybody spirals into tragedy.
I do get a kick out of this subgenre of '50s Youth in Revolt movies that shifts the blame onto decadent parenting and the decline of the nuclear family. I have to think the audience for them was mainly teens at drive-ins, so was the goal to give the crowd absolution? To encourage some hard talks with their parents?
Anyway, this one is less ridiculous than I Accuse My Parents but less spirited than Runaway Daughters. It bears quite a bit of resemblance to the latter, including its overqualified cast of…
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this is so funny to me bc like was this an actual worry for people back in the day - teens crashing parties??? the moral panic of party crashers is lowkey hilarious to me
(watched for the Frances Farmer episode of the Gone But Not Forgotten podcast - listen here)
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The 1950's is littered with overwrought films about youth gone wild (wildness adjusted to 1955 levels), and the poster for The Party Crashers makes it look like it will be another one. And it's not. Not entirely.
The first hour of the movie is a pretty simple portrait of suburban kids and their parents. Every parent is, to some degree, neglecting their children and it's having various effects on the children. Josh Bickford, who is 16 going on 45, is dating Barbara Nickerson, who is quite attracted to the brooding, semi-professional party crasher Twig Webster. As Barbara and Josh get sucked into Twig's orbit, their relationship becomes strained and we get to see more and more of their home lives,…
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Troubled teenage hood from a bad family crashes parties. He also excites the loins of a Miss all-American suburban teen, in a way that her all-American suburban teen boyfriend does not. The stuff between bad boy and the girl is the best part of the movie. You can really feel the hormones, tension and the world each of them thinks the other offers. But mostly it is about the dynamic between these kids and their parents, good and bad. This being made by a major studio probably made it follow that tamer, moralistic line. But it does go some unexpected places.
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I get that to satisfy the title the characters had to crash at least two parties, sucessfully or otherwise, but is it worth your time if that’s all you get and no more? I needed about six more parties crashed and less scenes of adult teens drinking milk.
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This movie was darker than expected! Holy cow! I thought it was going to be some campy after school special. They crashed the WRONG party!
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Bobby Driscoll is such a star (and off topic, a cutie), it’s such a shame his career and life were so short. He’s sympathetic, and you care about his character.
I watched this film because it features Gene Persson in a small, albeit important, role. Kind of a bummer he never got even one closeup though :’)
The film is overall a bit messy and hollow at times. As a big enthusiast of 50s juvenile delinquent films, this is probably not in the top 50% in terms of quality. It’s not the worst, but definitely not the best.
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I think this film was primarily made due to societal concerns and parental anxieties prevalent in the 1950s. The movie takes a dramatic and exaggerated approach to depicting teenage social life during that era.
The portrayal of an inattentive father struggling with alcoholism, and a household plagued by domestic violence contribute to the character development of their son, who becomes a hoodlum. The film suggests a direct correlation between troubled family dynamics and the delinquent behavior of the youth, emphasizing the importance of positive parental role models in shaping a child's character.
The film also highlights the limitations of parental control. It explores how even well-intentioned parents may struggle to influence their children's choices in the face of peer pressure…
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JD hijinx and a serious social comment in this solid/fun teen-angst gem with Mark Damon leading a gang who crash parties and cause a fuss. Square Connie Stevens tries to be tough, Francis Farmer frets and it all ends badly for everyone. Neat cars. Worth a spin.