Search - Teenage Doll on DVD

Kooky Corman JD pic in nice, clean DVD package

Surfink | Racine, WI | 12/07/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The second and final co-production between Roger Corman and the Woolner Brothers (released by Allied Artists), Teenage Doll is easily on par or better than any of Corman?s AIP juvenile delinquent epics. The relatively dark story of good-girl June Kenney running afoul of bad-girl gang (headed by Fay Spain) and winding up involved in a murder is played basically straight. More compelling than other contemporary JD dreck like, say Hot Rod Gang or High School Confidential (both of which I also like a lot for different reasons), Teenage Doll contains a handful of those uniquely twisted Corman/Charles B. Griffith sick/icky/creepy moments (e.g., Fay Spain appears to be living in Walter Paisley?s trash-strewn apartment with her malnourished ?baby sister?), as well as lots of goofy hep-talk and an effective rumble scene set in an auto salvage yard. However, if you?re expecting steamy sleaze, based on the film?s misleading advertising materials, you may be a bit disappointed. The cast includes a number of familiar Corman regulars including John Brinkley, Barboura Morris, Richard Devon, Dorothy Neumann, Ed Nelson, and Bruno VeSota, not to mention the sultry Ziva (Pharaoh?s Curse) Rodan. The stark B&W cinematography is by Floyd (David?s dad) Crosby.
The DVD presentation is minimal but very clean. An excellent-condition trailer with some light speckling/scratching, chapter stops, and four ?bonus? trailers are the only extras, but the source print used for the feature is in terrific shape. The tonal values, brightness, contrast, sharpness, and detail are uniformly excellent and there is only some very light speckling evident. Considering how few decent DVDs are out there so far for the 50s JD aficionado (this is about the only one I?m aware of), genre fans might as well snap this up."

A really fun Roger Corman film!

Michael P. Barnum | Oregon | 03/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of Corman's best features, this film stars June Kenney in her first major, role and she does a great job playing a girl from the right side of the tracks who gets her lilly-white self into a lot of trouble when she tangles with a tough all-girl gang lead by Fay Spain! John Brinkley co-stars as a James Dean type hood who Kenney has the hots for! Lots of action abound and fine performances by all involved! Also featuring Barboura Morris, Dorothy Neumann, Ziva Rodann, Jay Sayer and many other Corman regulars!"