Riot in Juvenile Prison is something of a combination of the
juvenile delinquent film (Rebel Without a Cause, 1955) and the prison film
(Riot in Cell Block 11, 1954, which I wrote about on January 4, 2017). I have written about Edward L. Cahn before
(Nov. 21, 2014; March 26,2015; Oct. 31, 2016), a prolific director (Riot in
Juvenile Prison was one of seven films he directed in 1959) whose favorite themes
are greed and lust. There is not much
greed in Riot… but there is plenty of lust, as a noble doctor turns a reform
school co-ed and falls for one of the matrons, who has been afraid of men since
her sister was raped.
The film begins with a riot, with two inmates killed, and
ends with a riot. In between Dr. Furman
(Jerome Thor) makes the boys school co-ed and tries to treat the inmates as
human beings, something the warden and the governor don’t support. And neither does the public, once there is an
attempted rape. There is much discussion of irresponsible parents but the film
has no flashbacks and only leaves the school to show the governor in his office
talking to newspaper reporters. Nor do any of the inmates have any visitors,
leaving them to socialize with each other and with the staff and giving the
film an effective feeling of claustrophobia, especially when the “bad” boys are
regularly put in solitary.
The lessons to be learned are no different today: treat prisoners as human beings, whatever
their age, and help to rehabilitate them to return to society – something today
considered too expensive and little supported by the public.
There are some details about this film on the Turner Classic
Movies website, in which Richard Harland Smith lists the credits (mostly TV) of
the actors.
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