The Green-Eyed Blonde

The title to this film is odd, as it's NOT the story of one girl but of a group of teens who are incarcerated in a juvenile residential home. The title character is played by Susan Oliver....a 'teen' who was 25 at the time the film was released!

The story is an odd one as at first it seems like an exploitation film (the scene with 'Cuckoo' and the window is classic exploitation fodder) and then backs off from this. And, overall, I am not exactly sure what the message really was in this film. In fact, that there is no message...no moral...that does make the film unique...but also unsatisfying as well. An odd little film.

There is so much to say about this movie: that it is focused on teen pregnancy in a frank way that was never done in 1950s film or literature and portrays the teens in a respectful way, that it has black actresses treated as equal to everyone else in terms of character and a strong, positive black father character, that it addresses the mental health challenges of "troubled" teen girls, that it includes statutory rape by step fathers and on and on. Yes, it's a B movie and has all that comes with that: exaggerated performances, low rent production values and lots of stereotypes. The parents of the main character are almost too horrible and extreme to be believed - unless you are a social worker or teacher and then, yeah, you know these kind of people really do exist, even now (leaving a baby in the back seat of a car, referring to the baby as "it", and on and on). But it's extraordinarily thoughtful for 1957 - that is probably thanks to Dalton Trumbo. Not sure about the title, as this is Betsy's story, not "Green Eyes". Buddy's mom aversion to her son isn't condemned the way it would be in a movie now. The guide to infant care that the girls read from is hilarious - it always has an answer to every question! But be prepared for very, very disturbing behavior by "cuckoo" - if you are horrified by even the mention of animal abuse, don't watch this. As for the ending... no spoilers, but WHAT THE HELL?!?!

It was a good movie t'il the end which made basically no sense.

I used to catch this film fairly regularly back in the days when local TV stations ran the Late Show, the Late-Late Show, the Omigosh Are YOU Still Up? Show etc. instead of infomercials (**sigh...**) "Gone With the Wind" it's not, but I found it surprisingly memorable anyway and would like to find it on VHS or DVD someday. a lot of the movies I saw in those days--well, I don't remember having seen them until I see them again on AMC or Turner, or on the bargain-basement video rack at Wal-Mart. for some reason, "The Green-Eyed Blonde" stuck (I can even remember the downbeat theme music!) I've never seen it in any company's video catalog, though... (***SIGH...***)

"Betsy Abel" (Melinda Plowman) is a teenage girl who has given birth to a baby outside of wedlock and because of that she is sent to a female boarding school until such time as a judge orders otherwise. While there she meets several other young women who have similar problems with society in general. One particular young lady goes by the name of "Green Eyes" (Susan Oliver) who has only a month or so until her release. As it so happens, Green Eyes has a boyfriend who visits her at the gate during curfew and together they plan on building a life together when she finally gets out. In the meantime though, another girl named "Cuckoo" (Norma Jean Nilsson) does something totally reckless which creates huge problems for everyone. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that this was a fairly interesting drama which managed to illustrate a certain societal mindset that was prevalent during this period of time in the United States. Not all of it is flattering. Be that as it may, while the movie poster may indicate otherwise, this particular film isn't strictly focused on Susan Oliver's character as much as it is about several other people as well. The drama and the acting are both decent and as a result I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly above average.