High School Hellcats
| High School Hellcats | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster to High School Hellcats (1958) | |
| Directed by | Edward L. Bernds |
| Produced by | Charles "Buddy" Rogers |
| Written by |
Mark Lowell Jan Lowell |
| Starring |
Yvonne Lime Bret Halsey Jana Lund |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Warrenton |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release dates | June 1958 |
Running time | 69 min |
| Language | English |
High School Hellcats is an American black-and-white 1958 film about a high school girl gang. The film stars Yvonne Lime, Bret Halsey, and Jana Lund. It is part of a series of exploitation films about juvenile delinquents produced during the 1950s by American International Pictures.[1] American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with Hot Rod Gang.<ref name =”Drive-In127">Sanders, Don and Susan (1997). The American Drive-In Movie Theatre. Motorbooks International. p. 127. ISBN 0-7603-0425-4.</ref>
Plot summary
Joyce Martin is a transfer student at her new school. On her first day, she is seized up by the leader of the Hellcats, Connie. For her first test of initiation, Joyce is tricked into wearing slacks to school even though it is verboten by school policy. During class, the teacher asks Joyce to be the blackboard volunteer. Joyce reluctantly gets up and Miss Davis asks her why she is wearing slacks. Flustered for an answer with the Hellcats looking on, Joyce runs out of the classroom and leaves school premises. She finds her way to a nearby coffeeshop. She meets the coffee shop employee, Mike, a college student who takes night classes, as he must financially support himself.
When she returns home, she receives a call from one of her Hellcats class member where she is lured to the Hellcats hideout in an abandoned movie theater under the premise of a "homework party." There, she is officially introduced to the members of the Hellcats. Connie explains to her the premise of the group: the Hellcats are a girl gang who rule the social order of the school. If she is invited to join, she will be popular; if she fails, her life will be very rough. Joyce has passed the first test but must undergone three in total before initiation.
Cast
- Yvonne Lime Fedderson as Joyce Martin
- Brett Halsey as Mike Landers (as Bret Halsey)
- Jana Lund as Connie Harris, aka Connie Ross
- Susanne Sidney as Dolly Crane (as Suzanne Sydney)
- Heather Ames as Meg
- Nancy Kilgas as Laurie
- Rhoda Williams as Trudy Davis, teacher
- Don Shelton as Roger Martin
- Viola Harris as Linda Martin
- Robert Anderson as Police Lt. Manners
- Martin Braddock as Rip
- Arthur Marshall as Mr. Anderson
Production
Producer Charles "Buddy" Rogers was the husband of "America's Sweetheart", Mary Pickford. Associate Producer - Lou Kimzey (Publisher) Dig Magazine
Location
The film was shot on Comstock Avenue in Holmby Hills, with Holmby Park in the background.[2]