Junior Prom (I) (1946) User Reviews

Dirty politics in high school

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 13 April 2019]

With Junior Prom Sam Katzman at Monogram launched his teenager series of films that starred Freddie Stewart and June Preisser who headed a cast of way older players as high schoolers. It was a musical look at the teen scene post World War II.

In this episode it's about the high school election for junior class president. It pits Freddie Stewart against Jackie Moran. Moran's father Sam Flint tries to put the fix in by saying to the principal that the school's football team can get new uniforms and equipment if his kid wins. The politics degenerates to G rated style mudslinging.

Harmless fluff, the film's stories didn't get better with subsequent films that I saw.

From a more innocent time

[bensonmum2 · 4/10 · 17 November 2020]

The father of one of the students running for class president promises to buy new football uniforms if the school administration can guarantee his son will win. Fortunately for the other candidate, Freddie Trimball (Freddie Stewart), the principal balks at the plan. But with a musical show to get ready, a prom to plan, and endless singing in the school's Teen Canteen, does Freddie have enough time to campaign?

Junior Prom is filled with harmless enough "high school" shenanigans from a much, much more innocent time. I put "high school" in quotes because it's obvious that most of the actors are way past high school age. I might have enjoyed it more had it not been for some of the duller than dirt musical numbers and the lame comedy from man-child Murray Davis (What did Dunne do? - Arrrrgh!) that I found excruciating. June Preisser and Noel Neill give it their all, but a lot of their good work is undone by male lead Freddie Stewart. He's just so bland. I can't imagine how anyone thought he could carry a movie.

I know that 1946 was a simpler time, but were the kids really jazzed about music like that in Junior Prom? I can't imagine any high schooler being excited over some of the elevator music featured here.

4/10

Where's Frankie Avalon When You Don't Need Him?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 2 February 2024]

21-year old Freddie Stewart is running for president of his high school class. He overhears Sam Flint tell the principal that unless his son, 23-year-old Jackie Moran gets the position, he won't be contributing heavily to the school. The principal is all for fair play, but Stewart drops out on the news, then decides to run again on the platform there won't be any movie without it. Also 28-year-old classmate Frankie Darro thinks it's a good idea.

There is actually a teen-ager in the class, 19-year-old Warren Mills. The girls are similarly aged, including sisters June Preisser, Judy Clark, and Noel Neill (who wears glasses so no one will know she is actually Lois Lane). It reminds me of those beach movies in the 1960s, with more elaborate music (provided by Abe Lyman's band, and a jazzy version of "Loch Lomond" by Eddie Heywood and his orchestra in a bit that could be cut out for those audiences offended by Black people in a movie) and some mediocre comedians doing stale routines.

Given its beach-movie descendants, this Sam Katzman is sort of interesting, and the musical numbers are well done, if poorly lip-synced. But I can't recommend it to anyone who doesn't yearn for Annette Funicello.

Teenagers In Their Mid-Twenties Act Silly

[Calaboss · 5/10 · 4 July 2023]

World War II had just ended the year prior to this movie. Americans were tired of four years of war and were ready for some silliness. This movie excels at silliness, teen slang of the era (the word "swell" was apparently very popular with the kids), and boys wearing suits and bow ties to high school.

None of the actors playing the teenagers in this were actual teens when this movie was made. In fact, Frankie Darro, who plays Roy Donne here, was pushing 30. Everything that happens in the movie is about as spicy as white bread soaked in milk. The Hays Code was still in effect in Hollywood, so no curse words, nudity, or evils such as interracial relationships were allowed onscreen. Edgy movies were simply forbidden, so fans of Pulp Fiction or Night of the Living Dead probably won't find much of interest here.

This isn't really a bad movie, but it is extremely dated, so just know going in what you are in for. I've certainly seen worse movies, (Monster a Go-Go comes to mind). So let's all head down to the Teen Canteen and watch the kids cultivate their bald spots and creaky joints.

From Izzy and Wuzzy to what did Dunne do?

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 29 December 2018]

Here's an opportunity to hear "Standing in the Need of Prayer" in a swing version, sung by the high pitched male singer Freddie Stewart and the jazzy ensemble of the first of the "Teen-Agers" series, made by Monogram in the mid to late 1940's. The premise surrounds a school election and the various candidates of different backgrounds. Stewart is joined by Jackie Moran, June Preisser and Judy Clark in the major roles, aided greatly by a snappy screenplay that is definitely peppy and certainly not anything heard in any of those Mickey and Judy musicals of the early part of the 1940's.

It's interesting to note that blonde bombshell Preisser was the teen femme fatale in a few of those still popular musical classics, so it appears that she has completely stopped aging, rather acrobatic in her dancing and eternally upbeat. In otherwards, one of those teen girls you could only take in small doses with her need to constantly be in the spotlight and always aiming to get the attention of all the popular boys.

The script is filled with witty dialogue, with students of varying intelligence and naivete utilizing malapropisms and amusing tongue twisting rhythmic sayings, with one adult character saying I'm not as dumb as I Look to which you expect the teen character to respond, "Don't underestimate yourself." For a B Studio like Monogram to put out these peppy musical comedies that seem so advanced compared to other teen movies from the A Studios, it really is amazing. To think that these teens are old enough to be the great great grandparents of teenagers today, and only in their late 80's. A box set of the series would be a great addition to the Warner archive.

Excellent Super B movie

[gobbob · 8/10 · 6 December 2000]

Wow! These cats are hip! These kids sure know how to jitterbug! Lots of be-bopping cuties here! And they know how to croon too. Judy's scene on the phone is a classic teenager scene. Everybody is great in it. I love the jazz in the 78 scene too. This is the beginning of a genre, the teen movie.

Classic teen phone call scene

[gobbism-853-978318 · 10/10 · 14 September 2018]

I saw this on a 16 mm screen and wish it was available to more. The athletics in the jitterbug dances is incredible. It's been years since I have seen this but I'd love to watch it again. And yes, there's an amazing teen telephone scene