DATE BAIT (1960) ** ½

Brad (Richard Gering) is a disturbed hophead who gets out of jail to find his ex, Sue (Marlo Ryan) is now in the arms of Danny (Gary Clarke from How to Make a Monster).  Almost immediately, they begin brawling at the local juke joint.  Brad’s brother Nico, a small-time gangster who looks after him and mops up his messes, warns Danny to stay away from Sue.  Naturally, they end up eloping, which sends Brad over the edge. 

Date Bait comes to us from the makers of High School Caesar, and it’s a pretty sleazy juvenile delinquent movie for the time.  The surprising use of heroin (we see Brad with the needle, but not it going into his arm) is what makes it memorable.  I mean we’re not talking about The Man with the Golden Arm or anything here, but the fact that it broaches the subject of drug abuse so boldly (Gering’s wild-eyed junkie performance would look right at home in Reefer Madness) is enough to make you take notice.

Overall, this isn’t nearly as strong of a film as High School Caesar.  That’s mostly because the storyline isn’t quite as involving.  What made Caesar feel so fresh was that there weren’t a lot of unnecessary parents and guardians chastising their JD kids.  Date Bait is rife with them, and the scenes of the temperamental fathers grounding their daughters and unsympathetic big brothers not listening to their troubled siblings until it’s too late really bog things down.  Also, Clarke is merely serviceable in the lead and lacks the intensity of a John Ashley.  Gering is pretty good as the hopped-up dope fiend though.

While Date Bait lacks the energy of High School Caesar, director O’Dale Ireland does deliver a decent car chase sequence.  He also gives us enough scenes of teenagers dancing in malt shops to make it watchable.  Say what you will about the movie, but you have to respect any director who makes a film that features a scene where teenagers hold a calypso picnic.  That alone is enough to make you wish Ireland directed more stuff.