"Guilty Parents" is a terrible exploitation film that leaves viewers laughing....and a bit confused. I think most of it is because the filmmakers are warning against things they really know nothing about...such as sex!
When the story begins, Helen is on trial for murder. Her lawyer is doing his summation and essentially blames Helen's problems on her prudish mother. What follows is a lengthy flashback that follows the gullible Helen from an innocent to a hard drinkin' woman to a floozy to a murderer! And, in the end, she receives the penalty she so richly deserves...DEATH!!!!!
"Guilty Parents" is terrible for many reasons. The worst is that it's filled with misinformation. I thought it bizarre and funny that Betty was molested by some man...and only two days later was dead!!! But from WHAT??? I think they were implying she got a back alley abortion...but after two day?!?!? Huh?!?! Lots of other confusing stuff in this one as well...along with some over the top acting and lousy direction. Overall, a confusing mess of a message that is more unintentionally hilarious than anything else.
Guilty Parents
1934
Action / Crime / Drama
Guilty Parents
1934
Action / Crime / Drama
Keywords: murderprostitution
Plot summary
As part of his presentation to the jury, the defense attorney for accused murderer Helen Mason tells the story of his client's tragic adolescence: As a high school student, Helen, whose mother strongly disapproves of formal sex education, accompanies her boyfriend Jimmy to an Ohio drinking club and, after stripping behind a curtain as part of her club initiation, becomes drunk. While intoxicated, Jimmy seduces Helen, and a few weeks later, Helen discovers that she is pregnant. Unable to confide in her judgmental mother, Helen decides to elope with Jimmy and move to New York City. On the way, a penniless Jimmy tries to rob a gas station but is shot and killed by the proprietor while fleeing with Helen. Although Helen escapes the police, she loses her baby a few months after arriving in New York. Broke and depressed, Helen contemplates suicide but is saved by Bill, an unemployed newspaper reporter. After Bill and Helen marry, Helen, now using the name Wilson, finally lands a job as a dancer at the Forty Club. Determined to find his own work, Bill leaves Helen but vows to return as soon as he is financially stable. Helen, however, is tracked down by the police and is recognized by Alfred Brent, the club's womanizing publicity agent, who was also a witness of Jimmy's attempted robbery. Helen leaves the club before the police arrive and moves into an apartment building run by the kindly Mrs. Wagner. To Helen's relief, Mrs. Wagner's teenage daughter Betty finds her work as a dance instructor in a neighborhood school. Soon after, however, Brent spots Helen leaving the school and, aware that she is still wanted by the police, arranges for her and her dance students to attend a wild party hosted by Marie, a notorious madame. At the party, Brent threatens to turn Helen over to the police if she refuses to cooperate with Marie. Terrified of prison, Helen agrees to "entertain" one of Marie's guests, but tries unsuccessfully to prevent Brent from seducing Betty. After Betty is fatally injured during an illegal abortion, her mother accuses Helen of murdering her child. At the same time, the local police, suspicious about activities at the school, discover Helen's identity and prepare to arrest her. Accompanied by an unsuspecting Bill, who is now a crime reporter, the police burst into Helen's apartment just after she has shot Brent for ruining Betty. With his recitation of Helen's story complete, her defense attorney accuses Helen's mother of parental neglect and insists that his client is blameless. Although the jury is sympathetic to Helen's action and finally votes for acquittal, a frantic Helen jumps to her death moments before the verdict is read.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
Terrible...but very entertaining!
The Mysteries Of Sex Life
Jean Lacy is a girl whose mother, Isabel La Mal, tries to keep her innocent. Knowing nothing about reality, she becomes a prey to teen-aged boys, one of whom has her drive the car when he robs a gas station. When we next see her, she has just given up her baby, while her mother makes desultory efforts to find out what has happened to her. Miss Lacy sinks further into depravity by living with a man, and worse, becoming a chorus line dancer.
Released on the verge of the Production Code taking full effect, this looks to be what would become an exploitation film, starting out with a lot of text about how ignorance promulgated by parents will lead inevitably to their children winding up murderers. For an exploitation film, it is pretty mild stuff. There's one shot of women in their undergarments, shown discreetly in silhouette.
Miss Lacy's career in the movies never amounted to much. In 1935, she moved to New York, where she danced in the chorus and sang at night clubs. At the end of the Second World War, she returned to Los Angeles, where she produced an starred in a radio show, and later a series of television shows, aimed at women and covering subjects of public interest. She died in 1996 at the age of 82.