Jail Bait (1955)

Recently released from jail, Don Gregor (Clancy Malone) works for nasty bad guy Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell), who has a beautiful model moll called Loretta (Theodora Thurman).

During a blackface minstrel show (starring Cotton and Chick Watts in footage from Ron Ormond’s Yes, Sir, Mr Bones (1951), Don botches a holdup and kills a former cop night watchman (Bud Osborne).

He goes to his kindly old goateed plastic-surgeon father (Herbert Rawlinson, who had terminal lung cancer and died the day after his scenes were shot) and demands a new face.

Ed Wood’s second film – his attempt to make a serious film noir – has horrendous dialogue, flubbed lines, laughable parts, botched continuity and terrible acting, but the surprise ending is a worthwhile payoff.

Marilyn Gregor (Wood’s girlfriend, Dolores Fuller) is Don’s concerned sister. Inspector Johns (Lyle Talbot) and Lt. Bob Lawrence (future Hercules Steve Reeves in his less-than-sterling film debut) are the investigating policemen.

Wood fans can also spot Mona McKinnon, Conrad Brooks, and other familiar faces.

The irritating and incessant guitar and piano music by Hoyt Kurtin (who later wrote the music for The Jetsons) is from Ormond’s Mesa of Lost Women (1953).

The Rhino “director’s cut” version runs to 72 minutes and includes stripper footage (not by Wood) instead of the minstrel show.

Don Gregor
Clancy Malone
Inspector Johns
Lyle Talbot
Marilyn Gregor
Dolores Fuller
Dr Gregor
Herbert Rawlinson
Lt. Bob Lawrence
Steve Reeves
Vic Brady
Timothy Farrell
Loretta 
Theodora Thurman
Mac 
Bud Osborne
Miss Willis
Mona McKinnon
Detective Davis
Don Nagel
Detective McCall
John Martin
Miss Lytell
La Vada Simmons
Newspaper Woman
Regina Claire
Police Doctor
John Avery
Chick
Chick Watts
Cotton
Cotton Watts
Radio News Announcer
Edward D. Wood Jr.

Director
Edward D. Wood Jr.

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