Good girl Andy (Mimsy Farmer) is living with her useless, pink-haired alcoholic mother (Hortense Petra) since they both ran away from her father. Her Dad is actually Lieutenant Walt Lorimer (Aldo Ray) of the Hollywood Division – a good cop trying to keep order on the Sunset Strip and remain sympathetic to the “longhairs” as the local businessmen want them pushed out.
Andy gets involved with a gang of drugged-out hippie scum in LA who invite her to a break-in house party arranged by snotty Herby (Schuyler Haydn), the rich-kid son of a movie star.
Her soft drink is laced with acid, she flips out and is raped by five guys (off-screen).
Lt. Walt has a startling reunion with his daughter (found laying on the bed on which she was raped), and his unethical way of dealing with the suspected culprits stirs up a picketing campaign against police brutality.
Inspired by the real-life Sunset Strip riots (which only occurred six weeks prior to the release of this film), Riot on Sunset Strip was the Reefer Madness of its day and ridiculing the love and peace generation was an easy target.
The soundtrack is by local garage kings The Standells, who are seen in the film performing (along with The Chocolate Watchband) at Pandora’s Box on the Sunset Strip.
Lieutenant Walt Lorimer
Aldo Ray
Andy Lorimer
Mimsy Farmer
Sergeant Tweedy
Michael Evans
Siz-Ann
Laurie Mock
Grady
Tim Rooney
Flip
Gene Kirkwood
Marge
Hortense Petra
Helen Tweedy
Ann Mizrahi
Herby
Schuyler Hayden
The Chocolate Watchband
Themselves
The Standells
Themselves
Director
Arthur Dreifuss