Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965)

Due to a traumatic experience in his past, a young man (Sal Mineo) is sexually maladjusted and finds himself both attracted to yet repulsed by female sexuality. He becomes obsessed with the disc jockey (Juliet Prowse) at the disco where he works and begins a series of obscene phone calls to her. The detective (Jan Murray) assigned to the case has his own issues. His wife was raped, mutilated and murdered by a sexual psychopath and his obsession with the psyche of sexual perverts makes him almost a brother under the skin. This low budget B&W exploitation movie sounds more interesting than it is. It's really an opportunity to exploit the subject with plentiful shots of Juliet Prowse and Sal Mineo in their underwear and dashes of lesbianism, sexy 19 year olds with the minds of 10 year old children, murder and rape. Indeed, this may be the first American film to show a full on rape scene without cutting away. The film seems more intent on titillation than insightful psychological insights. It also shares the typical 60s mentality toward homosexuality, when Elaine Stritch's lipstick lesbian is murdered, it's barely mentioned in passing despite her being a major character. Shot on the cuff and on location, the film is a marvelous look at New York City circa 1965. Directed by Joseph Cates (father of Phoebe). With Daniel J. Travanti and Bruce Glover.