Blue Denim (1959)

A sexually inexperienced teenage boy (Brandon De Wilde) and girl (Carol Lynley) find themselves in "trouble" as they said in the 1950s. But abortion was still illegal in 1959 and the grown ups aren't listening to their children. Based on a play by James Leo Herlihy (MIDNIGHT COWBOY) and William Noble with Lynley recreating her stage role, the film is steeped in 1950s morality and attitudes. The production code was still influential in Hollywood at the time which necessitated a rewrite of the play's original more realistic ending. The boy's mother (Marsha Hunt) is a real Stepford wife who chastises her daughter (Nina Shipman) for not lighting her father's (Macdonald Carey) pipe! In the film's favor, the teenagers actually look like teenagers, both Lynley and De Wilde were 17 at the time of filming. Despite the film's 50s morality, it does show the disadvantages of "back alley" abortions. The one thing that bothered me most is that none of the seemingly intelligent characters thinks of the obvious solution: having the baby and giving it up for adoption to a good home! A Bernard Herrmann underscore adds some depth to the film. With Warren Berlinger, Vaughn Taylor, Roberta Shore, William Schallert and Jenny Maxwell.