While I have been aware of this title I never saw the movie, until today that is, when it was shown on the Movies! channel. I am roughly the same age as all the actors here, who were mostly mid- to late- 20s when it was filmed. I remember the 1950s and much of what is shown in this movie is fairly authentic to that time.Those of us who take achievement for granted, simply go to school and college, behave in class, do assignments, make good grades, get married, raise a family, have a decent career ... we don't really get how the others waste the same opportunities. And that is the focus of this movie. The boys call themselves the Lord's (yes, it is incorrect) and they fashion themselves as a gang of four. But they aren't really vicious, they do get into small fights, they do steal a car for the night, but no major crimes. They are depicted mostly as teenagers with no focus, no rudder, no concept of what they want their lives to become. They want the girls, and one gets one by virtue of an unplanned pregnancy, but most "good" girls avoid them because, while they are cute and personable, they look and act like losers. And most girls don't want to get attached to losers.It is fun to see actors like Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, and Henry Winkler in their earlier days. In fact the best scene is in a pool hall when Stallone's girlfriend comes in to tell him she is pregnant and he just isn't prepared to deal with it. He might have made mostly cheesy movies but we can see that he really was a fine actor. He makes that scene work.Shot mostly in Brooklyn it is an interesting glimpse into that time but overall not a particularly good movie.

Absolutely inane film dealing with a bunch of street hooligans who show their immaturity and lack of respect.The only good thing about this farce is that there is no violence.Perry King, who has gone on to become the king of television movies, plays Chico, riding around on his motorcycle and going nowhere quickly as is the case with this film.Talk of stereotyping. The film is demeaning to Italian-Americans. Annie and Frannie are the 2 prototypes for LaVerne and Shirley.Sylvester Stallone is gifted at playing hunks with IQ's around 2.The plot here is thin and the writing is even worse. The sound sounds like it is coming out of your local luncheonette.Topics such as teen pregnancy, fighting, unruly behavior in school, and the coming of age are poorly dealt with.Frannie wants to marry the Stallone character so they can watch American Bandstand together. The film suffers from a complete lack of maturity and should define itself as the coming of ignorance.

This magical gem of a movie really comes together: acting, editing, soundtrack. Both hilarious and oddly sentimental, the low budget appearance of this film is actually what makes it great. Funny and touching dialog without being a self-conscious parody like so many other 50's teen films. Stallone steals the show with his goofy but completely believable "Stanley" character. Perry king's "Chico" was a kindred soul to Stanley. The scene of the two of them in Stanley's rooftop pigeon coup is too funny. Henry Winkler and Paul Mace are wannabe tough guys who round out "The Lords". Susan Blakely's character is very believable and she turned in a great performance. Frannie and Annie are a riot and the scene in the jewelry store is priceless. The doo-wop soundtrack really heightens the emotions of the little sketches that make up this film. Strong acting performances by all. Don't miss it!

A good, decent film about leaving adolescence behind, and the threshold to adulthood.Sylvester Stallone is very good as Stanley, the pug of the gang, who is facing fatherhood and marriage, and tries to amiably go along. He's not too bright, but he understands there is much more out there. His scene on the roof with Perry King is his way of trying to communicate that the world they have been living in is coming to an end, but, through their dreams and imagination, they can go places and experience other things. Things are changing for him, and he instinctively realizes there is much more to the world than their little corner of Brooklyn.Perry King's Chico, on the other hand, is brighter than he lets on, and he understands all too well what is out there and is waiting for them. The trouble is, in the adult world, he will never again have the freedom and power that he has running the streets with the Lords. Growing up is not something he looks forward to. He resents what he sees as the end of the road. He wouldn't mind living out the rest of his life with the Lords, prowling the streets, knocking up girls, fighting with the clean cut kids. In this world, he is powerful and respected, but he senses it coming to an end. His argument on the roof with Stanley is his rejection of dreaming or imagining something, or somewhere, else. His unfortunate episode with Susan Blakely is his inability to relate to her as another human being. To him, she is still just a chick to be laid, not someone he may have to relate to. Everyone around him is growing up and passing him by, and Chico resents it. He basically wants things to stay just as they are.The final rumble at the football field is an example of the Lords in their element, when they are at their happiest. The aftermath of the fight (the accident) is a further reminder that this life is at an end, and adulthood awaits, whether they are ready for it or not.A decent, entertaining movie. Quite an interesting character study, well-acted, especially by King and Stallone.