Jail Bait (1954) Crime doesn't pay—but this Ed Wood noir sure tries to cash in Director: Edward D. Wood Jr. Writer: Edward D. Wood Jr. Starring: Lyle Talbot, Steve Reeves, Dolores Fuller, Herbert Rawlinson Runtime: 72 minutes Country: United States Language: English Genres: Crime, Drama, Exploitation, Film Noir --- 🧾 Synopsis When Don Gregor, the troubled son of a respected plastic surgeon, gets tangled up with a ruthless criminal named Vic Brady, his life takes a nosedive into crime. After a robbery goes wrong, the doctor is forced to perform plastic surgery on a fugitive—or else. But justice has a way of finding its face… even if it's a new one. --- 🎭 Cast Lyle Talbot as Inspector Johns Steve Reeves as Vic Brady Dolores Fuller as Marge (also Ed Wood’s real-life girlfriend) Herbert Rawlinson as Dr. Gregor Clancy Malone as Don Gregor Theodore Robins as Police Lt. Bob Lawrence --- 🎞️ Production Notes One of the earliest appearances of Steve Reeves, the future Hercules of Italian sword-and-sandal fame. Directed and written by Ed Wood, later infamous for Plan 9 from Outer Space. Herbert Rawlinson passed away shortly after filming wrapped—this was his final performance. Low-budget noir with Wood’s signature awkward pacing, jarring edits, and eccentric dialogue. Features a full musical number in the opening scene, unrelated to the plot—an Ed Wood quirk. --- 🧠 Trivia Despite the title, the film has nothing to do with underage characters; the phrase “jail bait” is a misdirect. One of the few Ed Wood films that leans closer to mainstream noir than pure exploitation. Dolores Fuller later became a successful songwriter for Elvis Presley. The film was once considered lost but resurfaced in public domain collections. Reeves was reportedly embarrassed by the film and tried to distance himself from it later in his career. --- #Hashtags #JailBait1954 #EdWood #SteveReeves #CultCinema #FilmNoir #ClassicCrimeDrama #DoloresFuller #PublicDomainMovie #BMovieHistory #VintageNoir #ExploitationCinema #PlasticSurgeryPlot #MidCenturyMovies #1950sFilm #ForgottenFilms