Tedfoldol
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Roman Sampson
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
dmacewen-619-299258
There are three things you should know if you were unfortunate enough to read the review currently given prominence by IMDb: 1) Rag Doll has fine performances from such terrific character actors as Hermione Baddeley (Scrooge), Kenneth Griffith (1984), and Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange), as well as yet another ingratiating turn from the lovely Christina Gregg; 2) Gregg's character (Carol) was not nearly as naive as another reviewer claims, as she's aware of what Joe is from the moment she sees him; and, 3) 17-year-old girls are and have always been the most naive and reckless creatures on God's green earth, which means that the screenwriters went far too easy on Carol. I suppose they could have gotten a better choice for the J.V. than Jess Conrad, but it's always fun to see an AYBS alumnus in an older film. Rag Doll is an example of the many modestly effective, medium-length program fillers prevalent in Britain at the time. In addition to Lance Comfort, some directors to look for include Henry Cass, Montgomery Tully, John Gilling, and Charles Saunders.
kidboots
When TV reared it's ugly head in Britain one section of the population who were not in thrall were the teenagers - they had their pop idols, so that's who movie producers went after. Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and, to a lesser extent, Adam Faith, all found fame in As while Jess Conrad plodded along in the Bs. Contrary to the character he played in "Rag Doll", Jess was a big pop star, who in the same year as this movie, was voted England's "Most Popular Male Singer" in the 1961 N.M.E. Annual Poll. Don't let the fact that he is a pop singer and the story being propelled by music fool you - this is a gritty crime drama about desperate people with some very noirish scenes - Carol's desperate run along a night highway etc.Like a forerunner of "Bitter Harvest" this tells the all too familiar story of Carol (the "rag doll" of the title) who is fed up with being pawed by customers, the desolation of the diner and the unpaternal eye of her step father who thinks nothing of using her as payment for a whiskey debt. (Patrick Magee gives everything he has to his few brief scenes). After almost being raped by one of the customers, with her step father turning a blind eye, she heads for the bright lights (some terrific location shots of London, circa 1960, complete with some dazzling Christmas displays) and straight into the arms of Angie (Hermione Baddeley), a fortune teller at the fun parlour, who just happens to be a procuress for the local "Mr. Big" Mort Wilson (Kenneth Griffith - that man again!!). Being able to hold her own against the hot headed cave man tactics of the truckies from the diner she is no match for the oily suaveness of the city slickers.Poor Christina Gregg, it seems she was destined to play young girls at the mercy of men only after one thing - a year later she appeared in "Don't Talk to Strange Men" where she was "groomed" by an unknown stranger she happened to start chatting with through answering a call in a public phone booth - here she is "groomed" by Mort, the sleazy owner of a number of cafes which are in reality a front for a prostitution racket. Despite her looking like a young Jean Simmons is it any wonder Gregg left films soon after, probably wanted to get away from all the turgid teen drama.She meets and falls hard for aspiring pop singer Shane (Conrad) and while she believes in him, he has no illusions about his talent. There is a reason he can't get on in the music business and is often knocked back at auditions - he is a habitual criminal. He blames his marriage to Carol on the fact that he can't get anywhere but he is really planning a robbery in which a night out at the flicks will give him an alibi!! But the night goes wrong and the film ends on a note of despair as both he and the distraught Carol are hunted down in the English countryside.Just a fabulous film with a gripping plot that belies it's B movie status.
lchadbou-326-26592
"Rag Doll" is just a little "B" (only 63 minutes) and its director, Lance Comfort, tended to grind this kind of thing out rather than give it much in the way of style. It does however have some interesting assets.First, for those curious about what London (especially the West End) and its night life looked like in the early 1960s, when this was made, there is much location footage. Later in the story the gangster musician, when he needs an alibi for a break-in he's about to commit one night, gets tickets for him and his girlfriend to see the John Wayne movie "The Alamo," which we see on a marquee. Second, there are several well known performers. Patrick Magee, famed for his roles in Samuel Beckett plays, appears early on as the heroine's stepfather, a small town bar proprietor, whom she soon deserts.(Though he is rather wasted.) When she gets to the big city, she's accidentally befriended by Princess Sophita,a fortune teller in a downtown arcade who later calls herself Auntie, this provides a nice role for one of the great British character actresses, Hermione Baddeley. Auntie also works in one of four coffee bars owned by the middle aged Mort Wilson (Kenneth Griffith) who in turn becomes the girl's protector. Partly out of jealousy and partly out of concern for the girl he orders her to stay away from the hunky,leather-jacketed Shane, a young musician who has a gig in Mort's place and who she falls heavy for. In one of the numbers we see where Shane plays, his back up band consists of what would later become the Dave Clark Five! The girl, not knowing much about music, asks Mort what he thinks of them and he quips, drily, "They make a living." Here is where Mort makes one of the moralistic speeches typical in this kind of exploitation film, denouncing the teenagers and making the point that the seductive musician (who we will later find out is a crook) has named himself after a character in a Western! Jess Conrad, who plays this role, was one of several good looking aspiring British rock and roll actors who were modelled at least partly on the success of America's Ricky Nelson. That is pretty blatant as soon as he straps on a guitar and starts to sing. He also looks somewhat, from today's perspective, like the young Tom Cruise. The denouement does not go well. The girl gets pregnant. The cops are on to Shane. The couple escape into the countryside where things go down in one of those Sturm und Drang finales But for what this was meant to be- part of a double bill- there is enjoyment to be had if you don't expect too much.
malcolmgsw
Jess Conrad was one of a host of 60s pop idols who appeared in films.Cliff Richards and Adam Faith are other names that come to mind.However Conrads acting was so bad that as is evidenced here he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.This film was destined for the bottom half of double bills and it looks it.Filmed on location in the West End which i knew well.Conrad comes out of the Astoria Charring Cross Road,where The Alamo is showing.I saw that film in that cinema in 1961 so i found it very nostalgic.Kenneth Griffiths is good support as a seedy nightclub owner and Hermoine Badderly suitably endearing as the ex tart who looks after the young girl.One can only wonder if girls of 17 were as naive as this one even in 1960.It is available to view on DVD.
