It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

'Jail Bait' is somewhat lesser known Ed Wood 's movie. Probably because it is slightly better than his most famous works. The dialogue is ridiculously written and actors chewing themselves through the silly lines thus destroying acting with every scene. Weird jump cuts in an inappropriate moments that doesn't add anything to scene but just demolishing the flow of it. 'Jail Bait' has much more coherent story line and consistent script than we are used from Ed Wood movie. That can be associated to co-writer Alex Gordon (who also produced couple of Roger Corman's movies). Thanks to tight writing 'Jail Bait' is more serious in tone and offers less unintentional comedy and as that it just stays a badly made film-noir, but stands as 'best' film directed by infamous Ed Wood.The film's score with its pseudo flamenco guitar and obnoxious piano pounding takes off lot of tension from several scenes and adds some weird atmosphere to the movie. The mood of otherworldly is enhanced by that, that all the action takes place at night time and we see California without sunshine - dark and murky place instead of bright scenery we are used to.'Jail Bait' has its charm and it is entertaining to watch wooden actors sleepwalking through bad dialogue and unbelievable procedures (plastic surgery done on the living room sofa without almost no medical equipment). The viewer also gets awarded with nice ending twist. Not quite Ed Wood at his best, but more at his 'best'.

First off I have to say that Jail Bait wasn't what I expected. Given its title I thought Jail Bait would be about the evils of having sex with minors. It certainly would have been in the Ed Wood tradition. But the Jail Bait here is the weapon that our protagonist Clancy Malone was carrying. Malone is an irresponsible young punk, son of Dr. Herbert Rawlinson who likes hanging out with hoods like Timothy Farrell. He's already been picked up for gun possession and he's the cause of grief for Rawlinson and sister Dolores Fuller.But one night Malone and Farrell pull a stickup at a theater and retired cop Bud Osborne is killed who is employed as a night watchman. The police in the people of Lyle Talbot and Steve Reeves investigate this one like Osborne was still on active duty.This is as far as I go, the film takes some bizarre twists that only the mind of an Ed Wood could conceive.When I say Steve Reeves that is indeed the original Hercules. And of course Ed Wood had him take his shirt off. He bulked up a bit in the 4 years since for the Hercules role. As usual Wood shoots a most economical film. Players like Lyle Talbot, Herbert Rawlinson, and Bud Osborne who've got an impressive list of credits looked pained beyond belief. I'd love to know how Talbot got associated with Wood. Rawlinson died right after completing his part. He looks very ill in his scenes. Jail Bait is an Ed Wood project through and through.

This is, like all Ed Wood movies, wonderfully enjoyable. Quality? If you're watching Ed Wood for quality, well, you must not have heard. Having said that, I thought the plotting in this film is better than his other movies. I have to admit I saw the end coming but even still, I thought it was pretty good plotting except for the fact that the surgeon would have tipped off the cops that his son was being held, rather than waiting two weeks. The acting is hilariously wonderful. The line readings are excellent if one couldn't read and one was 15. The doctor who reports to the cops about the condition of the bookkeeper sounds as interested as if he was talking about lint on his jacket. The disengagement of Loretta and Marilyn when they are talking about Marilyn's difficult relationship with Vic (Tim Farrell) is hysterical. The lack of passion when the cops and the crooks meet in the bar is hilarious. Vic's threatening comments made to Marilyn delivered as if he was trying to decide what to get at the grocery store are hilarious. Obviously all this misses the point. This is an Ed Wood movie and clearly the man wanted to make movies. Quality and wisdom were no barriers. That said, there are some good things, about the movie. The plot, I thought, was quite imaginative. I've read that some people didn't like the music but I thought it contributed to the suspenseful aura. The acting from Herbert Rawlinson was good and Dolores Fuller was OK. Again though, I didn't expect to see a master class on film. Ed Wood had an undeniable passion for making movies and I can - and do - appreciate that. Many directors and actors are only in it for the paycheck and that clearly wasn't the case for Wood. Seeing people do something that they surely weren't paid much for work again and again with Wood makes him a very intriguing, and quite honestly, admirable character and one can tolerate his technical shortcomings in light of his passion.

None of Ed Wood Jnr's movies are not what I deem great, however I also don't consider any of them among the worst movies of all time or him the worst director. There are better written, made and acted movies out there, but no matter how bad they are they are kind of like guilty pleasures. I do prefer Plan 9 from Outer Space, Bride of the Monster and Glen and Glenda over Jail Bait, but Jail Bait is at least better than Night of the Ghouls, Orgy of the Dead and especially The Sinister Urge. That is my opinion of course. The ending is huge fun, obvious but it does have to be seen to be believed. Jail Bait while having a lot of continuity errors is also one of Wood's better-looking movies, the camera work is not as static and the sets not as wobbly. There is much that is really terrible though, especially the music which is very repetitive and cheesy, it also gets far too much very quickly. The dialogue is truly horrendous as well, though I admit I did bust a gut from laughing at some of the howlers. The story is thankfully more coherent than the likes of Orgy of the Dead and also not as deadly dull as The Sinister Urge, however it is rather sluggish and often illogical, the ending is the highlight and where things really liven up. The acting is really amateurish as well, the best is Herbert Rawlinson while the rest are as stiff as a robot. Steve Reeves does have sex appeal, but it doesn't disguise his very bland acting or that his shirtless scene felt out of place. In conclusion, terrible but somewhat entertaining. Even more entertaining actually is the facts behind the movie, they make for a fascinating read. 3/10 Bethany Cox