Delinquent Parents (1938) User Reviews

Everyone's past will wrap up nicely. You just have to keep the blackmailers away!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 19 March 2019]

A baby born without the benefit of a marriage license during World War I comes back to haunt judge Helen MacKellar in this easy to watch but quickly forgettable exploitation picture. By chance, she ends up being a judge for the juvenile delinquent court, reunited with her illegitimate daughter (Doris Weston) and the adoptive parents when Weston gets into a series of troubles after learning the truth about her legitimacy. It's up to judge MacKellar to provide tough to Weston without revealing the truth, even though an extranged husband attempts to blackmail her.

This is certainly watchable, if completely far-fetched, and the melodramatic cliches makes the potentially moving plot from providing real heart to the stories. The characterizations are completely black and white with no shadings, and the transfer of the mother role from Marjorie Reynolds as a teenager to MacKellar as her 20 year older self just makes her unbelievably frumpy at the ripe old age of 40. The presence of Marge Champion in a brief dance number is interesting, but unnecessary, providing padding on of running time where it isn't necessary.

It's always the parents' fault!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 13 August 2011]

This film is on DVD from Alpha Video. And, typical of most of their productions, it is a far from perfect copy--with missing opening credits and some sound issues (especially near the beginning). It's a shame, as I like these old-time exploitation films--and this one, surprisingly, is actually a pretty good film--at least compared to the average schlock coming from this genre.

The film begins with a woman getting pregnant and she is all alone. Following the adoption, two decades pass. Now, the birth mother is a family court judge and the child is a young adult who has no idea that she was adopted. Here is where it all gets a bit silly. When the girl learns that she was adopted, she goes from a sweet person to a a party-girl--and is well on the road to ruin! And, when she is brought before the judge, the nice judge learns that this is her own offspring! Can the judge somehow help this now hard-edged girl return to the straight and narrow? And, can she keep this dark secret?

While a reasonably entertaining film with some original plot ideas, I did cringe at one point in the film where this judge is castigating some parents in her court--saying that, in effect, bad kids are directly the fault of bad parenting! Wow, is that a bit irresponsible--and seems to excuse a multitude of horrid behaviors by young delinquents. And, based on the title, this seemed to be the gist of this odd film. Also, a few of the actors were a bit amateurish--especially the troubled (and obnoxious) girl. Plus, like a cheapo film it lacks music and the polish of the average Hollywood production of the day.

Unusual, interesting, under-rated

[CatherineYronwode · 7/10 · 28 December 2006]

This is a very low-budget social drama of the type familiar to modern audiences as a "tv drama" -- that is, a short, sincere look at a serious social problem, dramatised through the lives of a small number of people. The story is simple: a young female law student gives her child up for adoption and must live with the consequences, as must the girl, who, when she finds out that she was adopted, runs wild and enters into unsavoury company. The past has repercussions on the present, and in the end the young law student, now a kindly family court judge, must face her own past if she is to continue to serve the troubled teens to whom she has dedicated her career. Despite the motherhood-loss issues, this movie is not a tear-jerker like "Stella Dallas" or "Madame X," to which easy comparisons could be made, and in many ways it is more progressive and more satisfying than those famous films. The acting is top-notch, the premise is strong, and the resolution is surprisingly low-key and realistic. The only fault i can find with the print i saw (from alpha video) is that it is a noisy print lacking the title credits -- which is why i had to come here to get the full credits. Kudos to Helen MacKellar as Judge Ellis, to Sybil Harris as Kathryn Caldwell, and to Marge Champion as the teen dancer leading the Big Apple number and also the "dance director" for the teen party scene.

better than you might think

[froberts73-379-217403 · 8/10 · 21 July 2013]

Oh, oh, I thought - exploitation cheapie but, surprise, surprise, "Delinquent Parents" turns out to be a pretty decent movie. The story makes sense, the acting is quite good, the solution is satisfactory. The leads are quite good, quite likable. The 'who is my momma?' story keeps you interested throughout. Much better movie than you might expect. Sure, you can see where some expenses may have been cut, but the end result is a damn good movie. No, not a blockbuster, but plenty easy to take.

One surprise was the Big Apple dance. I had heard about it but never saw it. The movie did not go the route often taken by many of these types of movies - it stayed within the decency limitations, perhaps more than need by. By today's standards it might be a bore, but if it is a good story and good performances you are looking for check this out. For the most part, by the way, the title is misleading.

Social Drama About Bad Parents

[Michael_Elliott · 23 August 2015]

Delinquent Parents (1938)

** (out of 4)

Edith Ellis, a good but poor girl, is involved in a wreck where her rich boyfriend's parents demand that he stays away from her. It turns out Edith is pregnant but her mother demands that she give the baby up for adoption. Flash forward eighteen years and now Edith is a judge in a small town where her daughter Carol (Doris Weston), who doesn't know she's adopted, is another good girl. This all changes when she finds out that she's adopted.

DELINQUENT PARENTS is sold as an exploitation movie today but it's actually a fairly straight-forward and serious drama that takes a look at how some folks just consider themselves "above" others when in fact they're not. This film deals with several social issues including the rich getting away with certain behaviors but the real goal of this film is to show parents that their poor judgment can also effect the children they're trying to protect.

There's certainly nothing bad about this picture. It runs for less than a hour and director Nick Grinde actually does a nice job at keeping it entertaining. He certainly manages to keep it flowing at a nice pace and we're also given a couple good performances. I thought Weston was fine in her role as was Maurice Murphy and Helen MacKellar who plays the judge. Again, if you bought this picture expecting an exploitation movie then you're going to be disappointed because this isn't another REEFER MADNESS or SEX MADNESS.