User Reviews

It is an interesting coincidence that I watched "What Price Crime?" about a week before watching "T-Bird Gang" because this second movie turns out to be a remake of the earlier film. "What Price Crime?" is a dandy low-budget film and in the case of "T-Bird Gang", it's an even lower budgeted film. And, while this remake isn't bad, the original is better for several reasons.

"T-Bird Gang" begins with the beating death of a night watchman. The son of the watchman finds him just before he dies and all he can say is that the killers were in a white Ford Thunderbird (also nicknamed a 'T-Bird'). So, this young man decides to try to locate the gang and exact his revenge. However, a level-headed cop discovers the guy's plan and gets him to agree to work with them to bring the gang to justice. However, this gang isn't the trusting sort and it takes him some time to gain their confidence—and the viewer isn't sure if the gang will be stopped before this infiltrator is discovered and liquidated.

Apart from a few small changes, the two plots in the two films are nearly identical. However, "What Price Crime?" is a better film because it is more subtle and at least has a soundtrack that seemed professional. "T-Bird Gang", on the other hand, has one of the crappiest soundtracks—often consisting of someone banging on bongos or a small combo playing free-form jazz. 95% of the folks watching this will probably hate the music—I know I did. However, if you can ignore this and just take the film for what it is (a cheap B-movie), then it's not bad and is a decent time-passer. Not great but enjoyable because the basic plot is still decent.

In a film which features Coleman Francis ("Red Zone Cuba" and "The Beast of Yucca Flats"), I wasn't expecting much. But this little movie really moves. About an hour in length, the film is cut well, and given obvious limited budget, surprisingly succeeds. I like the way they left some of the obvious character clichés at the door. Ed Nelson is a bit over the top, but quite effective in his portrayal as a gang leader who plays chess and listens to classical music. And Raymond, the henchman, isn't glaringly sadistic. The story may be predictable, but the execution is good, and the characterization was refreshing. After ten minutes, I was hooked! Vic Tayback in a cameo just adds to the fun!

The acting's middling, the direction poor, and the sets look cheap. Then there's the cinematography. They must have used really low-budget camera and film, because the DVD shows little detail, and in some scenes the white levels are so high, details are lost. Now, I love old black-and-white films that have high production values (Casablanca and Citizen Cane come to mind) but this film isn't in their class.

Now for the flaw in the plot. The gang's leader drives his white T-Bird to every crime they commit. Then why would the cops go to the trouble and risk of putting a stool pigeon in a gang, when it be easy for the cops to tail the T-Bird and catch the crooks in the middle of their burglary?

John Brinkley & Tony Miller wrote & star in this tale of a high school student that goes undercover to bust a gang of twisted youths.

Watching these kids rob houses, even the rooms occupied with sleeping occupants, is simply delightful. These guys are slick! Big belly laughs at the similarities between some of these "sneaking" scenes and the dance in "Beat It".

Worth watching a couple of times. This film has recently been re-released on DVD & VHS.

About all I can say is that the Ford Thunderbird got a lot of free publicity from this that looks like it was shot with my father'd old Bell&Howell home movie camera.

John Brinkley who authored this mess is our hero looking for the gang who murdered his father during a heist at a warehouse where dad was working as a nightwatchman. Dad retired from the police and Brinkley successfully infiltrates the gang headed by Ed Nelson. Other than Nelson the only other name you might know is Vic Tayback playing a cop.

T-Bird Gang also has a loud, obnoxious jazz score which really adds nothing to the film.

Skip this one by.

T-Bird gang is a fun quick one from the 50's, complete with hip talk and beat music. Despite the title and some descriptions, this is definitely not a car movie at all, and especially not a hot-rod movie. The title of the film really just relates to the white T-Bird that Alex, the brains of the criminal gang, drives and that car is hardly even in the movie at all! But it's an OK flick about a young man who infiltrates a local gang to get to the killer of his dad, a cop. There are some dull sequences where nothing much happens and there are some pretty girls too. It all comes down to not exactly the ending you thought would happen, but something similar.

The leader of the gang does a few funny things, such as spill milk on the dress of his "moll" because she was laughing too much, and boss his workers around by giving sudden orders and snapping his fingers. The rest of the cast isn't bad and they probably had a good time making this movie. Definitely a fun way to spend 65 minutes.

This is without a doubt one of the finest movies I've seen, a real period classic. It's obscure, but well worth the time it would take to find a copy. Vic Tayback is especially good -- in a small role, admittedly, but displaying early hints of the greatness he achieved in later roles.

****SPOILERS**** 1950's youth movie about murder revenge and double-crossing that's a few steps above the average 1950's or 60's "Hollywood youth" films with an undercover bit by Frank Simmons/Minor, John Brinkley. Who's goes out to break open the Hendricks mob by getting it caught red-handed by the police in the commission of a crime.

This all starts after Frank's father, a night watchman, was murdered in the robbery of the warehouse that he was guarding, with the police knowing that it was the Hendricks mob who committed the murder but not having any evidence to arrest or convict them.

Frank going all over town trying to find and join the Hendricks mob runs into to it and it's leader Alex Hendricks, Edwin Nelson. That happened when he gets into a fight in a bar after breaking the concentration of a bar patron playing a pinball like bowling game. Impressed by Frank's ability to use his fists Hendricks offers him to join his mob. Even after Frank joined he was set up in a failed robbery of a gas station to see how he'll react under pressure, Frank passed with flying colors.

Hendricks seems out of place with these 1950's teenage or early 20's greasers who he was using to do jobs for him all over town by breaking into warehouses and homes, even with those who lived there asleep, and stealing everything that wasn't tied or nailed down. Raymond, Tony Miller, Hendricks #2 man who did all the dirty for the gang and who killed Frank's father was getting very jealous of Frank because his boss Hendricks was getting to like the up and coming young hoodlum. Raymond felt that he'll be replaced as the #2 man in the Hendrick mob by Frank.

This jealousy on Raymond's part had unknowingly uncovered the fact that Frank was working undercover for the police. Frank, knowing this, is very careful in tipping off the cops when the Hendricks mob was going to pull a new job and found a way to do it without Hendricks and Raymond knowing about it by leaving massages on matchbooks.

With the police setting up a trap for the Hendricks mob at a warehouse after they were tipped off by Frank the entire Hendricks mobs gets arrested but Hendricks and Raymond and Frank get away in Hendricks white T-bird. With Frank's cover blown during the robbery the three are now back to the Hendricks bar hideout. With Frank tied up and Hendricks thinking that Raymond is outside looking out for the police he tells Frank that after Raymond knocks him off he'll have him turned over to the police in order to save the one and only one worth saving in this whole movie as well as the world HIM.

Raymond who just happened to come into the bar and hearing that Hendricks is going to double-cross and sell him out to the cops goes wacko and beats Hendricks to death with a pool stick that he plunges right through his body. Running out of the bar Raymond is shot and killed by the cops as he pulls a knife on them.

Even though the movie "The T-Bird Gang" has a very predictable story and the acting is adequate it did have it's moments and some scenes where very, if not original, innovative. I especially liked Hendricks girlfriend Marla, Pat George, who at first came across as a typical dumb blond but as the movie went on you realized that she was the smartest person in the film. Marla read classical novels like they were comic books and beat the smart and obviously very educated Hendricks in chess every time she played him.

This flick is cool, daddio. I agree with another reviewer that the Shelley Manne bebop score alone makes it worth watching, but there's a lot more. The acting ranges from fascinatingly bad to surprisingly good (well maybe good is an exaggeration; maybe "convincing"?). Good-looking cast. The screenplay isn't half bad. It moves along at a nice pace. Has a noirish quality. The moll's makeup job! The gang leader's "understated alpha male" shtick: he's a total control freak--renames one gang member "boy", god forbid you should make a peep while he's listening to classical music. Also affects a James Cagney-like style of speaking. So much more to savor.

The T-Bird Gang, a Fifties masterpiece, is one of my all-time guilty pleasure classics. I watch it at least once a month and have never stopped discovering new aspects of its scope and grandeur. Vic Tayback is outstanding in a minor role.

Saw for the first time on a public domain youtube channel. Low budget, but worth watching for those interested in Roger Corman's Hollywood. Needed more characterization and background stories. to be a true classic, but interesting nevertheless.

By far the greatest movie I have ever seen. When I feel a longing for the films of yesteryear and the optimism and bright future they saw on the horizon, I always pop my DVD of "The T-Bird Gang" into the player. The only thing missing was a giant octopus.