User Reviews

****SPOILERS**** It's when 16 year old Stella, Sandra Whiteside, came home late from a party that her Aunt Mary, Joanna Roos, let her have it about how rotten she is and just like her mother-who was killed in a drunken car accident- she'll end up dead before her time if she keeps this up. With Stella just about having it with her Aunt Mary her live-in Uncle Lester, Arthur Ryder, starts to hatch a plan to do in Aunt Mary and have Stella get blamed for it! It's policewoman, this time not doing any undercover work, Casey Jones, Beverly Garland, who take on the case to straighten Stella out and at the same time saved her from doing hard time for the murder of Aunt Mary whom Uncle Lester, her real murderer, later framed her for.

Uncle Lester wanting to grab Aunte Mary savings account, all $2,000.00 worth of it, gave a very upset Stella a loaded rifle that went off accidentally and in fact missed her only causing Aunt Mary to faint dead away in her tracks. It's later with Stella on the run that Uncle Lester finished the job that he started by blasting Aunt Mary when she recovered and asked him for help.

****SPOILERS**** Policewoman Casey Jones saw through the so-called concerned for Stella's safety Uncle Lester and found the evidence of his murder and as she was about to arrest him he tried the murder her as well: did he really think that he could get away with it! Only to have her beat him to the draw and put an end to his get rich quick scheme at poor and innocent Stella's expense.

Except for a restrained Casey, the drama's temperature is near boiling. In fact, actor Ryder looks like he's having a wonderful time caricaturing his loathsome character Uncle Lester. Poor teenage Stella, she can't adjust to the two meanies she must live with now that her parents are dead. She's going nutzoid in the process and her erratic behavior has now come to the attention of authorities. Policewoman Casey soon sees what the problem is, but will the juvenile court judge order a frantic Stella to return to the abusive aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, what can a sympathetic Casey do.

As emotional teenager Stella, actress Whiteside is quite poignant. I wanted to rip through the screen and rescue her from her abusers. However, their meaness is quite one-dimensional, almost like one of those old stage melodramas where you cheer the hero and hiss the villain. Anyway, it's not one of my favorite entries, but at least you won't be bored.

(In passing--- young Whiteside has only two credits including this one {IMDB}. Too bad, she's quite an affecting little actress.)