History Film / GirlsTown

At Girls Town Silver meets Serafina Garcia (Gigi Perreau), an orphan who's been sent to Girls Town for [[StalkerWithACrush obsessively stalking]] IdolSinger Jimmy Parlow (Anka). The two become friends (or "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord henchmen]]") and spend the middle act of the movie bonding and trying to decide what to do next as Serafina continues to struggle with her obsessions and Silver tries to escape and to deal with the machinations of Chip's father, who is bent on revenge against her.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: "Henchman." Silver probably does mean henchman, but the way she defines it ("buddy-buddy, pal") Serafina understandably takes it as "BFF." At the end of the movie the nuns use it the same way.

* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Done by accident; when Jimmy expresses discomfort in taking Serafina to Girls' Town, he asks if it's a "kind of reform school", to which Mother Superior sagely replies that it's "a home for girls who've had problems with the law, who the court feels can be rehabilitated if they're placed under the proper influence" -- in other words, a reform school, just a private Catholic one.

* DownLADrain: Where Fred and Stan's chicken race takes place. As detailed below, just because it's got a lack of immediately obstacles doesn't mean it's any less dangerous.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Silver and Serafina become very close during their time together at Girls Town.

''Girls Town'' is a 1959 pseudo-exploitation flick directed by Charles F. Haas and starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Tormé, and Music/PaulAnka.

[[quoteright:200:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgJ6FOpeeo8 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Girls_Town.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:200:... trying to crowd a lifetime of thrills into one night [[DramaticPause ...]] '''''[[BoldInflation EVERY NIGHT]]!''''']]

''Girls Town'' is a 1959 pseudo-exploitation flick starring Music/PaulAnka, Music/MelTorme, and Mamie Van Doren.

The movie [[ColdOpen opens cold]] on a date between teenagers Mary Lee Morgan and Chip Gardner. Chip attempts to force himself on the girl and in the process of defending herself, she pushes him off a cliff to his death. Chip's body is found by his best friend Fred Alger (Mel Tormé). Fred knows Chip was supposed to be with Mary Lee's sister Silver Morgan (Mamie Van Doren) and when he finds Silver's lipstick at the scene he reports her as the killer. Silver has an alibi, but she's currently on probation and so the police give her a choice: go to jail or enroll in the Catholic church-run Girls Town, a home for young women in trouble with the law. She reluctantly chooses the latter.

At Girls Town Silver meets Serafina Garcia, an orphan who's been sent to Girls Town for [[StalkerWithACrush obsessively stalking]] IdolSinger Jimmy Parlow (Paul Anka). The two become friends (or "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord henchmen]]") and spend the middle act of the movie bonding and trying to decide what to do next as Serafina continues to struggle with her obsessions and Silver tries to escape and to deal with the machinations of Chip's father who is bent on revenge against her.

* NotSoDifferent: Silver tells Jimmy that he has no idea how she feels until he reveals to her that he grew up in very similar circumstances as her.

* ScienceMarchesOn: At the time the film was made, Serafina would simply be viewed as a troubled young girl who just needed to be loved. This drives Girls' Town's and Jimmy's handling of her behavior, which unfortunately only makes matters ''worse'' and leads to Serafina's suicide attempt. Today, this would be recognized as a very serious and potentially dangerous mental health issue, and Serafina would be subjected to psychiatric treatment.

* CluelessAesop:
** The movie tries to be a straight-up morality tale about religion and friendship turning around the life of an angsty juvenile delinquent. The problem is, though she'd previously hit a teacher and violated parole, the event that got Silver sent to to Girls Town is something that she didn't even have anything to do with. It makes it seem like the message is "getting punished for things you didn't do is the best way to better yourself."
** The handling of Serafina's obsession is another one. So, being friends with your stalker is supposed to make them not crazy? To its credit, the movie did show that that was a stupid idea and yet Jimmy still keeps trying that same tactic even after her suicide attempt, and the movie seems to be implying that he's doing the right thing after all!

* ThereAreNoTherapists: As caring as the sisters are, didn't anyone think a mental health professional might do Serafina more good?

* {{Delinquents}}: A whole boarding house full of female delinquents. Silver herself is also said to run with a gang called the Dragons.

* GameOfChicken: Played by Fred, and he forces Mary Lee to take part in it too. Taken UpToEleven by making it ''hands-free'' too.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Only Serafina believes it when Silver says her sister has been kidnapped and that's why she's trying to leave. The other girls restrain her and won't even listen when she begs them for help. But then she starts praying in front of the saint she earlier mocked, and that ultimately convinces the others she's serious.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: As caring as the sisters are, didn't anyone think a mental health professional might do Serafina more good?

* MaleGaze: Silver Morgan wears a dress that accentuates her large bosom, which she also like to aim directly at the camera.

The movie [[ColdOpen opens cold]] on a date between teenagers Mary Lee Morgan and Chip Gardner. Chip attempts to force himself on the girl and in the process of defending herself, she pushes him off a cliff to his death. Chip's body is found by his best friend Fred Alger (Mel Tormé). Fred knows Chip was supposed to be with Mary Lee's sister Silver Morgan (Mamie Van Doren) and when he finds Silver's lipstick at the scene he reports her as the killer. Silver has an alibi, but she's currently on probation and so the police give her a choice: go to jail or enroll in the catholic church-run Girls Town, a home for young women in trouble with the law. She reluctantly chooses the latter.

''Girls Town'' is a 1959 pseudo-explotation flick starring Music/PaulAnka, Music/MelTorme, and Mamie Van Doren. Mostly remembered today because it was featured on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

Overall, the movie isn't the worst to be aired on ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]''. It was [[NonActorVehicle a lame attempt to cash in on the popularity of singers Paul Anka and Mel Tormé]] and more attention could have been paid to Serafina and Silver's relationship (they actually barely interact in the film), but it does have some clever ideas - they just aren't followed up on enough.

** The movie tries to be a straight-up morality tale about religion and friendship turning around the life of an angsty juvenile delinquent. The problem is the event that got Silver sent to to Girls Town is something that she didn't even have anything to do with, making it seem like the message is "getting punished for things you didn't do is the best way to better yourself." She got sent to Girl's Town for hitting a teacher and violating probation, however.

* FamousAncestor: Would-be rapist Chip Gardner is played by Creator/HaroldLloyd Jr., while Silver's TotallyRadical delivery man date Joe Cates is played by Creator/CharlieChaplin Jr.

Fred is sent to jail and Silver exonerated. The movie closes with Mary Lee being sent to Girls Town in Silver's place, sporting the same bad attitude Silver had when she first went there, and Silver happy knowing that her sister now has the same chance to turn things around that she did.

* MeaningfulEcho: Upon arriving at Girls Town, Silver requests the right to call the Mother Superior something else, saying "mother is a dirty word to me." Mary Lee says the exact same thing when she arrives at the end of the movie, with Silver smiling knowingly and saying "You'll learn."