The Unguarded Moment

1956 "THE UNGUARDED MOMENT and its shocking aftermath!"
The Unguarded Moment
6.3| 1h35m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 27 December 1956 Released
Producted By: Universal International Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A high-school music teacher is the victim of a student who writes indecent notes and assaults women.

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JLRMovieReviews Esther Williams is a hot teacher. So it's natural for her boys to have a crush on her. But to act on it! John Saxon, in his screen debut, is the boy in question. Goerge Nader is the law, who's brought in, when she is coaxed by a series of letters to meet the boy in the boys' locker room at night! In the scuffle, she is shaken up and her clothes a bit torn, and the officer, who is quite taken by her, is out to get the boy, despite the fact she wants to forget the whole thing and put it behind her. He's just a boy! But if you don't punish the behavior, they don't learn, says George Nader. Then there's the question of whether Saxon is the suspect they are looking for in the case of a young girl murdered. Despite the facts that the movie starts out really melodramatic with corny dialogue and that George Nader has practically no screen personality, I got really engrossed in the film. I thought I had heard that this film was really bad. It does have some parts that were overdone or done to extreme, like Edward Andrews' performance as Saxon's father. But, costarring good supporting actors like Jack Albertson and Les Tremayne, the film certainly delivers a punch. '7' is still a little generous, but for pure entertainment and camp value, it sure fits the bill.
st-shot As clueless but compassionate high school educator Esther Williams is a fish out of water in this sensationalized hot for teacher drama featuring a variety of lurid fetishes and poor performances. A contemporary of Blackboard Jungle and Rebel without a Cause it finishes dead last in the teen angst genre of its day, setting the bar so low it defies any other glossy flic to limbo under it.Attractive Lois Conway (Williams) is a high school boy's daydream and fantasy who begins to get unwanted attention through mash notes and stalking. A woman has been murdered in the generally crime free suburban setting but Conway brazenly agrees to meet her stalker under the football stands at night without back-up. A firm believer in coddling youth she is rewarded by being assaulted. Detective Harry Graham (George Nader) handling the murder case tries to talk some sense into Conway who brusquely ignores his warnings with bullheaded charges back into harm's way. It's bad enough Conway spends most of the film displaying the common sense of a teen in a hacker film going into dark places by herself especially with the pedestrian dramatic acting abilities of Ms. Williams. In dry dock and without her signature aquatic acrobatics her performance is one long dive. Nader's detective is just as unemotive as Williams and John Saxon debuting as the latest entry in the new Brando sweepstakes seems to catch what the leads have; lack of conviction. Only Edward Andrews as the restrained at first misogynistic father of Saxon offers a performance of interest. An iconic figure of condescending authority in television and film he's allowed to stretch with a disturbed detachment and runs away with the film.Director Charles Kelleher is no Sirk or Ray but he does have William Daniels lensing and there are some excellently lit and photographed evening scenes that build maximum suspense in a film however that can only be enjoyed for the wrong reasons.
Hoohawnaynay Wow, what a great piece of 50's trash! Lush, colorful sets, great old cars and Esther walking around in sexy 50's tight dresses. The plot has already been mentioned above so I won't rehash. One question that sticks out in my mind, who would say no to John Saxon, he is a sex god in this movie, like an hunkier, hornier Sal Mineo! If they had gotten George Nader to take his shirt off more in this it would have been a 50's wet dream! Sexual repression doesn't get any better than this movie! Even Saxon's dad played by Edward Andrews is an old perv..everything was so subtle in this era...Esther Willaims actually was a pretty good actress here, they should have used her in more movies like this!
reelguy2 In her first nonaquatic role, Esther Williams plays a school teacher who's the victim of sexual assault. She gives a fine performance, proving she could be highly effective out of the swimming pool. As the detective out to solve the case, George Nader gives perhaps his finest performance. And he is so handsome it hurts! John Saxon is the student under suspicion, and although he gets impressive billing in the credits, it's Edward Andrews as his overly-protective father who is the standout.Bathed in glorious Technicolor, The Unguarded Moment is irresistible hokum and at times compelling drama.