Who Killed Teddy Bear?

A very bold movie for 1965 that has today become a cult classic. Like a lot of these social films they are dated, but to me that is part of what makes them often times great. If I watch a film made in 1965, I want it to reflect the time it was made, not today. "Who Killed Teddy Bear" was one of the first U.S. films to be at the head of the new, changing cinema values of the 1960's. The subject matter was difficult for mainstream audiences. Rape, incest, lesbianism, sexual addiction were just some of the topics touched on in the picture directed by Joseph Cates. A young waitress (Juliet Prowse) at a cool New York City disco is being stalked. She has been receiving threatening phone calls and is scared. The police, headed by Jan Murray, have little leads. The film argues that everyone has some kind of sexual perversion. Some people are just better at covering it up. Though not a hit at the time, it seems very influential. Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" is very similar with its bleak view of a rotting New York and the freaks that roam the streets. Scorsese's version of "Cape Fear" has several shots that are familiar. I think even Quentin Tarantino borrowed heavily with his dance number between John Travolta and Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction." It is very reminiscent of the sexual tension between Juliet Prowse and Sal Mineo when she tries to teach him to dance. It does start out a bit rocky, but gathers steam as it goes. There are some great performances, especially from Sal Mineo and Elaine Stritch. The film is mostly lost today, but hopefully its cult status will help it come back to life on DVD and Blue-Ray soon.

There's something quite untypically erotic about the opening scenes of this film as the scantily clad "Larry" (Sal Mineo) telephones a woman and talks suggestively to her. Though not explicit by current standards, this whole film take quite an honest approach to the issues faced by "Norah" (Juliet Prowse) as she becomes more and more frustrated by this stranger who becomes more daring. She reports it to the police and they assign "Lt. Madden" (Jan Murray) to the case. It's clear quite quickly that he has some skin in the game here - but can she trust even him? When her stalker starts to bother her at work, her boss "Marian" (Elaine Stritch) tries to comfort her but will any of that stop what would appear to be the inevitable - an assault? This is quite a cleverly crafted game of sexually charged cat and mouse with the casting delivering quite enthrallingly as the story develops. Even though we always know who the pervert is, we are still not sure how the story will pan out and if he is the only man out to torment "Norah". The ending is a bit disappointing. It doesn't really do justice to the build up, but Prowse delivers her fearful character well and Mineo imbues his predatory persona with a sort of boyish vulnerability that can be quite disturbing to watch at times. It's quite a potent ninety minutes of cinema that I think was well ahead of it's time.