To give criminal mastermind Ed Nelson a touch of class, the writers have him listening to classical music while planning his next criminal activity with teenaged thugs doing all the dirty work for him. One of them is an angry teen out for revenge because of the murder of his father. It is cliché after cliché, combining jazzy music into the actual crime sequences. Nelson is fine and would fortunately go onto other things that would really give his career some class. But this isn't it with a string of warehouse robberies being connected for a burp of a plot. If this is what American independent film producers considered new wave in the mid 60s I gladly wave it goodbye. At any rate, it is over in just an hour, so you won't have to put up with the excessive violence and angry atmosphere that was appropriate for the time but seems a bit too much today. When you see a movie and can only praise the score and certain technical elements, that's a pretty sad commentary.

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.

First off, let me state that this film is okay. I typically love 50s B- movies of essentially any genera rather they be wonderful examples of what can be done on a low budget, or complete schlock that is mainly enjoyable because if its failings. Based on the reviews I had read on IMDb, I watched T-Bird Gang because I thought it would have been of the former. I must admit I was a little let down. The film tells the story of a young man named Frank, (John Brinkley) who becomes an inside man for the police in order to find his father's killer. The young man infiltrates the gang and eventually he succeeds in helping the police. The story has been done before, both poorly and well, here in T-Bird Gang, it's done "okay." Frankly, the story itself is told so quickly the viewer really doesn't have anytime to care about any of the characters involved. It isn't that the acting is bad, in fact, I found the acting in this film to be rather good. I was even impressed by Coleman Francis' portrayal of a stereotypical overworked police detective, which he plays very convincingly. The problem is, the film just doesn't make me care very much. The viewer isn't given the time to understand what Frank is going through with the murder of his father, and although it is hinted that Frank and the detective have a history with one another, it isn't ever really discussed in depth. In stark contrast to this is the 1959 film "The Bloody Brood." "The Blood Brood," has a very similar story line to T-Bird Gang, but instead the viewer is shown how the characters feels about the people and situations unfolding around them, which makes the viewer care more. T-Bird Gang gives me enough information to want to care, but it doesn't give me enough of a story to MAKE me care. Recommended, but only to those like me who just love 50s B-Movies.

John Brinkley co-writes and stars in this very low-budget crime drama. Brinkley plays Frank Simmons/Frank Minor a teenager, who is still reeling from his policeman father's death. He vows to find who murdered him. Frank goes undercover and joins a gang led by Ed Nelson, who drives a T-Bird to each of the robberies he plans. His number two man is Raymond(Tony Miller), who is suspicious of Frank from the get-go. Frank's cover is blown just as the gang is busted up. Raymond changes his mind about Frank and "takes care" of Nelson for him. Acting is pretty horrible. But this flick is bad enough to get a laugh or two. Also in the cast: Pat George, Coleman Francis and Nola Thorp. Miller is the co-writer and Roger Corman serves as uncredited producer.