I Accuse My Parents

I Accuse My Parents was one of PRC's entries in the "wartime juvenile delinquent drama" sweepstakes, as exemplified by such earlier films as RKO's Youth Runs Wild and Monogram's Where are Your Children? This time around, it's high schooler James Wilson (Robert Lowell) who suffers from lack of parental supervision. As James' parents (John Miljan, Vivienne Osborne) blithely pursue their social life, the boy gets mixed up with the standard bad crowd, who smoke, drink, gamble, and drive fast cars. Inevitably hauled into juvenile court, James blames his parents for his present sorry state-whereupon the Judge (Edward Earle), anticipating the "victim of environment" mindset of the 1980s and 1990s, likewise reprimands Mr. and Mrs. Wilson for their neglect. Billed first, Mary Beth Hughes has little to do in her brief scenes as a good-time girl. I Accuse My Parents was recently given a well-deserved going-over by TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000.