Year: 1959
Runtime: 70 mins
Language: English
Director: Joel Rapp
Marvin, a brilliant but socially awkward teen neglected by his alcoholic father, is manipulated by the popular campus girl Betty, who asks him to write her term paper. After they’re caught cheating and lose a scholarship recommendation, Marvin schemes a million‑dollar heist to win Betty’s love. The plan is betrayed by Betty, police intervene, and the crime ends in tragedy for Marvin and his friends.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of High School Big Shot (1959), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Marv Grant, [Tom Pittman], is a high school student who lives with his deadbeat, alcoholic father. At school, he begins dating Betty Alexander, [Virginia Aldridge], who quickly reveals herself to be calculating and self-serving, eventually manipulating him into writing her English class term paper. When their teacher uncovers that Betty cheated, she fails the student and withdraws Marv’s chance for a scholarship by retracting the recommendation from his college application. In a fit of anger, Betty dumps Marv and returns to her old boyfriend, Vince, exposing that she had only been using him all along.
At his part-time job at the docks, Marv overhears a plan for a drug deal involving a substantial amount of heroin. The money is to be kept in the office safe before the deal goes down. Desperate and determined to help his troubled father, Marv hatches a bold plan to steal the money, enlisting the help of a hard-edged safecracker, Harry March, [Stanley Adams], and his brother-in-law, Sam Tallman, [Louis Quinn]. The trio envision using the windfall to stabilize the family’s life and perhaps win back Betty’s affection.
To seal the loyalty of his crush, Marv confesses the impending robbery to Betty, who feigns interest in him and marriage while secretly steering her current boyfriend, Vince Rumbo, [Howard Veit], to seize the entire sum from Marv’s crew. Betty’s duplicity reopens old wounds and complicates an already perilous plan, setting off a chain of violent twists that none of them can control.
The burglary unfolds with a tense confrontation as Marv and his two accomplices manage to secure the cash, but Vince and his own gang move to seize it from them during the getaway. Sam Tallman, [Louis Quinn], resists the attempt, and is shot by Vince, shocking the others and forcing a chaotic scramble to safety. Betty arrives at the docks soon after, trying to resolve the mess, but Vince turns on her, blaming her for drawing him into the danger and killing her in a brutal moment of unleashed ruin.
When the drug dealers finally arrive to claim the spoils, they shoot Vince as he tries to leave with the cash. The loot is spilled into the water, scattered and hard to recover, transforming the scene into a grim tableau of betrayal and desperation. As the dust settles, police surge onto the dock, shooting one of the remaining dealers and arresting the rest, including Marv, who stands amid the wreckage of his ambitions and the consequences of a plan gone terribly wrong.
In the quiet aftermath, the story lingers on the shattered relationships, the heavy cost of temptation, and the fragile line between hope and ruin, leaving Marv to face an uncertain future as the law closes in and the truth about loyalty, love, and desperation comes into sharper focus.
Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 08:26
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where desperate teenage ambitions lead to a crushing, violent outcome.If you liked the desperate, tragic crime story in High School Big Shot, you'll find similar movies here. These films feature teenagers whose ambitious criminal plans go horribly wrong, leading to bleak endings filled with betrayal and loss. They capture the intense, fast-paced downfall of young characters pushed to the edge.
The narrative pattern follows a brilliant or alienated teen who sees crime as a solution to social or economic despair. A catalyst, often romantic manipulation, sets a fast-paced heist or criminal plan in motion, which is inevitably betrayed. The story culminates in police intervention and tragic, often fatal, consequences for the protagonist and their allies.
Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the teen crime-gone-wrong archetype, combined with a uniformly bleak tone and high emotional weight. They share a fast pacing that escalates tension rapidly and a straightforward cause-and-effect structure leading to an irreversible, sad ending.
Narratives where vulnerable characters are exploited, leading to their tragic undoing.Find films similar to High School Big Shot that explore themes of emotional manipulation and socioeconomic despair. These dramas often feature vulnerable protagonists exploited by others, leading to tragic consequences. If you were captivated by the heavy mood of betrayal and neglect, this collection offers more of that grim, oppressive vibe.
The emotional journey revolves around a socially isolated character (often due to neglect or poverty) who places their trust in a charismatic but duplicitous individual. The manipulator leverages this trust for personal gain, setting off a chain of events that exposes the protagonist's vulnerability and the harshness of their world, ending in profound loss or tragedy.
These films are united by their heavy focus on the dynamics of manipulation and the resulting feeling of oppressive despair. They share a bleak tone, high intensity, and explore weighty themes like parental neglect and betrayal, creating a consistently grim and anxious mood.
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Track the full timeline of High School Big Shot with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
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