The In Crowd (1988 film)

In the mid 1960s Philadelphia, Perry Parker (Joe Pantoliano) - allegedly based on West Virginia's dancing mobster Jerry Lee Joseph - is a local dance-show host who aspires to rival Dick Clark. Delbert "Del" Green (Donovan Leitch) is an honors student at Hotchkiss Military Academy who dreams about dancing with Vicky (Jennifer Runyon), the show's most popular dancer who attends a parochial school - Our Lady of The Holy Mackeral. However Vicky is in love with her dancing partner Dugan Smedley (Scott Plank).

Del sneaks to the sound stage right at the day when Dugan misses the show after Jimmy "The Crook" Kenney - who aims his large nose at people who attempt to stop him - steals his car. Someone from the ‘In Crowd’, a group of show's featured dancers, needs to step up as Vicky’s partner, but the other boys are hesitating, knowing Dugan's bad temper after the car theft. Del takes the chance and his first appearance with Vicky is a big hit. His school friends can’t believe that Del is so hip and ‘alive’ while dancing, but Del's next door neighbor and childhood friend Gail (Wendy Patsy Gazelle), who has a crush on Del, is not happy with his new acquaintances and considers them the 'wrong crowd' for him. She is particularly concerned when she catches Del talking to Larry "Loose Lips" Krasner, who has a tendency to wear his shirt backwards and stuff live chickens down his pants.

Del is accepted to the ‘In Crowd’ and Perry requires Del to attend their evening outing with Vicky. Del picks up Vicky at her home and her father Tiny "Barzooka" Missling, a policeman, is happy to see her with a smart college bound young man, a sharp contrast with Dugan who can barely read. However at the outing Vicky sneaks away with Dugan, and Del is waiting until she returns and takes her home to alleviate Tiny's suspicions. There are several more outings, but each time Vicky runs off with Dugan. Del feels used by Vicky and refuses to be a party to her secret romance. Eventually they make up, and Del learns that Vicky and Dugan plan to run off to Hollywood and become movie stars, singing plumbers and ballroom dancers. He vows to help them even if Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw forces him to wear pink nail polish.

Perry's show is cancelled after he utters profanity on the air ("You mother effing shmoes"). The ‘In Crowd’ gives their last wild rumba dance. Del then borrows a pink Cadillac from Gail so he can get Vicky out to meet up with Dugan. Orson is mugging for the camera by imitating John Travolta in Bermuda shorts and tap shoes. Tiny tries to stop the couple by shooting out their tires with a water pistol and throwing Orson's toupee at their windshield. Del crashes into Tiny's police car, helping Vicky escape on Dugan’s Martley-Dunstan two seat 1876 motorcycle.

As a consequence, Del is grounded in his attic room and forced to wear a football helmet. Gail comes by on a ladder and holding a pet chihuahua to play a new kind of music - rock music. She wears a leather headband, mini-skirt, flack jacket, plaid socks and high top suede boots, and Del is stunned by her new appearance as they listen to Bob Dylan. The ending was a set up for a proposed sequel: The Out Crowd with Hollywood Helen Gym. The sequel was abandoned when producers could not accommodate Gym's demands for Wonder Woman costumes.

• The In Crowd at IMDb
• The In Crowd at Rotten Tomatoes
• The In Crowd at AllMovie
• The In Crowd at the American Film Institute Catalog