#thrill seekers

The Yellow Teddy Bears (AKA Gutter Girls) | Robert Hartford-Davis | 1963

Although sometimes promoted as a schoolgirls-gone-wild exploitation movie The Yellow Teddy Bears (AKA Gutter Girls, AKA Thrill Seekers) is actually a rather earnest social (melo)drama.

A clique of girls at an English grammar school have taken to wearing yellow teddy bear brooches as a secret sign that they've lost their virginity. Good girl Pat (Georgina Patterson) tries to save her girl-in-trouble pal Linda (Annette Whiteley) from making a terrible mistake, predatory abortion fixer June Wilson (Jill Adams) lures girls to her drinks and sex parties, while young teacher Anne Mason (Jacqueline Ellis), who has discovered the secret of the teddy bears, finds her impassioned pleas for some honest communication acreoss the generational divides between teens, teachers, and parents, only serve to bring her own morals and suitability as a teacher into question.

Thrill seekers

Remember when frolicking in a lawn sprinkler on a hot summer day with your buds was a thrill (even when your dad bitched that it would blow the water bill “sky-high” )?

When my grandsons need a change of pace from the excellent community pool just a short walk from their house, their parents take them to to a “splash pad,” in a nearby public park. It’s a concrete slab on which jets of water shoot, at unpredictable intervals, from holes in the concrete. 

What you see in the photo is only part of the “pad.” The thrills just keep coming.

HEADCANONS FOR MICHAEL’S FIRST VISIT TO DISNEYLAND

Young!Michael

(Gif by @cherylblossxm)

⁃           You warm him up on something like Big Thunder Mountain and Michael wants to be prepped on exactly what’s going to happen during the ride. He watches the coaster as he queues, eyebrows rising in interest as it flies by – ‘do they move by magic?’

⁃           Sitting in the middle of the coaster because you’re not going to have him at the front just yet and when that bar secures you in Michael is CONCERNED. He doesn’t like it when it’s tight to his tummy and he can’t move at all. The safety warning goes off as the ride accelerates and you have to push his hands onto the bar so he holds on. Michael’s gripping on for dear life as your train starts the climb, his eyes flick between you and the impending drop while you try not to laugh at him, ‘HOW ARE YOU SO CALM WE’RE ABOUT TO DROP?’

⁃           Coming off the ride and Michael’s full of adrenaline, bouncing from foot to foot. ‘THAT WAS AMAZING! WE NEED TO GO AGAIN!’ After that Michael is full on ride or die, every ride must be visited, even the ones meant for the younger kids.

-       Michael never seems to stop eating, churros, Mickey Mouse ice-cream, hot dogs, corndogs, it’s a wonder he isn’t sick! Must be an Antichrist thing.

⁃           You were a little gutted he hated the Haunted Mansion, he sits back in your car as the ghouls try to pop out completely unfazed. Not even the dancing ghosts excite him, ‘Scary my ass.’ He grumbles, ‘You should see Mrs Mead when she hasn’t had nine hours sleep’.

⁃           His favourite land is Tomorrowland - there he goggles at everything he sees and Michael is a Star Wars nerd so he makes a beeline for Star Tours.

-       Michael LOVES the Disney heroes. He wants to meet the dashing and the daring: Aladdin, Peter Pan, Prince Eric, Flynn Rider, Luke Skywalker, all the Avengers! But he fanboys hardest over Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. Michael relates to their internal battle between good and evil and talks their ears off for ages.

-       Michael being scouted to play a Face character because he’d make the most STUNNING Disney Prince ever.  

-       You and Michael on Buzz Lightyear is war. He’s good, but you’re better and you have about three rematches throughout the day. Michael only wins when he starts using his Telekenisis, ‘Well you know where the secret ones are, I needed an advantage too!’

-         Michael’s spooked by the Tower of Terror – the ghosts are too close to home and he clutches onto your arm throughout the entire ride. He SCREAMS when the car drops, not expecting it at all.

-       Rock n Roller Coaster is the best ride there – don’t fight him on it! The music pumping in his ears, the speed, the lights strobing, going upside down, Michael can be himself and get lost in the fun.

-       His on-ride photos are STILL BEAUTIFUL WTF?!

⁃           Michael has no time for wandering or taking in the atmosphere unless you make him. He’s going from A to B to C, trying to take the train round the park to reach what sounds exciting to him. You’re adamant on getting a picture with him in front of the castle and he lets you take three before he’s skipping towards Pirates of the Caribbean.

-       Walking round with Michael’s arm around your waist or holding hands. Sharing a toffee apple and Michael pulling you behind a bush to make sure he kisses and licks all the sweetness from round your mouth.

⁃           Discovering fastback is a GAME CHANGER for Michael. He hates waiting in the long queue lines and flat out refused to wait an hour for Space Mountain till you got some fast passes. Learning he can skip the queue though, Michael’s smirk is devilish as he waves to the others waiting patiently in line and you just start apologising as you go, embarrassed at the scowls you’re getting from parents.

⁃           If a ride is worthy of a re-ride Michael demands to go at the front. He wants the rush, the experience and is all about making mathematical calculations and hedging his place in the queue so he can cheat himself to the front. He’s so pleased with himself when it goes as planned.

-       ‘Why do I want to watch a parade of people walking about when I can go on the rides? Look the queue’s have gone down!

⁃       Michael buying you matching pairs of Minnie and Mickey ears and he flat out refuses to take them off, even on the rides. He loses them on Splashdown and is in a massive mood till you buy him another pair.

-       What’s it’s a small world?’ Michael asks, staring up at the crazy coloured building. ‘We aren’t going on it,’ I say firmly. He rounds on me, ‘You said we were going on everything, Y/N.’ (A minute into the ride) ‘Who thought this was fun? Why are people queuing for this, why did WE queue for it? Now I get what they mean by a hellride! Why didn’t you warn me Y/N? WHY DOES THE SONG REPEAT? HOW LONG GOES IT GO ON FOR?!

-       Losing his shit at Fantasmic and humming the music the whole way home.

Olivia thought it was a reasonable assumption that it was her last night on Earth. Possibly, depending on how things played out, her last hour.

There was no hiding the blood trail she left as she fled. No way to fool her pursuers. It might have been easier on her if she’d given up, rather than trying to run, but she wasn’t the type for that. No, if they were going to kill her, they’d work for it.

She wedged a chair under the door, and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. The knife wound in her arm bled freely, already soaking through the shirt she’d wound over it to flow in little rivulets down her forearm. She’d left splashes all over the place behind her. On the floor, smeared on the wall when she stumbled. She could feel herself getting light-headed and knew shock was setting in.

Sloppy. She’d been so very sloppy and impatient. She knew better than to charge in a nest of vampires before she was sure how many were there. She’d thought there were two. Contestant #3 came out of nowhere. It was sheer luck he hadn’t sliced open an artery. Not that it mattered much. She’d killed one, and the other two would find her any minute and return the favor. Maybe she should have stuck to research. Well, it was too late now.

She pulled a flask out of her pocket, unscrewing it with shaking hands, and taking a swallow of amber whiskey. If nothing else, the bloodsuckers were going to know they’d been in a fight. She laid her machete across her lap and waited for them to bash in the door. 

The Yellow Teddy Bears (AKA Gutter Girls) | Robert Hartford-Davis | 1963

The Yellow Teddy Bears (AKA Gutter Girls) | Robert Hartford-Davis | 1963