Who Killed Teddy Bear? is the 1965 queer-ish neo-noir cult classic film you’ve never seen. Directed by Joseph Cates, and starring bisexual Hollywood beefcake legend Sal Mineo, the beautiful Juliet Prowse and the legendary Elaine Stritch, the psycho-drama Who Killed Teddy Bear? has now been digitally remastered and is due for general release to a new generation of appreciative queer audiences.

Set in one of the first-ever discotheques, a small upstairs space just off gritty Times Square in mid-1960s New York, we meet beautiful DJ/dancer Norah (Prowse). She plays music nightly under the watchful eye of ballsy, glamorous NY lesbian owner/manager Marian (Stritch). Buff, super sexy, yet very vulnerable, busboy Lawrence (Mineo) is around to assist when required. Norah then starts to get troubled by lewd phone calls, both at home and at work. These gradually become more threatening and personal and the police get involved, including one vice squad detective, Dave, (Jan Murray), who takes a personal interest in her case.

Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a brilliantly art-directed black and white time-capsule of mid-sixties New York City nightlife, louche vibes, fashion, urban living and personal relationships. The angst of the era, the difficulties in communicating desire and the lack of understanding regarding mental health issues and different sexualities give the film an undercurrent of unspoken drama. The excellent original cinematography has been beautifully remastered – detailed studio scenes combine well with archive footage of Times Square in all its sleazy (relatively sleazy then compared to the seventies and eighties) glory. This is pre-Stonewall, pre sexual revolution film-making so the queerness of Marion is presented as somewhat closeted and predatory. Many of the camera shots are intimate and voyeuristic, shot from below, or from a distance, or when the subject is seemingly unaware. Mineo’s amazing body is used to full effect, the numerous superfluous scenes of him wearing next to nothing, lying in bed in his tighty-whiteys, working out topless or swimming are designed to titillate. And they achieve that – all the more when you realise this is the guy who openly confirmed bedding both Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift – a rare admission back then. The film’s main characters’ characteristics– buff gym boy, butch lesbian bar owner and female DJ in a nightclub – and themes – stalking, mental health issues and phone dramas – were ahead of their time for the 1960s and make this vintage film easy to connect to. The raw queerness in this film isn’t presented in a positive light but it never was back then. What is does show, however, is how far we’ve come regarding queer representation in film over the past 60 years. Very entertaining. Very memorable. Recommended.