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Polar Blair's Den Menu PageThe term "sexploitation" really came into being with the risque movies of the late 1960s-1970s. Films of this sort, though, have been made before and since that time. Generally, though, "sexploitation" describes the 60s and 70s skin flicks. Some were great, some were awful. Since all movies of this sort, despite the date, all reach for the same objective, they will appear in this list.
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Features:
"Escort Girl" (1941)
"Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965)
"The Flesh Merchant" aka "The Wild and the Wicked" (1956)
"War Goddess" (1973)
Quick Reviews:
"The Babysitter" (1969)
"The Dallas Connection" (1994)
"The Horrors of Spider Island" (1960)
"Invasion of the Bee Girls" (1973)
"Return to Savage Beach" (1998)
"Slaves in Bondage" (1937)
"Weekend With the Babysitter" (1970)
"The Woman Hunt" (1973)
The Babysitter (1969)- This is a
fun little B-movie with guilty pleasures, fairly good acting from most
of the cast, and an interesting story. I'm rather surprised this
movie is as good as it is because it's very low-budget and very
independent. Typically, most movies on this low ebb of the
drive-in movie spectrum like to concentrate on sleaze. Although
this movie has its share of sleazy moments, it's far more coherent than
many sexploitation films.
George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy as George and Edith Maxwell easily give the best acting performances in the film. They're good. Carey is the quietly disgruntled husband, unhappy with his dowdy, high-stepping nag of a wife. Edith is just straight out the kind of boring b**** no guy wants to marry. Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson did okay for the part she had to play: a bubbly, blonde hippie bimbo. She didn't really need a lot of talent for her part in the movie, but she is likable.
Mr. Maxwell is a prosecuting judge about to sentence a biker for murder. Julie Freeman is the girlfriend of the murderer who, in an attempt to get her maniac boyfriend acquitted, tries to blackmail George. It so happens that George's daughter Joan is a full-blown lesbian. Julie, an alleged friend of Joan's, tries to get pictures of Joan and her lover Doris Winkler in the act. In the process, Julie discovers an affair between George and the supple little babysitter, Candy Wilson. Since this item is far more damaging to George than the happenings of his lesbian daughter, Julie uses this instead.
George tries to hide his affair while still doing his rightful duty. Candy, meanwhile, takes care of things on her end. The movie actually ends on a happy note for everyone except Julie Freeman and, of course, her boyfriend. George and Candy break off the relationship with no bad feelings, the Maxwells patch up their unhappy marriage, and Candy carries on with guys her own age. It's cool how everything comes together.
My only criticism is that the lesbian scene between Joan Maxwell and Doris Winkler is completely gratuitous. It has NOTHING to do with the main story and once it's dropped, it's never mentioned again. Do Joan's parents ever find out about her sexuality? The lesbian content in the film is entirely filler.
This movie was followed by the not-quite-a-sequel, "Weekend With the Babysitter". Both movies have their advantages and disadvantages.
"The Babysitter" Advantages:
"The Babysitter" Disadvantages:
Cast:
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson
George E. Carey as George Maxwell
Anne Bellamy as Edith Maxwell
Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman
Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell
Ruth Noonan as Doris Winkler
Fun Facts:
The Dallas Connection (1994)- Like I say, most movies called "sexploitation" are usually from the late 1960s-1970s. However, in the 1980s and 90s, the proud tradition of sexploitation was continued and updated by Andy Sidaris and, for this movie, son Christian Drew Sidaris. Director father Andy started the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies series of soft-core, B-movie action spectaculars. This film is sometimes thought of as a L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies entry but, in reality, it isn't. True, this has many of the same women from the earlier films, but they all play different characters.
Why do most sexploitation movies have to be scripted and acted so badly? I know these movies aren't supposed to have a "My Dinner With Andre" kind of intelligence, but they can at least look like they were written by someone older than 12. The women are gorgeous, and since this is a skin flick, they do a good job. Heroine Samantha Maxx (played by Samantha Phillips) IS arousing, and enticing. 6'1" raven-haired beauty Julie Strain (as villainess Black Widow) is sexy as ever. Julie K. Smith, the short, but extremely busty blonde is something spectacular (she plays bad girl Cobra). Wendy Hamilton is another pleasant surprise as brunette baddie Scorpion (we find out later she's not as bad as she seems).
This movie is dumb, but it's good as a T&A flick. That's all it was really meant to be. If that's alright for you, it's worth watching. I, myself, prefer some kind of cool story to go along with it to explain the nudity. Otherwise, the makers can just go ahead and make it a full-on porn film. I'm not that much of a letch. I like sex WITH a good story and some passable acting.
The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)- A cheapie sexploitation movie that tries to pass itself off as a horror movie, and fails at both. This movie is pretty bad, but at least the girls are hot. However, the best-looking girl, Helga Franck, is the one that shows the least skin! What the heck! Alex D'Arcy and Helga Franck act well enough for the material given to them, but the large part of the movie's acting is terrible. The dubbing is a bit too obvious, and the "effects" were not even good for that time. Plus, the movie just kind of drags along, without much horror or sexuality. It's a missed opportunity. Just a few little additions would have made this more watchable. I recommend it if you're only paying one or two dollars for the DVD and you have some spare time, but nothing more.
Cast:
Alexander D'Arcy as Gary Webster [credited as Alex d'Arcy]
Helga Franck as Georgia
Harald Maresch as Joe [credited as Temple Foster]
Rainer Brandt as Bobby [credited as Allen Turner]
Barbara Valentin as Babs [credited as Barbara Valentine]
Elfie Wagner as Linda [credited as Donna Ulsike]
Dorothee Parker as Gladys [credited as Norma Townes]
Helga Neuner as Ann
Eva Schauland as Millie
Gerry Sammer as May
Helma Vandenberg as Kate [credited as Helma van den Berg]
Walter Faber as Mike Blackwood
Robert Raglan as Radio Man [uncredited]
Director- Fritz Bottger [credited as Jaime Nolan]
Writers- Fritz Bottger, Eldon Howard, Albert G. Miller.
Alternate Titles:
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)- William Smith is the hero. Anitra Ford is the villainess. Victoria Vetri is the love interest to Smith and beautiful, damsel-in-distress. I like William Smith. There aren't too many actors who do equally well at hero and villain parts, but Smith is one of them. Men are being "loved" to death by murderous women. William Smith, a government inspector, comes to investigate. Anitra Ford, as far as we know, is some sort of alien; a hybrid between human and queen bee. She has the technology to turn human women into bee-like sexual predators. The only thing we never know is the motivation behind this killing spree. This movie has an excellent cast, and it's one of the few times I think nudity is as legitimate in a film as it is fun. You can't really have a movie like this without nudity, believe it or not. The premise of the movie is interesting enough, but it seems like the writer got too bored to explain the background of Anitra Ford's character, or give us a reason for why this was all going on. What did the Bee Girls hope to accomplish? Still, this is an entertaining, watchable movie and I hope it gets a remake with a more elaborate script. Special mention must go to Victoria Vetri, who I find most impressive in character and figure.
Return to Savage Beach (1998)- So bad. Ridiculously bad, even under the auspices that it's a T&A flick. It's another Andy Sidaris-directed film. The story is bad, and the acting is bad. At least the women look hot, and the movie is well-filmed. Those are the good points. All the women are great, but Carrie Westcott as blonde Sophia seems to be the standout in this movie. What's this movie all about? I doubt if the filmmakers even know. Main idea: A bunch of chesty babes called L.E.T.H.A.L. Force goes after bad guys. That's about it. Also starring Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Ava Cardell. One of the two creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman, has a part as good guy Harry The Cat. He's the real-life husband of Julie Strain.
Slaves in Bondage (1937)- Lona Andre plays heroine Dona Lee. This is an early prototype of what would become, thirty-some years later, the "sexploitation" film. At this time, movies like this were simply referred to as "exploitation" and usually contained a moral message about the pitfalls of wreckless sex, marijuana, cocaine abuse, and other "not nice" things. Here, the subject is just prostitution. There are also moments of lesbian-ism. For the time period, this movie was extremely avant-garde. Today, it's just bizarre. It's weird to see people in an old-time movie speak so bluntly about, not just sex, but prostitution...even "lezzies". It's made with what we would call today a PG sensibility, but at the time, if they had ratings, this probably would've been called XXX+. They really couldn't show skin, because it was tough enough to get these movies played in theaters. I found this movie dumb and nearly unwatchable by bad acting, lazy writing, and near uneventfulness, but it had a good enough plot idea. A crooked businessman and his female partner use a beauty salon as a front to recruit women as prostitutes for the man's roadhouse.
Weekend With the Babysitter (1970)- This is a sequel-that-isn't to the earlier film, "The Babysitter" (1969). The only connections are: 1. The babysitter is named Candy Wilson; 2. George E. Carey plays the male lead; and 3. The story is about an older married man having an affair with his babysitter. That's it. That's not to say this is a bad film. On the contrary, it's pretty good and, in a lot of ways, better than the original.
The character of Candy Wilson not only changed actresses, but looks. In the original film, Candy was a blonde. In this movie, Candy has reddish-brown hair. Susan Romen is attractive as Candy, but she doesn't have a lot of expression. She wasn't a terrible actress; she just needed to loosen up. I think Ms. Romen could have been a better actress in time. Sadly, this was the first of only two movies in an all-too-short career, and her only lead.
Jim Carlton is a middle-aged movie director that's lost his direction. His current movie script about the younger generation, is doomed to failure for lack of understanding young people. What's worse, his marriage is falling apart. Mona Carlton (Luanne Roberts) is an attractive, thirty-something redhead that ruined her acting career and developed a nasty drug habit. Mona's bigger problem lies within the fact that she is forced to run heroin for her drug dealer in Jim's boat!
Meanwhile, Jim thinks Mona is on a short weekend vacation to visit her mother. While Mona's away, the Jim will play! To get a better understanding of young hipsters for his movie, Candy takes Jim out to all the hot spots. Jim befriends the likes of A.K., Snitch, and Mary Mary, while getting closer to Candy. Jim and Candy soon have a wild affair. The next few days, Jim learns about the marijuana culture and motocross racing. He soon realizes, however, that he loves his wife and that this affair cannot continue. Once Jim realizes Mona is in danger, he goes off to her rescue with the help of Candy and her hippie biker friends. Mona is saved, the bad guys are busted, and Jim reunites with his wife. Happy ending time!
Like the earlier, "The Babysitter" (1969), both movies have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I do believe "Weekend With the Babysitter" is probably the better movie of the two.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Advantages:
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Disadvantages:
Cast:
George E. Carey as Jim Carlton
Susan Romen as Candy Wilson
Luanne Roberts as Mona Carlton
Bob Bernard as A.K.
Steve Vinovich as Snitch
Gloria Hill as Mary Mary
James Almanzer as Rich Harris
Anthony Victor as Sancho
Guy Edwards as Leon
James E. McLarty as Smitty
Alternate Titles:
Fun Facts:
The Woman Hunt (1973)- I thought this movie was SO going to stink until I actually watched it. First off, I don't like the idea of "human hunting", an idea that's been overplayed in movies (especially in the 1990s decade). Second, I never like seeing women get killed in shows...certainly not good-looking women. I was really quite surprised by this movie. It's one of the many made-in-the-Phillippines, American sexploitation flicks that came out of the 70s. Surprisingly, this is probably more of an action movie than a sexploitation movie. The action sequences are done very well, even by today's standards. Yes, there is some female nudity to give the audience cheap thrills, but that's not the only thing the movie has going for it. This movie tells us something we need to know. Slavery was alive and well in the 1970s, as it is today. Some people in undeveloped countries DO prey on women for sex slaves. In addition, there are some people who like to kill other people for sport. This movie simply puts those two terrible vices together.
John Ashley plays Tony, one of the kidnappers who decides to turn on his boss and free the current female prisoners. The story is very plain and simple and doesn't try to do anything that time, talent, or budget won't allow. As a matter of fact, the film movies very quickly. Because of its fast pace, there is no such thing as character development, although the personalities of some of the characters are quite entertaining. Ashley's character doesn't really have much of a personality beyond the fact that he's a reformed bad guy. He does a decent job of acting, though. Sid Haig, as Silas, is probably the coolest man of the cast. He's totally into the abduction and demeaning of women, and has the best sense of humor about it. He's a funny, wise-cracking a**hole! Silas is a bad guy, but he still has some scruples. He doesn't like to physically "hurt" the women, just humiliate them, and he's still kind of a buddy to Tony, even after he's turned. Silas doesn't, however, like Karp. Ken Metcalfe has an interesting, even cool character in Karp despite the fact that he's a total weirdo. Karp is easily the most violent of the three kidnappers, and he hates women. The wacky, red-haired hippie dude pretends that he's attracted to women, but it becomes pretty obvious to us that he's a homosexual. Silas' hatred of the "queenie" Karp is what ultimately leads to his end when Karp shoots him in the stomach. For some particular reason, Karp targets McGee (played by Pat Woodell).
Pat Woodell did a good job as McGee, the leader of the kidnapped girls. She has short hair in this movie, which is unusual to see. She also bares her breasts which is another unusual (although welcome) sight. Pat actually gives good delivery of her lines, which is not common to most sexploitation movies. The most quotable line is what she says to a Japanese businessman putting the make on her: "Why don't you take a running backflip and go f*** yourself." Charlene Jones as the black girl, Billie, was another cool character. She just had a good personality, and she was convincing. Laurie Rose as strawberry blonde, Lori, was cute, but she wasn't the most believable. I liked her in the movie, though. She didn't act terrible, but she doesn't really "wow" us with her words. Where McGee was targeted by Karp, and Billie was desired by Silas, Lori was pursued by Magda. Lisa Todd, best known as one of the "Hee Haw" girls, played bisexual beauty, Magda. Lisa is almost always drop-dead gorgeous in her film and TV appearances. In this movie, she was made up to look a bit strange. Her character was strange, so it worked. Magda was the henchwoman/lover of ultimate villain Spyros, played by Eddie Garcia. She was the overseer of the kidnapped girls; their keeper. Magda loves girls as much as she loves Spyros; and she was really fond of Lori. Luscious Lori is nearly molested by the powerful Magda twice! Lisa Todd, as Magda, still looks good, but in an offbeat way. Her hair is way big and she wears dark clothes with boobs pushed up-and-out to high heaven! Kind of like an evil version of Elvira!
The plot of this movie is not at all intricate, but there still IS one. It's a simple little 81-minute movie for guys that like TNA and shoot-em-up action. That's about it. There's nothing too involved. I thought this movie was going to be a lot sleazier than it was. Most low-budget sexploitation movies of this period ARE a lot sleazier. Heck, a lot of mainstream action movies today are sleazier than this. Don't pay too much attention to what egghead critics tell you. This is a fun little movie if you like the content. The filming and editing isn't the best, but you have to take that with films of this sort. It's still very watchable.
SPOILER ALERT!
Everyone in the movie gets killed off except Tony (John Ashley) and Lori (Laurie Rose).
Cast:
John Ashley as Tony
Pat Woodell as McGee
Charlene Jones as Billie
Laurie Rose as Lori
Lisa Todd as Magda
Sid Haig as Silas
Ken Metcalfe as Karp
Eddie Garcia as Spyros
Alona Alegre as Sam
Alternate Titles:
George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy as George and Edith Maxwell easily give the best acting performances in the film. They're good. Carey is the quietly disgruntled husband, unhappy with his dowdy, high-stepping nag of a wife. Edith is just straight out the kind of boring b**** no guy wants to marry. Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson did okay for the part she had to play: a bubbly, blonde hippie bimbo. She didn't really need a lot of talent for her part in the movie, but she is likable.
Mr. Maxwell is a prosecuting judge about to sentence a biker for murder. Julie Freeman is the girlfriend of the murderer who, in an attempt to get her maniac boyfriend acquitted, tries to blackmail George. It so happens that George's daughter Joan is a full-blown lesbian. Julie, an alleged friend of Joan's, tries to get pictures of Joan and her lover Doris Winkler in the act. In the process, Julie discovers an affair between George and the supple little babysitter, Candy Wilson. Since this item is far more damaging to George than the happenings of his lesbian daughter, Julie uses this instead.
George tries to hide his affair while still doing his rightful duty. Candy, meanwhile, takes care of things on her end. The movie actually ends on a happy note for everyone except Julie Freeman and, of course, her boyfriend. George and Candy break off the relationship with no bad feelings, the Maxwells patch up their unhappy marriage, and Candy carries on with guys her own age. It's cool how everything comes together.
My only criticism is that the lesbian scene between Joan Maxwell and Doris Winkler is completely gratuitous. It has NOTHING to do with the main story and once it's dropped, it's never mentioned again. Do Joan's parents ever find out about her sexuality? The lesbian content in the film is entirely filler.
This movie was followed by the not-quite-a-sequel, "Weekend With the Babysitter". Both movies have their advantages and disadvantages.
"The Babysitter" Advantages:
- Patricia Wymer was better at Candy Wilson than her successor in the next film.
"The Babysitter" Disadvantages:
- Black and white film. To me, a good sexploitation flick just needs to be in color!
- Cheap production values. The movie looks like it's filmed cheap, with mostly inside filming.
- Canned music. The theme song is played way too often, and the general music is phony. The movie's "house band" was called "The Food".
- A lot of loose ends. Notably with the lesbian daughter, Joan, but in many other areas as well. What EXACTLY happens to Julie Freeman. I guess I don't get it.
- There aren't a whole lot of great-looking girls as compared to the next film. Patricia Wymer was easily the hottest. Ruth Noonan, however, did have a very nice "set".
Cast:
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson
George E. Carey as George Maxwell
Anne Bellamy as Edith Maxwell
Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman
Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell
Ruth Noonan as Doris Winkler
Fun Facts:
- Patricia Wymer was only in three movies, and for a short while was a dancer on the TV series, "Malibu U.". This movie was her second to last role.
- Kathy Williams did quite a bit of acting from 1968-1972, but she just wasn't that good in this movie.
- Sheri Jackson was in four movies, all in 1969, and this was her last role.
- This was the only role for Ruth Noonan.
- George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy have enjoyed long acting careers and many credits.
The Dallas Connection (1994)- Like I say, most movies called "sexploitation" are usually from the late 1960s-1970s. However, in the 1980s and 90s, the proud tradition of sexploitation was continued and updated by Andy Sidaris and, for this movie, son Christian Drew Sidaris. Director father Andy started the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies series of soft-core, B-movie action spectaculars. This film is sometimes thought of as a L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies entry but, in reality, it isn't. True, this has many of the same women from the earlier films, but they all play different characters.
Why do most sexploitation movies have to be scripted and acted so badly? I know these movies aren't supposed to have a "My Dinner With Andre" kind of intelligence, but they can at least look like they were written by someone older than 12. The women are gorgeous, and since this is a skin flick, they do a good job. Heroine Samantha Maxx (played by Samantha Phillips) IS arousing, and enticing. 6'1" raven-haired beauty Julie Strain (as villainess Black Widow) is sexy as ever. Julie K. Smith, the short, but extremely busty blonde is something spectacular (she plays bad girl Cobra). Wendy Hamilton is another pleasant surprise as brunette baddie Scorpion (we find out later she's not as bad as she seems).
This movie is dumb, but it's good as a T&A flick. That's all it was really meant to be. If that's alright for you, it's worth watching. I, myself, prefer some kind of cool story to go along with it to explain the nudity. Otherwise, the makers can just go ahead and make it a full-on porn film. I'm not that much of a letch. I like sex WITH a good story and some passable acting.
The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)- A cheapie sexploitation movie that tries to pass itself off as a horror movie, and fails at both. This movie is pretty bad, but at least the girls are hot. However, the best-looking girl, Helga Franck, is the one that shows the least skin! What the heck! Alex D'Arcy and Helga Franck act well enough for the material given to them, but the large part of the movie's acting is terrible. The dubbing is a bit too obvious, and the "effects" were not even good for that time. Plus, the movie just kind of drags along, without much horror or sexuality. It's a missed opportunity. Just a few little additions would have made this more watchable. I recommend it if you're only paying one or two dollars for the DVD and you have some spare time, but nothing more.
Cast:
Alexander D'Arcy as Gary Webster [credited as Alex d'Arcy]
Helga Franck as Georgia
Harald Maresch as Joe [credited as Temple Foster]
Rainer Brandt as Bobby [credited as Allen Turner]
Barbara Valentin as Babs [credited as Barbara Valentine]
Elfie Wagner as Linda [credited as Donna Ulsike]
Dorothee Parker as Gladys [credited as Norma Townes]
Helga Neuner as Ann
Eva Schauland as Millie
Gerry Sammer as May
Helma Vandenberg as Kate [credited as Helma van den Berg]
Walter Faber as Mike Blackwood
Robert Raglan as Radio Man [uncredited]
Director- Fritz Bottger [credited as Jaime Nolan]
Writers- Fritz Bottger, Eldon Howard, Albert G. Miller.
Alternate Titles:
- Body in the Web [US]
- A Corpse Hangs in the Web [International; actual English title]
- Ein Toter hing im Netz [West Germany; actual title]
- Girls of Spider Island [US; video title]
- It's Hot in Paradise [US]
- The Spider's Web [US]
- This movie is a West Germany/Yugoslavia joint production. It was filmed in Nicola, Yugoslavia.
- Although made in 1960, this film was not released in America until 1962. At that point, it still had its nude scenes and was released as "It's Hot in Paradise" as an adults-only movie. Three years later, in 1965, this movie was trimmed of all its nudity and passed off as a horror/sci-fi movie called "The Horrors of Spider Island". Although a better title, it was not wise to take the nudity out of it, as this movie gives us little else to watch.
- This movie offers us little in eroticism, but there's one good catfight between Babs and Millie (Barbara Valentin and Eva Schauland, respectively).
- Although the promotion for this movie makes it sound like a lot of people get killed (i.e. a "slasher" flick), there are few people that actually die. The professor that is found in the web died offscreen by a large spider. Linda is killed by the spider-man Gary Webster. Bobby is killed by spider-Gary, but Gladys merely walks off a cliff while avoiding the monster. Gary, himself, is killed when he is led into a quicksand pit. In truth, Gary as the spider-monster killed only two people in this movie. Only five people were killed off in this movie.
- Barbara Valentin got a rather large build-up for this movie, although her character was of maybe fifth importance. This movie claims to "introduce" her, but she previously starred in the German movie, "Die Nackte und der Satan" in 1959. This was actually her second film.
- This is the only credit, film or otherwise, for Elfie Wagner (Linda).
- Helga Franck (Georgia) was only 29 years old when she died in 1963. She fell from a 5th floor apartment when she was trying to get some fresh air, tripped, and fell out the window. A true shame, as she looked great, seemed to be a competent actress, and acted in only six films.
- Of all the girls in this film, Barbara Valentin became the most accomplished in film. She is called the "German Jayne Mansfield". Although straight, she is an icon of the gay community. She died of a stroke at age 61 in 2002. Since the 1980s she had been an advocate for the fight against HIV and even lived with rock star Freddie Mercury.
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)- William Smith is the hero. Anitra Ford is the villainess. Victoria Vetri is the love interest to Smith and beautiful, damsel-in-distress. I like William Smith. There aren't too many actors who do equally well at hero and villain parts, but Smith is one of them. Men are being "loved" to death by murderous women. William Smith, a government inspector, comes to investigate. Anitra Ford, as far as we know, is some sort of alien; a hybrid between human and queen bee. She has the technology to turn human women into bee-like sexual predators. The only thing we never know is the motivation behind this killing spree. This movie has an excellent cast, and it's one of the few times I think nudity is as legitimate in a film as it is fun. You can't really have a movie like this without nudity, believe it or not. The premise of the movie is interesting enough, but it seems like the writer got too bored to explain the background of Anitra Ford's character, or give us a reason for why this was all going on. What did the Bee Girls hope to accomplish? Still, this is an entertaining, watchable movie and I hope it gets a remake with a more elaborate script. Special mention must go to Victoria Vetri, who I find most impressive in character and figure.
Return to Savage Beach (1998)- So bad. Ridiculously bad, even under the auspices that it's a T&A flick. It's another Andy Sidaris-directed film. The story is bad, and the acting is bad. At least the women look hot, and the movie is well-filmed. Those are the good points. All the women are great, but Carrie Westcott as blonde Sophia seems to be the standout in this movie. What's this movie all about? I doubt if the filmmakers even know. Main idea: A bunch of chesty babes called L.E.T.H.A.L. Force goes after bad guys. That's about it. Also starring Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Ava Cardell. One of the two creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman, has a part as good guy Harry The Cat. He's the real-life husband of Julie Strain.
Slaves in Bondage (1937)- Lona Andre plays heroine Dona Lee. This is an early prototype of what would become, thirty-some years later, the "sexploitation" film. At this time, movies like this were simply referred to as "exploitation" and usually contained a moral message about the pitfalls of wreckless sex, marijuana, cocaine abuse, and other "not nice" things. Here, the subject is just prostitution. There are also moments of lesbian-ism. For the time period, this movie was extremely avant-garde. Today, it's just bizarre. It's weird to see people in an old-time movie speak so bluntly about, not just sex, but prostitution...even "lezzies". It's made with what we would call today a PG sensibility, but at the time, if they had ratings, this probably would've been called XXX+. They really couldn't show skin, because it was tough enough to get these movies played in theaters. I found this movie dumb and nearly unwatchable by bad acting, lazy writing, and near uneventfulness, but it had a good enough plot idea. A crooked businessman and his female partner use a beauty salon as a front to recruit women as prostitutes for the man's roadhouse.
Weekend With the Babysitter (1970)- This is a sequel-that-isn't to the earlier film, "The Babysitter" (1969). The only connections are: 1. The babysitter is named Candy Wilson; 2. George E. Carey plays the male lead; and 3. The story is about an older married man having an affair with his babysitter. That's it. That's not to say this is a bad film. On the contrary, it's pretty good and, in a lot of ways, better than the original.
The character of Candy Wilson not only changed actresses, but looks. In the original film, Candy was a blonde. In this movie, Candy has reddish-brown hair. Susan Romen is attractive as Candy, but she doesn't have a lot of expression. She wasn't a terrible actress; she just needed to loosen up. I think Ms. Romen could have been a better actress in time. Sadly, this was the first of only two movies in an all-too-short career, and her only lead.
Jim Carlton is a middle-aged movie director that's lost his direction. His current movie script about the younger generation, is doomed to failure for lack of understanding young people. What's worse, his marriage is falling apart. Mona Carlton (Luanne Roberts) is an attractive, thirty-something redhead that ruined her acting career and developed a nasty drug habit. Mona's bigger problem lies within the fact that she is forced to run heroin for her drug dealer in Jim's boat!
Meanwhile, Jim thinks Mona is on a short weekend vacation to visit her mother. While Mona's away, the Jim will play! To get a better understanding of young hipsters for his movie, Candy takes Jim out to all the hot spots. Jim befriends the likes of A.K., Snitch, and Mary Mary, while getting closer to Candy. Jim and Candy soon have a wild affair. The next few days, Jim learns about the marijuana culture and motocross racing. He soon realizes, however, that he loves his wife and that this affair cannot continue. Once Jim realizes Mona is in danger, he goes off to her rescue with the help of Candy and her hippie biker friends. Mona is saved, the bad guys are busted, and Jim reunites with his wife. Happy ending time!
Like the earlier, "The Babysitter" (1969), both movies have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I do believe "Weekend With the Babysitter" is probably the better movie of the two.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Advantages:
- Color film. I can't help it; sex looks better in color.
- Much better production values. This movie was filmed very open with a lot of activity. Planes, boats, motorcycles...this is the kind of stuff that makes a movie.
- Overall better cast. With the exception of Ms. Romen, the whole cast was pretty talented and likable. Even Ms. Romen was likable; acting just wasn't her "thang".
- More defined characters. The first movie was basically the husband, wife, and Candy; it didn't much believe in supporting characters. This movie had a wider selection of interesting characters. A.K. and Snitch are awesome! The bad guy drug dealers are cool. There were a lot of interesting people to follow.
- Better film score. In the first movie, we pretty much heard the "Candy" theme over and over with some cheap jam music tossed in. This movie had a wider selection of music.
- Hotter women. In the first movie, Patricia Wymer was okay. Ruth Noonan had a few things going for her (wink, wink). The rest? Eh. In this movie, Susan Romen was pretty darn attractive. Luann Roberts was way hot! Gloria Roberts is tall, blonde, and big-chested. Annik Borel is also pretty interesting.
- Better
story. Things connect better in this film without a lot of loose
ends.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Disadvantages:
- The sex scenes could have been better. Things are more implied than they are shown. I don't believe movies need nudity, but if a movie is going to have nudity, it needs to "show" it. You see flashes of flesh, and that's about it. The first movie gave us longer glances of the girls.
Cast:
George E. Carey as Jim Carlton
Susan Romen as Candy Wilson
Luanne Roberts as Mona Carlton
Bob Bernard as A.K.
Steve Vinovich as Snitch
Gloria Hill as Mary Mary
James Almanzer as Rich Harris
Anthony Victor as Sancho
Guy Edwards as Leon
James E. McLarty as Smitty
Alternate Titles:
- Weekend Babysitter
Fun Facts:
- This movie, like the first, also has a character named Doris. In addition, both characters are lesbians. Doris Winkler, in the first movie, is a full-on lesbian as far as we know, while the Doris in this movie is a bisexual. Both were blondes.
- This is Susan Romen's first of two movies, and the only one in which she is a lead. She has a small part in "Dinah East" (1970), another sexploitation film.
- Steve Vinovich has enjoyed the longest acting success of anyone in the cast.
- Luanne Roberts had a pretty decent career playing sexy babes from 1969-1977.
- Gloria Hill was quite a beauty, but only worked in bit parts from 1969-1971. She usually played tall, hot babes, but in her next film, "Bigfoot" (1970), she played a female Bigfoot!
- This was the last work for Guy Edwards, who only acted from 1968-1970. He passed away in 1986.
- Bob Bernard, who was awesome in this movie as A.K., acted from 1963-1974 in only a handful of low-budget movies and TV shows.
- James E. McLarty was in both "Babysitter" movies. He played Inkie the biker in the first movie, and Smitty the boatman in this movie. He only acted from 1963-1971 in a handful of low-budget movies.
- Anthony
Victor was another guy that didn't work much; only in four shows from
1967-1983!
The Woman Hunt (1973)- I thought this movie was SO going to stink until I actually watched it. First off, I don't like the idea of "human hunting", an idea that's been overplayed in movies (especially in the 1990s decade). Second, I never like seeing women get killed in shows...certainly not good-looking women. I was really quite surprised by this movie. It's one of the many made-in-the-Phillippines, American sexploitation flicks that came out of the 70s. Surprisingly, this is probably more of an action movie than a sexploitation movie. The action sequences are done very well, even by today's standards. Yes, there is some female nudity to give the audience cheap thrills, but that's not the only thing the movie has going for it. This movie tells us something we need to know. Slavery was alive and well in the 1970s, as it is today. Some people in undeveloped countries DO prey on women for sex slaves. In addition, there are some people who like to kill other people for sport. This movie simply puts those two terrible vices together.
John Ashley plays Tony, one of the kidnappers who decides to turn on his boss and free the current female prisoners. The story is very plain and simple and doesn't try to do anything that time, talent, or budget won't allow. As a matter of fact, the film movies very quickly. Because of its fast pace, there is no such thing as character development, although the personalities of some of the characters are quite entertaining. Ashley's character doesn't really have much of a personality beyond the fact that he's a reformed bad guy. He does a decent job of acting, though. Sid Haig, as Silas, is probably the coolest man of the cast. He's totally into the abduction and demeaning of women, and has the best sense of humor about it. He's a funny, wise-cracking a**hole! Silas is a bad guy, but he still has some scruples. He doesn't like to physically "hurt" the women, just humiliate them, and he's still kind of a buddy to Tony, even after he's turned. Silas doesn't, however, like Karp. Ken Metcalfe has an interesting, even cool character in Karp despite the fact that he's a total weirdo. Karp is easily the most violent of the three kidnappers, and he hates women. The wacky, red-haired hippie dude pretends that he's attracted to women, but it becomes pretty obvious to us that he's a homosexual. Silas' hatred of the "queenie" Karp is what ultimately leads to his end when Karp shoots him in the stomach. For some particular reason, Karp targets McGee (played by Pat Woodell).
Pat Woodell did a good job as McGee, the leader of the kidnapped girls. She has short hair in this movie, which is unusual to see. She also bares her breasts which is another unusual (although welcome) sight. Pat actually gives good delivery of her lines, which is not common to most sexploitation movies. The most quotable line is what she says to a Japanese businessman putting the make on her: "Why don't you take a running backflip and go f*** yourself." Charlene Jones as the black girl, Billie, was another cool character. She just had a good personality, and she was convincing. Laurie Rose as strawberry blonde, Lori, was cute, but she wasn't the most believable. I liked her in the movie, though. She didn't act terrible, but she doesn't really "wow" us with her words. Where McGee was targeted by Karp, and Billie was desired by Silas, Lori was pursued by Magda. Lisa Todd, best known as one of the "Hee Haw" girls, played bisexual beauty, Magda. Lisa is almost always drop-dead gorgeous in her film and TV appearances. In this movie, she was made up to look a bit strange. Her character was strange, so it worked. Magda was the henchwoman/lover of ultimate villain Spyros, played by Eddie Garcia. She was the overseer of the kidnapped girls; their keeper. Magda loves girls as much as she loves Spyros; and she was really fond of Lori. Luscious Lori is nearly molested by the powerful Magda twice! Lisa Todd, as Magda, still looks good, but in an offbeat way. Her hair is way big and she wears dark clothes with boobs pushed up-and-out to high heaven! Kind of like an evil version of Elvira!
The plot of this movie is not at all intricate, but there still IS one. It's a simple little 81-minute movie for guys that like TNA and shoot-em-up action. That's about it. There's nothing too involved. I thought this movie was going to be a lot sleazier than it was. Most low-budget sexploitation movies of this period ARE a lot sleazier. Heck, a lot of mainstream action movies today are sleazier than this. Don't pay too much attention to what egghead critics tell you. This is a fun little movie if you like the content. The filming and editing isn't the best, but you have to take that with films of this sort. It's still very watchable.
SPOILER ALERT!
Everyone in the movie gets killed off except Tony (John Ashley) and Lori (Laurie Rose).
Cast:
John Ashley as Tony
Pat Woodell as McGee
Charlene Jones as Billie
Laurie Rose as Lori
Lisa Todd as Magda
Sid Haig as Silas
Ken Metcalfe as Karp
Eddie Garcia as Spyros
Alona Alegre as Sam
Alternate Titles:
- Escape [UK]
- The Highest Bidder
- John Ashley and Pat Woodell get top billing in the cast. Although John Ashley is the "hero" of the picture, Pat Woodell's second-billing doesn't make much sense. Yes, she's the leader of the kidnapped girls, but she really isn't the "leading lady" of the movie. Nor is she the love interest of the hero. Laurie Rose would have been the more accurate choice for second-billing. Pat Woodell, however, was one of the better-known names in the cast at the time, which explains why her name was up high in the list.
- Laurie Rose is a longtime, professional belly dancer. Although her acting career started in 1972, she's had a much longer-lasting career in film and television than co-stars Charlene Jones, Lisa Todd, or Pat Woodell who, at that time, been acting for several years. Ironically, Lisa Todd and Pat Woodell are the women from this cast best-known to film fans.
- This movie was filmed and set in the Phillippines.