SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

bkoganbing Rock Hudson's extraordinary good looks and charm are cast against type as he plays a school guidance counselor and football coach who picks a few choice plums among the student body on a regular basis. Seeing all those nubile young girls with skirts up to their hynies was temptation enough for anyone. The problem is that these girls want to take a permanent lease out on him and he's already married to Barbara Leigh and has a little daughter. What choice is there before the scandal costs him his job, but kill these Pretty Maids All In A Row.The unusual combination of Gene Roddenberry who wrote script and French director Roger Vadim, best known here on this side of the pond for Barbarella created Pretty Maids All In A Row, a black comedy that garnered a nice cult following. Hudson worked well playing his one and only villain on the big screen. A secondary plot involves substitute teacher Angie Dickinson who Hudson gives a warm up to in preparation for his protégé young John David Carson nailing Dickinson. A little Tea And Sympathy sideline as Carson slowly discovers what his mentor is up to..Roddy McDowall plays the clueless high school principal and Keenan Wynn the equally clueless sheriff. One who is not clueless is Telly Savalas who plays a Kojak like detective who suspicions that Hudson is the murderer but can't quite prove it. At the end of the film Savalas is totally convinced.Hudson as serial killer might be jarring to his fans, but Rock does pull it off. An interesting alternative part for an actor who was far better than he was credited.

atlasmb "Pretty Maids All in a Row" has the feel of a cheap, television Movie of the Week. It has a cast that includes some excellent actors and some beautiful women, but they are all wasted on this pointless film.It is listed under the genres of comedy, crime and thriller. Any comedy that might be in this film is purely accidental. It does include an abundance of crimes, but there is no thrill and certainly no suspense or mystery.I am mystified by the plethora of plaudits other reviewers have heaped on "Pretty Maids". I found it interesting to see some of its actors. And I found its plot--that seemed to cater to the teenage drive-in crowd--a novelty. But there is nothing to recommend this drivel.A series of high school girls is murdered and we know who did it. His reason for doing it is uninteresting; there is nothing psychologically complex involved. The victims are not characters the viewer cares about. In fact, there is no one in this film who is interesting or worth caring about.The production values are inferior, sometimes amateurish. The background music is often distractingly irrelevant to the scene. The acting itself is simplistic and superficial.

brefane An oddity from MGM apparently desperate to stay afloat and keep up with the times. Pretty Maids is rather like soft core porn that's been edited for an R rating. Perhaps Roger Vadim's limited understanding of English can account for the vacuous feel and the awkward and uncertain tone, but a stupid script that has no right to exist and Vadim's flat-footed direction are also to blame for this dud. Hudson is interesting because his role provides a contrast from his usual screen persona, but the rest of the cast is adrift. Pretty Maids is ultimately lame and boring; it doesn't work as black comedy or parody and understandably never found an audience. It's shameless exploitation produced and released by a major studio.

krorie This may very well be the kinkiest mainstream Hollywood movie ever made. Picture Rock Hudson as Coach Tiger McDrew, a playboy teacher sleeping with the female student body, killing the ones who threaten to expose him or cause him problems, hence the title "Pretty Maids All In A Row." The Tiger is at least twenty years older than those he beds. Spotlight substitute teacher Betty Smith (Angie Dickinson) rubbing her boobs against those students who ignite her libido, ultimately deflowering one of Coach Tiger's star players, Ponce de Leon Harper (John David Carson), not unlike the name "Fonzie" from TV's "Happy Days," causing him to be metamorphosed from a shy, timid teen, into the playboy of the western world.Guess who's in charge of the investigation into all the murders on and around campus? None other than Kojak (Telly Savalas), portraying Captain Sam Surcher, with a thing for his cigarette (in training for his later lollipop placebo). He is assisted in his search for the killer by Keenan Wynn as Chief John Poldaski, more a hindrance than a help. The straitlaced, prudish Mr. Proffer (Roddy McDowall) is in charge of the high school where mass slaughter is littering the campus with dead bodies. He naturally would like for it to stop. To emphasize the theme, Joy Bang has a bit part as Rita.Those behind the camera are just as surprising. Self-proclaimed libertine director Roger Vadim, fresh from "Barberella," starring his brother-in-law's sister, Jane Fonda, makes sure the camera shots include as much cleavage and exposed skin as permitted in those halcyon days of 1971. Though based on a novel, Trekky Gene Roddenberry wrote the salacious script, even beaming up Scotty (James Doohan) for the role of Follo. Roddenberry served as producer as well. Trivia question: Name the one movie scored by the darlings of the establishment, The Osmonds? Right, "Pretty Maids All In A Row." Actually, their version of "Chilly Winds" is not bad.My wife and I saw this flick when it was first released in 1971 and found nothing outrageous about it. We watched it a second time recently and were surprised at how shocking it has become. Either the times have changed drastically or we have changed drastically (pobably both) since the days of the Flower Children. What is politically incorrect today was accepted by the viewers in that bygone era. The viewer will note that though the theme and philosophy seem deviant by today's standards, there is almost no vulgar language used in the film. That cultural barrier had not yet been breached by Hollywood.Obviously intended as black comedy at the time, "Pretty Maids All In A Row," is certainly no "Dr. Strangelove," nor was it meant to be. However the viewer labels this film, it is guaranteed to entertain and arouse the basic instincts. Enjoy it, even if you must call it a guilty pleasure.