Friday, July 12, 2024

freakboy on film: THE BABYSITTER (1969)

I took a pic of my Vinegar Syndrome Halfway-To-Black Friday sale haul and I almost didn’t share it on Facebook.  My hesitation stemmed from people, either directly or indirectly, attempting to shame me for buying stuff.  Instead of hiding away my love of collecting weird cinema, I proudly shined a spotlight on my purchase and was rewarded for my bravery to be my freaky self! 🤓
A stack of blu-rays include, invasion  u.s.a.  Criminally insane.  Satan’s black wedding.  3 box sets of Doris Wishman films.  She freak.  The violent years.  Madman and Malibu high.
A friend’s father saw my eclectic cinematic collection and suggested I should look for THE BABYSITTER (1969).  For context, my friend’s father loves movies and was the only one I knew who had seen THREE IN THE ATTIC (1968) when I blogged about it a couple of years ago.  I was compelled to immediately search for THE BABYSITTER and found a tantalizing trailer that both shocked and amused me. 
In other words, I knew I had to see this film!  Then I found a DVD from Code Red on eBay and I didn’t give it a second thought as I ordered it that very night.  Never mind the Vinegar Syndrome stack that had just arrived.  😏 
The code red double feature dvd of the babysitter and the topless story.  With text that reads, she came to sit with baby… and ended up with daddy.
directed by Don Henderson / screenplay by James E. McLarty/ original story by George E. Carey & Don Henderson
George and Edith Maxwell are a middle-aged married couple with an accidental baby daughter after a frisky drunken night.  They also have an adult daughter, Joan, who is off at college or somewhere, which is why they need a babysitter for yet another riveting night of bridge. 
George E. Carey as George Maxwell looks tempted
Liquor is quicker…
Candy Wilson is the perky blond babysitter who just wants to have fun, laugh and feel things.  Maybe that’s why she throws a little party in the Maxwell’s basement while they are away.  She confesses this to George, but he gives her a ride home anyway.  This ride includes a stop at a burger drive-in and a side of heavy flirting from the babysitter.  George tries to resist the sweet charm of Candy, but things get very sticky very quickly, in more ways than one. 
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson looks deceptively wide-eyed innocent
…but Candy is dandy!
Julie Freeman is a young biker chick desperately in love with her biker boyfriend Laurence Mackey.  The problem is Laurence is in the slammer waiting trial for murdering a young woman, but Julie has a plan.  She will blackmail the prosecuting attorney, who happens to be George, with photos of his daughter in a compromising lesbian position.  Julie believes, since it’s 1969, this scandal will force George to get her murderous boyfriend’s charges dropped.  
Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman looks angry in the swimming pool
If all else fails, Julie will just pee in the pool.
Well, Julie’s plan backfires when Joan has the nerve to make out with her girlfriend behind frosted glass.  However, a middle-aged man and a teen girl/young woman (how old is Candy anyway?) aren’t quite so cautious.  Julie takes a slew of pics as the attorney and the babysitter splish-splash in the pool.  She then threatens to send incriminating copies to George’s wife and his boss at the law firm.  
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson and George E. Carey as George Maxwell goof around in the swimming pool.
There’s not enough bleach to clean this pool!
Will George further compromise his compromised morals?  Will Candy simply want to listen to music and dance her cares away?  Will Edith just want to play another round of bridge?  Will Joan have more screen time after her titillating sapphic steam room scene?  I seriously considered revealing the twists and turns of the ending, but my lips are sealed this time.  
Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell gazes at a young woman’s ear
Joan wants to tell…
George E. Carey (who also had a hand in the story…say what you will about that) & Anne Bellamy as George & Edith Maxwell are believable as a middle-aged couple who have lost their spark.  Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell doesn’t have much to do other than to be a lesbian, but she doesn’t hesitate in her role.  Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman is the weak link in this well-acted exploitation film.  She just lacks that punch her character called for. 

I must give special attention to Patricia Wymer as babysitter Candy Wilson.  She has an almost hypnotic screen presence, with such expressive eyes.  Wymer can convey so much with just a glance that sometimes it’s easy for the audience to know exactly what her character is thinking.  Sometimes though, and I think deliberately, we are left questioning Candy’s motives.  According to IMDb, Patricia Wymer only acted in three films and tragically died in a housefire in 1993 at the age of 46.  Her bio also states that she was a cat lover who worked as a hospice worker, so I feel she must have been a very kind person who died way too young. 
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson stands at the front door with a bemused, scrutinizing look on her face
R.I.P. 😔 
In conclusion…
I will definitely accept film suggestions from my friend’s father in the future!  THE BABYSITTER was exactly my cup of cinematic tea.  Funny, offbeat, crazy, surprising, and surprisingly thoughtful, I seriously recommend this to anyone who loves low budget drive-in exploitation!  

SIDE NOTEFor the record, THE TOPLESS STORY (1965), the other feature on the Code Red DVD, is a ridiculous and somewhat entertaining film from Switzerland about a female magazine reporter following a male fashion designer around the world.  The film is dubbed in English, but the two voice actors narrate the story like it’s a travelogue.  In a way, it sort of is, just with scantily clad women…and men.  Guess 1960’s Switzerland was all about #equality.  

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. click the pic for a recent post concerning my halfway to Black Friday Vinegar Syndrome purchase… 
The pink blu-ray cover of the films of Doris Wishman, the twilight years shows a facial close-up of actress chesty Morgan.
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STURGEONS is the place to be this summer
A photo of Sturgeons, the complete serials, by john L. Harmon shows the book on fire

5 comments:

  1. Fun review of yet another movie I need to check out! I hope you keep buying and sharing your experiences with freaky movies (What do those Facebook prudes know, anyway?). You've definitely inspired me to take more walks on the cinematic wild side!

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    1. Thanks, Barry! I'm going to continue letting the Facebook folk click their tongues at my cinematic passion!

      As for inspiring you to take a walk on the wild side, Andy Milligan is the first name to spring to mind! You're welcome, Barry! Lol

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  2. In the mid-late '70s my local movie duplex ran midnight movies, which I attended semi-regularly, and this is just the sort of thing they would feature. As you might imagine, there was a lot of audience interaction -- mostly lewd comments, but the occasional box of popcorn caroming off the screen. Good times!

    Don't let the Facebook wet blankets get you down. Maybe X is a more receptive platform?

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    1. If time travel was possible, I would go back and visit such a theater as you described!

      As for facebook, I don't let them get me down and occasionally they surprise me with gems like the babysitter!

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  3. Hi, sounds like your friend's da knows you quite well as "offbeat, crazy, surprising, and surprisingly thoughtful" seems to sum up your movie taste just perfectly...

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