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 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.  😏 

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. 

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. 

…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.  

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.  

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.  

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. 

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 NOTE: For 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… 

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STURGEONS is the place to be this summer!