Jung, hübsch und hemmungslos

Darling with Julie Christie came out in 1965 and this looks like an unofficial remake that takes place in the U.S instead of Britain. However, no one would think it would fall into the hands of TV hacks like Garry Marshall and Jerry (The Dick Van Dyke Show) Paris. It's a combination Showgirls and Valley of the Dolls. It's funny bad, though and worth hunting down. It's also worth the price to pay to see Jackie Bissett in bed with none other than Corbett Monica! True, it does show the gay lifestyle and interracial marriage in a blase fashion which is good. There's this funny scene where Jackie's having a shouting match with her boyfriend Jay. It's about money and he says, "We can even afford the mailblox." That's not a typo. He says mailblox. Also funny are the intrusive vocal songs that dominate a lot of the scenes. They pretty much stop the show and were probably considered groovy back in 1970. Enjoy!

This is undoubtedly the best performance of Jacqueline Bisset's career. Unfortunately, it's in an over-the-top trash-fest that is so audaciously (and probably tongue-in-cheek) cheesy that it's pretty damn good. I saw this thing about a hundred times working as a movie usher in the early 70s, and practically any other film would have become dull after that many viewings -- not "The Grasshopper"!

The plot is completely implausible, but in a nutshell it has Jackie starting out as a fresh-faced farmgirl and, after being used and betrayed by gigolo boyfriends, horny old businessmen and the Mob, ending up an embittered prostitute. And all within the space of one year! The final skywriting scene would have become a classic had an audience of any size actually seen this film. Definitely worth a look!

Although this film has quite a bit going for it, it ultimately feels like one of those 1970's ABC movies of the week turned up a notch. Perhaps that television feel is a result of director Jerry Paris and coproducer Gary Marshall's direct involvement with the project. Paris is best known for the Dick Van Dyke show, but not many may know he was a prolific television director. And Marshall was successful in both film and television.

What saves this film, in my opinion, is the acting. Bisset does a great job, and the supporting cast are all believable. However, what probably looked good on paper as a final script draft does not necessarily translate successfully to the screen. It's not erotic enough to be considered soft porn/exploitive and too melodramatic to be labeled a hard drama.

It's a delight to see Joseph Cotten, but be warned that despite his co-billing, he has minimal screen time. He looks terrific. He either aged more gracefully than I ever will, or he had the best face lift in Hollywood history.

There are some fun tidbits. For those who are fans of Vicki Lawrence from the Carol Burnett Show, you'll catch her singing "Used To Be", one of the songs featured in the film. Marshall's wife Penny has a bit part. The location shooting in Vegas is definitely sort of its own time capsule.

I agree with other reviewers that his movie mimics Valley Of The Dolls. If you are not afraid to admit you liked that film, you may very well like this one. Otherwise, not really recommended.

I saw the Grasshopper as an 11 year old back in 1969. All I really remembered was the skywriting scene at the end. Now, some 30 years later, I just bought the DVD. Boy, what a depressing movie. Of course the acting was impressive, and it was fun to see Vegas of the 1960s. However, seeing how a young soul is corrupted by life is not a pleasant thing to watch. Somewhat shocking for its time, the Grasshopper seems to have predicted the future for the youth of America....sex, drugs, and rock and roll. When there's no love, no dreams, or hopes, just a good time, the end results are self-destruction and depression. A bleak film with a symbolic ending, the Grasshopper is worth a look, but it leaves the viewer less then entertained.

Jacqueline Bisset is a girl from a small town in Canada. She's on her way to Los Angeles to make something of herself when she finds herself i Las Vegas. There she becomes a showgirl and gradually falls into the pill-popping demimonde, with occasional efforts to lead a more normal existence.

It all seems superficial as directed by Jerry Paris and brightly lit by cameraman Sam Leavitt, but here's an example when that seemingly annoying contradiction actually works. Vegas is beautiful, the showgirls are beautiful, the costumes they wear are beautiful, it's the people's souls that are ugly. With Jim Brown and Joseph Cotten.