C'mon, Let's Live a Little

This corny 1967 film could yet earn itself a serious camp following. I stumbled onto seeing it and thought it must date from the late '50s. Boy was I wrong. It was shocking that someone in Hollywood actually made something like this in 1967. It comes off like they were still trying to save "mainstream" (read white) American youth from the dangers of soul and r&b music and such. Much in this movie seems to fit in well with today's full throttle attempts to throw (not turn) back the clock. Jackie De Shannon, Bobby Vee (whom I don't remember except the name), and also singer Kim Carnes who made this one film appearance. As an American in and from the Upper South I did not find that this film offends the South. It offends everyone in it. Actually one has to brace oneself for its backasswards gender attitudes expressed by some of the guys. Without giving everything away I'm left guessing that (stereotypically) the tail-end of this film (the cinematic equivalent of "the back of the bus") seems to advocate nonverbally the existence of Equal Opportunity Corniness. Some critics have dismissed this poor film as a bomb. They're right. But there's much more to it than that which makes it worth seeing. ... a jaw-dropping, side-splitting, cautionary reality check on today's societal resurrection of the whitebread past.

'Art pour l'art' may be a french way of saying that all art is worthy by its very existence, but this film may give future viewers a distorted view of life in the 1960's. I think that the movie is so bad that it is interesting to watch. Bobby Vee's straw hat is a fashion statement in itself---one that didn't catch on, I might add. The year 1967 was a difficult one for the United States with war, urban riots, and voting rights struggles, yet this film must represent what Richard Nixon would later refer to as the "great silent majority" in America: really nice kids arguing about what kind of events should be allowed on a small college campus. Should students be allowed to speak out on the issues of the day? Not if it involves topics that the administration of the campus finds provocative. If the "Miranda rights" an accused presently enjoys were overturned and coercive measures could be used by law enforcement, it wouldn't be necessary to use physical means to gain a "confession" from a suspect. Merely tie the accused to a chair and play this film on a loop for a few hours. Case closed!

Note to theater-owners: If you ever need a Midnight Movie--other than RHPS, that is--please, consider this little gem. It is MST3K-style comedy GOLD, I tell you! It's has everything a cult movie should need to be popular: wooden acting, goofy dialogue, what-the-hell-is-THIS-doing-here musical numbers, racism, misogyny, and much, much, more. The girls are as cute as they are dumb, and the men are...well...let's just say they make Ryan Seacrest look ultra macho. The basic plot is that a young, vaguely Canadian hillbilly (Bobby "In-it-for-the-money" Vee) saves the, ahem, "girl" (Jackie "Just-payin'-the-mortgage" DeShannon) from a faded projection background...I mean, car accident. When they get to the University, it's revealed that (A) she's the dean's daughter, and (B) there's about to be a "Revoluton". (Excuse me while I try to overcome the Giggles.) Throughout this film Bobby and Jackie demonstrate two different schools of acting: She coming from the Marlo Thomas School; He, Pia Zadora. In short, you'll laugh (for all the wrong reasons), you'll cry (from chuckling so hard), you'll get constipated (from all of the cheese fed from this movie)!

I was a high school senior in 1967 and this movie is a fantasy of that era if there ever was one. Bobby Vee was a pretty good singer back in the day, and I like listening to his music, but he could forget about being an actor. He was as terrible in this as the movie itself. This movie made the 'Frankie & Annette' movies look like best movie Oscar winners!

10 out of 10 if you need a great laugh! It should be noted that the writer, June Starr and the producer, Alex Alexander (among other aka's) were husband and wife. Unfortunately neither one recognized how bad this film really was. Much to my surprise it was on TCM about 2 years ago and I was spellbound by it. It's just not a classic for the right reasons. I agree with those who believe it would make a great midnight movie. There is real talent on screen with Bobby Vee, Jackie DeShannon, and Kim Carnes. Eddie Hodges had a TV acting career, but best of all is Ken Osmond who we all know as Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver. There's just not enough talent to overcome the archaic script and a fairly low budget. Direction seemed to be at a minimum . . . and it shows. It looks and feels like a movie out of the 50's which would never do well in the late 60's. Enjoy it for the comedy it is.