Three in the Attic

American International was a hot studio in the 1960s and it was NOT because it was producing quality films! Beach movies, LSD and hippie movies were quite popular with the small studio and they were very successful. Shot with rather small budgets, their films kept raking in the bucks during this era because their content appealed to younger, hipper viewers. Artistic masterpieces? Hardly....but they did have their own odd sort of appeal.

In many ways, "Three in the Attic" is exactly the sort of movie I expected from American International. It is jam-packed with sexual innuendo and is the sort of film that would have been banned only a decade earlier. But, despite this, it's not exactly a typical exploitation or trashy film. The acting and script are a bit of a surprise as they really did NOT suck!

This film is about Paxton Quigley (Christopher Jones) and why he was given this odd name is beyond me. When the film begins, you learn that he's being held prisoner in an attic and then the film jumps back so you can learn how and why he's in this situation. It seems that he and a young lady were in love....but Paxton couldn't resist temptation. When two other women practically throw themselves at him, he gives in to the sexual revolution and juggles all three women...having a LOT of sex and good times. However, eventually the three discover his dalliances and decide to teach him a less...to practically screw him to death in this attic prison!

Despite the salaciousness of the plot and the steamy story, the film actually has some interesting things to say about this sexual revolution. I am not saying it's exactly a deep film...but it is weird and worth seeing...especially when you look at it as an interesting snapshot of an unusual time. As for the ending, it really didn't make much sense...but it still was quite interesting!

It would seem to be a real shame most of those involved, from writer

Stephen Yada to Christopher Jones, never really got to do much else.

Because this uneven, smart, well acted satire is way ahead of it's time;

and still surprises. The title gimmick, which was used to advertise the movie, is really one

of the weaker sections of the film, which looks at the battle of the

sexes in a way that really does mirror it's time, while treating it's

characters with humor and affection. If you can get a copy, it's well

worth going out of your way to see. Only the mediocre pop score does not

hold up well.

It is a shame that older small movies (low budget, small box office, "B" movies) rarely climb out of the "attic" and back into availability as VHS or DVD selections.

This was a classic "teen flick" cheaply produced to maximize profit, but it was a bit of a surprise hit. It even produced a sequel.

The music by Chad Stuart show his startling creativity and promise of a career that never materialized.

I only wish it were readily available.

So much for the sexual revolution. This movie insults women, races and even gays. It doesn't mean to, it just comes naturally.

I found this on YouTube because I am a Yvette Mimeux fan but kept watching because of Christopher Jones' fabulous and beaudacious buuttocks. All four stars are for that.

I was fascinated by the concept of this movie when it came out. I remember the poster and the trailer. But I didn't get to see it then because I was too young. (Somehow I did see "Barbarella" and "In Cold Blood." My parents must have been slipping.) Finally I have seen "Three In The Attic" and my expectations were no longer high. It was somewhat enjoyable and probably wouldn't have gotten made if "The Graduate" hadn't been a hit. (The finale even somewhat mirrors the earlier film.) Its ideas about gender conflicts, race, class, sex and death are interesting, but it's ultimately an exploitation movie with a Hollywood ending, cheaply made by American International who made a lot of fun trash.

The film (which stars Christopher Jones - in a nude scene showing his backside - square-jawed John Beck, Judy Pace, and top-billed Yvette Mimieux) takes place on a Vermont college campus and there are also brief shots of hippy-dippy 1960s Provincetown. There's not much to see in terms of Vermont scenery.