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IMDbPro

How to Pick Up Girls!

  • TV Movie
  • 1978
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
95
YOUR RATING
How to Pick Up Girls! (1978)
Comedy

A shy guy gets fired for dating his boss' girlfriend. Taking advantage of his situation he writes a book on how to pick up chicks and on the way finds his love.A shy guy gets fired for dating his boss' girlfriend. Taking advantage of his situation he writes a book on how to pick up chicks and on the way finds his love.A shy guy gets fired for dating his boss' girlfriend. Taking advantage of his situation he writes a book on how to pick up chicks and on the way finds his love.

  • Directors
    • Mick Jackson
    • Bill Persky
  • Writers
    • Jordan Crittenden
    • Peter Gethers
    • David Handler
  • Stars
    • Desi Arnaz Jr.
    • Bess Armstrong
    • Fred McCarren
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    95
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Mick Jackson
      • Bill Persky
    • Writers
      • Jordan Crittenden
      • Peter Gethers
      • David Handler
    • Stars
      • Desi Arnaz Jr.
      • Bess Armstrong
      • Fred McCarren
    • 4User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Top cast22

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    Desi Arnaz Jr.
    Desi Arnaz Jr.
    • Robby Harrington
    Bess Armstrong
    Bess Armstrong
    • Sally Claybrook
    Fred McCarren
    Fred McCarren
    • Donald Becker
    Polly Bergen
    Polly Bergen
    • Dana Greenberg
    Richard Dawson
    Richard Dawson
    • Chandler Corey
    Alan King
    Alan King
    • Manny Shiller
    Abe Vigoda
    Abe Vigoda
    • Nathan Perlmutter
    Deborah Raffin
    Deborah Raffin
    • Cynthia Miller
    Forbesy Russell
    • Pam
    Hollis Winick
    • Denise
    Rudolph Willrich
    Rudolph Willrich
    • Frank Kavanaugh
    Shelley Wyant
    Shelley Wyant
    • Cloakroom Attendant
    Kevin Conroy
    Kevin Conroy
    • Bartender
    International Chrysis
    • Donnie
    • (as Chrysis)
    Sandahl Bergman
    Sandahl Bergman
    • Blonde Jogger
    Jon Bruno
    • Store Clerk
    Denise Flamino
    • Terry
    Lorelle Brina
    • Taxi Interview Girl
    • Directors
      • Mick Jackson
      • Bill Persky
    • Writers
      • Jordan Crittenden
      • Peter Gethers
      • David Handler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews4

    5.795
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    Featured reviews

    5Uriah43

    An Average Made-for-Television Movie from Days Gone By

    This film begins with a shy young man by the name of "Fred McCarren" (Donald Becker) flying all the way from Nebraska to move in with his good friend "Robby Harrington" (Desi Arnaz Jr.) who lives in New York City. Although he hasn't seen his friend in a long time, Fred is amazed at how successful he is in dating attractive women. Naturally, being somewhat clumsy when it comes to the dating scene, Fred finally gets around to asking Robby for some advice which yields immediate results. Unfortunately, the woman he chooses also happens to be dating his boss--who fires him after finding out. So, with a little encouragement from an attractive neighbor named "Sally Claybrook" (Bess Armstrong), Fred decides to write a book detailing his methods for picking up women. What he isn't prepared for, however, is the rejection he receives from all of the major publishers in the city. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I vaguely remembered watching this movie when it first came out on television and, having now seen it more recently, I can honestly say that it was neither better nor worse than I remember it to be. I say this because, although this film is billed as a comedy, there really wasn't that much humor here at all. It does, however, have some decent acting with both Donald Becker and Bess Armstrong performing quite well together. That being said, while I certainly don't think this was a great movie by any means, it passed the time will enough and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
    5stargazer24

    Richard Dawson, you never looked better!

    What a movie this is! This love-starved geek from Nebraska decides one day to visit his (shall we say not love-starved) friend in New York. This friend (Desi Jr.) shows him around and after awhile, this guy decides to write a book on how to pick up bimbos (oh, I mean girls!) Well, this guy, being the geek he is, makes a few mistakes along the way, one of them being sleeping with the model girlfriend of his boss, Richard Dawson. I guess all I can say is that this is typical late 70s fluff not to be taken seriously.

    What I'd like to know is why Richard, at the height of his popularity as host of "Family Feud," would bother to do this? Not that I'm complaining; he plays a typical fashion model photographer with that certain Richard Dawson flare that made him so popular in the first place.
    10JLRMovieReviews

    How to Pick Up Girls is Sadly Forgotten!

    Fred McCarren has moved to New York City and friend Desi Arnaz. Jr.'s influence has gotten him a job. Desi is a player and has a way with the girls, but not Fred. He is the quiet type, who befriends Bess Armstrong, another tenant in the apartment building. Fred goes to work for photographer Richard Dawson, who plays his role to perfection. But when Fred breaks a rule by dating a model, Deborah Raffin, he is promptly fired. In his quest for girls and how to fight his own loneliness, he conducts an experiment on how to get women to talk to him. Asking them intimate questions on what they like in men while being taped, women open to him, and his world and attitude changes. He begins to write a book based on his results. But will this become a bestseller or a bust? I couldn't get over how genuinely funny this film was. The scenes between Fred and Bess were so natural you feel like you're just - watching people. This was so real, so good. I can't get over that movies like this were made and then discarded. Polly Bergen and Abe Vigoda make brief appearances in this forgotten little gem. This is a winner that sadly will never see the light of day, and only I know the secret of how to...
    8dgordon-1

    Captures the essence of the late '70s.

    I remember this movie fondly from 1978, and watched it whenever it came on TV, usually late-night through the early '80s, then it disappeared. Fred McCarren plays a small town guy that moves to New York City, and stays with his swinging friend (Desi Araz Jr.) It's loosely based on the author of the paperback "How To Pick Up Girls", which was advertised in major magazines like Playboy & Penthouse in the late '70s & early '80s. It captures the singles scene in New York in true '70s New York style. There is also a scene where Donald (Fred McCarren) is partying with a model/girlfriend of his boss (Deborah Raffin) at Studio 54! I always liked this movie, but hadn't seen it since the early '80s. I was lucky & found a VHS tape of it on the internet. It's a movie that will have lots of appeal for lovers of '70s nostalgia.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      While on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), Bess Armstrong (who portrayed Sally Claybrook) said she did not originally like the title or premise of the movie. She explained further that the title was deceptive, but after reading the script, she realized it was a "lovely" story.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Elia Kazan/Bess Armstrong/Bobby Kelton/Ardath Evitt (1978)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 3, 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hur man raggar brudar
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • King-Hitzig Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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