Blazing Stewardesses

Never before have I contemplated suicide until I saw this movie. It seemed like a skin flick that never got started. This film wasted 95 minutes of my life that I will NEVER get back.

Terribly depressed after finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman, "Debbie Stewart" (Connie Hoffman) goes home to her apartment to have a drink. While there she gets a phone call from an old friend named "Ben Brewster" who has a proposition for her. He wants to convert his dude ranch into a gambling casino and to do that he has invited a number of gamblers to his place. To get there he has chartered an airplane but he needs stewardesses to cater it. So he offers Debbie and any other stewardesses she can get two free weeks at the dude ranch as payment for their services. What none of them realize however is that there are some masked riders who will stop at nothing to prevent Ben Brewster from accomplishing his plans. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I honestly expected more from this movie. Unfortunately, it wasn't sexy, suspenseful or in the least bit funny. As a matter of fact, about the only thing going for this film was the presence of Connie Hoffman and even then it really didn't help matters that much. In short, this movie wasn't very good and I have rated it accordingly.

Such a paradox can be found in the film BLAZING STEWARDESSES. Even though this picture has low ratings, there is still much to be gained if one enjoys shotty B movies such as this. From the director's note at the beginning which states that this movie is dedicated to the Hollywood actors of the golden era, to the solid five minutes of stock footage concerning parades and rodeos, to Yvonne DeCarlo singing (yep.), to 30 mph car chases, all the way to the genuinely funny antics of the Ritz Brothers, this movie can be entertaining. Note that the movie does not pick up until about 25 minutes in, so be patient! So, for the average movie renter, I say stay away. But, for the hardcore B movie fan, this is a must rent!

I first saw this film during a Saturday matinee at the Pequa Theatre in Massapequa Park, NY. It was on a double bill with "Girls for Rent". Since it was R rated, my friends and I had to sneak in to see it, which made it even tastier. OK....this is a VERY bad film. It will never make any ten best lists, and it probably wouldn't interest 9/10ths of the current population, BUT for lovers of low budget fun this is the proverbial jackpot. Firstly, it features a cast of old timers: Yvonne DeCarlo, Donald "Red" Barry, Bob Livingston, and best of all, the two surviving Ritz Brothers (their brother, Al, had passed away in 1965). It also features musical numbers (Miss DeCarlo sings a HORRIBLE song at a barbecue, and the Ritz's follow her with one of their patented dance numbers.). It also has a western plot right out of Gower Gulch. Cowboys, Arabs, goggle eyed comics, oldtime movie stars, busty broads, and all on a budget 0f less that 70 grand! Brother, this is living!

BLAZING STEWARDESSES suggests a T & A movie, but it's a low-budget western which tries awfully hard to imitate horse operas of the '40s. Masked killers on horseback terrorize a western town, where girls mingle with guests at a dude ranch. Former cowboy stars Don "Red" Barry and Robert Livingston have character roles, and Yvonne DeCarlo has a featured role. Best scenes involve The Ritz Brothers (Harry and Jimmy), who offer comedy relief as ranch hands.

If you're looking for something sexy, this will disappoint you, but old-movie buffs and Ritz Brothers fans may give it points for good intentions.