the leading man is my tpye

Truly Dreadful Film

Overrated

Masterful Movie

The previous reviewer apparently thinks The Swinger is intended to be a social commentary on the 1960's. This is not that deep of a film. I would say that since the film was produced in 1966, it is reflective of the times. The fashion and music of the movie is indicative of what people were wearing and listening to in 1966. The Woodstock era and the follow on Easy Rider type films were several years away. In 1966, psychedelic was a term more associated with loud colored fashion, and also alluded to a promiscuous lifestyle, rather than LSD. This film is in touch with the lifestyle of the majority of young people in 1966.The Swinger was a daring film for 1966, as far as innuendo and scanty clothing are concerned. The nudity portrayed later in the decade and on into the 70's, was not present in American film yet. By today's standards for mainstream film, the clothing (or lack there of) of Ann-Margret is far more daring than what you would see a female star do today. This is a very sexy movie for the period, with Miss Margret performing two elongated song and dance numbers (one as a stripper) in which she gets down to bare essentials. This probably had a lot to do with the films box office, as it was probably a bit too risqué for middle America at the time.This film is shown often on AMC, but the version shown now is an edited one, in which a couple of the dance scenes have been cut short. I have not seen the unedited version for more than 30 years, and doubt that copies of it still exist.

60s sex kitten Ann-Margret teams up with legendary director George Sidney to craft the perfect 60s movie. The story of a good girl posing as a bad girl to get a bad boy who's secretly a good boy is perfectly executed. Forget the plot - bottom line, A-M sings, dances and seduces the heck out of perfect foil, Tony Franciosa. Watch for vintage 60s photo montages, Hollywood's version of hippies and beatniks, a Pygmalion rip-off, wholesome dancing kids sharing a house with a vice squad cop (Sgt. Hooker no less), chase scenes, snotty British characters, the ubiquitous climax at a befuddled police sergeant's desk, Andre Previn original music, A-M as a stripper and riding a motorcycle plus an hilarious staged orgy in which the star is covered in paint and offered up to a Neptune-like god. Now that's entertainment! Also note: whenever Ann-Margret breaks into dance in the film suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a fan blowing on her. Well, watching this classic 60s sex comedy will make a fan out of anyone who likes 60s movies, musicals, romantic comedies and the always brilliant Miss Ann-Margret. Swing away!!!

THE SWINGER (1966) C-81m Paramount. Directed by George Sidney (MGM's Pete Smith Specialties, Our Gang shorts, BATHING BEAUTY, ANCHORS AWEIGH, THE HARVEY GIRLS, KISS ME KATE, BYE BY BIRDIE, VIVA LAS VEGAS.) Sidney was president of Hanna-Barbera Productions for several years in the 1960's. THE SWINGER stars Ann-Margret (THE FLINTSTONES, KITTEN WITH A WHIP, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, TOMMY, MAGIC) and Tony Franciosa (TV's Valentine's Day, THE NAME OF THE GAME, THE PLEASURE SEEKERS, A MAN COULD GET KILLED, FATHOM). There is a pencil thin plot involving Ann not getting noticed as a women writer, so she pretends to be a `swinger' to draw attention to herself. Surely this was inspired by Russ Meyer's THE IMMORAL MR. TEAS (1962) and MONDO TOPLESS (1966), released the same year as THE SWINGER! THE SWINGER opens with a loud, boisterous narrator and scenes of traffic in the streets, storefronts, advertising signs, etc., just like TEAS and TOPLESS (Virtually all of Meyer's work.) Add a splash of TV's BATMAN (which premiered 01/66) with BATMAN-like camera angles throughout and even cartoon Pow! Zow! Zap!s at the end. There are still photos made into stop-motion montages and sped-up photography. It has wild, razor sharp color and is full of pop icons. It's very lurid for it's time with a pseudo-Playboy magazine setting and imagery, dirty old bosses chasing secretaries around desks, hot-rods, Ann on a motorcycle, Ann in really sheer tight-fitting pants. Ann-Margret's character uses her own real last name. (OLSSON). Don't look for many good cameos. There are some semi-familiar TV faces- but none are 1st string. With Robert Coote (GUNGA DIN, GHOST AND MRS. MUIR, THE COOL ONES, THEATRE OF BLOOD), Horace McMahon (THE GRACIE ALLEN MURDER CASE, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, THE DETECTIVE), Nydia Westman (KING OF THE JUNGLE, THE INVISIBLE RAY, CAT AND THE CANARY), former stripper Barbara Nichols (SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, PAJAMA GAME, WHERE THE BOYS ARE, THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS, THE LOVED ONE) The musical theme song and opening number copy the opening of BYE BYE BIRDIE. The logo and poster were done by Al Hirschfield (who did the cover for Aerosmith's DRAW THE LINE LP.) TV Movies and even Psychotronic dismiss this with poor reviews. Not a great story, but a great piece of pop culture. I don't think anyone has actually seen this film since the advent of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia-era or they couldn't miss it as an early link between Mondo movies and Hollywood. *Before* BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. More important for it's visuals than plot. It's a big-budget, major studio Russ Meyer film- before he actually made one!. I can't believe this is not mentioned in reference books. Russ Meyer should be either furious or honored at the homage. It's too close for comfort. Don't miss it!(Don't look now- the Psychotronic Encyclopedia will be 20 years old in 2002!)

Anyone who sees this movie thinking it's about the sexual revolution will likely conclude it was a phony war. Here's a movie about the swinging '60's that was made by people still stuck in the '50's. There's lots of leering and sniggering with enough innuendo for two films, but nothing that comes even close to being arousing. Well, I guess Ann-Margret would be sexy even in a nun's habit, but that's about it. She's a writer trying to sell her story to 'Girl Lure' magazine but the editor (Tony Franciosa) won't buy it, so to get him interested she pretends to be the role model for the story's hedonistic heroine. Margret and Franciosa seem perfectly cast for this movie; unfortunately it comes off like an early version of 'Dumb and Dumber.'There's an attempt to give the film a wacky, madcap ending, but that's not much more successful than the rest of the attempts at humor. Make that intended humor. There are plenty of unintentional laughs. Films like this could give the '60's a bad name. It's hard to believe that three years after this one, audiences were watching 'Easy Rider.'