Pretty Maids All in a Row
Encyclopedia
Pretty Maids All in a Row is an American mystery film
starring Rock Hudson
and Angie Dickinson
that is part dark comedy, part murder mystery. It was released on April 28, 1971, directed by Roger Vadim
, and written and produced by Gene Roddenberry
based on a novel by Francis Pollini.
Pretty Maids was Vadim's first American film. The April 1971 issue of Playboy
magazine published an article about the movie written by Vadim. This includes a nine-page pictorial of actresses Angie Dickinson, Gretchen Burrell, Aimee Eccles, Margaret Markov, Playboy bunny Joyce Williams, and others.
. Young female students are being targeted by an unknown serial killer
. Meanwhile, a male student called Ponce is experiencing sexual frustration, surrounded by a seemingly unending stream of beautiful and sexually provocative classmates.
Michael "Tiger" McDrew is the high school's football coach and guidance counselor. There is another aspect of Tiger's character. He is quite fond of sexual encounters with female students. Tiger tries to befriend Ponce and help him deal with his sexual needs by encouraging him to seek the affections of a sexy substitute teacher, Miss Smith.
Meanwhile, one young girl after another turns up dead. A police detective captain, Sam Surcher, investigates but never makes an arrest. Tiger is suspected, but never caught red-handed. It is never known for certain who did what, but we do learn later that Tiger has moved to Brazil
.
The Pretty Maids:
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
starring Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
and Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
that is part dark comedy, part murder mystery. It was released on April 28, 1971, directed by Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
, and written and produced by Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
based on a novel by Francis Pollini.
Pretty Maids was Vadim's first American film. The April 1971 issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine published an article about the movie written by Vadim. This includes a nine-page pictorial of actresses Angie Dickinson, Gretchen Burrell, Aimee Eccles, Margaret Markov, Playboy bunny Joyce Williams, and others.
Plot
The story is set in "Oceanfront High School," a fictitious American high school in the height of the sexual revolutionSexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
. Young female students are being targeted by an unknown serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Meanwhile, a male student called Ponce is experiencing sexual frustration, surrounded by a seemingly unending stream of beautiful and sexually provocative classmates.
Michael "Tiger" McDrew is the high school's football coach and guidance counselor. There is another aspect of Tiger's character. He is quite fond of sexual encounters with female students. Tiger tries to befriend Ponce and help him deal with his sexual needs by encouraging him to seek the affections of a sexy substitute teacher, Miss Smith.
Meanwhile, one young girl after another turns up dead. A police detective captain, Sam Surcher, investigates but never makes an arrest. Tiger is suspected, but never caught red-handed. It is never known for certain who did what, but we do learn later that Tiger has moved to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Primary cast
- Rock HudsonRock HudsonRoy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
: Michael "Tiger" McDrew - Angie DickinsonAngie DickinsonAngie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
: Betty Smith - Telly SavalasTelly SavalasAristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
: Police Captain Sam Surcher - John David CarsonJohn David CarsonJohn David Carson was an American actor. He was born in North Hollywood, California. Carson began his career at a young age, acting in television advertisements, and later doing cartoon voice-acting for Hanna-Barbera. He attended Los Angeles Valley College where he played a lead role in their 1969...
: Ponce de Leon Harper - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
: Police Chief John Poldaski - Barbara LeighBarbara LeighBarbara Leigh is an American former actress and fashion model. In 1972 she appeared in the film Junior Bonner with former boyfriend Steve McQueen....
: Jean McDrew, Tiger's wife - James DoohanJames DoohanJames Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
: Follo - William CampbellWilliam Campbell (film actor)William Campbell was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in major film productions and also starred in several low-budget B-movies, including two cult horror films.-Career:...
: Grady
The Pretty Maids:
- Brenda SykesBrenda SykesBrenda Sykes is an African-American actress who made a number of films and appeared in television series in the 1970s. She was discovered on The Dating Game.- Biographical details :...
: Pamela Wilcox, an African American student - Joy Bang: Rita
- Gretchen Burrell: Marjorie
- JoAnna CameronJoanna CameronJoanna Kara Cameron, sometimes listed as JoAnna Cameron, is an American actress who played the title role in the children's television program The Secrets of Isis.-Early life:...
: Yvonne Millick, a dark-haired student - Aimée EcclesAimée EcclesAimée Eccles was born on January 1, 1949 in Hong Kong. -Movies to her career:*Little Big Man 1970*Pretty Maids All in a Row 1971*Ulzana's Raid 1972*Paradise Alley 1978*The Concrete Jungle 1982-References:...
: Hilda Lee, an Asian American student - June Fairchild: Sonny Swangle, an always-laughing student
- Margaret MarkovMargaret MarkovMargaret Markov is an American film and television actress. She had a supporting role in the romantic drama The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minnelli and co-starred in There is No 13 , as well as appearing in other films.She was in the 1969 outlaw biker film Run, Angel, Run directed by Jack Starrett...
: Polly - Diane Sherry: Sheryl