Teenage Hitchhikers

Teenage Hitchhikers is a 1975 American coming-of-age comedy-crime film written by Rod Whipple and directed by Gerri Sedley. The film revolves around Mouse (Kathie Christopher) and Bird (Sandra Peabody), two runaway girls who embark on a cross country journey to the west in an attempt to start a new life. Filmed over the course of two weeks and featuring elements of an exploitation film, Teenage Hitchhikers was released into drive-in theaters on June 1, 1975. The film has been met with generally positive reviews, with much of the acclaim going towards the comedic timing of Christopher and Peabody.

Teenage Hitchhikers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGerri Sedley
Produced byJerome S. Kaufman
Written byRod Whipple
StarringKathie Christopher
Sandra Peabody
Claire Wilbur
Margaret Whitton
Release date
  • June 1, 1975 (1975-06-01)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Mouse and Bird are struggling to find assistance in traveling west in an attempt to start a new life. After several failed attempts at hitchhiking, a rock band traveling with a pair of groupies in a recreational vehicle pulls over and allows the girls inside. After the band performs a song, they state that they will not provide them with transportation unless the duo agree to have sexual intercourse with them. They immediately decline as they refuse to be objectified. Thus, Mouse and Bird are kicked out of the vehicle.

After traveling across the highway, the girls approach a river where Bird unintentionally catches a trout in her underwear. Having gone days without food due to not having any money, they perform a brief striptease in a nearby diner in an attempt to get their meal paid for by a middle aged customer but to no avail. Not wanting to be victimized, Mouse and Bird decide that they need to be the ones taking advantage of people in their predicaments in order to obtain money.

Subsequently, they hear reports of an escaped rapist and are told not to hitch-hike. In the woods, the rapist from the news reports attempts to assault a young girl named Jennie. Mouse and Bird devise a plan to save her and tie the rapist up. Jennie decides to join them with their travels. Upon buying a car with money they obtained, the girls soon find themselves involved in an orgy. The next morning, they find their purses and car stolen and realize they are in the same dire predicament they started out in.

Cast

  • Kathie Christopher as Mouse
  • Sandra Peabody as Bird
  • Claire Wilbur as Toni Blake
  • Nikki Lynn as Jennie
  • Margaret Whitton as Sola Alcoa
  • Peter Carew as Dick Daggart
  • Kevin Andre as Farquart (Bruce)
  • Donald Haines as Kiely / Mongo Donny

Reception

In a mixed review for Los Angeles Times, Linda Gross[1] criticized the storyline of the film stating that it "makes an attempt at parody but succumbs rather quickly to a trashy, episodic treatment of runaway girls whose motto is "the rip-off world is our bag." She praised certain parts of the script for being "funny and farcical" but described the dialogue as being cynical. Gross commended the lead performances of Christopher and Peabody but was critical of Lynn's portrayal, stating "Ms. Christopher and Ms. Peabody are ingenious as the juvenile adventuresses. Ms. Lynn is insipid as the professional virgin."

In a complimentary review, Ian Jane of DVD Talk praised the performances of the lead actors and the storyline of the film for capturing the era in which it was made but was critical of certain scenes lasting too long, stating the following:

"Jordan and Peabody make for likeable leads here. While they're basically taking advantage of anyone they can, not always the most likeable of qualities, they do so with a wink and a nod and a great sense of humor and actually prove pretty capable in the comedic timing department."
"There are a couple of scenes where the joke goes on too long - a moment where, along with Lynn they try on clothes in a boutique much to the delight of the peeping tom shopkeeper could have easily been cut in half - but generally the picture goes by at a good clip and never overstays its eight minute running time. Not all of the comedic bits work as well as others, but the good outweighs the bad and the film is funny enough to succeed. The sex is graphic, even by the standards of a seventies drive-in film, and the nudity quite plentiful."
"Teenage Hitch-Hikers isn't for the puritanical viewer, rather, it's very much a product of its time as it delivers all manner of scenes of wanton sexuality and screwy comedy. It's hardly a politically correct film, but that's half of its charm right there. Enjoy it as a time capsule or as eighty minutes of attractive naked women and cornball humor, but either way the film is a blast and comes recommended to those with an appreciation for such things.[2][3]

References

  1. Gross, Linda (December 5, 1975). "'Teens': Nothing Over the Rainbow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  2. "Teenage Hitchhikers". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  3. Willis, John (1976). John Willis' Screen World. Crown Publishers.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.