Three in the Attic *** (1968, Christopher Jones, Yvette Mimieux, Judy Pace, Maggie Thrett, Nan Martin, Reva Rose, John Beck) – Classic Movie Review 4846

Director Richard Wilson’s provocative and fairly amusing 1968 Swinging Sixties sex comedy drama with a point to it Three in the Attic stars Christopher Jones as womanising Paxton Quigley, a smarmy two-timing (well, three-timing) college Casanova who swears fidelity to all three of the girls he is dating. They are played by Yvette Mimieux (as Tobey Clinton), Judy Pace (as Eulice), and Maggie Thrett (as Jan).

Stephen H Yafa adapts his own novel Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course, in which the three wronged girls learn of his deception and avenge themselves on the boy by luring him into a college dormitory attic, locking him up there and taking it in turns to torment, pamper and make love to him. Basically, he is their sex slave.

It is a weird but vaguely promising idea that proves suitably hot to handle, and the treatment is by turns daft, frank and fun. It is not at all badly done here, but just imagine what a great movie director like Luis Buñuel could have done with it back in the day!

It also features Nan Martin as Dean Nazarin, Reva Rose as Selma, John Beck (in his film debut) as Jake, Richard Derr as Mr Clinton, Eve McVeagh as Mrs Clinton, Honey Alden as Flo and Tom Ahearne as Wilfred.

Yafa had been unable to sell his original screenplay Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course so he turned it into a novel and won a Writers Guild of America award. The success of the novel allowed him to sell the screenplay.

Filming started in February 1968 under its original title of Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course and it was released  as Three in the Attic on 20 December 1968, taking $6 million in US/ Canada rentals, making it American International Pictures’ highest-grossing film of the decade. It led to a less successful follow-up: Up in the Cellar (1970).

Sandy Dvore designed the title sequence.

American International Pictures distributed it in a double bill with Woody Allen’s What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966).

British duo Chad and Jeremy recorded original songs and instrumental backing music for the film. The soundtrack album contains the duo’s version of ‘Paxton’s Song (Smoke)’, which Jones sings in the film.

Much of it was shot at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Three in the Attic runs 92 minutes, is made by Hermes Productions, is released by American International Pictures, is shot by J Burgi Contner, is produced by Richard Wilson, and scored by Chad and Jeremy and Davie Allan and the Arrows.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4846

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