The Swinger ** (1966, Ann-Margret, Anthony Franciosa, Robert Coote, Horace McMahon, Yvonne Romain) – Classic Movie Review 8004

Ann-Margret stars in producer-director George Sidney’s Technicolor comedy The Swinger (1966) as Minnesota hick girl Kelly Olsen, who fakes sizzling memoirs to make a hit with magazine editors, particularly Ric Colby (Tony Franciosa) and Sir Hubert Charles (Robert Coote).

Unfortunately she takes the words out of other magazines, but to try to show they are her own stories, she convenes an orgy and gets a friendly cop, Detective Sergeant Hooker (Horace McMahon), to break it up.

Lawrence Roman’s screenplay is contrived and daft to the point of vacuousness and low on wit to the point of boredom. The young and lovely Ann-Margret quickly moves from nice gal to her stereotyped Sixties sexy swinger role without appearing unduly versatile, though she sure is appealing.

Also in the cast are Yvonne Romain, Nydia Westman, Craig Hill, Milton Frome, Mary LaRoche, Clete Roberts, Myrna Ross, Corinne Cole, Bert Freed, Romo Vincent, Steve Geray, Larry D Mann and Barbara Nichols.

Actress Teri Garr was a young background dancer in 1965 and Ann-Margret’s double for many shots in the body painting sequence, which involved being for hours in coloured pudding.

The Swinger is directed by George Sidney, runs 81 minutes, is produced and released by Paramount, is written by Lawrence Roman, is shot in Technicolor by Joseph Biroc, is produced by George Sidney, is scored by Marty Paich and is designed by Hal Perreia.

Ann-Margret performs The Swinger, I Wanna Be Loved, That Old Black Magic, Oh So Bad and Once.

Soon before the film’s release in 1966, a pop art prologue and epilogue (‘POW!’, ‘WHAM!’) was superimposed over images of Ann-Margret swinging across the screen on a swing. 

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 8004

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