The Cheerleaders Collection

Jo Johnston

Cheryl Smith

Colleen Camp

Rosanne Katon

Ron Hajak

Ric Carrott

Jason Sommers

Ian Sander

Mae Mercer

Jack Denton

John Quade

Bob Minor

George D. Wallace

Dion Lane

Hank Rolike

Fred Scheiwiller

Jodi Carlson

Gary Schneider

Sandy Dempsey

Candy All

Jack Hill

Laurie Singer-Wolf

Sandra Adair

Maria Lease

William Loose

Robin Royce

Alfred Taylor

Morton Tubor

Beala Neel

John Prizer

Daisy Gerber

Jeff Begun

Leah Appet

Bob J. Human

Terry Kurnow

Shelley Von Strunckel

Dale Dans

Don Jones

Milt Lustig

A. David Marshall

Geno Havens

Dick Kendall

Pat Kehoe

Jean Clark

William Allen Castleman

Dan Perri

David Kidd

Action

Comedy

The Swinging Cheerleaders

Centaur Pictures Inc.

United States of America

**_Social dynamics & corruptions at a SoCal university in the early 70s_**  

A student journalist (Jo Johnston) gets on the cheerleading squad intending to expose female exploitation, but discovers more than she bargained for. 

"The Swinging Cheerleaders” (1974) is a low-budget examination of the social workings of any American university of the time period, including the good, the bad and the ugly. It only took 12 days to shoot with the script started in late January and the movie released in May(!). Interestingly, it was originally said to be titled "Stand Up and Holler," but changed to the more exploitive title for obvious reasons. Some of the female cast members said they wouldn’t have signed on had they known this.

There’s the criticism that the film tries to be too many things: Is it a sexploitation flick? A serious drama about male mistreatment of young women at college? A morality tale of the drawbacks of the loose sex lifestyle? A commentary on gambling and the corresponding rigged football games? Or just a campy quicky about cheerleaders saving the day?

Yes, it ambitiously features all of these angles, but surprisingly works, despite the micro-budget and no-name actors. True, three of the actresses appear top nude for brief flashes, but this is way more than a one-dimensional sleaze flick. Everything it includes are realities at institutions of higher learning, back then and today.

Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith (Andrea) and Colleen Camp (Mary Ann) stand out in the feminine department. Colleen was 20 during shooting and went on to play the squaw playmate in “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and the French maid in “Clue” (1985), not to mention the mother in “Valley Girl” (1983). This is the best movie to see her in her early years since her part is fairly big.

The lovely "Rainbeaux" Smith was only 18 during shooting and in the early stages of pregnancy with her son Justin. She had a genuine innocent quality, appearing in many 'B' flicks throughout the 70s & early 80s. Unfortunately, she fell prey to hard drugs and contracted hepatitis, which ultimately killed her by the too-young age of 47 in 2002.

The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles (football field), and areas nearby, like Playa Del Rey (Kate flees after the police bust), Carthay Studios (interiors) and West Los Angeles (the Putnam residence).

GRADE: B

English

The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER