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One of my favorite exploitation movies is Ed Forsyth’s Superchick (1973) which was made in the early 70’s. Superchick is not exactly a masterpiece, and judging by its IMDb rating, most people do not consider it worth watching at all, but it is definitely one of those “It’s so bad, it’s good” movies.
In Superchick, the American actress Joyce Jillson stars as a fun loving airline hostess, Tara B. True, aka Superchick. Superchick takes full advantage of being an airline hostess, and travels all over the US, taking on new lovers wherever her airplane touches ground. Tara is extremely diverse in her choice of men, and her lovers vary from highbrow intellectuals who woo her with words, to rock stars who romance her in Hollywood night clubs.
Tara superchick is a film that portrays woman empowerment whereas most films of the era depict women as objects for sexual gratification. Tara is in full control of superchick as she uses her body and confident personality to her advantage. With a black belt in karate, she uses her fighting skills to escape the grips of a sadistic elderly man, highjacking wannabes and a gang of bikers.
It does lack some charm because the poorly done action scenes make it obvious who her stunt double is, but it does make viewers chuckle for the most part. Luckily for the viewers, the book setting is saved for the adventurous and funny dialogue, her outfits, and most importantly her escapades. Tara isn’t shy of attempting to seduce men with quotes such like, “Last one in bed gets no head!” which makes me wonder what were the writers of the film thinking.
A fun fact that Superchick offers to prospective swingers is that “Hollywood is the easiest place to find a new experience. The people’s capitol of the world. Even the people here who are not into swinging look like they are on a trip.” Sometimes a far-out ad could be found in the underground newspapers.
Superchick has more daring content but they are not suitable for every audience. In comparison the sexual nature of Superchick is very soft and far from copycat. The same perspective can be seen in the movie where they prefer to have fun and be playful rather than sexy and when given the opportunity director Ed Forsyth also chooses the easy side which is laughs instead of titillation.
Superchick is the only film produced by Joyce Jillson, aside from the hardly remembered comedy Slumber Party ’57 (1976). In the course of the 70s, she played recurring parts in many popular American television series like Columbo, The Night Stalker, and Police Woman, but her acting career more or less stalled. After all, watching Superchick one has to wonder why it is so difficult to cast her in roles. Jillson is exceedingly charming with a sort of areas stile naïf, but she comes off as devoid of any star presence. So does her acting, which is so unblended we even find it funny. In addition, she appears to have no dancing abilities plus the little bit of coordination she displays is rather poor, which makes her role in Superchick really amusing to watch.
Joyce Jillson was an avid astrology enthusiast and author of several popular books including The Fine Art of Flirting and Real Women Don’t Pump Gas. Joyce began her career in the 1970s as an “Astrologer to the Stars” and one of her most notable clients included First Lady Nancy Reagan and President Ronald Reagan. Jillison stated… just before dying from kidney failure in 2004, that she was the one who advised the Reagans to choose George Bush as Ronald Reagan’s vice president in 1980. Perhaps we can all place blame on her for the way world affairs are today, if that is indeed true.
It’s hard to be amused while watching Superchick by Jillson’s evolution from a 70s sexploitation actress into the divorcee astrologer of right wing politicians. It will certainly add to the plus of the movie and make people wonder what the Regan’s and Bush families were doing in the wild 70s. Based on what Superchick gives away, it appears they were having a lot of fun.
Superchick features some unforgettable guest appearances by cult film characters. One cameo that stands out is Us chi Dugard’s portrayal as Mayday, a lesbian porn actress. In addition, there is John Carradine as an ex- horror movie actor who has a sadistic attitude, called Igor Smith. Even television’s Grizzly Adams, Dan Haggerty, makes an appearance as a rough biker.
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