Get Yourself a College Girl

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Get Yourself a College Girl
Get Yourself a College Girl FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Sidney Miller
Written by Robert E. Kent
Robert G. Stone
Produced by Sam Katzman
Starring Mary Ann Mobley
Nancy Sinatra
Chad Everett
CinematographyFred Jackman Jr.
Edited by Ben Lewis
Music by Fred Karger
Production
company
Four-Leaf Productions
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,000,000 (US/ Canada rentals) [1]

Get Yourself a College Girl, also released as The Swingin' Set, is a 1964 Metrocolor film comedy in the style of a beach party movie. The plot involves a college student who tries to balance her time writing songs and dealing with her publisher who tries to pursue her. It was directed by Sidney Miller and written by Robert E. Kent, and filmed at Sun Valley, Idaho, United States. [2]

Contents

Plot

Terry Taylor (Mary Ann Mobley) is a senior at conservative Wyndham College for Women (fictitious), and under an assumed name, a successful pop songwriter. After her publisher Gary Underwood (Chad Everett) unknowingly exposes her career, Wyndham's board of trusteesincluding the college founder's grandson, California State Senator Hubert Morrison (Willard Waterman)condemns Terry for indecent behavior.

To distract herself from a possible expulsion, Terry, her friends Sue Ann Mobley (Chris Noel) and Lynne (Nancy Sinatra), and their physical-education instructor Marge Endicott (Joan O'Brien) travel to Sun Valley, Idaho, for a Christmas-break ski vacation. There, they meet Gary and his artist friend Armand (Fabrizio Mioni); Senator Morrison, who wants to solicit the youth vote; and Lynne's husband.

The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, and other musical acts perform in the background as Gary and Armand romance Terry and Sue Ann, respectively, while Lynne and her husband spend the entire vacation in their room. Senator Morrison courts Marge and shows that he is a talented dancer, but an embarrassing newspaper photograph threatens his re-election. The others demonstrate his support among the young by holding a successful telephone poll with musical performances.

Cast

Production

The film was known as Watusi A Go-Go, The Swingin' Set and The Go Go Set. [3]

Music

Reception

A contemporary review by Howard Thompson in The New York Times reported that the film "deserves — and gets here — a one-line verdict: idiocy strictly for the birds." [4] Writing for DVD Talk, critic Paul Mavis described the film as "a good-looking, mildly amusing Sam Katzman cheapie for M-G-M, helped considerably by some socko musical numbers," adding that "the girls look great, the guys are handsome duds, and the music rocks and sways...but more laughs would have helped." [5] A review of the film by critic Mel Neuhaus in Turner Classic Movies described it as a "curious 1964 hybrid of teen movie musical with pre-feminist overtones" and "a must-see due to its strange guest-star cast, who help elevate the formula narrative into a near-surreal '60s happening," further noting that "the choice of music guest stars is one of the most freakish conglomerations in any movie musical." [6]

A review of the film in the Los Angeles Times called it "inoffensively silly". [7]

See also

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References

  1. This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36
  2. Musical Due Wednesday Los Angeles Times 22 Dec 1964: C7.
  3. Nancy in Film Chicago Tribune 20 Sep 1964: g13.
  4. Thompson, Howard. "' Rounders,' a Western, and 'Get Yourself a College Girl' Bow". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. Mavis, Paul. "Get Yourself a College Girl". DVD Talk. DVDTalk.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. Neuhaus, Mel. "Get Yourself a College Girl". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies Inc. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. Holiday Film Features Girls, Musical Groups Harford, Margaret. Los Angeles Times (26 Dec 1964: 19.