Turn On to Love

Turn On to Love
Turn On to Love
	Film poster
Directed by	John G. Avildsen
Written by	Atlas Geodesic
Story by	Herman Worth
Produced by	L.T. Kirtman; Hank Rifkin
Starring	Sharon Kent; Richard Michaels; Luigi Mastroianni
Cinematography	John G. Avildsen
Edited by	John G. Avildsen
Music by	Harmon Thronebury
Distributed by	Haven International Pictures
Release date	19 December 1969;
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Last updated December 14, 2025

Turn On to Love^[1] is a 1969 film directed by John G. Avildsen in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Sharon Kent, Richard Michaels, and Luigi Mastroianni, and explores themes of love, freedom, and personal discovery against the backdrop of the late 1960s counterculture. Released during the era’s wave of independent filmmaking The film marks Avildsen's feature directorial debut, which would later define his more widely known works..

Premise

Janice, a bored housewife starts spending time in liberal Greenwich Village, where she gets involved with pot-smoking hippies and Rico, an Italian filmmaker.

Cast

Sharon Kent as Janice
Richard Michaels as Gerard
Luigui Mastroianni as Rico
Jackie Riley as Randy
Frank Rogers as Roach
Elizabeth Tarrington as Betty
Steve Wingate as Henry

Reception

Roger Greenspun of The New York Times found the film average but liked the fact that it is not preachy when it comes to its subjects, and had harsh words for the lead actress:

Nothing extraordinary happens.... Janice, played by Sharon Kent, is a very attractive girl, good at everything except reading her lines.... Turn On to Love earns a real edge in the field of sex-cum-exposé because it respects its people and utterly avoids phony moral outrage.^[2]

References

↑ Starks, Michael (28 April 2015). Cocaine Fiends and Reefer Madness: An Illustrated History of Drugs in the Movies 1894-1978. ISBN 9781579511890.
↑ Greenspun, Roger (20 December 1969). "'Turn on to Love'". The New York Times.

External links

Turn On to Love at IMDb

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[1] Starks, Michael (28 April 2015). Cocaine Fiends and Reefer Madness: An Illustrated History of Drugs in the Movies 1894-1978. ISBN 9781579511890.

[2] Greenspun, Roger (20 December 1969). "'Turn on to Love'". The New York Times.

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