The First Time (1969)

Director:

James Neilson

Writers:

Jo Heims (screenplay) &
Roger Smith (screenplay) ...

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Funny, nobody thinks about a boy when they say the word "virgin".

Plot Keywords:

Niagara Falls | Beautiful Woman | Sex Lesson From Prostitute | Independent Film

Cast

Wink Roberts	...	Tommy
Ricky Kelman	...	Mike (as Rick Kelman)
Wes Stern	...	Kenny
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Anna
Gerard Parkes	...	Charles
Cosette Lee	...	Grandmother
Sharon Acker	...	Pamela Williams

Also Known As:

Doin' It
The Beginners
The Beginners Three
They Don't Wear Pajamas at Rosie's
You Don't Need Pajamas at Rosie's (UK)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:M (edited for re-rating) | USA:R (original version)

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

It was rumored that Wes Stern passed on the role of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967) because the script for this movie was floating around Hollywood. It was in development for two years, and by time it was released The Graduate was a smash hit.

Soundtrack:

Sweet Love In The Beginning

A Poor Man's "Summer of 42"

"The First Time" is pretty much the same coming-of-age/lose-your-virginity story that was done much better two years later in "The Summer of 42".

The best that can be said for it is that they used good film stock. Other positives are a competent production crew, a nice performance from Sharon Acker (in a small role), good location shots of Niagara Falls, and a historically interesting group of street scenes from the late 1960's.

Otherwise it it pretty awful. Most of the blame can go to producer/writer Roger Smith for trying to foist this one off on the American public. Despite the lack of information on the database, I think it is the same Roger Smith who was (and still is) Ann-Margret's husband; he is also credited with "C.C. and Company" which he wrote for her.

"The First Time" is the standard coming-of-age idea, three young men are unsuccessful in locating a whorehouse in Niagara Falls but do manage to meet an older woman who they hope will introduce them to sex (Jacqueline Bisset has the Jennifer O'Neill role here). None of the three have much of a screen presence and they are too old to give the situation any of the charm it needs.

A good director could have infused even this lame script with some humor as the concept has a lot of comic potential. If you were one of the baby-boomer's who saw this at the time of its release you can at least enjoy it for nostalgia value.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.