The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974)    Centaur Pictures/Comedy-Drama    RT: 91 minutes    Rated R (nudity, sexual content, language, drugs, some violence)    Director: Jack Hill    Screenplay: Jane Witherspoon (Jack Hill) and Betty Conklin (David Kidd)    Music: William Loose    Cinematography: Alfred Taylor    Release date: May 1974 (US)    Cast: Jo Johnston, Rainbeaux Smith, Colleen Camp, Rosanne Katon, Ron Hajak, Ric Carrott, Jason Sommers, Ian Sander, George Wallace, Jack Denton, John Quade, Bob Minor, Mae Mercer, Dion Lane.    Box Office: N/A

Rating: ***

 I’ll always remember The Swinging Cheerleaders as one of the first “dirty movies” I watched when we got Cinemax. I use the term in quotes because it’s not strictly a teen T&A exploitationer. It has a few topless college girls strewn throughout, but they don’t engage in the same kinds of silly hijinks as the girls in The Cheerleaders, the 1973 sexploitation comedy to which it’s a de facto sequel. Director Jack Hill (Switchblade Sisters) aims a little higher and largely succeeds.

 So what makes The Swinging Cheerleaders different from other cheersploitation titles? For one thing, it has an actual plot. Interested in writing an article on how cheerleading exploits women, university newspaper journalist Kate (Johnston) infiltrates the squad by way of a successful try-out. She immediately makes an enemy of stuck-up squad leader Mary Ann (Camp, Police Academy 2) who becomes jealous when her quarterback boyfriend Buck (Hajak) puts the moves on the new girl. She becomes friends with fellow cheerleaders Andrea (Smith, The Pom Pom Girls) and Lisa (Katon, Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy) and decides to drop the article. She then uncovers a point-shaving scheme involving the football coach (Denton, Little Cigars), the dean (Wallace, Radar Men from the Moon) and statistics professor Thorpe (Sommers, Detroit 9000). Of course, she plans to expose the whole thing.

 Another reason The Swinging Cheerleaders stands out is that it develops its characters beyond the number of times they take off their clothes and get busy. Instead of depicting Kate as a humorless feminist bitch, it shows her as an intelligent woman with strong views capable of change when her perceptions are challenged. Kate develops a real kinship with Andrea and Lisa, one that’s threatened when her vindictive ex Ron (Sander, God’s Gun) decides to make trouble.

 Kate’s story isn’t the only one told. The girls get storylines of their own too. Lisa is sexually involved with Thorpe who keeps promising to divorce his wife so they can be together. Yeah, we know how this tale ends. Andrea struggles with her virginity. Her boyfriend Ross (Carrott, Mother, Jugs & Speed) keeps pressuring her to go all the way. She wants to, but she’s afraid. Sadly, this leads to the movie’s sole unsavory plot point, an off-camera gang rape. Then there’s Buck who initially clashes with Kate over his sexist attitude towards the opposite sex. After a heart-to-heart, they start developing feelings for each other which naturally doesn’t go down well with Mary Ann (the corrupt dean’s daughter, btw). The point is Buck changes in no longer seeing women solely as sex objects. Normally, this defeats the purpose of a T&A comedy but The Swinging Cheerleaders isn’t your usual T&A comedy.

 One more way in which The Swinging Cheerleaders distinguishes itself is the quality of the acting. It’s better than usual for the cheerleader genre. Johnston, in her only role EVER, is very good as Kate. I don’t know what became of her, but she might have been a successful actress had she continued in the film industry. Smith, who tragically died in ’02, doesn’t do herself any favors with her flat line readings. She’s easy on the eyes however; it does help. Camp isn’t given a lot to do other than act bitchy towards Kate. Katon has some strong scenes as a girl naïve enough to believe her married lover will uproot his entire life for her. None of it is Oscar-level acting, but it is acting, the kind that involves more than big boobs and a hot bod.

 What you’ve been reading are adult Movie Guy’s thoughts on The Swinging Cheerleaders. They differ somewhat from those of 15YO Movie Guy. First, you need to understand my mindset the night I saw it for the first time (October ’83). I was riding high on the success of sneaking downstairs to the basement without waking the parentals. They slept soundly that night so I got to see the whole thing in one sitting. I’m sure all of this factored into my total enjoyment of The Swinging Cheerleaders back then. And why wouldn’t I enjoy it? It’s an R-rated comedy with nudity, sex and hot babes. What teenage boy doesn’t like these things? I liked the kidnapping subplot at the end where members of the football team help the cheerleaders rescue Buck.

 Okay, you’re talking to adult Movie Guy again. High aspirations notwithstanding, The Swinging Cheerleaders is still strictly cheap drive-in fare. It has its flaws. The football scenes are obviously stock footage although it’s cool they found a match for the green uniforms worn by the team in the movie. It’s tamer than the usual cheersploitation flick. The abrupt ending at the big game is disappointing. But I’m willing to overlook it all because I really like The Swinging Cheerleaders. It’s funny but also tells an interesting story. Can the same be said of most teen T&A comedies? That’s a big NO!