''Harper Valley PTA'' is a 1978 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

inspired by the popular 1968 country song "

Harper Valley PTA "Harper Valley P.T.A." is a country song written by Tom T. Hall which in 1968 became a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley. Riley's record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the f ...

" written by Tom T. Hall and performed by country singer Jeannie C. Riley. The film starred

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

Nanette Fabray Nanette Fabray (born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares; October 27, 1920 – February 22, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and became a musical-theatre actress dur ...

Ronny Cox Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in '' Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), C ...

Louis Nye Louis Nye (May 1, 1913 – October 9, 2005) was an American comedic actor. He was an entertainer to the troops during World War II and is best known for his work on countless television, film and radio programs. Early years He was born Louis ...

and Susan Swift, directed by Richard Bennett and

Ralph Senensky Ralph Senensky (born May 1, 1923) is an American television director and screenwriter. He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and worked as a stage director before directing for television. He directed multiple episodes for dozens of television sh ...

(who left the production during filming, and was replaced by Bennett), and primarily released to

drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movi ...

s throughout the summer of 1978. The film has a cult following in fans of the original song. The film's promotional

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

is: "The song was scandalous. The movie is hilarious!"

Plot

Stella Johnson is a beautiful widowed single mother who lives in the town of Harper Valley, Ohio. She sells cosmetics door-to-door for the fictitious AngelGlo Cosmetics and is not afraid to enjoy life. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Dee, is a student at Harper Valley Junior High School. After leaving school, Dee brings her mother a letter from the school's Parent Teacher Association board, which is led by the pompous and snobbish Flora Simpson-Reilly. The letter denounces her for her not following the societal mores of the day and the community, and threatens to expel Dee from school if Stella does not change her ways more to the board's liking. Infuriated by the board's supposed superiority and their glaring hypocrisy, Stella storms to the PTA meeting being held that day, and proceeds to tell most of the PTA members off by exposing their hidden skeletons for the town to see. After her house is toilet papered and a rock with a vile note attached is thrown through her window in retaliation, Stella prepares to get even with those who would want her driven out of town. She teams up with her friends, beautician Alice Finley and bartender Herbie Maddox, and (along with Dee's help) exacts revenge on six of the hypocritical PTA members, with methods that include: tricking a married male board member who has repeatedly tried to date Stella into a disastrous rendezvous; embarrassing Mrs. Simpson-Reilly at one of her grand social gatherings; exposing the secret antics of a supposedly prim-and-proper female board member/teacher; and sending a herd of pink-painted elephants into the bedroom of an alcoholic board member. Stella finds out that one of the male PTA members, wealthy Willis Newton (who was not a party to the PTA letter), has fallen in love with her. Will and another male on the PTA board, Skeeter Duggan, the town's notary public, are sympathetic to Stella and do not agree with Flora and her cronies. After being informed by Will of the current PTA board's incompetence and mismanagement and with his help, Stella is convinced to make a run for President of the PTA, a move which infuriates Flora and her allies. After a makeover, which sees her braces removed and her hair styled, Dee also finds a boyfriend in handsome Carlyle, a popular school track star, which incurs the jealousy of Bettina Reilly, the equally snobbish granddaughter of Flora. Also shown are Edwina, Bettina's identical twin sister who is just as snobbish as Bettina, and Dee's best friend Mavis. Real estate agent Kirby Baker, a member of the PTA Board, plans to ruin Stella by foreclosing on her house (which his company owns), but is arrested for assaulting Myrna Wong, an Asian-American martial arts expert helping Stella to set up the lecherous Baker. Now things become more and more desperate. The board finally decide to resort to criminal means to maintain the power they hold, which is fast slipping away thanks to Stella's growing popularity. The board members then decide to hire a couple of thugs named Dutch and Tex to have Skeeter abducted so they can commit election fraud. The two assailants assault Skeeter and take him to a nearby abbey, where he is plied with wine to make him drunk. Olive Glover, the PTA's Recording Secretary who has a hardcore gambling addiction, has stolen money from the Milk Fund Rally, one of the PTA's numerous fund raisers, and intends to having Mavis framed for the crime and arrested. Leaving Dee to stall the PTA Board meeting, Stella and Alice follow Olive to a racing stable and recover the stolen money, some of which had been marked by Will. As Stella and Alice race back to town, Will and Herbie spot the kidnappers and Skeeter outside the abbey from a helicopter and notify the girls. Disguised as nuns, Stella and Alice find Skeeter, free him and manage to escape with him after a wild car chase ending with the kidnappers crashing into a stream. Ultimately, Flora's scheme to prevent Stella's nomination fails miserably: Olive, who would have been the swing vote against Stella, is arrested for embezzlement just as the PTA Board is about to vote against Stella's candidacy. Dutch and Tex, already in custody for the Skeeter Duggan kidnapping, tell the police that Flora was behind it all to keep Stella off the PTA Board. Stella decisively wins the election and becomes the new PTA president, with the whole town voting to get rid of Flora and her snobbish friends. Will and Stella then fly off in his helicopter to get married.

Cast and characters

as Stella Johnson, a widowed cosmetics salesperson with a young daughter, whose joie de vivre, her principles, and her individuality anger most of the powerful people in town and on the Parent Teachers Association board. She inevitably becomes PTA president after embarrassing Flora, the snobby former President and her equally snobby friends. *

as Willis "Will" Newton, a wealthy member of the PTA who doesn't agree with Flora and her snobby allies and is in love with Stella. He and Stella get married at the end of the movie. *

as Alice Finley, Stella's best friend and co-conspirator against the snobs of Harper Valley. She owns and operates the La Moderne Beauty Shop. *

as Kirby Baker, a local real estate agent who is allied with Flora and her friends. Notorious for being a lecherous playboy and infamous for impregnating his secretaries, one of whom, Gladys Wilmot, left town to see an abortion care provider in Cincinnati. As part of a plan to discredit Stella, he tries to foreclose on Stella's house, which infuriates her. He then gets arrested and jailed for attacking Myrna Wong, a friend of Stella's, who rebuffs his advances, throwing him by use of martial arts and destroying the office. *

John Fiedler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

as Bobby Taylor, a man on the PTA who lusts after Stella. Overly dominated by his wife, Holly. Although open to allow Stella to speak, he is not above having a fellow PTA board member kidnapped to commit election fraud. He was arrested for indecent exposure after being set up by Stella. *

Ron Masak Ronald Alan Masak (July 1, 1936 – October 20, 2022) was an American actor. He began working as a stage performer, and mostly was involved in theater until transitioning to film and television becoming a familiar character actor. From 1988 to 19 ...

as Herbie Maddox, the head bartender at Kelly's bar, and Stella's ally against Flora and her friends. He has a crush on Stella, and is one of her friends. *

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...

as Corley, a young delivery person, who works for the local florist shop, who brings Stella flowers from Will. * Susan Swift as Dee Johnson, Stella's 14-year-old daughter, who is threatened with expulsion from school if her mother doesn't conform to the way the PTA wants her to behave. She has a hand in assisting her mother and Alice with one of their revenge schemes. She loses her braces, gets a makeover, and ends up with a boyfriend, Carlyle. *

Pat Paulsen Patrick Layton Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 25, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers television shows, and for his satirical campaigns for President of the United States between ...

as Otis Harper, the descendant of the founding family of Harper Valley. A PTA member who is allied with Flora and her friends. Has a tendency to drink all the time, which annoys his wife, Bertha. He had a stampede of elephants, painted pink, stormed through his house, destroying it. *

Amzie Strickland Amzie Ellen Strickland (January 10, 1919 – July 5, 2006) was an American character actress who began in radio, made some 650 television appearances, had roles in two dozen films, appeared in numerous television movies, and also worked in T ...

as Shirley Thompson, a member of the PTA board who tends to drink a lot of gin. Though she is allied with Flora and her friends, she is one of four PTA members (Will, Skeeter and Holly Taylor are the others) who are spared any retribution from Stella. She was seen as the most sympathetic of the board, as she tended to be more ''manipulated'' as opposed to being manipulative. It was never revealed whether or not she retained her seat on the PTA, but it is presumed that she became more sympathetic towards Stella as she was seen waving goodbye at Olive as she was being arrested. * Bob Hastings as Skeeter Duggan, a member of the PTA board, and the town's Notary public who is sympathetic to Stella. He is kidnapped by Dutch and Tex at Flora Simpson Reilly's orders. *

Audrey Christie Audrey Christie (June 27, 1912 – December 19, 1989) was an American actress, singer and dancer. Early life and family She was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Charles Christie and Florence Ferguson. She attended a fine arts school in Chicag ...

as Flora Simpson-Reilly, The movie's main antagonist. She is the pompous and extremely snobbish president of the PTA board who thoroughly despises Stella (who defeats her for president at the end of the movie) and all she stands for. So desperate is she to retain her power and prestige in the community that she has a fellow member of the PTA (Skeeter Duggan) kidnapped so she and her allies can commit election fraud. She is embarrassed when her permanent set is destroyed by a hair depilatory at the beauty salon. * Molly Dodd as Olive Glover, the recording secretary of the PTA who is a gambling addict. Clearly the most corrupt and most vindictive member of the PTA board, she is eventually arrested for embezzlement after having a load of hay and horse manure dumped on top of her. She is the one who initially angers Stella by sending her the letter denouncing her, and tries to get Dee's friend, Mavis, arrested for embezzlement. * Fay DeWitt as Willamae Jones, a snide biology teacher at the junior high school who is also a member of the PTA. She makes no secret of the fact that she favors the Reilly twins, due to the connections between her and Flora. Notorious for being a nymphomaniac (though she hides it under a prim-and-proper façade), she is caught ''in flagrante delicto'' with Barney Crunk, the town's mailman, on film. * DeVera Marcus as Holly Taylor, Bobby's obviously overbearing wife, who tends to drink a lot when Bobby is out of town, and doesn't approve of Bobby's lusting, or of anything else he does (this is different from the character in the song, who "seems to use a lot of ice whenever er husbands away", implying adultery with the iceman). However, despite her ties to Flora and her scheming friends, she, like Shirley Thompson, is spared any retribution from Stella, due to Stella refusing to date Bobby. * Louise Foley as Mavis, Dee Johnson's best friend, who is nearly framed for a crime she did not commit by the vindictive Olive Glover. * Brian Cook as Carlyle, a popular track star who chooses Dee, after she gets a makeover, and angers Bettina Reilly in the process. * Laura Teige as Bettina Reilly, One of Flora's twin granddaughters, who wants to be with Carlyle, and is jealous when he chooses Dee over her. She tends to be as snotty as her grandmother. * Jan Teige as Edwina Reilly, Bettina's twin sister, who is just as snotty. *

Irene Yah-Ling Sun Irene Yah-Ling Sun (born September 1, 1946) is an American actor. She is best known for her appearance as judoka Myrna Wong in the 1978 film '' Harper Valley PTA''. Early life Sun was born on September 1, 1946 in Shanghai, China and raised in Ta ...

as Myrna Wong, a friend of Stella's who is a

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

expert; she is assaulted by Kirby Baker, destroys him and his office in retaliation, and has him sent to jail for assault. * Tobias Anderson as "Cranky" Barney Crunk, the town's nosy mailman who had the bad habit of peeking in everyone's mail. He is caught ''in flagrante delicto'' on film with Willamae Jones. *

Royce D. Applegate Royce Dwayne Applegate (December 25, 1939 – January 1, 2003) was an American actor and screenwriter who was first billed as Roy Applegate. Born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, his most visible role was that of Chief Petty Officer Manilow Crocker on ...

as Dutch, one of two kidnappers who abduct Skeeter Duggan at Flora Simpson-Reilly's orders. * J. J. Barry as Tex, the mastermind of the kidnap plot to get Skeeter Duggan out of the way so Flora Simpson-Reilly and her friends could commit election fraud. He and his accomplice Dutch are arrested and the two of them rat out Flora and her friends on their scheme. * Pitt Herbert as Henry Reilly, Flora's overly dominated husband and grandfather to Edwina and Bettina. Henry is wealthy, but is very weak-willed and is known for acquiescing to his wife's schemes. * Arlen Stuart as Bertha Harper, wife of Otis Harper, who gets annoyed by her husband's continual drinking. She is terrified when her house is destroyed by pink-painted elephants. *

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

as an extra. Perhaps this launched his professional career.

Production and release

Filming

''Harper Valley PTA'' was filmed over 27 days, from October 1, 1977 to December 8, 1977. It was filmed on location for one week in

Lebanon, Ohio Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,841 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. The first European settler ...

and continued in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

was a junior in high school living in Lebanon when the production was filming there, and was an extra in the film. The track meet scene was filmed at

Simi Valley High School Simi Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school in Simi Valley, California. The school is part of the Simi Valley Unified School District and is located on the east side of the city. History Simi Valley High School was established in 1920 ...

. Director Ralph Senensky left the production two weeks before the end of principal photography and was replaced by Richard Bennett. On October 31, 1977, Senensky argued with the producers about a scene featuring pink elephants in the

Hancock Park Hancock Park is a city park in the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The park's destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits; the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, which displ ...

neighborhood of

, believing that the animals would be spooked by filming on Halloween night. Senensky turned out to be right.

was knocked to the ground by a spooked elephant and production ceased temporarily. She suffered a severe concussion, bruises and back sprains and was taken to

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

where her condition was reported as serious but stable. Filming resumed on November 30, after Fabray recovered.Observer Reporter
/ref>

Release

''Harper Valley PTA'' opened in six theaters in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, on May 23, 1978, in accordance with executive producer Phil Borack's plan to release the film first in smaller markets, where regional success could encourage bigger cities to book the film. The film grossed over $2 million its opening weekend, $5.8 million in its first three weeks and over $16 million after 12 weeks. The film opened in limited release on June 2, 1978; in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on August 2, 1978; and in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on January 12, 1979.

Soundtrack

''Harper Valley PTA: Original Soundtrack Recording'' was released in June 1978 on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

, cassette tape and

8-track tape The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, wh ...

by Plantation Records. To promote the film's release and its soundtrack, the title song by Jeannie C. Riley was re-issued as a single. The album made its CD premiere through

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

on October 27, 2017. ;Side 1 #"

" – Jeannie C. Riley (3:12) #"Dee's Visit" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (2:10) #"Mr. Harper" – Barbara Eden (2:22) #"Alice's Place" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (2:29) #" High School Confidential" –

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

(3:07) #"Willie May" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (2:01) ;Side 2 #"Harper Valley PTA" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (1:55) #"Widow Jones" – Barbara Eden (2:38) #"Twin Tune" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (1:30) #"

Ballad of a Teenage Queen "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" is a song written by Jack Clement and recorded by Johnny Cash, with background music by The Tennessee Three, The Tennessee Two. Recorded for his 1958 album ''Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous,'' it hit number 1 on th ...

" – Johnny Cash (2:51) #"Ice Cream Disco" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (1:48) #"Whatever Happened to Charlie Brown" – Rita Remington &

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

(2:40) #"Ending (Reprise: Harper Valley PTA)" (instrumental) – Nelson Riddle (1:06)

Television series

In 1981, ''Harper Valley PTA'' was made into a television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

(created by

Sherwood Schwartz Sherwood Charles Schwartz (; November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, but he now is best known for creating the 1960s television series '' Gilligan's Isla ...

) which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from January 1981 to May 1982.

reprised her role as Stella Johnson for the series which lasted two seasons and a total of 30 episodes were produced.

References

External links

* * * * {{AFI film, 56348 1978 films 1978 comedy films American comedy films American independent films 1970s feminist films American films about revenge Films adapted into television shows Films based on songs Films scored by Nelson Riddle Films set in Ohio Films shot in Ohio Films shot in Los Angeles 1978 soundtrack albums Comedy film soundtracks Films directed by Ralph Senensky Films about parenting 1970s English-language films 1970s American films