''Private Lessons'' is a 1981 American

sex comedy Sex comedy, erotic comedy or more broadly sexual comedy is a genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual situations and love affairs. Although "sex comedy" is primarily a description of dramatic forms such as theatre and film, literary works such ...

film starring

Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeared in over 50 films. She is best remembered as the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films, including originating the role with ''E ...

Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on ''Head of ...

, Eric Brown, and Ed Begley Jr. The screenplay was written by

Dan Greenburg Dan Greenburg (born June 19, 1936) is an American writer, humorist, and journalist. His 73 books have been published in 20 languages in 24 countries. His best-selling books for adults include the non-fiction books '' How to Be a Jewish Mother: ...

, who wrote the original source novel, ''Philly''. Greenburg appears as the manager of a motel in the film. ''Private Lessons'' was one of Kristel's few major American film appearances; she was better known to European audiences for her ''

Emmanuelle Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the main character in the novel '' Emmanuelle'' (1959), created by Emmanuelle Arsan. Character history Emmanuelle appeared as the pen name of Marayat Rollet-Andri ...

'' films which had only limited distribution in the United States. In early 2006, a 25th anniversary DVD release was issued in North America.

Plot

Philip "Philly" Fillmore ( Eric Brown) is an adventurous 15-year-old high school student and the son of a rich businessman in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, who has left town on an extended trip during summer break, leaving the young man in the passing care of Nicole Mallow (

), a sexy French housekeeper and Lester Lewis (

), the family's chauffeur. The following day, Nicole approaches Philly while he is reading a magazine in the garden. She asks for recommendations for night time activities, and finding that all previous housekeepers have been elderly women, she teases Philly. Resenting her initially, Philly later becomes infatuated. When Nicole goes out shopping, Philly sneaks into her room and touches her bras and panties. He frequently uses his binoculars to observe her through the windows, deliberately walks by her when she is sunbathing beside the pool, and rides his bicycle past her room. When she finally spots him peeping into her room that night, she tells him to come inside and close her door. To Philly's utter shock, she intends him to close her door from the inside and watch her undress. She seductively strips her night dress, stockings and bra. However, it's too much for Philly when topless Nicole invites him to touch her breasts. When he frightfully objects, she steps back, throws the bra at him, then takes off her panties and offers them to him. When he sees her fully nude, he panics and leaves, but not before thanking her. He shares the story with his best friend Sherman. Next morning, Nicole invites Philly to visit her at night after she finishes the dishes. After a game of tennis with Sherman, Philly looks for Nicole but doesn't find her in her room. While searching, he is surprised to find her in his father's bathtub. She requests him to rub her back and then invites him to remove his clothes and join her in the bathtub. At first he objects, but she keeps sweet-talking him until he finally gives in. However, he decides to wear swimming trunks. Once in the bathtub, she spoons and kisses his cheek and neck from behind before kissing him in the lips. When she tries to take off his swimming trunks, he insists that she turn off the lights first. She agrees, but once she touches his penis, he again panics and rushes out. She follows him to apologize, passionately kisses him good night and directly invites him to sleep with her, the sexual element of which he fails to comprehend. After flirting in a movie theater the following evening, they return home and kiss, but backs off when she reacts without fondness to the notion of marrying him. After a day's hiatus, the two reconcile and decide to go on a romantic date to a French restaurant where their love and lust blossoms. After kissing as usual while returning home in the car, they reach home and have sexual intercourse. Nicole is revealed as an illegal alien; Lester is using this secret to

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

her into helping him in a larger blackmail scheme against Philly. Lester intends that Nicole seduce Philly then fake her own death during sex. Lester would then 'help' the panicked Philly to secretly bury Nicole. Her body would later disappear, and a note would order Philly to steal $10,000 from his father to prevent exposure of his role in Nicole's "death". When Nicole has second thoughts, Lester threatens to expose her as a

child molester Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whethe ...

. Nicole has truly fallen in love with Philly, and she reveals the truth to him. Philly convinces his tennis coach ( Ed Begley Jr.) to pose as a police detective and intimidate Lester with questions about Nicole's disappearance. Lester panics but is caught with the money before he can flee the country. Nicole and Philly return the money to the safe, but they decide not to expose Lester's treachery. In turn, he reluctantly decides not to expose Nicole's illegal alien status nor her acts of child molestation, knowing that Philly could easily expose his attempted

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

scheme to his father and the police, and as a result, he keeps his job. Nicole fears that Philly's father will eventually discover their affair, and decides to leave. Before she does, she and Philly have passionate sexual intercourse one last time. Summer vacation ends and Philly returns to high school, thanks his teacher Miss Phipps for advising him to pursue girls whose age is more appropriate for him, and, in order to "discuss" this matter more closely, successfully asks her out to dinner. The film ends with Philly smiling.

Cast

as Nicole Mallow *

as Lester Lewis * Eric Brown as Philip "Philly" Fillmore * Patrick Piccininni as Sherman * Ed Begley Jr. as Jack Travis *

Pamela Bryant Pamela Jean Bryant (February 8, 1959 - December 4, 2010) was an American model and actress. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its April 1978 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley. Bryant first appeare ...

as Joyce * Meridith Baer as Miss Phipps * Ron Foster as Mr. Fillmore * Peter Elbling as Waiter * Dan Barrows as Green *

as Hotel Owner * Marian Gibson as Florence * Judy Helden as Miss Kristel's Double

Music

Songs featured in the film include: *

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

: " Lost In Love" *

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

: "Next Time You See Her" *

John Cougar John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

: "

I Need a Lover "I Need a Lover" is the debut single by John Mellencamp, first released in 1978 under the stage name "Johnny Cougar". Background The song appeared on his 1978 album '' A Biography'', which was not released in the United States. After becoming a ...

" *

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

: "

Hot Legs "Hot Legs" is a single by Rod Stewart released in 1978 as the second single for his 1977 album ''Foot Loose & Fancy Free''. The single performed moderately on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching at number 28 but performed better on the UK Sin ...

" " Tonight's The Night," and " You're in My Heart" *

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing i ...

: "That's the Reason" *

Randy VanWarmer Randy VanWarmer (also written as Vanwarmer, Van Warmer; March 30, 1955 – January 12, 2004) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His biggest success was the pop hit, "Just When I Needed You Most". It reached No. 8 on the UK Single ...

: "

Just When I Needed You Most "Just When I Needed You Most" is the title of a 1979 hit single by the American singer-songwriter Randy VanWarmer. Background VanWarmer was inspired to write "Just When I Needed You Most" by two events: his old car, that he loved and used for ...

" *

Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...

: "

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

" The soundtrack was released in the US by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

and in Europe by

WEA Records Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

Production details

wrote the film's screenplay, which he adapted from his own 1969 novel ''Philly''. Producer R. Ben Efraim would produce a number of additional ''Private...'' movies over the next decade, including 1983's ''

Private School Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

'' (which features a brief appearance by Kristel), and two in-name-only sequels to ''Private Lessons'' in 1993 and 1994. During the bedroom striptease, Judy Helden performed as the body double for Kristel. The film was financed primarily by Jack Barry & Dan Enright Productions, even though its two chief producers, Jack Barry and

Dan Enright Daniel Enright (né Ehrenreich; August 30, 1917 – May 22, 1992) was an American television producer, primarily of game shows. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for ...

, were better known for their

game shows A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

on television, of which Barry was the host and Enright the primary producer. The company's announcer at the time,

Jay Stewart Jay Stewart Fix (September 6, 1918 – September 17, 1989), known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. He was probably best known as the announcer on the long r ...

, provided the narration for one of the movie trailers for the film. The film was also the first picture for Jensen Farley Pictures (a subsidiary of

Sunn Classic Pictures Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Sunn International Pictures, Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, and Taft International Pictures was an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and document ...

), a movie studio founded by Rayland Jensen (founder of Sunn Classic Pictures) and his fellow employee, Clair Farley. Sunn, initially a subsidiary of the Schick razor company, would be sold to

Taft Broadcasting The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the Taft family, family of William Howard Taft, the 27th Presid ...

in 1980, shortly before this film's release. Jensen Farley Pictures was created after the sale to Taft, and one of the company's early releases was a film produced by Taft, ''

The Boogens ''The Boogens'' is a 1981 American monster film directed by James L. Conway and starring Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford, Med Flory, Jon Lormer, and Scott Wilkinson. The title refers to scaly t ...

'', initially planned for release through Sunn. Jensen Farley would later release another sex comedy whose selling point was the promise of a young man coupled with an alluring older woman, ''

Homework Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the classroom. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, Exercise (mathematics), mathematical exercises to b ...

'' with

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

. Director

Alan Myerson Alan Myerson (born July 1, 1940) is an Americans, American film and television director. Career Myerson began working in theatre in New York City, then directing The Second City in Chicago. He founded the improvisational comedy troupe The Committe ...

and the cinematographer he hired,

Jan de Bont Jan de Bont (; born 22 October 1943) is a Dutch cinematographer, director and film producer. He is best known for directing the films ''Speed'' (1994) and ''Twister'' (1996). As a director of photography, de Bont also worked on numerous blockbus ...

, shot their principal photography for the film in Arizona and New Mexico over the course of 6 weeks during the summer of 1980. In 1985, the film was made in Italian as ''Il peccato di Lola'', (''Lola's Sin'') starring

Donatella Damiani Donatella Damiani (born Donatella Casula on 3 June 1958) is an Italian actress and model. She is best known for her role in the 1980 Federico Fellini film '' The City of Women'', in which she played a woman who is sweet, protective, seductive and ...

References

External links