''The Adventures of Lucky Pierre'' is a 1961

nudie cutie In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scene ...

film created by

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

makers

Herschell Gordon Lewis Herschell Gordon Lewis (June 15, 1926 – September 26, 2016) was an American filmmaker, best known for creating the " splatter" subgenre of horror films. He is often called the "Godfather of Gore" (a title also given to Lucio Fulci), though hi ...

and David F. Friedman. The first of its kind to be filmed in color, the film starred comedian Billy Falbo. It was unique for its time and genre, adding successful comedy to the nudity and sensationalist material.

History

The film was conceived by Lewis and Friedman when film distributor Alfred N. Sack offered the two $7,000 to create a single-reel, "color 35mm film of cute girls carousing around with beach balls, or whatever."DVD Talk interview. Upon learning of this reel, another distributor offered a deal to expand the film into a full-length feature film. The two spent around five hours writing the film, and, with Falbo, proceeded to film the movie over a four-day period in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

Plot

''The Adventures of Lucky Pierre'' is a series of vignettes featuring the title character, Lucky Pierre, in a series of unrelated storylines involving scantly-clad or nude women.Friedman interview. Pierre, named after a childhood rhyme Friedman and Lewis remembered, would end up in a short segment where he encounters various naked women – for instance, in "Drive-In Me Crazy", Pierre attends a

drive-in movie 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 ...

where the ticket taker and concession workers are all nude women who also appear in the film he's seeing. In another, Pierre, as a painter, has three nude women posing for him in a park, and another vignette had Pierre come upon two sunbathing women while birdwatching.

Reception

The film was a financial success, grossing over $12,000 in a single theater over a week's run upon opening, and continued to enjoy financial success while avoiding the type of censorship previous exploitation films such as '' Mom and Dad'' faced. The film ushered in a new form of sexploitation film, the "

", and Friedman, who worked with the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

to catalog such films for them, estimated over 600 ''Pierre''-style films were released between 1961 and 1970.Friedman, 264.

References

Notes

* DVD Talk:
CineSchlock-O-Rama: Herschell Gordon Lewis
The Godfather of Gore." G. Noel Gross, 27 April 2001. URL accessed 28 May 2007. * David F. Friedman, ''A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King'' (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1990; ). * Internet Movie Database:
The Adventures of Lucky Pierre
'. URL accessed 28 May 2007. * ''New York Times'':

" Will Blythe, 1 December 2002. URL accessed 28 May 2007. * Pitchfork Media
L. Pierre
- ''Dip'' review. URL accessed 28 May 2007. * Mike Quarles, ''Down and Dirty: Hollywood's Exploitation Filmmakers and Their Movies'' (

Jefferson, North Carolina Jefferson is a town in and the county seat of Ashe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2010 census. History The North Carolina General Assembly created a special commission in 1799 to found a county seat for As ...

McFarland McFarland may refer to: People *McFarland (surname) Places in the United States *McFarland, California, a city *McFarland, Kansas, a city *McFarland, Missouri, a ghost town *McFarland, Wisconsin, a village Other uses * USS ''McFarland'' (DD-237) ...

, 2001; ). * Reel.com:
David F. Friedman: Wage Earner of Sin
" URL accessed 28 May 2007. * Adam Rockoff, ''Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986''. (

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its forme ...

; 2002; ). * Something Weird Video:
The Adventures of Lucky Pierre
'. URL accessed 28 May 2007.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Lucky Pierre, The 1961 films American sexploitation films Films directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis American sex comedy films 1960s sex comedy films 1961 comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films