June Wilkinson Movies

Intending to complete a master's thesis about the sexual relationships between men and women, sociology student Paul Barton sets off to capture examples on videotape. Paul's viewfinder takes him around campus and into rooms of a sleazified Hollywood motel to get first-hand study sessions. During his adventure, he meets and falls for fellow student Jeanne and begins a more personal exploration in the Love Zone. This comedy drama contains sex, nudity, and profanity. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In an unusual move, this gangster story features no good guys, telling its tale strictly within the confines of the mob. Steve King (Vince Edwards) is trying to gain control of the cocaine market in one region of his home state of Texas. After borrowing money from a New York mobster, he plans on buying a huge shipment from a druglord named Duval. King's opponents in this underground batle are the mobster Bedford (Billy J. Holman) and a pair of petty criminals (Carey Clark and Gary Lee Love). After the petty thieves steal King's money for the drug buy, Bedford kidnaps Duval, leading to a lot of hard feelings and the inevitable shoot-out. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this action film, a large cache of drugs has been concealed somewhere in the swamps of the Florida Everglades, and it will make a rich reward for the group who finds it first. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Lawyer Dean Martin's gambling habit is beginning to get on the nerves of his wife Lana Turner. To keep the money in the family, Lana talks Dino's law partner Eddie Albert into acting as Martin's bookie. Not only does this plan not work, but it also rouses the ire of Runyonesque gangster Walter Matthau. In the cutest of the film's cute twist, Lana saves herself and her husband by solving Matthau's financial and domestic problems. A minor but efficiently assembled star comedy, Who's Got the Action benefits from tasty production values and a knockout supporting cast, including Paul Ford, John McGiver, Nita Talbot, Ned Glass, and fabled pin-up girl June Wilkinson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally filmed entirely in black-and-white, this German sex comedy centers on a bellhop who prepares for his dream job of becoming a detective by spying on half-naked chorines through a keyhole. Just before the film was distributed in the US, Francis Ford Coppola was hired to add additional scenes featuring nude women (shot in 3-D) to spice up the story. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

After his pioneering independent film Shadows (1960), actor/writer/director John Cassavetes made his major studio directorial debut with this gritty, low-key drama about jazz musicians. Bobby Darin plays John "Ghost" Walefield, a pianist who scuffles from gig to gig with his band, trying to keep body and soul together without betraying his muse. Ghost's agent Benny (Everett Chambers) introduces him to Jess (Stella Stevens), a would-be singer who looks beautiful, even though her voice is fair at best. Ghost falls hard for her and agrees to put her in the band, though it's hard to say if he believes in her musical talent or just wants her companionship. Ghost and his band score a record deal thanks to Jess' presence, but after a humiliating fight in a pool hall and Ghost's discovery that Jess occasionally turns tricks to pay the rent, he puts his integrity up for sale, fires his band, and starts spending his time with a rich woman who likes to hang out with musicians -- and is willing to pay for the privilege. A number of real-life jazz greats appear onscreen and on the soundtrack, including Slim Gaillard, Benny Carter, and Shelly Manne; the role of Ghost was originally written for Montgomery Clift, who was forced to back out at the last minute, leading to Bobby Darin's casting. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Remember June Wilkinson, the mammary-laden pinup girl of the 1960s? Remember all those "naughty" films in which Wilkinson starred-you know, the ones that played at that seedy downtown theatre patronized by old men in raincoats? Career Girl was perhaps the best of a bad lot. Wilkinson plays a simple country gal who heads for the Bright Lights and Big City to make it as a movie star. When you haven't got your eyes glued to the zaftig Ms. Wilkinson, you might get a chuckle out of the cheesy sets and the guest appearances by the overhead microphone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With The Immoral Mr. Teas, Russ Meyer reshaped the adult film industry (such as it was in 1959). In a genre that ran to documentaries about nudist volleyball tournaments and shame-based soap operas about the dangers of VD, infidelity, and teen sex, The Immoral Mr. Teas was a colorful, well-photographed, breezily witty romp that suggested a gag cartoon from Playboy sprung to life. Mr. Teas (Bill Teas), a delivery man working for a dentist, gets his own teeth worked on, and, after emerging from the anesthetic, discovers that every woman who crosses his path appears to be naked. Mr. Teas find this disconcerting until he learns to relax and enjoy the passing parade. Tame by post-'60s standards, The Immoral Mr. Teas is still amusing for its easygoing charm and poke-in-the-ribs humor; Meyer single-handedly launched the "nudie cutie" boom of the early 1960s and began the most interesting career in American sex films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi