Harper Valley PTA (film)
Encyclopedia
Harper Valley PTA is a 1978
comedy movie starring Barbara Eden
. The movie was inspired by the country music
song of the same title
written by Tom T. Hall
. In 1981 it was adapted into a television series
, with Barbara Eden reprising her role.
) is a beautiful widowed single mother who lives in the town of Harper Valley, Ohio, and sells cosmetics door-to-door. Her fourteen year old daughter is named Dee (Susan Swift). Dee brings her mother a letter from the school's Parent Teacher Association board, which was led by the pompous and snobbish Flora Simpson Reilly (Audrey Christie). The letter denounces her for her not following the societal mores of the day and community and further stating that if she didn't change her ways more to their liking, Dee would be punished for her mother's sins by being expelled from school.
Infuriated by the board's supposed superiority and their glaring hypocrisy, Stella storms to the PTA meeting and proceeds to tell most of the PTA members off by exposing their hidden skeletons for the town to see.
After her house is TP'ed, and a rock is thrown through her window in retaliation for what she did, Stella prepares to get even with those who would want her driven out of town. She teams up with her friends, beautician Alice Finley (Nanette Fabray
) and bartender Herbie Maddox (Ron Masak
) who, along with Dee's help, wreak hilarious and justified revenge on those PTA members who hated Stella. (Of Flora's allies, only two, Holly Taylor and Shirley Thompson, are spared any retribution.)
During the course of the movie, she finds out that one of the male PTA members, wealthy Willis Newton (Ronny Cox
) has fallen in love with her.
Will, and another male on the PTA board, Skeeter Duggan (Bob Hastings
), the town's Notary public
, didn't agree with Flora and her friends and are thus more sympathetic to Stella. With Will's help, Stella goes ahead and makes a run for President of the PTA, which infuriates Flora and her allies.
After one of their own, Real estate
agent Kirby Baker (Louis Nye
) was arrested for assaulting Myrna Wong (Irene Yah-Ling Sun), an Asian-American friend of Stella's, after he attempted to run Stella out of town by means of a foreclosure
, things become more and more desperate. They finally decide to resort to criminal means to maintain the power they hold in town. The board members then decide to go and hire a couple of kidnappers named Dutch and Tex (Royce D. Applegate; J. J. Barry) to have Skeeter abducted so they could commit election fraud. The kidnappers snatch Skeeter as he is taking the trash out, and lock him in a monastery, where he is locked up and drunk on wine. Eventually, Stella and Alice, disguised as nuns, find him, and free him.
After a makeover, which sees her braces removed and her hair styled, Dee also finds a boyfriend in handsome Carlyle (Brian Cook) a popular school track star, which incurs the jealousy of Bettina Reilly (Laura Tiege), the equally snobbish granddaughter of Flora. Also shown are Edwina, Bettina's twin sister (played by Jan Tiege, Laura's real life twin) and Dee's best friend, Mavis (Louise Foley), who, herself, became a target of the PTA's cruelty, by being falsely accused of stealing money by Olive Glover (Molly Dodd
), the PTA's corrupt recording secretary. Olive, who had a very hardcore gambling addiction, had actually stolen money from the Milk Fund Rally, and her intent was to blame Mavis and have her arrested.
Ultimately, Flora's scheme to get rid of and discredit Stella fails. The end leads up to Olive being arrested for embezzlement. Dutch and Tex were already in custody for the Skeeter Duggan kidnapping and both of them had told the police that Flora was behind it all.
Stella wins the election and becomes the new PTA president, with the whole town voting to get rid of Flora and her stuck-up friends, then she and Will fly off in his helicopter and then they get married.
and Wyoming, Ohio
.
According to Barbara Edens book, Harper Valley Pta was filmed entirely in Southern Illinois.
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
comedy movie starring Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
. The movie was inspired by the country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song of the same title
Harper Valley PTA
"Harper Valley PTA" is a country song written by Tom T. Hall that was a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley in 1968. Riley's record sold over six million copies as a single. The song made Riley the first woman to top both Billboard's Hot 100 and the U.S...
written by Tom T. Hall
Tom T. Hall
Thomas "Tom T." Hall is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has written 11 #1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the pop crossover hit "I Love", which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100...
. In 1981 it was adapted into a television series
Harper Valley PTA (TV series)
Harper Valley PTA is an early 1980s American television sitcom based on the 1978 film Harper Valley PTA, which was itself based on the 1968 song recorded by country singer Jeannie C. Riley, written by Tom T...
, with Barbara Eden reprising her role.
Plot
Stella Johnson (Barbara EdenBarbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
) is a beautiful widowed single mother who lives in the town of Harper Valley, Ohio, and sells cosmetics door-to-door. Her fourteen year old daughter is named Dee (Susan Swift). Dee brings her mother a letter from the school's Parent Teacher Association board, which was led by the pompous and snobbish Flora Simpson Reilly (Audrey Christie). The letter denounces her for her not following the societal mores of the day and community and further stating that if she didn't change her ways more to their liking, Dee would be punished for her mother's sins by being expelled from school.
Infuriated by the board's supposed superiority and their glaring hypocrisy, Stella storms to the PTA meeting and proceeds to tell most of the PTA members off by exposing their hidden skeletons for the town to see.
After her house is TP'ed, and a rock is thrown through her window in retaliation for what she did, Stella prepares to get even with those who would want her driven out of town. She teams up with her friends, beautician Alice Finley (Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
) and bartender Herbie Maddox (Ron Masak
Ron Masak
Ron Masak is an American actor. He began on stage and much of his work is in theater. His first screen role was as the Harmonica Man in "The Purple Testament," an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1960...
) who, along with Dee's help, wreak hilarious and justified revenge on those PTA members who hated Stella. (Of Flora's allies, only two, Holly Taylor and Shirley Thompson, are spared any retribution.)
During the course of the movie, she finds out that one of the male PTA members, wealthy Willis Newton (Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American character actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico...
) has fallen in love with her.
Will, and another male on the PTA board, Skeeter Duggan (Bob Hastings
Bob Hastings
Robert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
), the town's Notary public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
, didn't agree with Flora and her friends and are thus more sympathetic to Stella. With Will's help, Stella goes ahead and makes a run for President of the PTA, which infuriates Flora and her allies.
After one of their own, Real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent Kirby Baker (Louis Nye
Louis Nye
Louis Nye was an American comedy actor.-Early years:He was born Louis Neistat in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Joseph Neistat and Jennie Sherman . His sister was Rose Neistat...
) was arrested for assaulting Myrna Wong (Irene Yah-Ling Sun), an Asian-American friend of Stella's, after he attempted to run Stella out of town by means of a foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
, things become more and more desperate. They finally decide to resort to criminal means to maintain the power they hold in town. The board members then decide to go and hire a couple of kidnappers named Dutch and Tex (Royce D. Applegate; J. J. Barry) to have Skeeter abducted so they could commit election fraud. The kidnappers snatch Skeeter as he is taking the trash out, and lock him in a monastery, where he is locked up and drunk on wine. Eventually, Stella and Alice, disguised as nuns, find him, and free him.
After a makeover, which sees her braces removed and her hair styled, Dee also finds a boyfriend in handsome Carlyle (Brian Cook) a popular school track star, which incurs the jealousy of Bettina Reilly (Laura Tiege), the equally snobbish granddaughter of Flora. Also shown are Edwina, Bettina's twin sister (played by Jan Tiege, Laura's real life twin) and Dee's best friend, Mavis (Louise Foley), who, herself, became a target of the PTA's cruelty, by being falsely accused of stealing money by Olive Glover (Molly Dodd
Molly Dodd
Molly Dodd was an American actress.Born as Mary Elise Dodd in Los Angeles, California to Neal Dodd and Lila Elsie Weaver , her father was a priest of the Anglo-Catholic Episcopal Church.Dodd began her career on the Los Angeles stage in 1939, debuting in a revival of the...
), the PTA's corrupt recording secretary. Olive, who had a very hardcore gambling addiction, had actually stolen money from the Milk Fund Rally, and her intent was to blame Mavis and have her arrested.
Ultimately, Flora's scheme to get rid of and discredit Stella fails. The end leads up to Olive being arrested for embezzlement. Dutch and Tex were already in custody for the Skeeter Duggan kidnapping and both of them had told the police that Flora was behind it all.
Stella wins the election and becomes the new PTA president, with the whole town voting to get rid of Flora and her stuck-up friends, then she and Will fly off in his helicopter and then they get married.
Cast and characters
- Barbara EdenBarbara EdenBarbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
... Stella Johnson, A widowed cosmetics salesperson with a young daughter, whose individuality angers 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. - Ronny CoxRonny CoxDaniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American character actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico...
... Willis "Will" Newton, A wealthy member of the PTA who doesn't agree with Flora and her allies and is in love with Stella. He and Stella get married at the end of the movie. - Nanette FabrayNanette FabrayNanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
... Alice Finley, Stella's best friend and co-conspirator against the snobs of Harper Valley. She owns the La Moderne Beauty Shop. - Louis NyeLouis NyeLouis Nye was an American comedy actor.-Early years:He was born Louis Neistat in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Joseph Neistat and Jennie Sherman . His sister was Rose Neistat...
... Kirby Baker, A local real estate agent who is allied with Flora and her friends. Notorious for being a lecherous playboy and impregnating his secretaries, one of whom, Gladys Wilmot, left town to see an abortionist in Cincinnati. 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. - John FiedlerJohn FiedlerJohn Donald Fiedler was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. He was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice and a career lasting more than 55 years.He is best remembered for four roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12...
... 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. - Ron MasakRon MasakRon Masak is an American actor. He began on stage and much of his work is in theater. His first screen role was as the Harmonica Man in "The Purple Testament," an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1960...
... Herbie Maddox, the bartender at Kelly's bar, and Stella's ally against Flora and her friends. - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
... Corley, a young delivery person, who works for the local florist shop, who brings Stella flowers from Will. - Susan SwiftSusan SwiftSusan Rachel Swift is an American actor and former child actor.-Early life:Swift was born in Houston, Texas. She attended Pepperdine University and became an attorney practicing in Downtown Los Angeles...
... 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 PaulsenPat PaulsenPatrick Layton "Pat" Paulsen was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives,...
... 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. He had a stampede of elephants, painted pink stormed through his house, destroying it. - Amzie StricklandAmzie StricklandAmzie Strickland was an American character actor who began in radio, made some 650 television appearances, had roles in two dozen films, appeared in numerous television movies and also worked in TV commercials...
... Shirley Thompson, a member of the PTA board. Though she is allied with Flora and her friends, she is 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 HastingsBob HastingsRobert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
... Skeeter Duggan, a member of the PTA board, and the town's Notary publicNotary publicA notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
who is sympathetic to Stella. He is kidnapped by Dutch and Tex at Flora Simpson Reilly's orders. - Audrey Christie ... 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 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 DoddMolly DoddMolly Dodd was an American actress.Born as Mary Elise Dodd in Los Angeles, California to Neal Dodd and Lila Elsie Weaver , her father was a priest of the Anglo-Catholic Episcopal Church.Dodd began her career on the Los Angeles stage in 1939, debuting in a revival of the...
... Olive Glover, the corrupt and very cruel recording secretary of the PTA who is a gambling addict. She eventually is arrested for embezzlement after having a lot of hay and horse manure dumped on 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 ... Willamae Jones, a snide biology teacher at the school who is also a member of the PTA. She outright favors the Reilly twins, due to the connections between her and Flora. Notorious for being a nymphomaniac, she is caught in flagrante delicto with Barney Crunk, the town's mailman, on film.
- DeVera Marcus ... Holly Taylor, Bobby's obviously overbearing wife, who tends to drink when Bobby is out of town, and doesn't approve of Bobby's lusting, or of anything else he does. She, like Shirley Thompson, is spared retribution from Stella, due to Stella refusing to date Bobby.
- Louise Foley ... Mavis, Dee Johnson's best friend, who is nearly framed for a crime she did not commit by the cruel Olive Glover.
- Brian Cook ... Carlyle, a popular track star who chooses Dee, after she gets a makeover, and angers Bettina Reilly in the process.
- Laura Tiege ... 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 Tiege ... Edwina Reilly, Bettina's twin sister.
- Irene Yah-Ling Sun ... Myrna Wong, a friend of Stella's who is attacked by Kirby Baker, and has him sent to jail for assault.
- Tobias Anderson ... "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 ... Dutch, one of two kidnappers who abduct Skeeter Duggan at Flora Reilly's order.
- J. J. Barry ... Tex, the mastermind of the kidnap plot to get Skeeter Duggan out of the way so Flora and her friends could commit election fraud.
- Pitt Herbert ... Henry Reilly, Flora's overly dominated husband and grandfather to Edwina and Bettina. Henry is wealthy, but very weak-willed and is known for acquiescing to his wife's schemes.
Filming location
This movie was filmed partly in the towns of Lebanon, OhioLebanon, Ohio
The population at the 2010 census was 20,033. As of the census of 2000, there were 16,962 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.6 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile...
and Wyoming, Ohio
Wyoming, Ohio
Wyoming is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,261 at the 2000 census.Wyoming has a renowned education program - the Wyoming City School District was ranked first in the State of Ohio on the 2004-2005 State Report Card, with an index score of 108.2...
.
According to Barbara Edens book, Harper Valley Pta was filmed entirely in Southern Illinois.