Suburban Roulette (1968)

Director:

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Writers:

Herschell Gordon Lewis (additional dialogue)
James Thomas (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A newlywed couple falls into a dangerous game of parties and swapping spouses with two other swinging couples after moving into a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood.

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Lesbianism | Lesbian Sex | Sex | Independent Film

Cast

Elizabeth Wilkinson	...	Ilene Fisher
Ben Moore	...	Bert Fisher
Ione Rolnick	...	Fran Conley
William Kerwin	...	Marty Conley (as Thomas Wood)
Allison Louise Downe	...	Margo Elston (as Vicki Miles)
Tony McCabe	...	Ron Elston
Debbie Grant	...	Cindy Fisher
Richard Mark Oliver	...	Conley Child
Joseph Trucco	...	Conley Child
Michael Shallop	...	Conley Child
Paul Shallop	...	Conley Child
Ray Woods	...	Police chief
Bob Roth	...	Card Buyer

Directed by
Herschell Gordon Lewis

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Herschell Gordon Lewis		additional dialogue (as Sheldon Seymour)
James Thomas		screenplay

Produced by
David Chudnow	....	executive producer
Herschell Gordon Lewis	....	producer

Original Music by
Herschell Gordon Lewis		(as Sheldon Seymour)

Cinematography by
Roy Collodi

Film Editing by
Robert Flaxman

Art Direction by
G. William Shallop

Costume Design by
Allison Louise Downe		(as Louise Downe)

Makeup Department
Allison Louise Downe	....	makeup artist (as Louise Downe)

Production Management
William Kerwin	....	production manager
Don Logay	....	unit manager
Don Logay	....	unit production manager

Sound Department
Ron Somers	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
R.B. Callahan	....	chief electrician
Wood Koizumi	....	assistant camera
Michael McCauley	....	head grip

Other crew
Sharon Neiman	....	script assistant

Distributors

• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1968) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Sinister Cinema (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2003) (USA) (video) (DVD-R)
• Argent Film Productions
• Video Treasures (video)

Runtime:

91 min | USA:81 min (1990 video release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R (self-rating)

Filming Locations:

Addison Motel - 407 W. Lake Street, Addison, Illinois, USA

Movie Connections:

Featured in Twisted Sex: Volume 25 (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Suburban Roulette

"No more booze for me and no more boyfriends for you!"

You know you're in for a treat as soon as the montage of split-levels and a faux-Sammy Davis Jr. theme song ("Let's swap partners/Here's the game/Suburban roulette") hit the screen. This touching family drama opens with the Fisher family moving to a new suburban home, in hopes that the change of scenery will do them good--or, as Mr. Fisher tells Mrs. Fisher, "No more booze for me and no more boyfriends for you!"

As you can imagine, that doesn't last long once the Fishers fall in with their neighbors, the Elstons and the Conleys. The Elstons are the real fun couple in the subdivision: disdainful tramp "Mattress Back" Margo and her husband, leering blond stud Ron. Martini-fueled pool parties abound, as Ron embarks on an affair with the Jiffy Pop-haired Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Fisher sweats a lot and passes the time getting wasted with self-hating lush Fran Conley. Mrs. Conley resembles Judy Garland in full suburban housewife drag, which may be why the Conley's eldest son is already a vicious little queen at age 12. Meanwhile, Mattress-Back Margo looks bored and humps anything who comes within a three-foot radius since, as she repeatedly points out, her "pendulum" swings both ways. It doesn't take long for the Elstons to break out with the toy roulette wheel and begin spouse-swapping in earnest. There's bullet bras, there's ugly bedspreads, there's a fistfight under the sprinklers, there's too much other trash to list here. A fine, fine film.