Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Richard C. Bennett

Writers:

George Edwards (screenplay)
George Edwards (story)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The song was scandalous. The movie is hilarious!

Plot:

Stella Johnson is a single mother living in the town of Harper Valley. Now most of people, particularly...

Plot Keywords:

Pta | Small Town | Playing Footsie | Based On Song | Acronym In Title

Cast

Barbara Eden	...	Stella Johnson
Ronny Cox	...	Willis Newton
Nanette Fabray	...	Alice Finely
Louis Nye	...	Kirby Baker
Audrey Christie	...	Flora Simpson Reilly
Ron Masak	...	Herbie Maddox
John Fiedler	...	Bobby Taylor
Susan Swift	...	Dee Johnson
Pat Paulsen	...	Mr. Harper
Bob Hastings	...	Skeeter
Fay DeWitt	...	Willa Mae Jones
J.J. Barry	...	Tex
Royce D. Applegate	...	Dutch
Irene Yah-Ling Sun	...	Myrna Wong
Louise Foley	...	Mavis

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Lebanon, Ohio, USA

Company:

April Fools Productions

Trivia:

Woody Harrelson's film debut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The home movie Stella and Alice made on the sly is in Super 8mm, but the educational film they supposedly snipped it into is in 16mm.

Quotes:

Herbie Maddox: Did you hear the one about the two newborn babies in the nursery? The girl baby says to the boy baby 'are you a boy baby or a girl baby?', he says 'I'm a boy baby'. The girl baby says 'how do you know you're a boy baby?' At that the boy baby whips back the blankets and says 'see that? Blue booties!'

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crutch (2004)

Soundtrack:

HARPER VALLEY P.T.A.

Barbara Eden Was Excellent

This picture hit the theaters in 1978 starring Barbara Eden as Stella Johnson, Ronny Cox as Willis Newton and Nanette Fabray as Alice Finely. The pictured opens with the song that we come to know and hear along with a view of the school district where the whole thing gets started. As the song continues to play, they keep showing views of the school and the town. After the song is over Stella Johnson is in her house singing and dancing when her daughter Dee, comes home from school and can't even get in the front door. Therefore, Stella opens the door and Dee goes straight to her room without even speaking to her mom. Stella goes and checks on Dee and is given a letter that is address to her from the Harper Valley PTA. The letter states that if Stella doesn't change her ways they will take the proper measures to have her daughter expelled from school. Therefore, Stella and Alice sit down and have a nice long talk with Alice telling Stella every dirty secret that she has on every member of the Harper Valley PTA board. It just so happen that very afternoon the PTA was holding its annual meeting. Therefore, Stella and her daughter go to that PTA meeting and Stella was loaded with dirty secrets that were just waiting to come out. The next day when Dee comes home from school her entire front yard is covered with toilet paper. That's when Will Newton enters! Will is a construction worker who's building the schools new gym. Will helps Stella clean up her front yard and then later that night while Stella and Dee were eating someone throws a rock through the dining room window. Therefore, Stella goes to see Alice and now it's time for war with every member of the PTA. I like this movie because of the comedy and the acting of Barbara Eden. It was nice to see her in another role other then Jeanine. I give this movie 10 weasel stars.