The Pom Pom Girls (1976)

A group of carefree high school seniors are having the time of their lives, filled with sex, romance, and teen high jinks.

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers:

Joseph Ruben, Joseph Ruben (story)

Stars:

Robert Carradine, Jennifer Ashley, Michael Mullins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Carradine	...	Johnnie
Jennifer Ashley	...	Laurie
Michael Mullins	...	Jesse
Lisa Reeves	...	Sally
Bill Adler	...	Duane
James Gammon	...	Coach
Susan Player	...	Sue Ann
Cheryl Smith	...	Roxanne (as Rainbeaux Smith)
Diane Lee Hart	...	Judy
Lou Fant	...	Principal
John Lawrence	...	Sheriff
Sondra Lowell	...	Miss Pritchitt (as Sandra Lowell)
Faith Christopher	...	Mother
John Sebastian	...	Father
Jim Kester	...	Hardin Tough

Storyline

A football player at Rosedale High School is amorous of one of the cheerleaders, who is going with another guy. Another player can't decide which of two cheerleaders he wants to be with. Meanwhile, the Big Game with Hardin High School is approaching, and a prank war is in full swing.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | female rear nudity | bare breasts | bare butt | cheerleader | 

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Taglines:

It was their senior year... the last chance to raise hell!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music on the soundtrack was, in fact, originally a 20th Century Records self-titled 1975 album by the group Cotton, Lloyd & Christian. Copies of that album that were returned to 20th Century were repackaged and redistributed in 1976 upon release of the film. On most copies, "The Pom Pom Girls" title appeared on the album jacket but not on the record's label.

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Goofs

When Johnny and Duane are having their "food battle" in the school cafeteria, near the end, there is a drinking straw wrapper stuck to the back of Johnny's head, which disappears, and then reappears.

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Quotes

Johnnie Chrystal: Ah, Duane, tell me, is that crease down the middle of your face, ah, is that your asshole?

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Alternate Versions

There are two versions of "The Pom-Pom Girls" depending on where you buy it. One is a full-screen R-rated version, and the other is a letter boxed PG-rated version. In the PG-version, all female nudity has been removed (mainly in a scene with Jesse and a waitress in his van, and in the cheerleader's locker room).

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Connections

Featured in Making the Cut: A Look Back at the Centerfold Girls (2009)

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Soundtracks

Robot Man
(uncredited)
Written by Chris Christian
Performed by Darryl Cotton, Michael Lloyd & Chris Christian

User Reviews

The teenage dream of the '70s lives on...

...1976 saw two particularly notable depictions of high school life on the big screen. The one released later in the year, CARRIE, was a nightmare; the earlier release, THE POM POM GIRLS, was the dreamy ideal (at least to most high schoolers of the period). Interestingly, the dream has aged somewhat better than the nightmare, even if CARRIE is much more frequently run on cable nowadays. In a departure from the Crown International Pictures drive-in norm of the period, the young ladies aren't subjected to any hideously sexist hijinks (can't say that for THE VAN or VAN NUYS BLVD.), there seems to be genuine respect and friendship between the boys and girls, and what happens in this movie (except for the fire truck prank) actually seem plausible. There's even an airy quality to the soundtrack music, lifted from the previous year's debut album by Cotton Lloyd & Christian (including Michael Lloyd, whose record productions for The Osmonds these high schoolers obviously grew up on), that's surprisingly refreshing. Even James Gammon, playing a head football coach over a decade before MAJOR LEAGUE, seems rooted in the period. If you were part of the American Class of '76, this is your picture...

Details

Official Sites:

Crown International Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Palisides High

Filming Locations:

Albright St & Charm Acres Pl, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marimark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1