GINGER IN THE MORNING (1974)

Title: GINGER IN THE MORNING

Year of Release: 1974

Director: Gordon Wiles

Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy

Synopsis: A newly-divorced man picks up a spirited hitchhiker on the highway, and a bond develops between them.

Within a film history context: Films which feature hitchhiking characters have been around in cinema since the silent era. E. Mason Hopper's THE RIGHT DIRECTION (1916), is an early documented example of this. A young woman begins hitchhiking to take herself, and her younger brother, to a better life away from their miserable existence, and finds problems with the family of the man who picks up her and her brother. One of the most famous scenes of hitchhiking can be found in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), directed by Frank Capra. With Claudette Colbert attempting to gain a ride for her and Clark Gable in a most amusing sequence, it was one of the best ever scenes of hitchhiking to be presented in cinema. William Dieterle's DR. SOCRATES (1935), had a supporting character who was a hitchhiker, in this crime film which starred Paul Muni in the title role. In the overtly titled HITCH HIKE LADY (1935), directed by Aubrey Scotto, a mature woman hitchhikes from New York to California to visit her son, who, unbeknown to her, is in jail. With Leigh Jason's THAT GIRL FROM PARIS (1936), an opera star hitchhikes after leaving her husband-to-be in the lurch, and encounters romance and adventure while hitchhiking. On the other hand, HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE (1939), directed by Ricardo Cortez, starred Glenn Ford as a young man who hitchhikes across America, accompanied by another man and a woman, to reach his land in Arizona. As with the 1930s and prior, the 1940s also had varied hitchhiking scenarios.

Preston Sturges' SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), the story of a film director who conducts unconventional research as a vagrant for his next movie, finding romance along the way, featured a lead character, played by Joel McCrea, who hitchhiked as part of his personal journey. DETOUR (1945), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, was much more dramatic. As with SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, it also had a hitchhiking male protagonist, this time a pianist who becomes enmeshed in intrigue, taking on the identity of the mysterious man with whom he rode. Tay Garnett's THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946), had a central character who hitchhiked his way into the lives of others in the movie, causing torment. Another film with a shady hitchhiker was THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947), directed by Felix Feist. In this tale, an upstanding man takes in a murderous hitchhiker, with many unexpected consequences. Similar to THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, Delmer Daves' DARK PASSAGE (1947), began with a main character who hitchhikes to another life, this time escaping from jail, leading to an intricate set of compelling events. Into the 1950s, there were equally interesting hitchhiking scenarios and characters.

As with the films of the mid to late 1940s with their dark post-war premises, TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951), directed by Felix Feist, followed a couple involved in a crime who hitchhike to evade capture. Dangerous hitchhikers are again presented in Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER (1953). In this movie, two fishermen make the grave error of picking up a psychotic man who gives them a chilling pronouncement - after they arrive at their destination, he will kill both of them. Equally tense was THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR (1955), directed by Andrew L. Stone. A wealthy man picks up a hitchhiker who, along with several others, cause mayhem for the man and his family. In a more exploitation, but surprising vein was Charles Saunders' KILL HER GENTLY (1957). A man picks up two hitchhikers who are wanted criminals, but does not turn them over to the authorities, instead, he propositions them to murder his wife. As with other film decades, the 1960s also had diverse hitchhiking themed films.

A benign view of hitchhiking was brought forth by the Elvis Presley vehicle IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (1963), directed by Norman Taurog. Here, two friends hitchhike to the Seattle World Fair as their mode of transport was confiscated by police, finding romance and fun. Marc Lawrence's NIGHTMARE IN THE SUN (1965), co-starring real life couple John Derek and Ursula Andress in the lead roles, followed a married woman who picks up a male hitchhiker, their affair leading to intrigue and murder. A romantic view of hitchhiking could be found in WILD SEED (1965), directed by Brian Hutton. A young woman runs away from home after discovering her true parentage, and meets a drifter, their fraught relationship blossoming over the course of the movie. In contrast, Dennis Hopper's EASY RIDER (1969), altered the mode of transport from automobile to motorcycle, the bikers in the film picking up a number of hitchhikers on their way across the country. CHASTITY (1969), directed by Alessio de Paola, featured Cher as a young woman who hitchhikes to find a new life, and get away from her tragedy-twinged existence. 

Into the 1970s, Bob Rafelson's FIVE EASY PIECES (1970), showcased two hitchhiking scenes. The first is a revealing sequence where Bobby picks up two hitchhikers, one of whom speaking continuously about anything and everything in the car. The second scene occurs at the movie's end when Bobby hitches a ride from someone, subsequently abandoning girlfriend Rayette at the gas station. A more exploitative journey into hitchhiking was evident in JANIE (1970), directed by Roberta Findlay and Jack Bravman. A young woman hitchhikes to reach her father, but the means by which she accomplishes this are thoroughly decrepit and base, with murder and sex on her mind. Richard Sarafian's VANISHING POINT (1971), most notably, features a hitchhiking gay couple whose intentions with the driver are anything but legal. TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971), directed by Monte Hellman, had a number of hitchhiker characters, including a woman, and a gay man. In Jerry Jameson's BRUTE CORPS (1971), a man and woman hitchhiking together fall in with brusque soldiers, and pay a hefty price in this violent melodrama. The tense WELCOME HOME SOLDIER BOYS (1971), directed by Richard Compton, had a promiscuous hitchhiker who causes waves with those she sexually services, her fate during the film unknown after she is pushed out of a moving vehicle. 

Jack Starrett's THE STRANGE VENGEANCE OF ROSALIE (1972), was also a dark movie. This time around, the hitchhiker is a young American Indian woman who lures a man into her trap, regretting that he ever picked her up from the side of the road. GLASS HOUSES (1972), directed by Alexander Singer, was a study of a Southern Californian family. In one scene, the film's young woman and her friend pick up some giggling hitchhikers from the street who try to offer her drugs, which she rebuffs. Beverly Sebastian and Ferd Sebastian's grindhouse movie THE HITCHHIKERS (1972) looked at several young women hitchhiking around California, and their adventures, specifically involving men. Suspense, though, was the order of the day in HOT SUMMER WEEK (1972), directed by Thomas J. Schmidt. When two young women pick up a Vietnam veteran en route to an encounter session, he might just be the murderer killing hippies. Quentin Masters' THUMB TRIPPING (1972), was one of the most exhaustive pictures about hitchhickers. Two hitchhikers, and young man and woman, traipse around the country, having different experiences, in this episodic movie. In comparison to other entries, GINGER IN THE MORNING was one of the lighter examinations of a hitchhiker, and their adventures.

Far and away, GINGER IN THE MORNING was removed from the movies where a hitchhiker was involved in illicit or dangerous activities. In effect, the tone is pleasant, without any suspense elements. The film, instead, had more in common with those pictures where a hitchhiker is seeking to find their bearings in life, such as THE RIGHT DIRECTION, THAT GIRL FROM PARIS, HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE, and CHASTITY. There was a sentimental streak in these pictures, of people who have seen the worst, but are looking for better experiences in life. This is something that Ginger in the movie can definitely attest, with an event causing her to take to the road. Aside from this, GINGER IN THE MORNING was slanted towards romance, and finding true love. There is a small affinity to IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, in the fact that two people of very different backgrounds are brought together via the road, and hitchhiking. This concentration on breeziness in GINGER IN THE MORNING is also present in IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, with its hitchhikers, in this case, male, becoming involved in adventure and romance at the fair. An agreeable movie about a female hitchhiker, GINGER IN THE MORNING is a likable way to pass the time.

 

Overview: Gordon Wiles was an American director who mainly worked in television, making the foray into film on a single occasion. His credits included a number of prime-time shows from the mid-1960s until the late 1970s. Mr Wiles helmed episodes of The Lawrence Welk Show, The Magical World of Disney, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and The Bobby Darin Show, and two telemovies. GINGER IN THE MORNING was Gordon Wiles' only motion picture credit, consequently the overview will naturally center on his contributions to the movie.

Gordon Wiles has crafted an entertaining picture with GINGER IN THE MORNING. The comic-dramatic story of a freshly divorced man falling for a spirited hitchhiker he meets one day roadside, is handled with ease and finesse, with nary a dull moment. The movie has some nice comic interludes which ably back up the dramatic content, which itself never becomes morose. There are also some interesting assessments of male-female, male-male, and female-female relationships. GINGER IN THE MORNING does air the grievances of its characters in all these different combinations, thus giving the movie a pleasant real-world perspective of protagonists' emotions. The movie has a leaning toward being light and bright, which is not something to be discounted. Humor does have a way of conveying meaning without being too heavy. GINGER IN THE MORNING does raise many a smile, and chuckle during its running time. In terms of being a balanced motion picture, though, taking a one-dimensional approach to its subject matter does hinder the film in some ways.

When we first meet Joe at the beginning of the film, he is discussing his new-found freedom with a friend at the airport. This is good to see, but one does not find out more concrete details of why his marriage fell apart. In addition, Joe never cries or reacts in a more heated way at the divorce, or really displaying overt antagonism toward his former wife. Things are veiled, treated as privileged information, when it could have given the movie so much more dramatic meat. Likewise with Ginger, and her relationship with another man. She has been burned in a manner similar to Joe, but again, not enough is divulged. The main focus is on pairing Joe and Ginger which works for the movie as a whole, but more background to them could have been dynamite. Thankfully, the bittersweet, divorced couple Sugar and Charlie do give the film a little more punch, and spice with regard to male-female relationships. Having two very different couples at opposite ends of the spectrum gives equilibrium to Joe and Ginger's more star-crossed romance. A fun consideration of male-female relationships, GINGER IN THE MORNING does have its merits as a motion picture.

Acting: The quartet of main characters are all well-acted by the performers, with one supporting character also notable. As the titular Ginger, Sissy Spacek is in one of her best early roles. An attractive, unique actress with a sincerity and candor, making her young woman sympathetic, she gives depth and truth to her hitchhiking character. As Joe, the man who picks up Ginger, and whose life is changed in the process, Monte Markham does a fine job as a man seemingly out of his element, but who comes around in the end. An actor prolific on television, but also in film, his well-spoken ways bring his Joe to life for the viewer. Mark Miller, as Charlie, Joe's best friend, is fun as a divorced man, who, unlike Joe, is seeking variety in his life. With his gregarious manner, lack of inhibitions, but soulfulness, Mr Miller makes Charlie a three-dimensional, real person. Sugar, Charlie's glamourous, critical ex-wife, is given methodical treatment by Susan Oliver. What might have been a stereotypical divorcee with a chip on her shoulder in other hands, Miss Oliver lets the audience get to know Sugar as a real person, stripping away the superficial layers of bravado which shield her vulnerability. The last important acting role was by Slim Pickens as the Sheriff, who comes to the aid of Joe. While onscreen for a short period, Mr Pickens ensures that his policeman reacts suitably to the proceedings, with chuckles aplenty eventuating from his appearance.

Soundtrack: Don McGinnis' music in GINGER IN THE MORNING nicely enhances the happenings onscreen with his soothing instrumental score. The most noteworthy musical tune is performed by Sissy Spacek during both the opening, and closing credits. It adds a bittersweet tinge to this tale of unexpected love, and second chances in life.

Mise-en-scene: GINGER IN THE MORNING has a sound grasp of mise-en-scene, thus delivering a convincing experience for spectators. The movie has quite a few outdoor location sequences, such as the roadside where Joe and Ginger first meet, and the town where Charlie and Joe frolic in the snow, which add a sense of genuineness to the production. Indoor sets such as Joe's two-level home, with its staircase, the restaurant where a major plot point plays out, are all persuasive, and true to life. Costuming is another strong point, with James Galanos' attire for Susan Oliver befitting her flamboyant, theatrical demeanoor. Harald Johnson's costuming contributions for the remaining characters are also excellent, with Sissy Spacek's wardrobe in keeping with her free-spirited protagonist Ginger.

Notable Acting Performances: Sissy Spacek, Monte Markham, Mark Miller, Susan Oliver, Slim Pickens.

Suitability for young viewers: Parental discretion advised. Adult themes.

Overall Grade: C

Link: IMDB Page