The Grasshopper

Plot synopsis:
Christine Adams (Jacqueline Bisset), a cheerful 19-year-old from British Columbia, Canada, travels to Los Angeles to be with her fiance, who works there in a bank. When the relationship doesn't work out, she moves to Las Vegas.
She finds work as a showgirl and meets Tommy Marcott (Jim Brown), an African-American former pro football player who holds an executive position at the casino, though in truth he is only used as a "celebrity greeter." They fall in love and get married, but when Tommy gives a vicious beating on a golf course to a wealthy casino patron who had beaten and raped Christine, he is fired.
They flee Vegas, discussing the possibility that the casino patron will seek revenge, and return to Los Angeles hoping for a normal life; but Tommy is shot by an unknown assailant on a basketball court, likely the anticipated act of revenge. Christine returns to Las Vegas to work as a V.I.P. "party girl' until she is persuaded by wealthy client Morgan to return to Los Angeles to be kept as his mistress.
But Morgan is too busy to keep Christine interested in her new life, so she renews a relationship with rocker Jay Rigney, who soon has her turning tricks. The instance we witness involves a tubby older man and a cheap-looking motel room.
When Jay runs out on her, Christine drives to a rural airstrip where she promises airfield bum Elroy "some fun" with her to take her up in a plane. Elroy selects a skywriting plane, and offers to write her name in the sky. Christine breaks out a marijuana joint, which they share as Elroy writes "FUCK IT" across the sky of L.A.

Tags: violence, melodrama

Review:
Jackie Bisset shines in an all-stops-out performance.
This is undoubtedly the best performance of Jacqueline Bisset's career.
Unfortunately, it's in an over-the-top trash-fest that is so audaciously (and probably tongue-in-cheek) cheesy that it's pretty damn good.
I saw this thing about a hundred times working as a movie usher in the early 70s, and practically any other film would have become dull after that many viewings -- not "The Grasshopper"!The plot is completely implausible, but in a nutshell it has Jackie starting out as a fresh-faced farmgirl and, after being used and betrayed by gigolo boyfriends, horny old businessmen and the Mob, ending up an embittered prostitute.
And all within the space of one year!
The final skywriting scene would have become a classic had an audience of any size actually seen this film.
Definitely worth a look!.
Resembles an American remake of Darling.
Darling with Julie Christie came out in 1965 and this looks like an unofficial remake that takes place in the U.S instead of Britain.
However, no one would think it would fall into the hands of TV hacks like Garry Marshall and Jerry (The Dick Van Dyke Show) Paris.
It's a combination Showgirls and Valley of the Dolls.
It's funny bad, though and worth hunting down.
It's also worth the price to pay to see Jackie Bissett in bed with none other than Corbett Monica!
True, it does show the gay lifestyle and interracial marriage in a blase fashion which is good.
There's this funny scene where Jackie's having a shouting match with her boyfriend Jay. It's about money and he says, "We can even afford the mailblox." That's not a typo.
He says mailblox.
Also funny are the intrusive vocal songs that dominate a lot of the scenes.
They pretty much stop the show and were probably considered groovy back in 1970.
Enjoy!.
Positive Portrayals of Gay Characters and Interracial Marriage in 1970.
This film may have been dismissed as a showcase for Jacqueline Bisset's beauty when it was initially released, but viewing it thirty-two years later reveals not only that directors should have recognized Bisset's brilliant performance and given her the type of film career which Julia Roberts has had, but also it dared to present the issues of interracial marriage and homosexuality as simple facts of life without any intentional shock value.In a time when films had presented gay and lesbian characters as victims and victimizers, Christine's gay friend Buck (Roger Garrett) is her joyful sidekick who is accepted by his coworkers, at least until a friend's little boy reveals what his mother says when Buck is not around, to which Buck replies with a rebuttal which is sensitive to the child but conveys his true feelings to the mother.Speaking of Julia Roberts, The Grasshopper was written by Garry Marshall, who went on to direct Roberts in Pretty Woman.
While Pretty Woman was justly criticized for its message to girls that if they run away to Hollywood and become a hooker they will find the man of their dreams, The Grasshopper is a realistic portrayal of how women who gamble on financial security provided by men can ultimately suffer severe consequences..
Depressing.
I saw the Grasshopper as an 11 year old back in 1969.
All I really remembered was the skywriting scene at the end.
Now, some 30 years later, I just bought the DVD.
Boy, what a depressing movie.
Of course the acting was impressive, and it was fun to see Vegas of the 1960s.
However, seeing how a young soul is corrupted by life is not a pleasant thing to watch.
Somewhat shocking for its time, the Grasshopper seems to have predicted the future for the youth of America....sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
When there's no love, no dreams, or hopes, just a good time, the end results are self-destruction and depression.
A bleak film with a symbolic ending, the Grasshopper is worth a look, but it leaves the viewer less then entertained..
Glorious results of a misspent youth.
"The Grasshopper" is a little-known melodrama in the spirit of "Valley of the Dolls." The similarities between the two films are many.
'Valley' was made in 1968, 'The Grasshooper' in 1970, and both films tell the story of young and vibrant women who find themselves lost in the overwhelming world of show business.
However of the two films, this 1970 film starring Jaqueline Bisset is more focused, and more in-depth, as it is telling the tale of one woman, while "Valley of the Dolls," followed at least three different women on their road to oblivion.
Christine leaves home at the age of 19 to find excitement, and a better life.
She seems to be driven by the terrifying thought that she might end up as an ordinary woman, with a boring life.
Chris, wonderfully played by Bisset, wants it all, and she wants it now, before it is too late.
She realizes that she has no real talent, and not much to offer besides her beauty, so she plays that card, with expected results.
Jumping from man to man, in search of something that even she doesn't quite know what, always believing that she is the smart one, and the one in control.
But when she slowly realizes that it is she that is being used, she finds herself a hard and jaded young woman indeed, turning to drugs, and a succession of 'wrong guys'.
Because of the films age, and flashy style, "The Grasshopper" holds much camp appeal.
But when you bother to look beyond the kitch, you might find a story filled with some pretty important life lessons, for Christine made all the choices that we don't want to make.
And most everyone has known a person like this girl, living for the moment, with no thought of next week, until the time comes when it is too late to realize any dreams of success or happiness.
This is a glitzy, excessive film, bursting with eye popping late 60's fashion and music.
Jaqueline Bisset sports a different hairstyle every 10 minutes, and she is at her most beautiful here.
And oddly, this is the film that showcases her acting ability, far more than any of her well known, later films.
Featuring a finale that is both outrageous, and surprisingly downbeat at the same time, this one is quite entertaining, and worth a look, if you can track it down..
Promising cast, but the story is old news.
Well-scrubbed Canadian girl leaves home for Los Angeles, but gets sidetracked and ends up working as a topless dancer in Las Vegas.
Both a cynical and sentimental take on the old she-went-down-the-wrong-path scenario.
If it were more of a character study instead of a bad example picture it may have been more interesting and memorable.
Still, there are insightful scenes and Jacqueline Bisset does a fine job in the difficult lead (she's playing a woman who is never allowed to be happy, so it's to Bisset's credit that we never tire of her).
Directed by future sitcom maven Jerry Paris, who actually does wonders with the spotty screenplay (by comedy writers Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall, from the book "The Passing of Evil" by Mark McShane).
Penny Marshall has a tiny role as a groupie, and Jim Brown is terrific in an unusual love-interest role.
The ending says it all.
***SPOILERS*** The movie "The Grasshopper" is just like it's title says with it's star the 25 year-old drop dead gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset, Christine Adams,on grass as well as in bed with a whole batch of men hopping from one to another as she self-destructs in the wild life-style of swinging Las Vegas and L.A. Leaving her hometown Kingman in Canada Christine travels to L.A to live with her banker boyfriend Eddie, Tim O'Kelly.
When her car breaks down she get a lift from comic Danny Raymond, Corbett Monica, who instead takes Christine to Las Vegas where he's doing a gig at one of the hotels.This single event in her life sets the stage to what happens to Christine during the entire movie with her getting hooked on the wild life-style of swinging Vegas.
Christine leave her boyfriend Eddie and a job at the bank that she had with him in L.A and goes back to Vegas to become a showgirl.
Later on she gets involved with this band, the Ice Pack, and one of it's members Jay, Christopher Stone, who turned innocent and pretty Christine on to drugs.
Later Christine meets and falls in love with former football super star Tommy Marcott, Jim Brown, who works as a greeter at one of the Vega hotels and the two get married.
Things turn sour for the happily married couple when a construction tycoon with mob connections Roosevelt Dekker, Ramon Bieri, makes a move of Christine.
Bieri getting Christine in his hotel room to discuss her husband Tommy's career ,yeah right, brutally beats her up when she refuses to go to bed with him; what on earth did Christine expect by being alone with this creep.
This gets Tommy real mad and he later rearranges Dekker's face when he chases him down and traps him in a sand trap at a local golf course.Tommy & Christine end up leaving Vegas in fear of mob retaliation and go to L.A where Tommy is offered a high paying job from former football player and friend Marion "Movin Marion" Walters.
Having a talk with "Movin Marion" about his new job and playing a game of basketball with him at a local park Tommy is later gunned down by mobster and henchmen Aaron, William H.
Bassett, of the Dekker mob; did "Movin Marion" set Tommy up?
Christine just falls apart after Tommy's murder and gets heavily involved on to drugs with Jay being her supplier as well as her live-in boyfriend.
Christine's luck turns around when, as a call girl, she meets the very wealthy Richard Morgan, Joseph Cotton, who's crazy about her and wants to marry her.
Even though Richard offered Christine everything that she longs for, financial security, she turns him down for the creepy violent and drugged out Jay, love is strange isn't it?
Jay getting her to sell her body as a streetwalker poor Christine is just about burnt out and useless to that sleazily lowlife when he leaves her and takes whatever money that she had left.
Broke alone and dejected Christine come up with an idea that's pure genius who with the help of Elroy, Bill Callaway, a mechanic as well as pilot at the airport where Richard keeps his plane who, like everyone else in the movie, fell for the beautiful Christine.
The two skyjack a plane for a ride and sky afternoon riding adventure.
Now airborne Elroy with Christine spells out or sky-writes over the friendly and innocent skies of L.A for the whole city to see just what Christine thinks of life as well as those of us watching in the theater or on TV think of the movie "The Grasshopper"..
Really Good Period Movie.
Quite interesting 1970 movie.
Jacqueline Bisset is very, very good, the movie itself is very dated, but also fairly risque for the time.
It also presented an interracial marriage, drugs and prostitution, but in a "70s" way.
The acting is pretty bad, except for Ms. Bisset and the music, especially the lyrics, is so bad, it is campy good..
Sleazy, amateurish junk.
This badly-done movie comes across as a 1970s porn film--without porn!
It has the same 1-dimensional, slimy characters that populated porn films of that era, and it is very hard to believe that this was actually a Hollywood production.
The story is insulting to adults--everything is predictable and trite.
Jacqueline Bisset is gorgeous, but she does not get to show the front of her body off, despite a bunch of teasing scenes that suggest she might..
Sorry Ali, Jackie was there!.
This forgotten (considered exploitation film) almost, partly because Jim Brown (the great football player had a lead) and because Bissett since the mid-60's was eye-candy (not because of her roles in dopey, sexy spoofs), but because she was too pretty and had an English accent, she had a chance of respect like Potsy on HAPPY DAYS.
This is a story (which SHOWGIRLS; already "cult classic") which achieved this kind of status for "seemingly" glorifying a beautiful young woman taking advantage of the System.
Nobody ever saw this film (even the Frat boys with the J.
Bissett poster from The Deep LATER).
She was always looked in a very generic way (that's why she teamed with Candice Bergen in that Cukor film) that NO ONE every respected.
This is a gritty early 70's film about (I think she's from Canada) just trying to get happy (IN A VERY STRANGE TIME PERIOD), while adjusting to circumstance, without becoming a whore, or a scumbag, or a yuppie, or a cheat.
It's a real story!
Even if you don't think Ms. Bissett is attractive (I pity you) She could act and this wasn't the only one, but....it was early, although she'd worked in films with Polanski and Audrey Hepburn and used to have a cool boyfriend back then (Michael Sarrazin; he probably cheated on her..who knows?), she made an effort in 1970 and watch her now in Sleepy Time Gal (couple of years ago) and you'll see she was never a "Bimbo" and is very interesting.
Best performance = Jacqueline Bissett.
Joseph Cotten is also very involved and performs.
Try to find this flick!