I’m just having a hard time buying the idea that Kristine DeBell acted in an honest-to-God hardcore porno, and then had the relatively successful mainstream career that she’s had.
I mean even now in a more tolerant age, real porn stars find mainstream roles few and far between, and I can’t imagine it was easier back then.
So I’m thinking that the movie was literally “X” rated by the MPAA, and didn’t take much editing to make it “R”. An “X” back then didn’t mean porno; it was that era’s equivalent of NC-17.
The thing is, is that while it was filmed as hardcore, it apparently wasn’t very widely released as hardcore. Really the hardcore bits are relatively brief and easily edited out - it’s very much in Flesh Gordon territory ( by the same guy ). There is a lot of plot ( for a porno, which is to say hardly any objectively ) getting in the way of the sex. I suspect the producers decided at the end of the day that they could make more bucks with a hard R/soft X sex comedy/parody than they could with a hardcore film that isn’t very hardcore in terms of quantity of hardcore sex.
It wasn’t until years later that the hard X version became more widely disseminated and by then Kristine DeBell’s ~8 year Holywood career seems to have been over. Hopefully she didn’t succumb to drugs or something, but she does appear to have dropped off the map after the mid-1980’s. I remember seeing her in an episode of Night Court and going “hey, it’s that Meatballs actress” so apparently she made an impression on me at that tender age. But if wiki is accurate that was apparently her last credited gig.
What surprised me when I watched it as an adult is that there are big chunks that aren’t really comedic (trying to be heartwarming or whatever); I had assumed it was going to be wall-to-wall jokes.
Inspired by this thread, I once again watched Meatballs this evening.
It holds up pretty well. Sure, the clothes are a little dated, and the kids don’t have cellphones and aren’t texting; but the comedic antics of a bunch of hormone-crazed adolescents and young adults are still funny. “It just doesn’t matter,” indeed!
One thing really dated the film though–the two 15-year-old girls conversing in the parking lot before departing for camp (paraphrased):
A: Did you bring the smokes?
B: No, my parents found the carton in my luggage.
A: Crap! Well, let’s go get some more.
Fifteen-year-olds buying a carton of cigarettes, having them confiscated, and buying more! I remembered my own high school days, when the school administration put ashtrays outside, so students wouldn’t litter the flowerbeds and walkways with cigarette butts. Times have changed indeed!
The company I worked for at the time leased a couple of photocopiers to the production company. One broke down and I had to service it on-site at the “Camp Lone Pine” location near Haliburton, Ontario.
It was like 90 minute drive each way so I took the whole day to do it. I hung out for a few hours and watched some scenes being shot. Chatted with Ivan Reitman for a while.
That was a long time ago. I’ve never seen the movie.:smack:
I still laugh out loud when Murray says “Hey you! On the water skis!” And the person skiing goes flying.
Larry and Spaz are playing tennis with two female CIT’s, and they are both terrible. Larry can’t serve, and Spaz says something negative to him, so Larry says “Well, then YOU serve, meatball!” That’s the only time the word appears in the movie.
I love this movie as well. I remember hating Chris Makepeace’s hair. It was always a big massive lump… He really needed a haircut in those two films. He also appeared in The Falcon and The Snowman as Penn’s younger brother, and his hair was much tamer in that movie. I wonder why someone never got him to cut his hair in Meatballs? It always looked so ratty.
I always liked him as an actor, too. It is a surprise to me that his career didn’t take off like I thought it would.
As to the porn connection, I could have sworn that Kristine DeBell arreared on the cover of a Playboy magazine that I had as part of my small porn collection in the day. I remember it well because whoever it is appears on the cover with one breast showing, which wasn’t exactly common back then. Also, the centerfold was a girl from Hawaii (I believe) which started my lust for Asian Pacific Islander women! (I don’t remember her name, but I can still see her pose. Standing up, looking sultry into the camera, with two of the most perfect pre-silicone breasts ever photographed. I wonder if i can find that centerfold now on-line? Anyone know if there is a place where playboy covers and centerfolds are on-line? I have a trip down memory lane i’d like to take!
She wasn’t the girl i loved, however. I loved the blonde that was sunbathing in Spaz’ canoe when he dropped the paddle. That girl was amazing.
As for Murray, I think this is one of his better films of that era. There are a couple of scenes where he overacts, and it takes me out of the movie for a short period, but for the most part, he is great in it. I think it was a low-budget summer film, and the director gave Murray a chance to improv on the set. When he does, the camera usually zooms in to do a close up, and I really dislike those parts of the movie. The one i do enjoy is his Camp Mohawk interview, and “Sexual Awareness week”
Two improved scenes: He tells a story to Rudy at the bus station when he puts a toothpick between his teeth and talks about using a corkscrew to take out someone’s voice box that is a bit weak. He also has his moment in the “It just doesn’t matter” speech, when he goes over the top in that scene.
For those who don’t remember the real counsellors, remember the beginning of the movie when they are giving out the tent assignments? Spaz gets put in initially with that strange jock guy (and Rudy), and he talks about how he wants to beat another cabin in their first soccer game of the summer. His name was Phillip. He was one of the real counsellors that were training the CIT’s. The movie isn’t about them, however, so you don’t see them much at all.
There is another one shown in Crockett’s first cabin… The 7 year olds. The older guy is teaching the kids how to fold a shirt and he says “One fold sleevie! Two fold sleevie!” (I remember this because I still use this when I fold shirts in front of my daughter).
Tripper and Roxanne (and Morty) are the only people we see who are in charge over the CIT’s, but it’s the real ones (like soccer head Phillip) that are actually in charge of the kids.
I am off to find my Playboy cover. If anyone already has found it, feel free to post a link. But I’ll do the search while my wife watches the Oscars.
Came in to give a link, but Elendil’s Heir apparently beat me to it.
She was on the cover of the April 1976 issue of Playboy (man, am I old!)
The centerfold is named Denise Michele, and she is just as beautiful as i remember.
I found her with a google image search, and on of the sites she came up on is called boobpedia.com.
Her body type is listed as: Average.
Really? Average? I am notoriously picky, and she is anything but average.
I won’t post a link, since I figure you can all find this picture easily enough with the website and the name i gave.
I am impressed my brain remembered as much as it did. Meatballs brought up Kristine DeBell which reminded me of that playboy issue. I thought it was 1976, but wasn’t positive.
And you can get a copy of that playboy for about $5 on ebay!
As I recall that cover stirred a tiny bit of controversy when some anti-Playboy crusader claimed that they photo manipulated the image to add a little girl’s face on top of a woman’s body. To draw in the closet pedophiles one presumes.
But, nope. It was just baby-faced Kristine DeBell.
On searching it seems she is alive and well and doing the occasional interview. Good to see.
I still love this movie. I’ve shown it to my teenage son and he digs it. As someone upthread said, it’s got a lot more heart than the usual teen sex comedy, which usually has no teens, no sex and no comedy.
For all the hoo-hah about Kristine DeBell, why no love for Sarah Torgov, who played Candice? I thought she was just as pretty, and I enjoy the love story with her and Crockett. Plus, she and AL make a great double act: that bit at the basketball game were they go “Yeah, that’s it!” “Oh, suuuuree” and then laugh. Gets me every time.
“Hardware…”
“Yeah, Crockett?”
“You’re a dick.”
“Roxanne, I have what doctors call very ACTIVE glands…”
“Is that a bra you’re wearing or are you expecting an assassination attempt?”
“Honor Guard! Prepare to raise the casket!”
Anytime somebody arrives late I say to them: “Nice team spirit, Morty.”
) getting in the way of the sex. I suspect the producers decided at the end of the day that they could make more bucks with a hard R/soft X sex comedy/parody than they could with a hardcore film that isn’t very hardcore in terms of quantity of hardcore sex.