The Swinger marked Ann-Margret's third film with director George Sidney. He had become so enamored of her talent in their first film together, Bye Bye Birdie (1963), that he went back in after production on that feature to design and shoot a new opening and closing as a musical framing device for the movie that showcased the actress.

Janet Leigh, who had a supporting role in Bye Bye Birdie and had once previously enjoyed a close working relationship with Sidney, felt totally ignored by him during production on Birdie due to his infatuation with Ann-Margret. Instead of it being a collaborative experience, it became "The Ann-Margret Show."

Sidney's infatuation with Ann-Margret continued with the 1964 musical romance, Viva Las Vegas, in which the Swedish sex kitten was cast opposite rock 'n roll legend, Elvis Presley. Some publicists began calling Ann-Margret "the female Elvis" based on her electrifying presence in that film which may have been helped by her behind-the-scenes romance with the King. The result was probably the best of the later day Elvis pictures and provided a dynamic showcase for Ann-Margret.

The Swinger, Ann-Margret's final film with Sidney, was obviously designed as a star vehicle for the actress with her appearing in almost every scene. The pseudo-naughty premise was simply an excuse to showcase Ann-Margret as some hipster diva in a variety of outlandish costumes, ever-changing makeup and hair styles as well as some visually innovative musical/dance numbers. In the course of the film, Sidney also created two photo montages which capture a range of the actress's emotional moods from mischievous to saucy to provocative to silly.

The Swinger and the Matt Helm spy spoof Murderers' Row, starring Dean Martin, were both released in December of 1966 which marked the peak year of Ann-Margret's popularity. Her brief sojourn to Italy where she made three features inadvertently stalled her movie career in America and subsequent vehicles such as R.P.M. and C.C. and Company (both 1970) were not commercial successes. It wasn't until she appeared in Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge in 1971 that she began to be treated seriously as an actress by film critics though, with the exception of Tommy (1975), she was no longer a guaranteed box office draw.

In March of 1966, Ann-Margret began a USO tour of Viet Nam, performing for U.S. troops stationed at bases around Da Nang, Phu Bai, Chu Lai and Saigon. "One night," she recalled, "our helicopter was shot at going into Phu Bai. I remember the soldiers bunching against me like a human shield. This was exactly Roger's concern [Actor and producer Roger Smith was her husband]. But I didn't feel concerned about my safety. I was on a mission. I performed in black tights, a turtleneck sweater from The Swinger, and high-heeled leather boots. Not the best outfit to wear in the 100-degree-plus jungle heat, but I wanted to look glamorous for the soldiers. The shows left me a sight - drenched in perspiration and my makeup dripping - but afterward the guys still crowded around, talking or asking me to sign a photograph."

In some ways, The Swinger is a throwback to such screwball comedies as Theodora Goes Wild [1936] but updated to reflect sixties pop culture. In the later film, Irene Dunne played a demure, smalltown writer who scores a success with a scandalous bestseller and pretends to have modeled her naughty heroine on herself. The Swinger also pays homage to Pygmalion when Girl Allure editor Ric Colby (Tony Franciosa) tries to transform Kelly's bad girl image to one of respectability.

During a montage of strip clubs, adult book stores and X-rated cinemas in The Swinger, you can spot a brief glimpse of the film poster for The Erotic Touch of Hot Skin, a soft-core French exploitation film which was originally titled La Baie du desir and was distributed in the U.S. by Audubon Films, the same company which released such well-known Radley Metzger films as Carmen, Baby (1967) and Therese and Isabelle (1968).

Robert Coote, who plays Sir Hubert in The Swinger, had worked with George Sidney many times (The Three Musketeers [1948], The Red Danube [1949], Scaramouche [1952]) during the director's heyday at MGM. Although you wouldn't know it from his broad, smarmy performance as Sir Hubert, Coote had been a celebrated stage actor of some renown and was the son of Bert Coote, author of the popular children's play, The Windmill Man.

Cinematographer Joseph Biroc had worked with George Sidney on all three of his Ann-Margret features as well as another film starring the actress, Kitten with a Whip [1964], which was directed by Douglas Heyes. A two-time Oscar® nominee (he won for his work on The Towering Inferno, 1974), Biroc also worked often with directors Robert Aldrich and Sam Fuller during his career.

Yvonne Romain, cast in the thankless role of Tony Franciosa's high brow fiancée in The Swinger, is a familiar face to Hammer Film fans, having appeared in The Curse of the Werewolf [1961], Night Creatures [1962, aka Captain Clegg], The Brigand of Kandahar [1965] and other British thrillers such as Circus of Horrors [1960].

In the cameo role of strip club owner Blossom LaTour in The Swinger, you'll notice Barbara Nichols, who specialized in blonde bimbo and golddigger types. A former burlesque dancer and model from Queens, New York, she is probably best known for her roles in Pal Joey, Sweet Smell of Success and The Pajama Game [all 1957].

Paramount Pictures obviously had little faith in The Swinger's box office potential since they released it in some markets as a double feature with Curse of the Voodoo, a low-budget British horror film.

by Jeff Stafford

SOURCES:
Ann-Margret: My Story by Ann-Margret with Todd Gold, G.P. Putnam's Sons
George Sidney: A Bio-Bibliography by Eric Monder, Greenwood Press
Filmfacts
IMDB