There must've been a lot of need for drive-in type family fare in 1978. That's the only explanation I can come up with for the production of the 1978 comedy "Harper Valley PTA". First off, the film was based on a clever novelty song from a full decade earlier that won the Country Music Association Award for Single Record of the Year, and was also such a huge crossover hit that it spent a week at #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart in late 1968 as well. And three years after the film's release, there was even a short-lived (two seasons) television spinoff that appeared on NBC, all of which either proves the power of a well-crafted piece of music that stands the test of time, or that the tastes of the American public have been somewhat questionable for quite some time now.
There's really no need to discuss anything as technical as directorial style, character development, or other such terms when discussing "Harper Valley PTA". The direction (by Richard Bennett) is on par with most of the television sitcoms of the era, but not nearly as stylish as milestone 70's sitcoms like "M*A*S*H", "Taxi", or "All in the Family". The set-ups are in place, the jokes are predictable, the characters are cardboard with mostly a single defining trait to differentiate them from the others in the film. If the film had been made with a giggling laugh track, it wouldn't seem as out of place as it does on the annoyingly bad NBC sitcom "Whitney".
Briefly, the plot revolves (as does the song) around widow Stella Johnson, who enjoys having her friends over, drinking a few beers, and wearing the miniskirts that show off middle-aged Barbara Eden's still impressive figure. Stella's daughter Dee faces expulsion from school by the hypocritical PTA members, who are memorably "socked" by Stella during an open meeting (conveniently held that same day). While the song ends with the group receiving their comeuppance from the feisty Stella, the film takes off into various scenes of revenge against the various PTA snobs, engineered by Stella and nutty sidekick Alice (a delightful performance by Nanette Fabray, and the brightest one in the film). The punishments fit the crimes in each case; i.e. the lecherous realtor is beaten up by a woman he tries to seduce, and the town drunk sees real-life pink elephants marching through his house. Some misplaced subplots show up and are dealt with rather swiftly: Dee's crush on schoolmate Carlyle, and Stella's romance with rebel PTA board member Will Newton (Ronny Cox, realizing his career has nosedived from "Deliverance" to this) seem just scenes to add length to the film until we get to the next unbelievable act of vengeance committed by Mrs. Johnson.
It may not sound like I think very highly of "Harper Valley PTA, but actually, it is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. It reminds me of childhood, when I'm sure I must've seen it at the old Duncan Theater, or perhaps even the Sunset Drive-In. And like old sitcom reruns, it is familiar. It's humor never gets mean-spirited, and for the most part, the cast plays along with the joke. The best thing about the whole project might be that Jeannie C. Riley's original Grammy winning title song plays in it's entirety over both the opening and end credits, and that during the film, instrumental versions of the song are played during various scenes. For example, there is a 'sad' version, a 'romantic' version, and even a carnival version played on the merry-go-round at a fairground scene. And despite all the Collector's Editions, and Criterion Discs in my personal library, "Harper Valley PTA" remains one of the most prized DVDs in my collection. Go ahead and call me crazy. It's been said by more qualified people than you!
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