Ginger in the Morning (1974) User Reviews

Sissy Spacek makes one of her earliest fim appearances in Ginger in the Morning

[tavm · 5/10 · 20 April 2020]

This is yet another obscure movie that I stumbled into on Prime Video. It's one of Sissy Spacek's earliest roles (I'm guessing she made this before her breakthrough role in Badlands) playing an aspiring poet and singer who hitchhikes through the southwest. She's picked up by a divorced businessman and after they spend the night at his place, his old army pal unexpectedly shows up. There's more but I'll just say that while the tone is uneven (while I recognized what scenes and lines were supposed to get laughs, I didn't find myself laughing), it's still pretty interesting as a time capsule of the early '70s and Ms. Spacek does write and sing some pretty good songs for the soundtrack. So on that note, give Ginger in the Morning a look.

Interesting Early 1970s piece

[sburton60 · 5/10 · 20 July 2005]

This early work starring Sissy Spacek is not a bad period piece. Spacek was 25 when she starred in this movie as a hitchhiker who falls for a middle aged businessman who picks her up. Even at this early age, you can tell that Spacek knows her craft and gives a deeper performance than her older costars. While there are some campy moments and forced dialog, I found that the low-budget film's unvarnished feel brought back a real sense of life in the early 1970s. There is a scene where the two male costars get drunk, and it really is a realistic portrayal of having fun while you are drunk! There are some funny moments, and it's far from a bomb. I purchased the DVD for $1 at my local dollar store, and felt it was worth at least that!

A chance to catch a very early Sissy Spacek (and hear a few of her original songs)

[rpmmurphy · 4/10 · 29 April 2009]

This was filmed in 1972 when Sissy Spacek was 22, most probably before she filmed BADLANDS (released 10/73). It Includes a happy Mary-Tyler-Moore-like theme song by Sissy S. as well as a clever live song w/ guitar about marichino cherries sung while riding in a car after hitching a ride (and one other original song by Sissy S). Sissy shows some musical talent that would be on display later in COAL MINER'S D.

Sissy is uber-charming and charismatic and beautiful and lovely; but at this early stage she seems influenced (whether she knows it or not) by Jan Brady of The Brady Bunch, She seems like a teenager having a blast being among adults in a grown up movie (not to be cruel). That being said; this grown up movie is of the TV variety (feel, pacing, writing, writers, director, etc.); utilizing the freedom away from TV for some pretty ugly, dated male/ battle-of-sexes dialogue.

The color by CFI is not bad, and it is nice that the film is set/was shot in New Mexico providing an interesting landscape backdrop. It really is only worth taking a look at if you like Sissy Spacek, want to hear some original songs by her at 22, and/or feel like going back to the early 70's for a little visit.

ANOTHER MIDDLE-AGED MAN FALLS IN LOVE WITH A YOUNG WOMAN.

[rsoonsa · 5/10 · 18 March 2004]

Joe Maroney (Monte Markham), divorced for three months, is driving in New Mexico from Albuquerque to his home in Santa Fe when he picks up a hitchhiking free spirit, Ginger Brown, played by Sissy Spacek, and the two subsequently become romantically absorbed with each other as New Year's Eve nears, whereupon Joe's former Army comrade Charley (Mark Miller) and, coincidentally, Charley's former wife Sugar (Susan Oliver) join them with many complications as the product. Hoydenish Spacek is appealing and brings life to scriptor/producer Miller's lines, but bland Markham's metabolic rate seems to be constant throughout and Oliver, a talented actress, is given loathsome dialogue and exaggerates it, without doubt to her satisfaction, while the direction is listless and the screenplay lacks imagination, with only Spacek's reactions, although not always precisely matching her circumstances, shining through this frippery.

A May/December romance where Spring starts late and Winter comes early.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 30 November 2012]

A lonely businessman (Monte Markham) is on the road during the holidays, and picks up a young woman (Sissy Spacek) hitchhiking across the country. Thinking he's getting either an easy pick-up or at least a date for New Year's, Markham takes her home, only to be interrupted by his overly vivacious pal (Mark Miller) who ruins his plans by making it clear he's not going anywhere. Miller's ex-wife (Susan Oliver) calls Markham to wish him happy holidays, and in hopes of getting rid of him, Markham invites her over. Eventually, a secret which Spacek (as the title character) revealed to Miller is exposed which changes Markham's intentions towards her.

While the cast all deliver believable performances, the true problem is that Markham and Spacek share absolutely no chemistry. Spacek seems too free a spirit to fall in love with a rather dour "suit" like Markham, while Miller's character is so obnoxious that at times, he is difficult to take.

Oliver is glamorous and is probably the most identifiable character in the film. While this film seems much more like a T.V. movie than a big screen feature, it does appear to have been released in movie theatres, although in what capacity is questionable. Still, it is nice to see Spacek long before she became a major star, and her performance indicates that a great actress is emerging.

"If I'm gonna trip out, it's gonna be a love trip!"

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 5 February 2017]

Cutesy drama, almost unendurably dated--and with clichéd characters and dialogue to boot--features a young Sissy Spacek as a health-conscious, free-spirited woman, a hippie folk singer hitchhiking with her guitar across the country; she gets a ride from Monte Markham, a just-divorced businessman who's been advised to find himself a new girl to forget the old one. There are some surprisingly fine shots by cinematographer William K. Jurgensen of Spacek thumbing it on the road, but her relationship with Markham is pure cookie-cutter. Second-feature caught Spacek just before her career was about to take off, though this is one title she'd probably like to erase from her resume. Her acting is likable enough, but her character Ginger is nothing more than a lighter version of the hitchhiker Laurie Heineman played in "Save the Tiger"--in other words, a refugee from a TV sitcom or movie-of-the-week. *1/2 from ****

I was in my 20s during the 1970s ... this film is pretty accurate.

[robertmurray-70637 · 7/10 · 21 February 2023]

While many scenes in this movie seem sexist today, the dialogue is actually how most people talked (and thought) in the early 1970s, and this includes the women characters. It was a time of dramatic social change and people, young and old, said some pretty dumb things, every day. When I saw this movie available on streaming video, I thought it would be one of those trashy low budget films that was so bad it would be funny, but I actually found it intelligent and entertaining. The relationship of the two male friends is instantly recognizable to people who have served in the military (as I did), and the romantic relationship between one of the men, and the Sissy Spacek character who is half his age, exactly captures the tension between the two clashing cultures - the "counter culture" of the 60s and 70s vs the more conservative culture of people who grew up in the 40s and 50s. Of course he says sexist things, and of course she speaks in slogans and says "far out!" all the time. Yeah, people actually talked like that back then. Worth watching if you want to know what that era was like on an interpersonal level. Also, you have GOT to see Slim Pickens play a county sheriff. A minor role but he steals every scene he is in. I love that guy.

the 70s...

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 2 May 2020]

Oh man, that early 70's generation gap.

Ginger (Sissy Spacek in her first starring role) is an attractive young hitchhiker who shacks up with a lonely, middle-aged ad guy (Monte Markham, We Are Still Here) who just got divorced.

Can he learn from her free spirit? Will she break him out of his shell? Will his friends act like jerks? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Mark Miller from Please Don't Eat the Daisies, David Doyle (Bosley from Charlie's Angels) and Fred Ward - yes, Remo Williams - are all in this.

This is an early version of the manic pixie dream girl trope. Watch it and think about 1974, a time when AIDS was a myth and the only pandemic we were worried about were killer bees.

One for Sissy Spacek Fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 26 March 2016]

The only movie directed by TV director, Gordon Wiles, features the lovely Sissy Spacek, who – although she plays Ginger, the film's main character – is billed fourth, would you believe, even though, as I say, she plays the title role – and plays it with charm, charisma and believability too – qualities that are not always present in the performances delivered by Monte Markham (who enjoys first billing), Susan Oliver (billed second, even though she has only a small role) and Mark Miller (a prolific but second-string TV actor who has made only seven or eight movies to date). The movie itself is actually not all that interesting. The plot is predictable and yet it tends to wander. In fact, Miller's character was obviously designed to help spin it out. Nevertheless, hearty Slim Pickens is on hand to liven up the last reel and it all comes to a predictable but happy conclusion. Available on an excellent Mill Creek DVD.

Not what I expected....

[cesarat37 · 4/10 · 8 September 2020]

I was hoping to watch a love story (as the tagline of the movie suggests), but....most of the screen time is spent in the silly interactions between the Markham character and his drunken friend. Although the latter is quite funny in the first scene where he appears, then his presence becomes tiresome and annoying, as well as the character of his wife. However, the movie is not too terrible thanks to Spacek's performance, and the ending scene was great and moving.

A Feel-Good Treat From The Early 70s

[trevoranndouglas · 10/10 · 4 December 2012]

I have always enjoyed this film since the first time I saw it on video in the early 1980s. I bought the DVD a while back and though it has a few scratches and film lines, it adds to the feel of nostalgia. Monte Markham as Joe Maroney and Mark Miller as Charlie McClain play well off each other. Susan Oliver as Sugar McClain, excellent as always, has one of the worst hair styles I have ever seen. Why they did not let her keep her natural blonde hair is beyond me. David Doyle has a fun chatty role at the airport and Slim Pickens is always a delight as 'Captain Deter' aka The Sheriff. Sissy Spacek as Ginger Brown is perfectly cast and gets to show a range of emotions as well as her singing talent. Shot in 1972, though usually listed as 1973 or 1974, it has an excellent soundtrack that will stick in your mind long after you have watched it. The locations are interesting and the story begins as a quiet romance until Mark Miller enters....The Fred Ward as Truck Driver is not the star of such films as Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff and Remo Williams, however, it is an African American actor who is driving the pickup at the film's opening who tells Ginger to be careful.