She-Man: A Story of Fixation (1967) User Reviews

Movies your mother never wanted you to see

[coffee-cat · 3/10 · 11 March 2010]

I won't disagree with those who say this an awful movie. But it is an interesting bit of movie memorabilia. This movie was most notable for two things: First, Clark's directorial review. Second: The fact that Jayne Mansfield was slated to star in this movie but her untimely death saved her that agony. I still have the original poster with her name on it.

The movie was not filmed exclusively in Miami, but parts of it were filmed in the Southeastern Pictures studio in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Producer and investor David Putnam was the famed owner of Binney-Smith Crayola Crayons and Putnam Publishing, as well as the step-son of Amelia Earhart.

I know all of this because my father was lighting director on all of Southeastern Pictures' films, as well as a sometimes stunt man. If this movie isn't your cup of tea, then you should definitely try out "Cotton Pickin' Chicken Pickers." The script isn't gold, but the cast is, featuring, among others, silent star Lila Lee, Slapsy Maxy Rosenbloom, and Slim Pickens. Oh, the movie is perfectly awful, but I'll watch it a dozen times just for the chance to see my father drive an air-boat across land or bend an amphi-car in half.

God bless!

Yikes!

[adriangr · 4/10 · 30 June 2019]

"She-man" tells an extremely odd tale of a man who is kidnapped by a shadowy organisation which turns out to be a kind of private prison where the inmates (both male and female) are forced to cross-dress and serve the haughty dominatrix in charge (who is clearly a man in drag), called Dominita. All the inmates are victims of blackmail, so none of them attempt to leave. The main character is forced to dress up as a maid in mini skirt, with thick make up, a tall wig and heels. He suffers various humiliations at the hand (and switch) of Dominita, while also striking up a romance with a lesbian inmate. The movie ends with a rebellion and liberation, leading to a very vague happy ending . The story and plot are so narrowly tailored for a very niche type of interest, that it's hard to imagine this got much of a release outside of speciality clubs. The acting is all dreadful, and there's no real redeeming features except for sheer oddity.

Sufficiently sordid, but doesn't really have much to recommend it.

[Hey_Sweden · 4/10 · 28 July 2021]

Leslie Marlowe plays Albert Rose, a carefree young man who enjoys dallying with the fairer sex. Then his life is changed in a weird way: a character named "Dominita" (Dorian Wayne) blackmails him over his actions during his wartime service, and makes Albert a live-in maid for a year. The real catch? Albert has to do it in drag: estrogen pills, lingerie, wig, you name it. And he has to be rechristened "Rose Albert". Albert tries to make his peace with this arrangement, while falling in love with Dominita's lesbian assistant Ruth (Wendy Roberts).

If it weren't for the fact that this obscure, gender-bending exploitation feature marked the directorial debut of Bob Clark (the same guy who went on to make "Black Christmas", "Murder by Decree", "Porky's", and "A Christmas Story"), it'd be even more obscure. Despite its attempts to shed light on "deviations" like transvestism, and hopefully make people understand others with alternative lifestyles, it's ultimately pretty dull. There's too much talk and too little action, although the film is certainly odd enough to prevent this viewer from completely dismissing it. The ultimate "twist" regarding Dominita is obvious from the get go, which makes the finale rather anticlimactic. This, despite the fact that Dominita's "employees" are about to stage an uprising after years of ill treatment (they're all being blackmailed for one thing or another).

What was certainly interesting to learn is that screen star Jayne Mansfield was slated to star in this, before her untimely death would save her from such an embarrassment.

Written by Clark and actor Jeff Gillen, who was one of Clarks' sometime collaborators during the 70s and 80s (for example, Gillen played the hilarious mall Santa in "A Christmas Story").

Amateurish through and through, but it has some value as a curio.

Four out of 10.

early low rent effort from Bob Clark

[thomandybish · 2/10 · 23 March 2008]

This early effort from Bob Clark trods the hoary old boards of the sexploitation flick by bookending the actual film with pseudo-authoritative commentary by an MD that purports to give information to dispel myths and educate the audience about the pressing issues portrayed in the film. Yeah right. People really need a 70 minute PSA about the dangers of malevolent transvestites who blackmail people into indentured servant-hood and forced cross-dressing. Something else this movie has in common with the sexploitation flicks of old is the sheer cheesiness of the sets: the same wood-paneled room is used again and again for an office, a bedroom, and a "gender reassignment" room, where the hapless victims are alternately shaved, plucked, made up, or bound with ace bandages, depending on which gender they are to become. Necessity is the mother of invention!

She-Man is a Freak-Man!

[Hollywoodcanteen1945 · 1/10 · 12 May 2005]

Bring a bottle of no-dose with you because this worthless, trashy, horrible, piece of junk, will have you snoring at the opening credits.

One of the worst Miami-filmed and produced films ever made. A hissy, gross-looking, cross-dressing weirdo forced a member of the U.S. Army to dress-up in women's underwear and act like a sissy in heat! The cast of this film looks liked it was dug up from a local "Drag-Queen" skid-row strip-club.

This film is so bad that they should pay people to sit through it! I thought I was going to pull-my-teeth-out (Brando's line!) with the lousy, stiff, wooden, acting of the actors. The transvestite was so over the top that you can't help but start laughing.

Aside from a few demented chuckles, there is nothing else to praise about this movie. Seriously, the cast is so unattractive in their roles that it makes you feel like you're viewing a carnival "Freak-Show". Once the film is over, you have to brush your teeth to get the "bad taste" out of your mouth.

She-Man is a Freak-Man! The worst movie ever-made....in Miami that is!

"Call Me Dominita"

[BaronBl00d · 2/10 · 19 September 2009]

Painful low budget fare about that age-old exploitation subject of cross-dressing and transvestism. A soldier is brought before a blackmailer and then told he will stay one whole year as Dominita's servant. He changes from Albert Rose to Rose Albert with the help of estrogen pills, lingerie, a blonde wig, and other paraphernalia. He still looks like a husky guy dressed as a woman. What happens next? What kind of intrigue does neophyte director Bob Clark - you know that guy that directed movies like Porkys, Black Christmas, and A Christmas Story - have in store for us? Damn little. The plot is threadbare. The acting is even less pronounced as the actors stumble through lines with little conviction at all. How about the wraparound frame of the the medical doctor telling us about the serious nature of the problem of transvestism and cross-dressing? It was so ludicrous that that part made me chuckle slightly. Little else did.

She-Man is a Weird Man!

[angelsunchained · 1/10 · 25 April 2005]

This movie is best described as weird, strange, bizarre, and freaky. Aside from Jeff Gillen(Famous among cult-movie buffs for his role as "Fats" in the 1967 Biker flick, Wild Rebels) this grade "Z", no budget film has a cast of unknowns. As a matter-of-fact I believe the two leading actors never acted again. It's clear that staring in this mess must of ended their acting careers on the spot! Directed by Bob Clark(he went on to direct Porky's I and II), the film is about a soldier who is black-mailed into wearing women's underwear and such! The acting is stiff, over-the-top, and wooden. The script is cheesy and the film's texture isn't much better. The film tries to be serious, but it's so bad it's funny. The whole thing however leaves a bad taste in your mouth. She-Man is not a He-Man. Skip this one. I'd rate it a minus 10. It's awful!

There are better ways to spend an hour

[BooBoo516 · 9 October 2017]

Let me first say I LOVE many of Bob Clark's films, and that is the main reason I checked this one out. I also love cheesy movies (ie Robot Monster, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Glen or Glenda etc). But this film that comes in at 68 minutes, was dreadful. There are several other films of this genre that are much more entertaining. Avoid this one. You've been warned.

Jaw-droppingly awful.

[MOscarbradley · 1/10 · 24 April 2019]

Jaw-droppingly awful; "She-Man: A Story of Fixation" is another Z-movie out to shock, in this case with a tale of transvestism and lesbians. It was directed by Bob Clark; yes, the same Bob Clark who made "Porky's" and at 66 minutes it certainly doesn't outstay its welcome. If you haven't heard of it, that's understandable as it's unlikely to have seen the light of day outside of those cinemas that were once popular in London's Soho and New York's 42nd Street. It may aim for seriousness but settles instead for sleaze and the kind of production values you might associate with a horror film of the trashiest kind as if 'she-men' were just one step away from vampires. A curio, then, but one that now seems positively prehistoric and definitely a must to avoid.

Funny Stuff

[jrs99 · 7/10 · 13 July 2007]

Come on now any movie released through "something Weird Video" Is bound to be,well Weird,And so this movie is..it's not just weird it's really really weird.This is what I've come to expect from SWV that's Why I watch these titles and love them so much.So I thought I'd write this comment to counter the negative remarks.Yes this movie is very low budget..with amateurish acting,directing and everything else.I think when you go into any SWV you have to do it with an open mind.Trust me there are a lot of these types of movies I can't stand,but if your a sicko like me and you might be interested in a movie about cross dressing,blackmail,lesbians,and dominatrix's check this one out......It's a hoot!

Dismally Bad

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 24 February 2023]

Plot: A soldier is forced to take estrogen and wear lingerie when he's blackmailed by a violent transvestite.

That's it folks. The plot can be written on a napkin. Only in this case the napkin should have been burned.

The movie is really horrible. It's positioned as a learning movie with an old guy in a suit introducing the movie and providing the exiting speech calling for tolerance. Only isn't blackmailing someone into doing something he doesnt want to do a crime?

Virtually nothing happens for a full half of the movie. Th acting is horendous.

It's so slow I was spacing out left and right. Just bad. Bob Clark writes and directs this garbage. For those in the know, he made Porky's, A Christmas Story and some other well known low budget flicks.

Thankfully he got some talent after this fiasco.

Life Can Be a Drag

[NoDakTatum · 6/10 · 22 October 2023]

Don't you hate when you are not only the victim of blackmail, but when the blackmailer also insists you change your gender? Albert Rose (Leslie Marlowe) is a spoiled rich young man with a domineering U. S. Senator father and a submissive mother. Albert fought in Korea, and now spends his days laying around a pool trying to score with bikini-clad floozies. Albert receives a mysterious letter concerning a secret from his past. He is quickly flown to a dark hotel room in Florida. There, he is played audiotape recordings from fellow soldiers in Korea. The soldiers swear Albert is a deserting coward, a secret that could destroy his father's career. The blackmailer demands twenty thousand dollars and one year of servitude from Albert. The soldiers who made the statements mysteriously died and cannot be proven wrong, so Albert signs a fake letter to his father stating he will be in South America for a year and reports for his slavery. Albert's blackmailer is Dominitra (Dorian Wayne) and her home is staffed with "transformed" blackmail victims- men must dress and act like women, and women must dress and act like men. Albert Rose is shaved, plucked, and stuck in a dress, with his name changed to Rose Albert. Albert also falls for another servant, Ruth (Wendy Roberts), and the two team up to try and stop Dominitra, whose blackmailing schemes grow by leaps and bounds.

This is a very early film from director Bob Clark, who also co-wrote the goofy screenplay. The film has elements of Ed Wood and Doris Wishman, and is often unintentionally hilarious when dealing with such "daring and provocative" subject matter. We even get a real live medical doctor to book end the movie, pleading for understanding of these "social misfits" who seem to be all over the place ruining everyone else's swinging mid-60's good times. While the big surprise ending is no surprise, and the musical score serves only to test your tolerance of bongo drums and the xylophone, Clark's direction is top notch for such silliness. The most notable scene is the dark hotel room where Dominitra first plays the soldiers' tape recordings for Albert. There is just one light in the room, we barely see anything, but it is the closest the film ever comes to generating any suspense. The black and white photography is clear, the hair and makeup convince, and Clark makes the most of his low budget- the unmarked Mercedes-Benz "taxi," and Dominitra's huge yet sparsely attended birthday party. "She-Man" is trapped in a netherworld. Nudity is obscured and fleeting, and the violence and profanity is mild. Yet, the film tries so hard to be a shocker of the grindhouse variety, when in fact its tepidness is almost cute.

Dated exploitation quickie

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 4 August 2017]

SHE-MAN is one of those cheap black and white exploitation pictures, the kind which they churned out hundreds of during the 1960s in America. This one was made in Hollywood and features some mildly controversial material about sex change, but as usual predominance is given over to prostitutes, scantily-dressed prostitutes at that. There's shy nudity in silhouette, a guy at a desk presenting the whole thing to add gravitas and weight, and a supporting character who seems to have inspired Varys in GAME OF THRONES. Most interestingly of all is the presence of writer/director Bob Clark on his debut feature; he would go on to horror greatness with the likes of BLACK Christmas and DEAD OF NIGHT.

Glen or Glenda Gone Bad

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

She-Man (1967)

1/2 (out of 4)

Low budget, Florida filmed trash from the man who would go onto make such classics as Black Christmas, Porky's and A Christmas Story. Albert Rose (Leslie Marlowe) is a woman loving, all man type of man who gets blackmailed by a transvestite. What does the she-man want? She wants Albert to be his/her personal slave for a year and that includes him dressing up as a woman. What Albert doesn't know is that the transvestite and the lesbian assistant are giving him estrogen pills to turn him into a real woman. I guess you could call this an alternate version of Glen or Glenda? but that would be an insult to the Ed Wood film because his movie seems like an Oscar winner compared to this one. I'm really not sure what type of crowd this film was based for and the screenplay doesn't make much sense either. Everything in the film is pretty bad, especially the acting, which is as wooden as wood can get. The film only lasts 63-minutes but I had a hard time keeping the thing going. It's strange to see Clark directing a film like this but at least he went onto better things. The only reason I didn't award this a BOMB is due to how strange it is.

Man-o-Man, The Movie in History!

[BachlorinParadise · 1/10 · 1 June 2005]

She-Man is the worst movie ever filmed, the worst movie ever produced, the worst movie ever acted in, the worst movie ever directed, the worst movie ever filmed, the worst movie ever written, and the worst of the worst movies ever made.

In other words, She-Man is a piece of worthless, stinking, stinky, smelly, boring, lackluster, pile of junk! The cast looks like a bunch of rejects from a "Z" porn-film. Sorry, but the cast of Plan 9 From Outer Space looks like academy awarding winning performers compared to the cast of freaks in She-Man.

The story-line is so freaky. Cross-dressing soldiers, cross-dressing freaks, and freaks, creeps, and perverts in general. I repeat, She-Man is the Worst Movie Ever Made!