The Film Masters announced this past week that a new 4K scan — from the original camera negative — of director Gordon Wiles’ 1974 off-beat drama, Ginger in the Morning, will be available on Dec. 17 as a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray release.
Sissy Spacek made her film debut in director Michael Ritchie’s Prime Cut in 1972, followed by filmmaker Terrence Malick’s Badlands in 1973 (a couple of television movies and series roles tossed in between) and then landed the titled role of Ginger in writer, producer and actor Mark Miller’s “road trip” romantic drama.
Ginger in the Morning had all the trappings of a made-for-TV (MOW) film, even down to having Monte Markham (who was doing non-stop series work at the time) and Susan Oliver (another series player) as co-stars. However, the finished film was given a territory-by-territory theatrical break (limited budget, limited “bicycled” prints from market to market) beginning in March of 1974 and moving a little wider during the summer of that year.
Sissy Spacek was still something of an unknown quantity at the point, but that would all change two years later with the November of 1976 film release of director Brian DePalma’s Carrie (nominated Best Actress for her performance).
The late Mark Miller wrote the screenplay and was the producer as well one of the leads. One of his greatest triumphs during his some thirty-year career was the 1982 family hit film, Savannah Smiles, which he also wrote, produced and starred in.
His performance is a little odd — perhaps deliberately so — and takes up much of an extended second act (Miller was by trade more of a stage actor, having been in thirty such productions during the course of his acting/producing and writing career). It actually makes sense when viewed in that light.
The story revolves around Joe (Monte Markham), recently divorced, who picks up a hitchhiker named Ginger (Spacek) and becomes enamored with her. A series of little white lies follow and it turns out that he just happens to be going to where she is bound (which isn’t true). It gets even more complicated when he takes her home (telling her it is his buddy’s house) and then has his goofy friend, Charlie (Miller), shows up and lets the cat out of the bag.
Ginger, with no place to go in the middle of the night (New Year’s Eve at that), agrees to stay until morning. Joe, upset over Charlie’s big mouth, decides to deliver a little “payback” and calls up Sugar (Susan Oliver), Charlie’s ex-wife, to come over … the craziness goes off the charts (a night out that goes way south).
There are two twists (not revealed here) that cap the film … the final moments actually make the entire film work (in an odd sort of way). This is a delightful “treasure” unearthed by Film Masters for Blu-ray on Dec. 17.
Bonus goodies include commentary by C. Courtney Joyner and Amanda Reyes and the newly-prepared video session with Monte Markham titled “Remembering Ginger in the Morning.”
