''Candy Stripe Nurses'' is a 1974 film starring

Candice Rialson Candice Ann Rialson (December 18, 1951 – March 31, 2006), also known as Candy Rialson, was an American actress known for her starring role in ''Hollywood Boulevard'' (1976). According to one obituary, "although never reluctant to take her c ...

. It was the last in the popular "nurses cycle" of films for

New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...

that started with ''

The Student Nurses ''The Student Nurses'' is a 1970 American film directed by Stephanie Rothman. It was the second film from New World Pictures and the first in the popular "nurses" cycle of exploitation movies. It has since become a cult film. Plot Four young women ...

'' (1970).

Plot

Three high school girls work as volunteer candy stripe nurses at Oakwood Hospital. Free-loving Sandy (Candice Rialson) meets a famous rock star, Owen Boles ( Kendrew Lascelles), and tries to cure him of his sexual problems. Uptight Dianne (Robin Mattson), who wants to be a doctor, has an affair with Cliff (Rod Haase), a star college basketball player who is being given speed by one of the hospital's doctors, and tries to expose the malpractice. Juvenile delinquent Marisa (Maria Rojo) has an affair with Carlos (Roger Cruz), who is falsely accused of taking part in a gas station hold up, and tries to prove his innocence.

Cast

as Sandy * Robin Mattson as Dianne *María Rojo as Marisa *Roger Cruz as Carlos *Rod Haase as Cliff Gallagher *Richard Gates as Wally *Don Keefer as Dr. Wilson *Kendrew Lascelles as Owen Boles *

Tara Strohmeier Tara Strohmeier is a retired actress who appeared in memorable B-movies in the 1970s, many of them made for drive-in theater business and have since acquired large cult followings. Her biggest roles were in '' The Great Texas Dynamite Chase'' (197 ...

as Irene

Production

Director Allan Holleb had recently graduated from UCLA.

Julie Corman Julie Ann Corman ( Halloran; born ) is an American film producer. She is married to film producer and director Roger Corman. Career In 1970, Julie Corman married film director/producer, Roger Corman. Corman produced a series of "Night Nurses" f ...

gave him the job on this film after being impressed by a short film he had made, ''Heavenly Star''. Holleb later said "I found out they had taken a poll at a local high school. They sent someone out with a list of 30 or so titles and ''Candy Stripe Nurses'' got the most votes... They wanted a little social consciousness, a little romance, a little comedy and a little sex. Another requirement was they wanted a sex clinic. I don't know why!"

Barbara Peeters Barbara Peeters, also known as Barbara Peters, is an American director and screenwriter of television and film. She is best known for her collaborations with producer-director Roger Corman on films such as '' Humanoids from the Deep'', and direct ...

was second unit director.Christopher T Koetting, ''Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures'', Hemlock Books. 2009 p 66 The lead role when to Candice Rialson. "Candice just stood out," recalled Julie Corman. "It wasn't like we were down to the wire and needed someone at the last minute. We really wanted her from the beginning." A small role was given to

Sally Kirkland Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American film, television and stage actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 fi ...

who Holleb says was a friend of Julie Corman's who also worked on casting. The movie downplayed the political element that featured in earlier nurses films in favour of humour, although it was still there.

Shooting

The film was shot at a hospital in Burbank. Holleb says Julie Corman gave the board of directors an expurgated copy of the script under the title of ''Angels of Mercy'' to get permission. Holleb says the hospital was at 95% capacity during the shoot meaning there were frequent clashes between staff and crew. He says while shooting a scene in a linen closet with a topless Candice Rialson, someone from the linen service came in and saw her. Then an un-expurgated copy of the script was found and the unit was kicked out of the hospital. They had to move to another location, a former clinic, which did not match the original hospital. Holleb got the art director to put up a sign saying "this way to the new west wing" to justify the completely new look.

Release

The film was released on a double bill in some cities with ''

The Swinging Cheerleaders ''The Swinging Cheerleaders'' is a 1974 comedy-drama film written and directed by exploitation film auteur Jack Hill (who was credited for writing the film as Jane Witherspoon). The film was also released under the titles ''Locker Room Girls'' a ...

''. It was the last in the New World cycle of "nurse's pictures". Holleb later joked "I like to think I killed the genre."Bass p 28 ''Diabolique'' magazine said that "Rialson is vivacious and cheerful, delivering comic lines with aplomb and seeming almost wholesome as she constantly takes her clothes and off hops into bed with various men – she makes nudity and sex appear like natural, clean fun, never sleazy; you only wish she had a better storyline."

References

Notes

External links

* {{nurses cycle 1970s exploitation films 1974 films 1970s English-language films Films about nurses Films produced by Julie Corman Teensploitation American exploitation films 1970s American films