Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones

I read this book in Jr. High, and went to school with the screen writers' Willam Wood's son. I suspect he's the one who put his father onto writing the script! I don't recall the book taking place in the 1950's, there was no designated period in it, which given the material is as it should have been. I think Mr. Wood CHOSE to have it take place in the '50s 'cause that was the area of a lot of sexual "awakening" in both America and Europe, especially (it was the era of "Peyton Place" and Playboy, you may recall, as well!). This is a nice com[anion piece to the more recent fantasy "Pleasantville" starring Toby Maquire and a REALLY young Reese Witherspoon, the latter being responsible for bringing sexual awakening to a group of '50's teenagers living in this old-time-TV-show town. Lots of fun watching! I did a Google search for "mr and mrs bo jo jones dvd for sale" and got MANY hits, ranging from $9 to $17 from various sources to the exorbitant $95-100 on eBay for the REAL release...on VHS!!! Notice I do not punctuate or capitalize when doing searches 'cause basically it's a waste of time doing the "shift" thing to get the same results. The inexpensive ones are rips from either VHS tapes or DVDs and have to artwork with them, basically a DVD in a sleeve with the title written on it. So if you need "pretty:", be prepared to pay a minor fortune!

A film that came out in the early 70's attempting to address the teenage pregnancy issue. A high school girl gets pregnant by her boyfriend and the couple much to the disparagement of both of their parents decide to get married and live happily ever after. It doesn't turn out that way. Clearly dated by todays standards. The best line in the film comes when the pregnant teens Grandmother is introduced to Desi Arnaz JR's character BoJo,which is explained in the film as being short for Robert Joseph. "This must be BOZO" she says. The line fits perfectly. Not one of the better 70's made for TV vehicles.

Remember most of these actors were just getting started. In 1971 the sexual revolution was just getting going. How else to deal with a tragedy in the making? The ending was a little boring. Not the worst movie I've ever seen.

I found this made for TV on YouTube and it's a bit surprising for 1971, as the film is rather adult. So, to get around public outcry about teen pregnancy and abortion at that time, the subjects are talked around instead of talked about directly. In other words, it's very hip and modern...as well as old fashioned at the same time.

Bo Jo (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Julie (the oddly named Christopher Norris) are both in high school and have been dating casually. However, Julie announces to Bo Jo that she's pregnant and the pair run off and get married. Not surprisingly, their parents aren't thrilled and the pair try to make a go of marriage--which is tough since they are both mere children themselves. Can the marriage survive or are they doomed like most such marriages?

So is this any good? Well, yes and no. At times the acting is a bit suspect and the script a bit limp. It does address a lot of interesting issues and is worth watching but I couldn't help but feel it should have been better. Plus, its message at the finale seemed way too fuzzy and sweet--and may have done much to encourage some viewers to follow in the leads' footsteps.

I remember anxiously awaiting the making of this movie when it was advertised in 1971. I read the book first as it was on the Freshman required reading list at the state university I attended. The book was written by Ann Head and dedicated to her teenage daughters and it really contained a great story. Condensing it down for a "made for TV" movie did not make for a great script. Please remember that this was in the middle of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960's and TV was just beginning to tackle sensitive social issues such as premarital sex and teenage pregnancy. These issues have been around since the beginning of time but no one ever talked about them. The old mentality of "out of sight-out of mind" was very prevalent in those days. If we did not talk about it, it was as if it didn't exist. As with anything in the beginning, most things do improve with time. When this movie is viewed not so much for it's content, but what it represents and that is the beginning of society's ability to address any and all issues, particularly moral ones openly and honestly, it really is a sweet movie. I would advise anyone to be sure and read the book either before or after viewing the movie to really get an idea of what the author intended when she wrote the book. I would dearly love to see this movie again and if anyone knows where I can obtain a copy, please let me know.