The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped

Its been 30 years since I saw this movie, but I remember it well, and seeing Karen Valentine in that bikini really made the movie for me! She has such beautiful skin tones and being so slender in the two piece bikini really made the ratings on my score board. Having her clad in those halter tops throug out the remaining part of the movie was a big bonus! I wish a sequel would have been made, but after so many years gone by I would just assume to have a re-make of this movie using an young actress of today's generation.

...you'd like to see Ms. Valentine sing "Happy Birthday" and finish by dropping off her overcoat revealing her bikini-clad figure. She was something pretty cute in 1974, and I was something pretty confused at the age of 16. Her "Room 222" persona made her the ideal fantasy woman for that time and place, and this bit of absurd TV sexism gave me something I wanted. If you remember her as I do, this one scene will be worth the rental, and not purely for its prurience. It might make you feel young again, if only very briefly.

I faintly remembered this movie, but figured since it had Karen Valentine in it, it cannot be that bad. It is actually a very cute movie, and reminds me of "Love American Style" Karen Valentine plays a girl that is hired by a friend of a big-time Magazine publisher. She shows up at his door with nothing on but a bikini and wrapping bow for his birthday. They just don't make made-for-tv movies like this anymore! The VHS print that I viewed was awful! Time has not been kind to the print the distributor used. The film was in rough shape during changeovers, and the colour was bad-people looked flaming pink or morbid grey. The only good thing was that it was recorded in SP. It would be nice if the older TV movies were treated with a little more respect, for this movie it would have been better to be out-of-print, than the crusty version that's available on the market.

Richard Long plays Michael. He's a very successful guy and has every reason to be happy. But he's just turned 40 and is in a funk. To help him out, a co-worker (Tom Bosley...NICE Tom Bosley of all people) hire a woman (Karen Valentine) to arrive at Michael's house...gift wrapped in a bow. But Michael is no cad. Instead of a quickie, he just spends the evening talking to his 'gift' and soon the pair become friends. What he doesn't realize is that his 'gift' really likes him and would like to become more than just friends. The problem is that Michael is a very damaged guy and has serious problems with commitment and intimacy. What's next in this strange comedy-romance?!

If you grew up long ago like I did, you'll enjoy seeing all the familiar TV faces in this made for TV film. Richard Long ("The Big Valley"), Karen Valentine ("Room 222"), Farrah Fawcett ("Charlie's Angels"), Tom Bosley ("Happy Days"), Dave Madden ("The Partridge Family") and Rita Shaw ("The Ghost and Mrs. Muir") are among the familiar TV folks you'll see in this one.

So is it any good? Yes. While not among the deepest things I've ever seen, it is enjoyable and has some interesting messages about commitment and modern love.

Karen Valentine shows up as Richard Long's 40th birthday present. He publishes a magazine called "The Man Who has Everything," but personally he is in a funk, and doesn't really have much. He doesn't need the stripper to come do her act and then leave. He needs Karen to come and stay. The next to the last film in Long's long career, he would die of heart failure before 1974 was out but it's a sweet one he goes out on. Karen Valentine is as cute as a button so it's not surprising Long can't resist, even if she does come with a dog and plants. It is a cute little movie, good for lifting spirits in a time when spirits really need lifting.