The Gypsy Moths

The Gypsy Moths (1969)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: John Frankenheimer

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman, Scott Wilson, Deborah Kerr, Bonnie Bedelia

From: MGM

If you can... rent this movie without reading the description provided by any streaming service! It spoils the final act.

It wasn't until a mutual reviewed this a few weeks ago that I even knew of its existence. A movie directed by Frankenheimer concerning a small troupe of skydivers who perform in small towns (they are known as Stunt Jumpers) and features the likes of Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman, Scott Wilson-for you Walking Dead fans-Deborah Kerr, a young Bonnie Bedelia & some That Guy actors.... yes please!

The plot: the three lead actors perform in bucolic areas, such as the old Kansas home town of Malcolm (Wilson) where they happen to be 4th of July weekend and he has some relatives they can stay at. After the opening scene the entirety of this motion picture takes place there. As expected, all three have different personalities with Malcolm the most pensive, Joe (Hackman) the most brash, and Mike (Lancaster) the most confident. It's not the cheeriest picture... failed marriages, fear over a dangerous stunt, in-fighting, etc. Yet this contemplative drama that confidently takes its time was always interesting to me due to the character interactions, the quality performances and all the time spent getting to know them. That was why there was an impact when things went wrong.

Don't worry, there is a long stretch in the back half where the viewer gets to see all of their stunts; some may find it tedious but IMO it was all thrilling and except for some optical effects that may look bad by '21 standards, it was all actual skydiving tricks. Be that as it may, the drama and characters are the focus of this piece (the Wesley Snipes movie Drop Zone, this is not) and overall The Gypsy Moths was pretty good. Most amusing to me wasn't that this was filmed in Kansas towns not too far from my sister's current hometown (although that is interesting) but rather that early on a shot of what had to be a Playboy Magazine was blurred on the print I saw last night. Otherwise the movie wasn't edited in any way; aside from the scene at the club where women dance around wearing only panties & pasties, there's actual nudity a little later. I imagine there's an interesting story as to why a presumed dirty magazine was suddenly not OK to appear here.