About the film

Making of HEAVY PETTING

HEAVY PETTING was begun in 1982 when Obie Benz and Pierce Rafferty joined forces to develop a film about sex and dating. Benz had been nominated for an Academy Award for directing AMERICAS IN TRANSITION, a documentary on U.S. policy in Latin America. Rafferty had co-directed ATOMIC CAFE, a black humor classic which used archival footage of America's propaganda campaign for the atom bomb.

Benz and Rafferty wanted to explore techniques for instructing kids about sex and social conduct using educational films, newsreels, TV, and features. Working with a team of fifteen film researchers throughout the country, they researchers came up with educational titles like AS BOYS GROW, DISCIPLINE DURING ADOLESCENCE, HOW TO SAY NO, PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF PUBERTY, and SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY. They also scoured the National Archives (army VD films), the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research, the Kansas State Board of Health, private collections, attics, and a corrupt school official instructed to trash a decades old film collection.

Some films were in the public domain. Much was forgotten footage, "ephemeral" films, created to sell or teach, long ago outdated. Though many warnings seemed clumsy and simplistic, the sincerity of delivery was striking when compared to the polished messages of today's professional media.

When the project was initially taken to Norman Lear, then head of Embassy Pictures, he immediately agreed to finance it. After screening thousands of hours of footage, the filmmakers workprinted 65 hours and began editing. When a through-line proved difficult to find, Embassy executives bailed out, and the filmmakers went on to other projects.

But Benz continued to explore ways to finish the film. In 1985, he resumed production as both producer and director. He needed a strong device that would draw people from the archival footage to their own experience. He decided against comic narration or re-enactments in favor of REDS style "witnesses" who would act as a counterpoint to the archival material.

Out of a list of 100 people from an array of backgrounds, Benz interviewed 40 about their sex and dating experiences. All witnesses agreed to talk without preconditions. From 30 hours of new footage, the filmmakers ultimately chose 25 minutes from 23 witnesses.

To process a 35mm release print, original material had to be secured for over 100 sources. Prints came from every conceivable format: from scratched, last-remaining release prints to original A + B rolls saved from a closing film lab to cinemascope for REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

Songs in HEAVY PETTING

ANNIE HAD A BABY Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

BABY OH BABY The Shells

BE BOP BABY Rick Nelson

BLUEBERRY HILL Fats Domino

BONGO ROCK Preston Epps

DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE The Shirelles

DO YOU LOVE ME The Contours

DRESSIN UP The Elegants

HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE The Plaids

I WONDER WHY Dion and the Belmonts

READY TEDDY Little Richard

LITTLE BITTY PRETTY ONE Bobby Day

LITTLE DARLING The Diamonds

MICKEY'S MONKEY Smokey Robinson

OLD BLACK MAGIC Bus Stop, Marilyn Monroe

PETER GUNN Ray Anthony

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK New Jersey Teenagers

ROCKING ROBIN Bobby Day

SO FINE The Fiestas

THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT The Letterman

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN GOING ON Rick Nelson

YOU'RE SIXTEEN Rick Nelson

THE GIRL I LOVE Johnny Burnette

Films in HEAVY PETTING

Features:
Because They're Young
Blackboard Jungle
Bus Stop
High School Hellcats
Invasion Of The Saucer Men
Rebel Without A Cause
Rock Pretty Baby
The Wild One

Educationals:
Age Of Turmoil
As Boys Grow
Beginning To Date
Car Fever
Dance Little Children
Dating Do's And Dont's
Discipline During Adolescence
Dressing Up
Emotional Maturity
Going Steady
How Do I Love Thee?
How Much Affection
How To Say No
Meeting The Needs Of Adolescence
Molly Grows Up
Perversion For Profit
Physical Aspects Of Puberty
Social Acceptability
Social Sex Attitudes In Adolescence
The Innocent Party
What To Do On A Date
You And Your Family
Young Man's Fancy

Credits

Producer / Director
Obie Benz

Co-Director / Editor
Josh Waletzky

Editor
Judith Sobol

Co-Editor
Edith Becker

Co-Producer
Carol Noblitt

Concept by
Pierce Rafferty

Research Director
Rick Prelinger

Director of Photography
Sandi Sissel

Casting
Risa Bramon

Music Consultant
Hal Willner

Story Development
Suzanne Fenn
Lianne Halfon

Assistant Sound Editor
Zelda Greenstein

Additional Sound Editing
Margie Crimmins

Assistant Editors
Lauren Helf
Jane McCulley
Rena Schwarz
Cindy Friedman

Assistant Director
Edith Becker

Production Accountant
Tani Takagi

Assistant Producers
Karen Sidel
Allison Wunderland
Marybeth Danna

Camera
Dyanna Taylor

1st Assistant Camera
Tony McNamara

2nd Assistant Camera
Karola Ritter
David Eubank
Fernando Saralegui

Sound
Scott Briendel
Lisa Schnall
Merce Williams

Electrician
Serge Mihojlov

Make-Up
Magda Dajani

Production Assistants
Nina Aquino
Jordan Beisel
Nessia Pope
Nancy Strogoff
Eddie Wright

Researchers
Nan Allendorfer
Nancy Anderson
Jeff Goodman
Kevin P. Green
Lewanne Jones
Kati Meister
Richard Tabler
David Thaxton

Clearances Consultant
Kevin Stein

Consultants
Jules Backus
Lance Bird
Bill Farley
James Karnbach
James Limbacher
Fred MacDonald
William O'Farrell
Kevin Rafferty

Optical Lab
DuArt
Cinema Arts

Opticals
Sean Coughlin

Answer Print
John E. Allen Lab

Timing
Michael Kolvek

Negative Cutting
Noëlle Penraat

Re-Recording Mixer
Lee Dichter

Sound Services
Sound One

Titles
Portfolio Artists Network

Film Archives
American Archives of Factual Film
Archives Project
CBS News Archive
Family Films
Fox Movietonews
Hearst Metrotone News
John E. Allen Archives
Kansas State Board of Health
Kinsey Institute for Sex Research
McGraw-Hill Films
National Archives
Petrified Films
Prelinger Associates
UCLA Film and Television Archives

Feature Films Courtesy of:
INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN, Arkoff International Pictures
THE WILD ONE, Columbia Pictures
BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG, Columbia Pictures
HIGH SCHOOL HELLCATS, Orion Pictures
BUS STOP, Twentieth Century Fox
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, Turner Entertainment Co.
ROCK PRETTY BABY, Universal Picutres
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, Warner Bros.

Television Courtesy of:
THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET, Casablanca Productions

Educational Films
AGE OF TURMOIL
AS BOYS GROW
BEGINNING TO DATE
CAR FEVER
DANCE LITTLE CHILDREN
DATING: DO'S AND DON'TS
DISCIPLINE DURING ADOLESCENCE
DRESSIN' UP
EMOTIONAL MATURITY
GOING STEADY
HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
HOW MUCH AFFECTION?
HOW TO SAY NO
MEETING THE NEEDS OF ADOLESCENTS
MOLLY GROWS UP
PERVERSION FOR PROFIT
PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF PUBERTY
SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY
SOCIAL-SEX ATTITUDES IN ADOLESCENCE
THE INNOCENT PARTY
WHAT TO DO ON A DATE
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
YOUNG MAN'S FANCY

Songs

ANNIE HAD A BABY, performed by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters - courtesy of G.M.L.

BABY OH BABY, performed by The Shells - courtesy of Phoenix Entertainment & Talent

BE BOP BABY, performed by Rick Nelsoncourtesy of Casablanca Productions

BLUEBERRY HILL, performed by Fats Domino- courtesy of Capitol Records

BONGO ROCK, performed by Preston Epps- courtesy of Original Sound Record Co.

DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE, performed by The Shirelles- courtesy of CBS Special Products

DO YOU LOVE ME, performed by The Contours- courtesy of Motown Records

DRESSIN UP, performed by The Elegants- courtesy of Men's Tie Foundation

I WONDER WHY, performed by Dion and the Belmonts- courtesy of Continental Communications

READY TEDDY, performed by Little Richard- courtesy of Specialty Records

LITTLE BITTY PRETTY ONE, performed by Bobby Day- courtesy of Sid Talmadge

LITTLE DARLING, performed by The Diamonds- courtesy of PolyGram Records

MICKEY'S MONKEY, performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- courtesy of Motown Records

OLD BLACK MAGIC, performed by Marilyn Monroe- courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

PETER GUNN, performed by Henry Mancini- courtesy of RCA Records

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, performed by New Jersey teenagers- courtesy of UCLA Film and Television Archives

ROCKING ROBIN, performed by Bobby Day- courtesy of Sid Talmadge

SO FINE, performed by The Fiestas- courtesy of Hy Weiss

THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT, performed by The Lettermen- courtesy of Captitol Records

THE GIRL I LOVE, performed by Rick Nelson- courtesy of Casablanca Productions

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN GOING ON,performed by Rick Nelson- courtesy of Casablanca Productions

YOU'RE SIXTEEN, performed by Johnny Burnette- courtesy of Capitol Records

Special Thanks
Catherine Conover
Sue Dorfman
Annie Hess
John Hunting
Norman Lear
Brian Little
Judy Little
Daisy Paradis
David Paradis
Julian Price
Rena Shulsky
Kim Smith
Betsy Weedon

Thanks
A-One Reverse-O Lab
Sarah Abram
Judy Arthur
Barbara Bartkowski
Peter Benedek
Allan Benz
Jewel Benz
Elisha Birnbaum
Bono Film Labs
Joan Scherer Brewer
Donald Cammell
Channel 4 Television
Liat Choucroun
Barbara Condos
Kate Davis
Phil Davis
Toby D'Oench
Jeff Dowd
Christopher Durang
Alison Ellwood
Elvin Feltner
Richard Fox
Anouk Frankel
Michael Glick
Anna Gyorgy
Cathy Hand
Franz Harland
Marcella Illanes
Paul Johnson
Jay Kanter
Noah Kimerling
Jeremy Koch
Barbara Kopple
Douglas Lemza
Marjorie Loggia
Tracey Loggia
Jodi Long
David Lubell
Maura Mannis
Gary Meyer
Richard W. Morton
William Murphy
David Nelson
David Nochimson
Jim O'Malley
Sandy Oliveri
Fujiko Otofuji
Agnes Peterson
Judy Pratt
Chuck Savitt
Danny Schechter
Rick Scheckman
William L. Schurk
Betty Scott
Michael Shamberg
Tom Sigel
Spera Corporation
Tim Spitzer
Allyn Stewart
Beverly Treuille
Marcus Von Nispel
Les Waffen
Mel Waskins
Tammy Waskins
Wendy Wasserstein
Liz Weller
Sara Wildberger
Jaime Willett
Nancy Wind
Pam Yates
Helen Yng-Wong
Irwin Young