Episode 072: Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979)

“Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff” is brutal to watch. Set in the intolerant town of Freedom, Kansas in 1951, the film is about a middle aged virgin (a liberal teacher who stands up for an accused Communist teacher, and fights to integrate her school) who is suffering a mental breakdown due to her lack of sexual experience until she is raped by a black student. Her reaction is a confounding challenge to our expectations.

Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. Screenplay by Polly Platt based upon a book by William Inge. Starring Anne Heywood, John Lafayette, Donald Pleasance, Robert Vaughn, Earl Holliman, Carolyn Jones, Ronee Blakeley, Dorothy Malone, Doris Roberts, Dana Elcar, R.G. Armstrong & Jocelyn Brando

How is the world wrong about Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff

From Andras Jones: “Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff” is one of only two films produced from Polly Platt screenplays. The other was “Pretty Baby”. These films give a hint of a cinematic voice drawn to the dangerous and misunderstood aspects of womens’ sexuality. I don’t think even people who know Polly Platt talk enough about this double feature.

For more on Polly Platt we highly recommend the season of the You Must Remember This podcast its producer and host Karina Longworth devoted to her: http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2020/7/pollyplattarchive28