Tuesday, August 18, 2026

ALL THE YOUNG WIVES (1973) **

Big Jim (Jerry Richards) is a wealthy man who goes out hunting quail with some friends at a wilderness lodge.  He feigns an injury so he can go back to the lodge and make time with his buddy’s hot wife.  Meanwhile, at home, Big Jim’s lonely, frustrated wife Melody (Linda Cook) starts making eyes at Sam (Edmund Genest), his horse trainer.  Before long, Sam’s teaching her how to ride bareback, if you know what I mean. 

This was sold as a sexploitation flick, but it’s more of a relationship drama that’s occasionally gussied up by a smattering of skin.  The drama isn’t really strong enough to make up for the lack of T & A, but it’s decent enough to keep you watching.  The unnecessary subplots don’t help matters though.  The stuff involving Big Jim’s buddy embezzling from him really slows things down.  The business with Sam secretly breeding a racehorse under Big Jim’s nose works slightly better, and the horse race finale is good for a laugh as it plays like a no-budget version of the chariot race in Ben-Hur. 

The biggest problem with All the Young Wives is its misleading title.  There are only two of them.  (I guess three, if you count the black chick Big Jim picks up, but she isn’t married.)  It honestly needed at least two or three more young wives in the mix, if you ask me.  Heck, I would’ve even taken a middle aged one as long as she was hot to trot.  Linda Cook is pretty good as Melody though.  She later provided the voice for Leech Woman in Puppet Master. 

Speaking of people who went on to bigger and better things, the film’s writer and director, William Diehl later became an acclaimed novelist and two of his books, Sharkey’s Machine and Primal Fear, were adapted into hit movies. 

AKA:  Naked Rider.  AKA:  You All Come.

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