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 Much was forgotten footage, "ephemeral" films, created to sell or teach, long ago outdated.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.
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
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