A rising political star faces scandal and blackmail when the young woman he tries to help turns out to be a juvenile delinquent. San Diego based David Stratton is seeking his party's nomination as state senator. His political life has taken a toll on his marriage, his wife Ginny who has left him - somewhat temporarily - with their infant daughter Kathy. They still love each other but she isn't sure she can handle being the wife of a senator, which in and of itself may be in jeopardy if she isn't at his side at pre-election functions. David awakens one morning to find a young woman asleep in Kathy's room, the woman who apparently had been there at least all night. She is seventeen year old runaway Jody Dvorak - also calling herself Jody Drew - who broke into the house since there was evidence the homeowners were away on vacation. As David learns she has an abusive home life, he wants to help her with her immediate goal of getting to Los Angeles to stay with a sympathetic aunt. He purchases her new clothes and believes he has placed her on a bus with some extra pocket money. But as he returns home later that evening, he finds that Jody has returned and has no intention of leaving… yet. By that time, David has learned from television news that she really is an escapee of juvenile detention, which she achieved by critically stabbing one of the facility's matrons. David can't telephone the police as Jody threatens to figuratively yell rape, which would ruin his political career. As Jody calls in three criminal friends - the violent Buck, the menacingly controlled Ron, and the subservient Midge - for support, David, while being held captive by them in his own home, further learns that their plan is ultimately for him to assist them in crossing the border into Mexico to escape capture. David has to figure out how to get rid of the four fugitives, while saving his political career and his marriage. The title says it all! A whip is not always a lash… the whip in the title of this cult movie favorite refers to the many ways and means sociopathic sex kitten Jody (Ann-Margaret) dominates and lashes out at everyone in her path. At one point she yanks and tugs the phone cord while the candidate for Senator (John Forsythe) is on the horn to his wife trying to act like nothing's the matter! Cmon, that length of wire is definitely a whip -in Jody's hands! Then later Jody flings a cocktail into the scratchmarks she's inflicted on Forsythe. She's whipping him back and forth, he just wants her to leave without any guilt or scandal- and she uses this over him at any given moment, not sparing herself, as her own guilt and confusion whips her from self-loathing to frenzied party animal in stacatto snaps - I find this movie full of innuendo, black humor, Hitchcockian situations, it's a guilty pleasure! The music is often reminiscent of Pete Rugolo's THRILLER TV soundtrack, and indeed, the director Douglas Heyes directed many of THRILLER's best episodes, including "The Cheaters" I give this two twisted thumbs up. Don't miss it! After stabbing the matron, the seventeen year-old delinquent Jody Dvorak (Ann-Margret) escapes from a juvenile detention facility. She breaks in an empty house and sleeps in a bed. Late night, the prominent politician and future senator David Stratton (John Forsythe) comes home after a business meeting with his friend Grant (Richard Anderson) and wife. In the morning, he sees Jody and she tells a dramatic story of her life to him. David decides to help the young woman and goes to the town to buy clothes for her. Then he drives her to the bus station and gives some money to her. He meets Grant in a restaurant and when David is going to tell what happened to him, he sees Jody in the television and gives up. When David returns home, he finds Jody there. He picks up the phone to call the police and Jody threatens to accuse him of rape. Then three delinquents – the smart Ron (Peter Brown); the violent Buck (Skip Ward); and Midge (Diane Sayer) - come to David's house and afraid of a scandal, he becomes hostage of the situation. When Buck and Ron have an argument, Buck accidentally hurts Ron with a razor blade and Midge flees in their car. Now the delinquents want David to drive them to Tijuana to escape from the police. What will David do?<br/><br/>"Kitten with a Whip" is an anguishing film about a good and honest man that gets involved in a difficult situation that might destroy his career and personal life. Ann-Margret is a bipolar woman that controls the situation threatening the man with lies. The film is tense but David is too naive and has many chances to resolve the problem calling the police, especially after the arrival of Jody's friends. "Knock Knock" (2015) uses a similar storyline with a family man also "behind the eight ball". My vote is seven. <br/><br/>Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD.
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