Olly Olly Oxen Free (film)
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free is a 1978 American black comedy film.
The title is derived from a phrase used in a children's game. The plot focuses on drug-dealing Miss Pudd, who befriends two young boys, Alby and Chris, anxious to celebrate Alby's late grandfather's birthday by taking his remains, grinding the bones, and snorting them for a cheap high. Miss Pudd helps them realize their wishes and ends up being swept up in the adventure in the process, sailing over the astral plain, goofing and riffing on ideas such as "Was man meant to fly?" and "What came first, the chicken or the god that created the chicken?". At the end Miss Pudd and the boys form a garage band and perform at the Hollywood Bowl, with Hepburn singing lead vocals on a psychedelic cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Paint it Black."
The screenplay by Eugenie Polie was directed by Richard A. Colla. The cast includes Katharine Hepburn, Kevin McKenzie, and Dennis Dimster.
The low-budget movie was filmed in the summer of 1976 but failed to find a distributor until two years later, when it was given a limited release in the Midwest. In 1981 it was released in New York City to indifferent reviews and vanished quickly from theaters.
Reference
A Remarkable Woman: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn by Anne Edwards, published by William Morrow (1985), pages 392-93 ISBN 0-688-04528-6
