The First Time is a 90-minute American comedy-drama about three high-school friends, a fabricated story about a Niagara Falls brothel, and the misunderstandings that follow. The American Film Institute (AFI) credits Jacqueline Bisset as Anna, Wes Stern as Kenny, and Rick Kelman as Mike. This is the 1969 film cataloged by AFI, not another work with the same generic title.
What is The First Time (1969) about?
Kenny Leeds, Mike Decker, and Tommy Kingsley are high-school friends looking ahead to adulthood. While Kenny is staying with his grandparents in Buffalo, his widowed salesman father is away traveling with his secretary-fiancée. Kenny writes to his friends about Rosie’s, a brothel he claims is in Niagara Falls. When Mike and Tommy come to visit expecting to find it, Kenny has to keep his invented story going.
At a discotheque, the friends meet Anna, an English woman they mistakenly believe is a prostitute. The resulting confusion and the boys’ different degrees of awkwardness drive the comedy-drama; Kenny’s encounters with Anna also change what he understands about her. AFI indexes the film under adolescence, hoaxes, mistaken identity, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and discotheques.
Cast and creative credits
| Role or credit | Person |
|---|---|
| Anna | Jacqueline Bisset |
| Kenny Leeds | Wes Stern |
| Mike Decker | Rick Kelman |
| Producers | Roger Smith and Allan Carr |
| Screenplay | Jo Heims and Roger Smith |
| Story | Bernard Bassey |
| Directors | James Neilson and Alex Grasshoff |
| Music | Kenyon Hopkins |
AFI also credits Ernest Laszlo as director of photography, Henry Molin as editor, and Trevor Williams as production designer. Its record says Neilson replaced Grasshoff as director after several weeks of filming.
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Production and release record
Filming took place in Toronto and Niagara Falls, Canada, according to AFI. The film was also known during production as The Beginners Three, The Beginners, You Don’t Need Pajamas at Rosie’s, and They Don’t Wear Pajamas at Rosie’s. Those working titles can help distinguish this film from other works called The First Time.
AFI records Mirisch-Rogallan Productions as the production company and copyright claimant, with a copyright date of March 28, 1969, and number LP36848. The catalog’s premiere field reads “New York opening: 11 Jun: Apr 1969,” an unclear date string; it does not support a more precise opening date.
Rank #2
Music in the film
AFI documents the song “Sweet Love in the Beginning,” with words and music by Michael Clough, Michael Crowley, and Kenyon Hopkins, performed by MCSquared. This credit establishes that the song is in the catalog record; it does not establish that a soundtrack album was released.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Runtime, genre, and availability
AFI catalogs The First Time as a 90-minute United States comedy-drama. That is a historical catalog listing, not a current distribution guide. The AFI record does not establish where the film can currently be streamed or whether a particular home-video edition is available.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Top Quality, Manufactured by MILL CREEK.
- Part Number: 7016
Rank #4
- Factory sealed DVD
Rank #3
- Shrink-wrapped
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