You are here:

The Manhandlers

Name: The Manhandlers
Director: Lee Madden
Released: 1974
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

3.2/10

Limited

1974

Director

Lee Madden

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film highlights Katie's strong ability to act as she manages a male-dominated business and resists mob pressure, providing a rare moment of professional autonomy for a woman in 1974 cinema. However, the film's diversity is limited due to a lack of racial, ethnic, or disability representation. While the female social structure is prominent, the film does not clearly confirm or explore LGBTQ+ identities.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Manhandlers have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film includes a female-led social circle with two girlfriends, but it does not explicitly confirm their queer identities or romantic relationship.

How does The Manhandlers portray gender?

Good

Katie takes control of a male-dominated business and asserts her professional autonomy by turning a brothel into a legitimate massage parlor.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Manhandlers?

Minimal

The narrative provides no information regarding the racial or ethnic composition of the cast. No assessment of diversity or stereotyping can be made.

How does The Manhandlers represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story explores systemic corruption through conflicts with organized crime, focusing on navigating conventional social structures without deconstructing them.

Does The Manhandlers include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities in the provided context.

Present on Screen

The protagonist demonstrates a significant role in driving the story by asserting herself in a male-dominated industry.
The narrative subverts traditional gender roles by positioning women as the primary drivers of the plot.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks any discernible representation of racial or ethnic diversity.
There is no evidence of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
The narrative fails to explicitly confirm or explore LGBTQ+ identities.

Official Synopsis

A gorgeous girl named Katie inherits her deceased uncle's business and decides that she too can be a businesswoman and hire two hot girlfriends. Katie doesn't like the brothel part so she gets rid of that and is soon giving legit massages. The mob doesn't like this and Katie is quickly being muscled by mob goons to turn up the heat or pay. Katie soon discovers more about the massage-parlor than she had wished.

How are these scores produced? →