THE CHEERLEADERS is the barely-legal bonanza of all cheerleader epics. Released in the summer of 1972 with a self-imposed ‘X’ rating, the movie single-handedly lit the fuse and set the bar for the entire genre. Director Paul Glickler describes the movie as "suburban absurd" and admits that the film’s story of underage sexual antics initially offended executives with the film's distributor Cinemation, who had previously released such taboo—busters as INGA, SWEET SWEETBACK, AFRICA BLOOD AND GUTS and the legendary double bill of I DRINK YOURBLOOD/I EAT YOUR SKIN. Starting with only a handful of prints, the film rolled out regionally and within months was a nationwide smash.

     lt’s still easy to see why: As the ’l5-year-old virgin’ Jeannie, the totally tasty Stephanie Fondue (in reality, according to Glickler, a free-spirited actress named Enid) is the ultimate jailbait fantasy. As a comedy, no story of horny young girls, attempted gang rape, student/teacher lesbianism, creepy pervert janitors and suburban sex fiend fathers has ever seemed so breezily innocent. The women are hot, the sex is almost constant and the direction and dialog are often quite inventive. And while much of the film’s morality may seem disturbing today, THE CHEERLEADERS remains a truly jaw-dropping drive-in (or late night cable) classic.
           Gary Hertz, The Cheerleaders Collection