Make Mine Metzger : Paris Porno (1974-1978)

Although technically he had already dabbled in the explicit arena with Score and The Image, softcore maestro Radley Metzger adopted the pseudonym “Henry Paris” (expressing his undying love for the City of Lights in no uncertain terms) for a mere five fullfleged hardcore endeavors, all of which are considered true classics of their kind and will be released momentarily by Video-X-Pix in ultimate multi-disc editions. It was his eminently witty spin on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, which had of course already spawned hit Broadway show My Fair Lady and George Cukor’s popular cinema version thereof, The Opening of Misty Beethoven that would singlehandedly assure his everlasting reputation as one of the most adroit and intelligent filmmakers in adult. Two years prior, Metzger was just dipping his toe into hot water when he made The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann, a sophisticated comedy of bad manners, wowing genre critics and audiences alike.

Supremely confident gumshoe Frank, played by then already veteran performer Eric Edwards, receives a phone call from worried businessman Mr. Mann (Alan Marlow, the vile womanizer reincarnated in female form in Roberta Findlay’s Angel #9) who suspects that his wife Pamela (gorgeous cult actress Barbara Bourbon, the violated farmer’s wife from David Fleetwood’s A Dirty Western) may be fooling around on him. Trailing the sexy socialite, Edwards uncovers all sorts of inspired naughtiness. Having got the idea from a dinner conversation about Gerard Damiano’s box office blast Deep Throat, very much the scandal du jour at the time, she obviously wants to see whether she can perform Linda Lovelace’s Look, ma, no gag reflex party trick by picking up a stranger (massively endowed Marc Stevens) near Sutton Place – Queensborough bridge towering in the background – and going down on him right there and then. She supplies social rehabilitation services for happy hooker Klute (Georgina Spelvin) in one of the all time Sapphic encounters and drags off a moral reformer running for mayor (beefy Sonny Landham, ironically cast in retrospect considering the political upheaval he would cause in later life) for a quickie mere moments prior to his addressing a women’s group. A drawn-out garage rape sequence (missing from VCA’s recent DVD but gloriously reinstated in the currently available Video-X-Pix release) by a pair of propaganda-spouting revolutionaries (perennial bad boy Jamie Gillis and Darby Lloyd Rains, who would rejoin forces with Metzger on Naked Came the Stranger) might seem somewhat out of place due to its – admittedly cartoonish – brutality, until the director turns the tables by the last act revelation that Pamela’s “rapists” are actually her domestics and part of the whole set-up. The conniving couple have in fact constructed these elaborate games to spice up their marriage, hiring a series of goodlooking detectives to capture their supposedly illicit escapades on film, Pamela’s seduction of the investigator (who subsequently refuses all remuneration as he has “failed” in his assignment) forever the final movement of their association.

Almost as complex as Metzger’s 1970 simulated sex masterpiece The Lickerish Quartet, this is one of very few porn movies that actually yield whole new levels of meaning on each viewing. The general motif seems to be appearances, the various roles people assume in daily life taken to farcical extremes. No one is what he or she pretends to be, certainly not the game-playing Manns or the private dicks hiding their identities as an occupational requirement, unwittingly ensnared to do the couple’s bidding. These deceptions extend well beyond the main characters. Actor Hiram Wood (Levi Richards a/k/a “Rick Livermore”) claims sexual confusion in order to fool the prostitute, just to see whether he could play a gay character on Broadway. She recognizes him anyway but plays along since she has always wanted to have sex with him. Who’s fooling who then ?

Brimming with subtle visual and aural jokes in just about every scene, the film’s funniest conceit might be the presence of the female poll taker (Doris Toumarkine, also the film’s expert editor) who regularly pops up to ask Pamela the most ridiculously longwinded political and sociological questions (invariably answered by a brisk yes or no) and who explains her role at film’s end as providing socially redeeming value ! Rarely has a pornographer thumbed his nose quite so elegantly at morally upright naysayers. Beautifully photographed and meticulously edited (witness the final sequence with the couple mirroring the actions in their home movies), Pamela Mann‘s sole conceivable failing might be its lack of heart due to all the pretending going on. The audience never gets a grip on any of these characters, robbing the film of the warmth that Metzger’s other hardcore works possess. It’s perhaps unfair to cite this as a flaw since it comes down to a matter of personal taste. There’s no denying Metzger’s brilliance as a writer, director or eroticist however, as every single frame of this movie bespeaks so eloquently.

As for Video-X-Pix’s spanking new double disc edition, it’s safe to say that Steven Morowitz (who right now could lay claim to being the hardest working man in the adult industry !) and his technical team have absolutely outdone themselves.  Not only does the feature film itself look better than ever thanks to painstaking remastering as well as reconstruction (the infamous garage rape sequence is back in its unflinching entirety) but they’ve included the significantly different softcore version – with Barbara Bourbon holding court on contemporary politics and freedom of speech, superimposed over the flick’s naughty bits ! – to boot, along with extensive portraits/interviews of both Georgina Spelvin and Eric Edwards (extremely engaging subjects both), actual outtakes (including an additional sex scene with the Lovemores), a Radley Metzger commentary track (moderated by the incomparable Benson Hurst) and featurettes on the film’s locations then and now.  Phew !  Don’t even bother trying to think up an excuse for not getting this amazing package.  When in doubt, think of all the other amazing goodies awaiting in Steve’s vaults, movies he can only bring to you after you’ve parted with the modest sum he charges for them.

Back in 1969, the editorial staff of Newsday magazine was amazed and appalled that writers like Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Susann dominated the bestseller lists with their trashy tell-all “romans à clef”, so they decided to do them one better with each reporter contributing a chapter of escalating outrageousness to what was to become Naked Came the Stranger, a saga both saucy and soapy attributed to fictitious “Penelope Ashe”. Ironically, it outsold many of the competitors it sought to send up, sales figures barely influenced even once the hoax was exposed.

Almost immediately, rumors of a possible movie adaptation began to circulate but even at the height of “Porno Chic” it remained most unlikely that it would eventually wind up as the second hardcore project for respected erotic auteur Metzger in “Paris” mode following Pamela Mann. Perhaps with an eye towards mainstream acceptance of a film form he had largely embraced because it was what the domestic adult movie marketplace demanded, an illusion all too cruelly exposed once the genre shifted towards home video a mere decade later, Metzger toned down the level of graphic detail on this occasion. As compensation, he lavished more time and attention on the central characterizations of radio talk show hosts William and Gillian (“Billy & Gilly”) Blake, sort of a ’70s Nick and Nora Charles whose sparkling repartee considerably enlivens their extra-marital erotic encounters.

As with all of his full color penetration films, Metzger wrote the screenplay under his usual “Jake Barnes” porn pen name, truly outdoing himself with a plethora of genuinely witty one liners that echo the sophisticated brilliance of an Ernst Lubitsch or Billy Wilder comedy classic of which this is as close an approximation as the adult genre could ever hope to achieve. Thankful for an opportunity to show off more than their physical prowess, Darby Lloyd Rains and Levi Richards rise to the occasion beautifully. Already something of an industry veteran by 1975, Rains was one of the finest early adult actresses and has never been better. Her mimed shock when she catches her husband sticking it to his secretary Phyllis (a delightfully dizzy Mary Stuart) on a daily basis, which naturally evolves into arousal and a staircase solo both sexy and extremely funny, is absolutely priceless.

Their New York morning show a smash hit, Billy and Gilly appear the perfect couple to all who know them. Once she learns of her husband’s frequent infidelity with his “Love Bunny” (a term of endearment which provides the movie with one of its best running gags), Gillian decides that what’s good for the gander might also benefit the goose and embarks on a sexual spree within their circle of jet set friends and casual acquaintances. Tied together by a masked ball where all characters mingle, these various episodes of planned seduction supply the movie with most of its, albeit fewer in number than was fast becoming the industry norm, accomplished sex scenes. Particularly memorable is Rains’ oral servicing of Alan Marlow as harried investment banker Marvin Goodman for whom time equals money on a double decker bus actually whizzing through the streets of the Big Apple ! Uppercrust bosom buddy Taylor (well-played by Gerald Grant, who juggled legit stage work with excursions into bisexual erotica, including Metzger’s Score and Jerry Douglas’ Both Ways, presumably scratching a personal itch of sorts) provides Gillian with a shoulder to cry on when she decides enough’s enough and briefly flees her homestead. In a refined silent movie spoof, he wines, dines and romances her in glorious black and white with silly intertitles attempting to put a sophisticated spin on Gilly’s blunt come-on (read her lips !), switching back to color by the time they reach the bedroom stage.

Saving the best for last, Gillian moves in on her husband’s object of affection, circling around the feckless Phyllis as she dances alone in an empty swimming pool, another arresting image in a film fairly rife with them. Their slow Sapphic exploration provides the sexual showstopper and leaves the young girl hopelessly in love with her erstwhile paramour’s betrothed. Conveniently quitting the scene rather than remaining the couple’s dirty little secret even while switching camps, Phyllis leaves Billy and Gilly to kiss and make up. Now I’m not sure how up front Metzger was about his career change from such lofty erotic epics as Therese and Isabelle to, well, basically documenting the dirty for real at this stage but he certainly threw in a cute inside joke when his simulated Camille 2000 is seen playing on the couple’s bedroom TV set and Billy bemoans how they’re showing this “trash” rather the Garbo version !

Production reflects the perfectionism Metzger has shown throughout his distinguished career with mainstream-worthy camera work by the pseudonymous “Robert Rochester”, who adult actress Gloria Leonard insists is actually an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker.  This is not entirely true as it’s actually Paul Glickman who did shoot Bert Salzman’s 1975 awardwinning short Angel and Big Joe with Paul Sorvino.  I’m certain that our very own Benson Hurst will clear up this conundrum once and for all in the accompanying liner notes. Rita Davis, a minor starlet also in Shaun Costello’s Love Bus (fisted by Jamie Gillis, no less !), appears as Darby’s socialite acquaintance dressed as a harem girl during the masked ball sequence, going down on bewhiskered waiter John Buco, C.J. Laing’s cop lover from Costello’s indelible Water Power. The late Marc Stevens briefly appears as himself in a non-sex capacity and the always enthusiastic Helen Madigan plays the porn star guest on the radio show.

Which brings us to the Holy Grail of adult cinema, the finest porn film ever made both by critical consensus as from a fan’s point of view : the magnificent Misty Beethoven, nesting proudly in the middle of his fabulous fuck film fivesome. It has oodles of charm, style, wit and grace, qualities not usually associated with pornography. Every aspect of production has been handled with the utmost care, from its sumptuous cinematography (as good as any seen in big studio movies from the same period) to its lively soundtrack containing many a familiar library track cherished by fans. Unlike other well-produced adult fare though, this one also has all the scorching sex to cement its legendary reputation for generations to come. This is the kind of adult film that should sway even the most ardent of naysayers, unless the very thought of explicit eroticism thoroughly repels them. It was made by and for intelligent people who can also appreciate a good dirty joke.

Borrowing its plot from Pygmalion, Misty Beethoven finds noted sexologist Dr Seymour Love (porn’s bad boy Jamie Gillis cast against type and delivering a career performance) cruising the streets of Paris and running into a coarse streetwalker by name of Misty – formerly Delores – Beethoven, played to perfection by all too rarely seen Constance Money who made but a handful of fuck flicks. Never one to resist a challenge and fired up because of a wager with fellow jetsetter Geraldine Rich (stunning one time performer Jacqueline Beudant), Seymour invites the girl to his mansion across the pond where he will groom her to become the next Goldenrod Girl in an annual contest set up by naughty magazine publishing tycoon Lawrence Lehman (handsome Ras Kean, star of Weston’s brilliant Expose Me, Lovely), a title only bestowed on women who’re revered the world over for their exceptional beauty, sensuality and lovemaking skills. On a crash course, Misty’s put through her sexual paces, gaining insight and technique as she’s presented with a number of “difficult” cases for seduction. All the while, she is falling in love with her mentor who doesn’t (or pretends not to) notice…

It is absolutely impossible to overpraise this film. While other adult movies made since may eclipse it in certain areas, there has yet to be made another one that surpasses it in all aspects. The sheer brilliance of its leads is ably supported by a cast filled to the brim with fan favorites, most of whom deliver equally fine performances vertically as well as horizontally. Terri Hall (the leading lady from Gerard Damiano’s Story of Joanna) shines brightly as ballerina Tanya who does a sweltering Sapphic number on beautiful Beudant. Gay porn icon Casey Donovan of Wakefield Poole’s Boys in the Sand fame plays the effeminate gallery owner who finds himself at Misty’s mercy and later supplied the buttocks for the Ras Kean rectal excavation portion of a threeway involving Misty and Gloria Leonard, the latter then at the start of what was to become a most distinguished career in the adult field. Mary Stuart, who had played the lead in Shaun Costello’s extraordinary Passions of Carol, and Jenny Baxter are stewardesses on a most peculiar airline in a sequence characteristic of the type of off the wall humor Metzger excelled at.

He followed his masterpiece with another light ‘n’ breezy comedy of bad manners that offers nearly wall to wall sex mixed with the his by now trademark wit and elegance in Barbara Broadcast. Many longtime adult film fans regard this as their favorite Metzger movie, undoubtedly based on a couple of knockout erotic sequences that are among the most memorable he – or any other carnal creator for that matter – has ever put upon the blue screen. Personally, I think the film is a bit uneven with a faltering narrative primarily designed to accommodate the required number of frequently hot sex scenes, making it a runner-up at best to the likes of Misty and Pamela, his hardcore high watermarks.

Exception to the rule is the first 20 minutes or so, set in the restaurant where celebrity prostitute – à la Xaviera Hollander – Barbara Broadcast (industry icon Annette Haven) is interviewed by eager beaver journalist C.J. Laing. This lengthy sequence is bustling with all sorts of outrageous naughtiness, rendered even more arousing by the surreal humor sprouting from the casual attitude adopted by the participants, like an extended version of Misty‘s airplane sequence. Customer Zebedy Colt, an accomplished adult auteur in his own right as The Affairs of Janice and Unwilling Lovers eloquently attest, is served lunch in the form of waitress Clea Carson, another reliable second-stringer in both Weston’s Take Off and Chuck Vincent’s Bad Penny. Well-endowed waiter Peter Andrews (nicknamed “the Horse” for obvious reasons, memorable as the star’s partner in the opening scene of All About Gloria Leonard) supplies his own brand of salad dressing on the spot before he’s whisked away by extremely hungry customer Susan McBain (the lonely call girl from Damiano’s Odyssey) for one of the all time great oral encounters. She also has one of the film’s funniest lines as she remarks how you really have to keep track of your waiter at a Caucasian restaurant because they all tend to look alike ! Lovely black actress Shirley Peters, who also appeared with Harry Reems in Tim McCoy’s Erotic Dr. Jeckyll, shows up for her salad at Barbara’s table but is quickly distracted by the amorous advances of handsome Alan Marlow. Waitresses break dishes all over the place, for which they have to pay the Maitre d’ (the late Bobby Astyr) in kind, and admirers (watch for a youthful David Savage, the frisky office boy who kept unloading onto secretary Day Jason’s face in one of Pamela‘s most memorable running jokes) keep interrupting Barbara’s interview for signatures and “a little head” ! The pace and structure of this entire sequence shows Metzger at his finest and made me wish the whole film had been like that.

Unfortunately, the movie tends to fall apart somewhat at this point or at least settles into a more conventional adult film groove. Barbara excuses herself to turn a trick across town at the office of busy business man Michael Gaunt, who would prove an excellent character actor in Roger Watkins’ American Babylon, that is almost entirely devoid of dialogue in sharp contrast to the previous scene. C.J., a vastly underrated performer with a distinctly submissive slant in fabulously filthy fare like Costello’s Slave of Pleasure and Midnight Desires, does her one better however in the legendary kitchen encounter with sweaty dishwasher Wade Nichols, late star of Chuck Vincent’s ambitious Visions. Great build-up as they longingly stare at each other from across the steam-filled room. Laing grins in defiance as she squats to urinate into a bowl before receiving a killer rectal reaming that’s on pretty much everyone’s short list for best sex scene ever.

It’s off to the disco next with Annette and C.J. making out on the dance floor while burly guys arm-wrestle at a nearby table (huh ?), oblivious to the girls’ groping. They retreat to a stairwell where they are joined by Barbara’s business partner Jamie Gillis for an intriguingly shot threesome that employs extreme close-ups to obscure the identity of the participants for a good part of the scene. Finally, Jamie and Annette flash back in horror to their experiences with a stuck-up PAP (Protestant American Princess) who worked for them, just an excuse to stick in some left-over footage deemed too dark for Misty with Jamie and Constance Money that’s heavy on B&D with ropes and nipple clamps, reverently referenced in Richard Mailer’s A Taste of Money. After that, the movie just stops rather than ends.

The way I see it, Metzger got a bit frustrated with the limitations of the fuck film format, having taken it as far as he could go with Misty. The luxurious restaurant scenes, shot in the lobby of the bankrupt Royal Manhattan Hotel at 44th and 8th nowadays living out its life as the Milford Plaza (as was part of his last porn film, Maraschino Cherry, shot semi-simultaneously but released the following year) with fancy furnishings and dinner ware being auctioned off while filming was still very much in progress, suggest that he entered into the project with great enthusiasm but much of what follows feels slightly formulaic, as if he felt thwarted in the lofty ambitions he hoped to achieve but couldn’t because of time and budgetary restraints, not to mention Misty’s arduous post production period. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a terrific adult film. Lighting and cinematography in particular are as good as you’re ever going to find in the porno field.

Last and least-liked of Radley Metzger’s explicit quintet, Maraschino Cherry shows the talented filmmaker now almost dispensing with plot altogether, a trend he previously toyed with on the free-form Barbara in radical departure from the classic three act structure, borrowed from stage and screen lore since times immemorial, he previously and rigorously adhered to. Though he has yet to go on record about it (keep your ears open for them upcoming commentary tracks !), my guess is that Metzger realized he had pretty much expanded the fornication film form to its genre-imposed limits and was now gently phasing himself out of what was indeed increasingly becoming an industry (rather than art form) he had entered somewhat reluctantly in the first place out of economic necessity as the commercial availability of hardcore had made simulated screen sex obsolete. That said, Maraschino still towers over much of its contemporary competition and may be in need of re-evaluation, an opportunity for which now graciously granted by Video-X-Pix who have issued a sterling 2 disc Platinum Elite Collector’s Edition in glorious widescreen to supplant their earlier bare bones pan & scan single platter.

Metzger’s sophisticated wit fortunately remains very much in evidence throughout. In hindsight, it’s hard to shake the impression that the director was committing the cinematic equivalent of putting out the garbage, incorporating any old and unused footage (again, mostly from Misty) he still had lying around. The loosely constructed narrative of upscale New York madam Gloria Leonard initially attempting to hide the nature of her business from her allegedly naive country cousin Jenny Baxter and subsequently initiating her into following in her footsteps proves perfect for such purpose. Leonard was already a respected if not always revered pillar of porn, a tell it like it is liaison mainstream sources were ever eager to pester for quips and quotes. In temperance of Gloria’s grand dame glowering, the underrated Baxter (such radiant presence essaying the title role in Shaun Costello’s Travails of June if usually a second stringer in high profile porn) projects an immensely appealing wide-eyed innocence without resorting to hick shtick.

As madam Maraschino takes care of husband Wade Nichols’ needs at the start of another busy day at the bordello, her hardworking assistants Lesllie Bovee and Clea Carson are already preparing for their customary client onslaught, placating police and postal services in a typical example of Metzger whimsy elevating the erotic element by fusing sex with sly social commentary. Sue McBain is the resident “clock girl”, dispassionately whipped every hour, her piercing screams telling time ! One of the industry’s truly outstanding submissives, C.J. Laing, punctuates proceedings as the madam’s personal slave who will be thoroughly ravished by Gloria and Annette Haven for film’s climax in the justifiably legendary dungeon scene featuring the inspired use of Scotch-filled shot glasses and the threat of a hot plate.

Cult favorite Susan Jensen owes her self-despised moniker of “Constance Money” to the director with whom she shared many a myth-making spat. Not caring about her billing on Misty (only specifying “anything but Constance”, a name she loathed), the mischievous movie maker subsequently immortalized her financial demands ! Parting ways presumably less than amicably thereafter, Radley recycled cutting room leftovers into both Barbara Broadcast (the frequently censored S&M session with Jamie Gillis) and Maraschino Cherry, the actress successfully suing for damages on both occasions. Memorably appearing fully clothed in the Central Park pond to tempt toy boat enthusiast Lance Knight, whose only other appearance seems to have been a non-sex bit in Chuck Vincent’s Bang Bang, she strokes him off as they watch an 8mm reel of Erica Havens blowing a faceless stud. More intricately inserted is a second sequence with Marc Valentine actually reprising his role a few years down the line to provide context. Original footage has him playing a Spanish bullfighter (now re-interpreted as the fantasy alter ego of a shy client) sharing his saucy senorita (one shot Conchita Costello who bears an uncanny resemblance to TV’s Bones‘ divine Michaela Conlin) with the male drag attired Money.

Special mention for all you real world skeleton in the closet aficionados must be made of Baxter’s spirited threesome with the late Spalding Gray of Swimming to Cambodia fame (who also appeared in a hardcore capacity in Zebedy Colt’s notorious “roughie” Farmer’s Daughters) and Rocky Millstone, who played the title role in Ron Wertheim’s Little Orphan Sammy. Production values are predictably solid if comparatively generic by the director’s own lofty standards, an adjective extending to sets and locations, both of which while anonymously luxurious a far cry from the overwhelming Old World opulence on display in his ’60s soft-core work and his initial fornication forays.

The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974)
Directed by Radley Metzger (as Henry Paris). Written by Metzger (as Jake Barnes). Produced by Ava Leighton (as L. Sultana) for Hudson Valley Films. Cinematography by Paul Glickman (as Marcel Hall). Edited by Doris Toumarkin (as Doris Barrow). Starring Barbara Bourbon (Pamela Mann), Eric Edwards (Frank), Georgina Spelvin (Klute), Alan Marlow (Mr. Mann), Darby Lloyd Rains (Maid), Jamie Gillis (Chauffeur), Levi Richards (as John Ashton) (Hiram Wood), Day Jason (as Naomi Jason) (Receptionist), David Savage (Office Stalker), Marc Stevens (Pamela’s Park Pickup), Sonny Landham (Political Candidate), Kevin Andre (Frank’s Client), Linda Lovemore (Adulterous Tramp) & Doris Toumarkin (as Lola Lagarce) (Poll Taker). Running time : 83 minutes.

Naked Came the Stranger (1975)
Directed by Metzger (as Paris). Written by Metzger (as Barnes), based on the novel by Penelope Ashe (actually the staff of Newsday Magazine). Produced by Ava Leighton (as L. Sultana) for Catalyst Productions. Photographed by Paul Glickman (as Robert Rochester). Edited by Doris Toumarkin (as Doris Barrow). Starring Darby Lloyd Rains (Gillian Blake), Levi Richards (William Blake), Mary Stuart (Phyllis), Alan Marlow (Marvin Goodman), Gerald Grant (Taylor), Helen Madigan (Porn Star), Rita Davis (Society Slut), John Buco (Wine Waiter), David Savage (Gilly’s Waiter) & Marc Stevens (Partygoer). Running time : 83 minutes.

The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976)
Directed by Metzger (as Paris). Written by Metzger (as Barnes). Produced by Ava Leighton (as L. Sultana) for Crescent Films. Cinematography by Paul Glickman (as Robert Rochester).  Edited by Bonnie Karrin. Starring Constance Money (Dolores “Misty” Beethoven), Jamie Gillis (Dr. Seymour Love), Jacqueline Beudant (Geraldine Rich), Terri Hall (Tanya), Gloria Leonard (Barbara), Ras Kean (as Ras King) (Lawrence Lehman), Casey Donovan (Gallery Attendant), Mary Stuart & Jenny Baxter (Flight Attendants), Cynthia Gardner (Outraged Matron), Tia von Davis (Pilot’s Wife), Peter Andrews (Manservant), Michael Gaunt (Geraldine’s Trick), Nancy Dare, Crystal Sync & Marlene Willoughby (Maids). Running time : 90 minutes.

Barbara Broadcast (1977)
Directed by Metzger (as Paris). Written by Metzger (as Barnes). Produced by Ava Leighton (as L. Sultana) for Crescent Films. Cinematography by Chico Carter & Larry Revene. Edited by Gene Perry. Starring Annette Haven (Barbara Broadcast), C.J. Laing (Roberta), Constance Money (PAP = Protestant American Princess), Jamie Gillis (Curley), Shirley Peters (Joyce), Alan Marlow (Joyce’s Date), Bobby Astyr (Maitre d’), Cami Graham (Florence Dorothy), Zebedy Colt (Fine Diner), Michael Gaunt (Barbara’s Uptown Trick), Wade Nichols (Kitchen Slave), Susan McBain (Socialite), Peter Andrews (Obliging Waiter), David Savage (Shy Admirer), Tony Mansfield (Harvey Wallbanger), Clea Carson, Hope Stockton & Sharon Mitchell (Waitresses). Running time : 82 minutes.

Maraschino Cherry (1978)
Directed by Metzger (as Paris). Written by Metzger (as Barnes). Produced by Morton Berman for Maturpix. Cinematography by Chico Carter & Larry Revene. Edited by Harvey Katz. Starring Gloria Leonard (Maraschino Cherry), Jenny Baxter (Penny Cherry), C.J. Laing (Dungeon Slave), Annette Haven (Piano Bar Prostitute), Constance Money (Flashback Floozie), Lesllie Bovee (Maraschino’s Assistant), Wade Nichols (Maraschino’s Man), Susan McBain (Clock Girl), Marc Valentine (Toreador), Conchita Costello (Senorita), Alan Marlow (Piano Bar Pickup), Erica Havens (as Jenny Lind) (Stag Film Actress), Eric Edwards (Assistant’s Trick), Clea Carson (Rush Hour Hooker), David Savage (Concierge), Lance Knight (Sailboat Guy), Peter Andrews (Marine), Michael Gaunt (Toilet Seat Trick), Nancy Dare (Unwilling Prostitute), Crystal Sync & Hope Stockton (Dungeon Denizens), Rocky Millstone & Spalding Gray (Penny’s Tricks). Running time : 83 minutes.

By Dries Vermeulen