For fans of obscure sexploitation and early hardcore, the films of Walt Davis (EVIL COME, EVIL GO; WIDOW BLUE) hold a degree of fascinating mystery. While he worked with a surprising number of performers who have since been canonized in the realm of early hardcore (John Holmes, Rick Cassidy, Judy Angel, Sandies Dempsy and Carey), the man himself remains something of an enigma. While PORNOGRAPHY'S SUPERSTARS, still unavailable on home video, doesn't offer much additional info on Davis himself, it nevertheless provides a fascinating and cockeyed look behind the scenes of his bizarre films, and is well worth a look.
Like much early hardcore, SUPERSTARS adopts the structure of a documentary punctuated with gratuitous sex clips (all from earlier films by Davis). The difference is that unlike most films of this genre, the interviewees (various stock players in Davis' de facto repertory company), actually seem to be speaking truthfully about themselves. First is Charles Lish, a bisexual performer memorably featured with Davis (his rumored lover) in the bloody opening of WIDOW BLUE (aka THE DEMON IN MISS JONES and SEX PSYCHO). Suggestively dangling one leg over his armrest, Lish opens up brazenly about himself and his sexuality, which he brands "tri- sexual" (as in "I'll try anything once"). The surprising subversiveness of opening a straight-marketed porn flick with a frank discussion of male-male intercourse is typical of Davis, delightfully unconcerned with the reaction it will provoke from its audience and providing a fascinating bit of background info on the elusive Lish.
An interracial couple is featured next, and both performers provide good insight into early-'70s racial and sexual politics. (I couldn't identify what movie their clip was from, however ) Frequent Davis collaborator Gerard Broulard follows, and it's a pleasure to be afforded some time with the mysterious actor, who flooded the porn market in the early '70s with roles in numerous storefront features before vanishing into obscurity. Sporting a wisp of an attempted goatee, Broulard reveals that he emigrated from France 12 years ago and had been working as a waiter before (and presumably while still) appearing in sex flicks. This jibes with Bob Chinn's hypothesis that he retired to open a French restaurant, and I can only hope he's still out there somewhere, speaking in that charmingly off-kilter cadence.
The final reel is taken up entirely by an interview with Sandy Dempsey and John Holmes, and it's the only real bit of BS in the picture. Identifying herself as Tiffany, Dempsey gives what may or may not be honest descriptions of her personal limits (she's unwilling to do anal) and feelings about making sex films. Holmes, operating under the name Frank Lloyd and full of BS as always, says he's been performing in the industry for seven years (he hadn't) and offers a Herculean estimate of his number of sexual partners. "Tiffany" even says it was "Frank" who got her started in the business, too – another dubious claim.
Despite the questionable authenticity of its final segment, the tenor and candor of the film's earlier scenes leaves little reason to doubt them, and even with Holmes' typical self-aggrandizement PORNOGRAPHY'S SUPERSTARS provides a fascinating portrait of Davis' stock company. While the title is more in line with Big John's brand of hyperbole than actual fact (only Holmes himself could probably be qualified as a genuine superstar), for those interested in the early days of hardcore and its weird, wild offshoot in the films of Walt Davis, SUPERSTARS is can't-miss viewing.
Like much early hardcore, SUPERSTARS adopts the structure of a documentary punctuated with gratuitous sex clips (all from earlier films by Davis). The difference is that unlike most films of this genre, the interviewees (various stock players in Davis' de facto repertory company), actually seem to be speaking truthfully about themselves. First is Charles Lish, a bisexual performer memorably featured with Davis (his rumored lover) in the bloody opening of WIDOW BLUE (aka THE DEMON IN MISS JONES and SEX PSYCHO). Suggestively dangling one leg over his armrest, Lish opens up brazenly about himself and his sexuality, which he brands "tri- sexual" (as in "I'll try anything once"). The surprising subversiveness of opening a straight-marketed porn flick with a frank discussion of male-male intercourse is typical of Davis, delightfully unconcerned with the reaction it will provoke from its audience and providing a fascinating bit of background info on the elusive Lish.
An interracial couple is featured next, and both performers provide good insight into early-'70s racial and sexual politics. (I couldn't identify what movie their clip was from, however ) Frequent Davis collaborator Gerard Broulard follows, and it's a pleasure to be afforded some time with the mysterious actor, who flooded the porn market in the early '70s with roles in numerous storefront features before vanishing into obscurity. Sporting a wisp of an attempted goatee, Broulard reveals that he emigrated from France 12 years ago and had been working as a waiter before (and presumably while still) appearing in sex flicks. This jibes with Bob Chinn's hypothesis that he retired to open a French restaurant, and I can only hope he's still out there somewhere, speaking in that charmingly off-kilter cadence.
The final reel is taken up entirely by an interview with Sandy Dempsey and John Holmes, and it's the only real bit of BS in the picture. Identifying herself as Tiffany, Dempsey gives what may or may not be honest descriptions of her personal limits (she's unwilling to do anal) and feelings about making sex films. Holmes, operating under the name Frank Lloyd and full of BS as always, says he's been performing in the industry for seven years (he hadn't) and offers a Herculean estimate of his number of sexual partners. "Tiffany" even says it was "Frank" who got her started in the business, too – another dubious claim.
Despite the questionable authenticity of its final segment, the tenor and candor of the film's earlier scenes leaves little reason to doubt them, and even with Holmes' typical self-aggrandizement PORNOGRAPHY'S SUPERSTARS provides a fascinating portrait of Davis' stock company. While the title is more in line with Big John's brand of hyperbole than actual fact (only Holmes himself could probably be qualified as a genuine superstar), for those interested in the early days of hardcore and its weird, wild offshoot in the films of Walt Davis, SUPERSTARS is can't-miss viewing.