Legends is right but, save for a few notable exceptions, this grab bag collection hardly represents any one of them at their glowing best. Perhaps so as not to infringe on his lucrative ONLY THE BEST line of classic sex scene compilations, the late carnal critic yet to turn fornication filmmaker Jim Holliday attempts to shift the focus from quality erotica to the personalities of the performers instead. With the exploits of over fifty name brand amorous artistes covered in just under two hours, he merely manages to skim the surface. As a result, this compendium of lewd behavior works better as a refresher course for the initiated rather than as a starting point for novices whose mind will be reeling from digesting the vast amount of tidbits and trivia Holliday casually tosses about.
Correctly kicking off with a lingering look at the classic era's King and Queen, John Holmes and Marilyn Chambers in their climactic confrontation from Stu Segal's INSATIABLE, Holliday cheerfully rampages through a long list of lust luminaries that should ring at least an occasional bell with longtime adult aficionados. Just about anyone the moderately well-taught wanton could think of is present and accounted for if not always in clips that represent them at the top of their game. Fans pining for elusive Susan Jensen (a/k/a "Constance Money") lured in by the star's "previously unseen footage" advertising come-on should take particular offense to the washed out snippet of a lethargic loop she did with some bushy-haired bozo, taken from a badly deteriorated VHS source. Thankfully, this remains the sole inclusion to scream "rip-off" at the top of its lungs.
Both Georgina Spelvin and Sharon Thorpe are introduced through excerpts from Gary Graver's stupendous 3 AM to highlight their thespian as well as sexual prowess. This particular director's body of work provides a rich vein of solid gold nuggets with V - THE HOT ONE (Annette Haven with Paul Thomas plus a bowdlerized rendition of Kristine Heller, Desiree West and Sandi Pinney piling up on Radio Ray Wells), HOT RACKETS (Cris Cassidy's greenhouse grope with Jon Martin and the Sapphic massage Candida Royalle receives from Laurien Dominique) and THE ECSTASY GIRLS (Jamie Gillis's classic threesome with Nancy Suiter and Stacy Evans) also mined extensively. All of this qualifies as undeniably good stuff and the familiarity of the material will undoubtedly lull the average adult film fan into a sense of security that'll prove patently phony soon enough.
Never one to suffer fools gladly, Holliday pulls out the rug from under the self-congratulatory "instant experts" he fought battle with all his life. Fragments turn (way) more obscure as he gleefully "fails" to mention the movies they came from more often than not. One of the more elaborate sequences serves as an introduction to all time fan favorites C.J. Laing and Terri Hall, emphasizing comedy over carnality as both ladies have it off with dimwitted papa bear Jeff Hurst and, making his East Coast debut as per Holliday's helpful yet maddeningly incomplete info, a dapper John Leslie in full bus driver uniform. A quick glance on disreputable sibling site IAFd reveals the scene's origins as stemming from Bob Chinn's silly but serviceable TV send-up THE HONEYMOONERS.
While I have long chosen to remain staunchly uncritical of Holliday's MO in dealing with dirty movie devotees and fellow smut scribes alike, I must distance myself in retrospect (hindsight being 20/20 as we all know...) from his tactics of littering his otherwise insightful reviews with carefully hidden booby traps designed to trip up the ignoramus intent on riding his coat tails by mindlessly copying his extensive research. Bear in mind however that Holliday conducted his background checks back in the day before the Internet made such endeavors A LOT easier and he sure as hell didn't want to do anyone's dirty work for them. It has always been my motto to share the wealth by putting whatever piece of the historical hardcore jigsaw I managed to uncover on display for the whole world to see, overriding my own ego in an effort to complete the picture for posterity's sake. Jimmy was Top Dog to us all and would never let us dare forget about it. His great efforts have laid the ground work for all of us, scholars and sociologists alike. Too bad he had so little faith invested in those he sought to tutor...
Correctly kicking off with a lingering look at the classic era's King and Queen, John Holmes and Marilyn Chambers in their climactic confrontation from Stu Segal's INSATIABLE, Holliday cheerfully rampages through a long list of lust luminaries that should ring at least an occasional bell with longtime adult aficionados. Just about anyone the moderately well-taught wanton could think of is present and accounted for if not always in clips that represent them at the top of their game. Fans pining for elusive Susan Jensen (a/k/a "Constance Money") lured in by the star's "previously unseen footage" advertising come-on should take particular offense to the washed out snippet of a lethargic loop she did with some bushy-haired bozo, taken from a badly deteriorated VHS source. Thankfully, this remains the sole inclusion to scream "rip-off" at the top of its lungs.
Both Georgina Spelvin and Sharon Thorpe are introduced through excerpts from Gary Graver's stupendous 3 AM to highlight their thespian as well as sexual prowess. This particular director's body of work provides a rich vein of solid gold nuggets with V - THE HOT ONE (Annette Haven with Paul Thomas plus a bowdlerized rendition of Kristine Heller, Desiree West and Sandi Pinney piling up on Radio Ray Wells), HOT RACKETS (Cris Cassidy's greenhouse grope with Jon Martin and the Sapphic massage Candida Royalle receives from Laurien Dominique) and THE ECSTASY GIRLS (Jamie Gillis's classic threesome with Nancy Suiter and Stacy Evans) also mined extensively. All of this qualifies as undeniably good stuff and the familiarity of the material will undoubtedly lull the average adult film fan into a sense of security that'll prove patently phony soon enough.
Never one to suffer fools gladly, Holliday pulls out the rug from under the self-congratulatory "instant experts" he fought battle with all his life. Fragments turn (way) more obscure as he gleefully "fails" to mention the movies they came from more often than not. One of the more elaborate sequences serves as an introduction to all time fan favorites C.J. Laing and Terri Hall, emphasizing comedy over carnality as both ladies have it off with dimwitted papa bear Jeff Hurst and, making his East Coast debut as per Holliday's helpful yet maddeningly incomplete info, a dapper John Leslie in full bus driver uniform. A quick glance on disreputable sibling site IAFd reveals the scene's origins as stemming from Bob Chinn's silly but serviceable TV send-up THE HONEYMOONERS.
While I have long chosen to remain staunchly uncritical of Holliday's MO in dealing with dirty movie devotees and fellow smut scribes alike, I must distance myself in retrospect (hindsight being 20/20 as we all know...) from his tactics of littering his otherwise insightful reviews with carefully hidden booby traps designed to trip up the ignoramus intent on riding his coat tails by mindlessly copying his extensive research. Bear in mind however that Holliday conducted his background checks back in the day before the Internet made such endeavors A LOT easier and he sure as hell didn't want to do anyone's dirty work for them. It has always been my motto to share the wealth by putting whatever piece of the historical hardcore jigsaw I managed to uncover on display for the whole world to see, overriding my own ego in an effort to complete the picture for posterity's sake. Jimmy was Top Dog to us all and would never let us dare forget about it. His great efforts have laid the ground work for all of us, scholars and sociologists alike. Too bad he had so little faith invested in those he sought to tutor...