Perhaps this movies' title is slightly inappropriate as few other stars of X-rated entertainment could have had such a full and active life outside the industry as had Gloria Leonard. A single mother who'd had spells as an art dealer and then stockbroker, she entered the fledgling adult industry partially to make a better standard of living for herself and her daughter, but also to nail her colours to the mast of sexual freedom including the right of women to defy convention, enjoy recreational sex and work in whatever field they chose.
A vociferous opponent of censorship, she did a 15 year stint as promoter, publicist and writer for the sex magazine High Society, taking pride in pushing back the boundaries of what could be shown, but always stated that she wouldn't ask anyone to do anything she wouldn't do herself.
ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD benefits from the co-direction of veteran Joe Sarno and shares one or two similarities with his earlier INSIDE JENNIFER WELLES. But it is very convincing in depicting the enterprising Ms. Leonard as a spirited and independent woman who takes life by the balls - sometimes literally - and lives it on her own terms, and is a celebration of female lust.
Having weakened the resistance of the majority of her audience with a display of her luscious legs, she proceeds to recollect a number of her sexual adventures, commencing with an intimate investigation into just why the office boy is so popular with the female staff. Next, in the most memorable scene, and the most evocative of the late 1970s, she visits a nightclub and after being turned-on watching exotic dancer Gloria Todd, tentatively asks her for a date via waitress Ming Toy, which leads to a very erotic encounter between the three women in an apartment. Following a scorching session with David Morris with a voice-over by Gloria describing her physical sensations whilst having sex, she experiments with a sex-toy while reading a letter from a female admirer in another erotic scene. She looks on as one-time husband Bobby Hollander proves he was no slouch in the sack in his sensual encounter with another woman and helps out a middle-aged call-girl who enjoys her work. After ensuring that three gamblers come up trumps at the same time, she finally learns from the late Mark Stevens and Jamie Gillies why 'two heads are better than one'.
A fun film about a smart, sophisticated and sexy woman.
