The Blonde in Black Lace

Bob Chinn's initial JOHNNY WADD movie cost only $750 to produce (per Chinn), and he ultimately made a dozen films in the private eye series, nine of which starred John Holmes. (THE DANISH CONNECTION in which Chinn only acted makes a baker's dozen.) This early entry mirrors the original in chintziness, but boasts arousing performances by the distaff leads.

Mainly in voice-over, the perfunctory plot has title character Susan Fourneau (beautiful Susan Westcott) hiring Wadd to get evidence against her billionaire husband Claude (porn stalwart Alain Patrick in a non-sex role) in order to divorce him. Claude is also trying to kill her.

The nonsensical action and twists aren't worth recounting or even "spoiling", but besides Holmes the bulk of the humping is done by Claude's bodyguard Bill (tattooed and untalented Charles Lish).

Holmes does his own minor stunt work climbing up and down a couple of buildings; this comes off not as realism but rather mere cheapness -they couldn't afford to hire a stuntman. Even though Bill is carrying a gun, Chinn insists on a climactic showdown with Wadd that is clumsy fisticuffs, a type of backyard movie fighting that is beyond satire, though BOOGIE NIGHTS made fun of it anyway.

Westcott is the attraction here. This beautiful forerunner of Sharon Kane (who she resembles, but is prettier) is extremely sexy, whether merely putting on her black nylons and garter belt, or giving Wadd a sensual blow job. In the latter category, Nora Wieternik as Wadd's Girl Friday is also very stimulating in the humping department.

As an old girl friend, Chlorine Stillwater is merely okay, but won a promotion to become Wadd's secretary in a later entry in the series, TROPIC OF PASSION.

Mostly shot MOS, film looks cheap, with perfunctory exterior scenes starring Wadd's Porsche convertible. Chinn's camera-work is exemplary in spotlighting both Holmes' cock from interesting angles as well as the femmes' attributes, but his editing is haphazard -notably using stray shots of Patrick mugging in several scenes where they don't work.

When the action flags, familiar music pirated from Ennio Morricone's scores for THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE carry the film.