Although theatrically screened hardcore movies had reached a previously unheard of level of narrative sophistication by the late '70s, there would always be room for well-crafted wall to wall sexathons that casually and carnally dispensed with the need for motivation to get the action going. Call it adult without the alibi and '60s sexploitation rivals Joe Sarno and Don Walters (formerly "Arlo Shiffen", an alias shared with sometimes sidekick Ron Wertheim) were shaping up as virtuosos of the free form fornication film through their creative collaboration on the lucrative INSIDE epics that put the latter's Evart Enterprises on the map. Both he and Walters (who had reinvented himself as "Howard A. Howard" by now) had a smash hit on their hands with their star-studded TIGRESSES AND OTHER MAN-EATERS. Continuing the craft of the "loop carrier" pioneered by Howard Ziem, who imbued the format with artistic credibility, that movie boasted handsome production values, slyly imaginative setups and superb sex. If that was a steak dinner with all the trimmings, the following year's SILKY qualifies more as a $1.99 all you can eat buffet.
Christened "Arthur Kraus" for the occasion, Sarno asked Merle Michaels to step in for Samantha Fox and hump a number of nameless, faceless studs, directly addressing the audience and telling them about all her hot girlfriends. This ploy naturally leads into more sex scenes. Michaels, a captivating comedienne given half a chance (think Larry Revene's SIZZLE), proves powerless against the purple prose she's maneuvered into mouthing. Hands down most cringe-inducing instance has got to be the quip at the end of her introduction that perhaps rather than Silky, her boyfriends should call her "Saucy" because she's "spicy and wet and easy to stir up !" Fortunately, the four fornication fragments that form this film provide the daily dosage of solid meat 'n' potatoes porn. Looking like Kay Parker's twin sister, mature Monica Devon basically repeats her relaxed instructional routine from ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD, seducing boy next door David Savage, still betraying his fence-straddling bisexual filmography through a lilting lisp suggesting suppressed mommy issues rather than MILF attraction.
A dark-haired Christine De Shaffer plays bad influence best friend to Hillary Summers. Both bored in their marriages (the movie seems to make a big deal out of each character's marital status), they find some illicit afternoon delight through Christine's house-sitting assignment, allowing them to invite Bobby Astyr and Ashley Moore. A performer who could ad lib his way out of any sticky situation, Astyr takes what little the wisely uncredited screenplay offers (he's a short order cook, hence cooking jargon double entendres in the bedroom) and turns it into spirited banter with the underestimated De Shaffer (so good as one of Roger Watkins' PINK LADIES) who blooms under his tutelage.
Sapphic splendor must have been the next item on Sarno's agenda. Gloria Leonard, another industry icon getting by on personality, achieves a modicum of poignancy as a twice-divorced matron seeking solace in the arms of tranny hairdresser Sandi Suarez. Though she works hard, it takes Leonard only slightly less than forever to make Sandi's swizzle stick rise to attention.
Saving the best for last, Robin Byrd and Ron Jeremy represent the flick's only happily married couple, spicing up their perfectly fine love life by inviting the staff at a utilitarian motel to join in their amorous antics. For all his laissez faire slip ups in his increasingly shoddy later cinematic life, Sarno would always pay attention to pairing up the right people to generate a sexual spark. The frequently ill-used Byrd's greatest claim to fame was by far her stint as a pioneering Manhattan late night cable hostess. Already something of a "name" when she entered the industry, her subsequent career fell all but flat with only her turns in Jim "Clark" Buckley's schoolgirl classic DEBBIE DOES DALLAS and Watkins' aforementioned PINK LADIES to distinguish. Burning up the screen like never before with a clearly bemused Jeremy, she moves into the stratosphere when first Rick Iverson (wooden leading man of Watkins' HER NAME WAS LISA) and then Dave Ruby step up to the plate to perform corn-hole chores, leaving her a sweaty, glowing and altogether magnificent mess.
