During the so-called "Porno Chic" period of the mid-1970s (think Radley Metzger=Henry Paris), XXX films became more and more elaborate. In 1980 STORMY turns out to be a successful throwback: why not make a feature-length film that resembles the hot loops of a decade earlier? John Holmes stars as a brothel owner in Frisco, who deigns to come to work every Friday to pick up his ill-gotten gains and literally check out (and test drive) any new whores on the payroll.
Film gets underway energetically, with ad lib dialog, as girl friend Linda Wong convinces John to service her before "going to the office".
He's driving a sleek, vintage Rolls Royce (with right-side steering wheel, no less). Film's format is a bit unusual in that we don't see customers with hookers, but rather the female talent servicing the brothel staff, not just Holmes but also his pimps/recruiters like Joey Silvera, Don Fernando and Billy Dee.
John Seeman is surprisingly convincing as the brothel's shy accountant, who reluctantly is seduced by two of the hookers (including Chris Cassidy) and comes out of his shell with an ample money shot. Cassidy even gives the fans a momentary shot of milk in lactating mode.
Much of the talent is familiar from their successful careers in loops (Holmes included), especially Connie Peterson who is styled beautifully as she takes on Fernando and Ken Scudder for a patented d.p. scene, even wearing her Swedish Erotica alumna scarf. Suzannah French as Irma is beautiful in a threesome with Billy Dee, bringing back memories of her all-time classic mixed-combo loop "14-Inch Root".
Final reel is a letdown as an unidentified "strawberry blonde" does a d.p. with Holmes and guest star Silvera, in the most mechanical fashion -she is expressionless and zombie-like throughout. Final three minutes of the film is padding: highlights of archival scenes in which Holmes serviced various beauties, notably Virginia Winter (perhaps made when they teamed up for TEENAGE FANTASIES: PART II).
Photography is excellent, a model for how to shoot explicit porn. And thankfully it was shot on film, made a couple years before video took over.
