PRIZED POSSESSION is worth viewing as a rather interesting example of the '70s NYC brand of throwaway porn, with a storyline and execution just novel enough to rise above the mediocrity of this form. Like his more famous contemporary Shaun Costello, Richard Mailer (who comically bills himself as "Grey Poupon" and "Mr. Mustard") helms a talented troupe of Gotham talent through their paces in a typical one-day wonder.
Cover art for this forgotten title misleadingly bills: "Samantha Fox is the... Prized Possession", when in fact that lead role and designation goes to her frequent co-star Marlene Willoughby. I never met Marlene back in the day but did have the pleasure of speaking to her on the phone when I worked at Variety in the '80s. Her claim to fame at the time was the rumored participation in Scorsese's RAGING BULL as a fluffer on the set for De Niro anent his famous ice cubes in the shorts scene, a piece of trivia that has not been confirmed (go ask Marty).
Here Marlene is a model named Jill who posed for the centerfold of a porn mag named Wink, published by sleazy Larry Quinn (Dave Ruby). Farragut Fletcher (Roger Caine) narrates the film writing florid entries in his diary, finding hope in his lonely life when he meets Jill in an elevator leaving Quinn's office and falls in love with her. After a stroll down wintry NYC streets, their initial sex scene is hot and notable for her retaining her mesh stockings while Fletcher amusingly keeps his black socks on. Marlene's very thick bush is the dominant contrast.
He pledges his love but demands that she be forever true to him, but alas, she announces that Wink magazine has awarded her sexual services for an upcoming weekend to a lucky reader via a contest Quinn conjured up. Jill has unshakable integrity - meaning here (tongue-in-cheek) that she must go through with the contracted sex. For the fans, the ever-interesting issue of porn acting/nude modeling/prostitution is raised comically.
Fletcher breaks into Quinn's office to find the name and address of the contest winner, with a plan to avert the inevitable. Meanwhile Quinn is making love to his attractive Black secretary (an actress who I could not identify). Fletcher discovers the winner is William Schneiderman who lives on W. 14th St., and he sends a "former ardent admirer" Nancy (Samantha Fox) to substitute for Jill as Schneiderman's prize. Slapdash script doesn't explain how a loyal reader could be fooled as to the identity of the centerfold, and Fox's agreeing to do this over the phone is likewise not credible.
She arrives at the winner's apartment and as Schneiderman the comical porn star Bobby Astyr improvises a funny scene where Fox keeps breaking up with laughter as he is more interested in humping her underwear laid out on his bed rather than her real body. He later reluctantly agrees to do it "her way" (conventional sex).
Back at his writing desk Fletcher reveals he's received a telegram from Nancy announcing that she and Schneiderman have opened an X-rated motel in Passaic, New Jersey, evidently living happily ever after. Fletcher is preparing to propose marriage to Jill, but the 2nd place winner in the contest has been awarded the prize in Schneiderman's absence, and Jill true to her word is away for the promised weekend of sex.
Fletcher makes love to the Black secretary in exchange for the name & address of the new winner but he's too late. Film ends with a twist of the winner "Jack" turning out to be a lesbian, with a sensual love scene between her (Erica Richardson) and Willoughby.
The purple prose written by Caine in his diary is fun but the film's who-cares production is a drawback. In particular, the inter-cutting at the end of shots of Fletcher wandering the NYC streets at night and then throwing his diary away into the gutter are very poorly done -in the VCX DVD version I watched this footage was barely visible at all due to low lighting (perhaps the theatrical version print was better). Fortunately the able cast and moments of levity make this forgotten film worth rediscovering by loyal genre fans.
Cover art for this forgotten title misleadingly bills: "Samantha Fox is the... Prized Possession", when in fact that lead role and designation goes to her frequent co-star Marlene Willoughby. I never met Marlene back in the day but did have the pleasure of speaking to her on the phone when I worked at Variety in the '80s. Her claim to fame at the time was the rumored participation in Scorsese's RAGING BULL as a fluffer on the set for De Niro anent his famous ice cubes in the shorts scene, a piece of trivia that has not been confirmed (go ask Marty).
Here Marlene is a model named Jill who posed for the centerfold of a porn mag named Wink, published by sleazy Larry Quinn (Dave Ruby). Farragut Fletcher (Roger Caine) narrates the film writing florid entries in his diary, finding hope in his lonely life when he meets Jill in an elevator leaving Quinn's office and falls in love with her. After a stroll down wintry NYC streets, their initial sex scene is hot and notable for her retaining her mesh stockings while Fletcher amusingly keeps his black socks on. Marlene's very thick bush is the dominant contrast.
He pledges his love but demands that she be forever true to him, but alas, she announces that Wink magazine has awarded her sexual services for an upcoming weekend to a lucky reader via a contest Quinn conjured up. Jill has unshakable integrity - meaning here (tongue-in-cheek) that she must go through with the contracted sex. For the fans, the ever-interesting issue of porn acting/nude modeling/prostitution is raised comically.
Fletcher breaks into Quinn's office to find the name and address of the contest winner, with a plan to avert the inevitable. Meanwhile Quinn is making love to his attractive Black secretary (an actress who I could not identify). Fletcher discovers the winner is William Schneiderman who lives on W. 14th St., and he sends a "former ardent admirer" Nancy (Samantha Fox) to substitute for Jill as Schneiderman's prize. Slapdash script doesn't explain how a loyal reader could be fooled as to the identity of the centerfold, and Fox's agreeing to do this over the phone is likewise not credible.
She arrives at the winner's apartment and as Schneiderman the comical porn star Bobby Astyr improvises a funny scene where Fox keeps breaking up with laughter as he is more interested in humping her underwear laid out on his bed rather than her real body. He later reluctantly agrees to do it "her way" (conventional sex).
Back at his writing desk Fletcher reveals he's received a telegram from Nancy announcing that she and Schneiderman have opened an X-rated motel in Passaic, New Jersey, evidently living happily ever after. Fletcher is preparing to propose marriage to Jill, but the 2nd place winner in the contest has been awarded the prize in Schneiderman's absence, and Jill true to her word is away for the promised weekend of sex.
Fletcher makes love to the Black secretary in exchange for the name & address of the new winner but he's too late. Film ends with a twist of the winner "Jack" turning out to be a lesbian, with a sensual love scene between her (Erica Richardson) and Willoughby.
The purple prose written by Caine in his diary is fun but the film's who-cares production is a drawback. In particular, the inter-cutting at the end of shots of Fletcher wandering the NYC streets at night and then throwing his diary away into the gutter are very poorly done -in the VCX DVD version I watched this footage was barely visible at all due to low lighting (perhaps the theatrical version print was better). Fortunately the able cast and moments of levity make this forgotten film worth rediscovering by loyal genre fans.