42ND STREET PETE’S BUSTY BABE BONANZA

42ND STREET PETE’S BUSTY BABE BONANZA

Whenever the Alternative Cinema umbrella release titles through their Secret Key Motion Pictures canon, you know they’re going to be of the strictly soft-core variety.

But when said title also boasts the direct involvement of smut purveyor extraordinaire 42nd Street Pete, you can bank on that release being of interest to anyone with a serious interest in all things relating to vintage smut.

And that’s definitely the case here.

Spread across two region-free discs, Pete’s latest haul or rare 8mm loops spans almost three decades and is – he promises, in the accompanying booklet – "the most awe-inspiring collection ever!!!". As the package’s title suggests, the focus is set firmly on girls with a whole lot of upfront charm ...

Disc one opens with an animated slideshow-style main menu page that leads into 11 loops, each of which can be accessed individually via an animated scene-selection menu. Alternatively, there is the option to view them as a whole via the trusted "Play All" function.

Pete is on hand to proffer brief introductions at irregular intervals. He keeps his appearances unobtrusive, allowing instead for the entertainment to run pretty much uninterrupted ...

The fun begins with "Geisha Girls", in which three Asian beauties (well, two lookers and one "I don’t fancy yours much") dance in their skimpies for a grinning goon in a sailor’s outfit. Short and sweet, this is a tame start that nevertheless retains a modicum of lure.

"Bunny Waters" finds the eponymous raven-haired minx grooming herself before a mirror, tantalising the viewer with a breathtaking pair of naturally bouncy hooters which threaten to remain contained for the loop’s duration. Fear not, after precious little teasing she undoes her bra and lets the puppies out. Nice – especially when she climbs a stepladder and takes a dive onto her bed!

"Apple Knockers And A Coke" has been made available on a previous Secret Key compilation DVD, and in this release’s DVD booklet Pete is still claiming that the star of this kinky little strip ’n’ splash number is a very young Marilyn Monroe. It’s not, it’s vague lookalike Arline Hunter who’s the star of this enjoyably offbeat little number.

Pete names one of the better loops "Girls Who Talk To Goats". In it, your average goat pen is livened up immensely by the inclusion of a topless girl in some weird mini-skirt get-up. With a great, fuller figure (nice voluptuous hips) and a canny smile to boot, its women like this that I’m certain every farmer must dream about someday finding in his barn. After a few minutes of innocent frolicking (no goat-humping, I’m afraid: you’ll have to buy ISLAND OF DEATH for that), this vignette suddenly cuts to footage of another woman cavorting on a settee with a (fake?) snake. Although soft-core, this is surprisingly graphic for its time (early 60s, I’d reckon) and plays as an effective precursor to ‘that’ scene from THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES.

Bizarre, and bizarrely erotic, "Frisco Girls" comes next. Basically, it’s five minutes of a mischievous-looking brunette chomping on an apple and then revealing her baps repeatedly for the handheld camera. I can’t even begin to rationalise why, but there’s something subliminally slutty about this one: I like it a lot.

"Classy" for some reason made me think of Susan George in STRAW DOGS. Don’t get too excited: this lady is nowhere near her league. But tall boots and a trim, toned torso help this voyeuristic short prick at the nether regions.

By the time we make it to "Uschi", some may be wondering if the big-titted Scandinavian hottie from the DVD’s front cover was ever going to show up. In actual fact, "Uschi" is the first of four loops spread across this set that feature the gorgeous late star of SUPERVIXENS etc. And yes, you get to cop a good few eyefuls of the comely Ms Digard’s enviable wares. This is also the first loop of the set to be presented in (washed out) colour – proving that Uschi was that rare thing: a woman capable of making purple briefs seem sexy.

She’s almost outdone – but not quite – by glamorous Patricia in the next short, "Patricia Alone". The smutty star of "Big Hair Hijinx" doesn’t do a bad job either, reclining her beehive hairdo onto a hideous 70s-style suite before opening her legs wide to show off a nicely old-fashioned hairy beaver.

Then it’s back to Uschi, and what is without a doubt one of this set’s highlights: her onscreen coupling with one-time porno star Candy Samples. Talk about a battle of the bosoms! Entitled "Triple Climax Orgy" and carrying a 1979 copyright notice, this is another colour effort. The two stars waste no time at all in getting down to business on Candy’s bed, French kissing and tonguing each other’s nipples while Samples even has a stroke around Digard’s labia. Samples’ lucky boyfriend even gets involved, enjoying mouthfuls of muff and mammary at equal turns. Jammy sod. This is enthusiastic (soft) stuff.

After that, disc one’s closing loop "Kitty V" can’t fail to disappoint, despite being moderately enjoyable in isolation.

There’s probably enough on disc one alone to merit a compilation release, but Secret Key go several steps further with a second disc offering – wait for it – another 17 loops.

The pick of the bunch on disc two, which also opens with the same animated main menu page and loop selection/"Play All" options, are the more BDSM-themed loops:

"Dr Probe" (hardly any of these loops have legit titles – Pete’s named them as he feels appropriate) brings Digard back into action, this time as the assistant to a strange doctor with mushroom hair who’s preparing to examine a nervous-looking blonde’s minge. Uschi eases the tension by stripping off and playing with the girl’s tits. It’s good stuff, and the cute blonde lying there with her flaps open for most of the loop definitely helps.

"Mistress Uschi" finds the formidable trollop overseeing the poker game-influenced abduction, stripping and rope-binding of two hapless lovelies. There’s good fun to be had in this cheeky no-budget take on bondage. Some of this stuff looks pretty rough, and the handheld camerawork certainly helps achieve a sense of sleazy "wrongness" to what you’re watching. But if you’re into lesbian loving with a hint of rope-play involved, then the chances are you’ll love this.

All of the loops across the two discs are presented in their original 1.33:1 full-frame ratios, having been remastered newly from their 8mm sources. A mixture of black-and-white and colour, they are largely quite good in quality. Of course, grain and print damage are to be expected, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised by just how good a lot of these loops looked. Colours are fair and contrast holds out well throughout. The loops come without sound.

The only extras across the two discs are to be found on the second one: a selection of trailers for other Secret Key releases. These include ALL THE SINS OF SODOM, BEYOND THE BUSTY STAGS, BUSTY BOMBSHELL COLLECTION, BUSTY STAG COLLECTION, DEEP THROAT COMEDY COLLECTION, FORBIDDEN DESIRES, GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS OF THE 1970S, GRINDHOUSE GIRLS OF THE 1970S, HOUSE ON HOOTER HILL, NAUGHTY NYMPHS, SENSUAL INCANTATIONS, SEX HEX, SEXPLOITATION DOUBLE FEATURE, SKIN IN THE FIFTIES, SKIN IN THE SIXTIES, SKIN IN THE SEVENTIES, SOFTCORE DIVAS, TAYLOR WANE’S EROTIC GAMES, THE BREASTFORD WIVES, TOPLESS TAPIOCA WRESTLING and WILD AND NATURAL.

The set is rounded off by a good colour booklet with characteristically amusing liner notes from Pete.

Excellent stuff, once again, from Secret Key Motion Pictures.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Secret Key
Region 1 - NTSC
Not Rated
Extras :
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