Johnny Wadd Review

Distributor: VCX Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Classic, Feature Film Also known as: Johnny Gunn Run Time: 71 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1971 Director: Bob Chinn Written by: Bob Chinn Cast: John Holmes, Andy Bellamy, Sandy Dempsey, Patti Lee, Gerard Broulard, Bob Chinn Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 4.1 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

Johnny Wadd is the low budget quicky that spawned the adult film private dick franchise that spanned eleven films, twelve if you count the 80s entry The Return of Johnny Wadd released by Penguin Films. Chinn had wanted to make a porno-noir film and as a result Johnny Wadd, porn's hard boiled private dick, was born.

Made on the cheap, for $750 to be exact, Johnny Wadd doesn't offer much of a plot. Johnny Wadd (John Holmes) is hired to find Jeannie Hamilton (Patti Lee) by her friend Miss Bellamy (Andy Bellamy). Jeannie's sister Sandy (Sandy Dempsey) shows up and offers Wadd double to not find her. Most of this takes place in Wadd's living room, with a few exterior scenes and one other indoor location used. The interior scenes were shot in an apartment in Marina del Rey. The plot itself is rather skimpy and very weak. It mostly moves through unexplained, and rather convenient, jumps. The dialog is cheesy and there are many times when the cast stumbles on their lines. Johnny Wadd comes across as more of a series of sex scenes loosely connected by a simple plot than an attempt at an actual film.

Does all this mean that Johnny Wadd is a film to avoid? Actually, no. The sex scenes, albeit short and simple, are for the most part very hot. The overly mature woman that appears in one scene was a last minute replacement for a no show and was older than Chinn had wanted. Unfortunately though, much of the sex scenes has generic music over it with no actual sex sounds or dialog, with only a little portion of them having the latter. This is probably due to the audio having to be removed because of directions being given to the cast on the audio. Overall, the plot will not amaze you, but despite this Johnny Wadd is a solid one-day-wonder and a fun adult film to watch. Johnny Wadd is followed by Flesh of the Lotus.

As for the release, VCX has done a better job than their standard effort for Johnny Wadd. The film is presented in the full screen aspect ratio. The print used is in relatively decent shape. The picture is a little on the soft side and shows grain along with occasional dirt and blemishes. Overall, the image looks good and is better than the average VCX release. The film is presented with a Dolby Digital 4.1 monaural soundtrack, which has no issues.

As for extras, VCX has included several that relate to the feature film and definitely enhance the release. The film itself has a commentary track with Bob Chinn, which can be slow at times, but Chinn talks quite a bit about the film and what went into it. “An Interview With Bob Chinn” has director Bob Chinn talking about the adult film industry, John Holmes and the Johnny Wadd series, and the adult film industry's change to video over film. The only missing extra one might want to go with the film is the original theatrical trailer.

VCX has included several other extras that have little or no relation to the feature film. There is the “John Holmes Slide Show,” which has stills of John Holmes from various VCX films. There are trailers for Fantasy World, Hot Legs, Prisoner of Paradise, and Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls. Bonus scenes are included from Taxi Girls, Prisoner of Paradise, Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls, and Tropic of Desire. VCX has also included the full movies Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls and Prisoner of Paradise on the disc as Windows Media Files only. Don't expect a whole lot from them though as they have poor picture quality, I expect from being low resolution files, and a VCX bug on the bottom of the screen.

Johnny Wadd, the first film in the Johnny Wadd series, is not one of the truly amazing adult films that came out of the 70s, but it is a fun low budget quickie. The plot and acting are lacking, but the sex scenes are solid.

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