Color, 1977, 76 mins. / Directed by Henry Paris (Radley Metzger) / Starring Annette Haven, C.J. Laing, Sharon Mitchell, Wade Nichols, Jamie Gillis, Constance Money, Susan McBain, Bobby Astyr

Having established himself as a successful XXX director under the name Henry Paris, Radley Metzger quickly followed up his groundbreaking The Opening of Misty Beethoven the following year with Barbara Broadcast, another attempt to fuse lavish visuals and sharp wit with down and dirty sex scenes. This time any semblance of a plot is purely accidental, as the entire film revolves entirely around a goofy concept and manages to turn grindhouse filmmaking into pure surrealism.

At a posh New York restaurant, renowned sex expert Barbara Broadcast (Annette Haven) is interviewed by adventurous reporter Robert (C.J. Laing). However, people don't just eat food here, as the waitstaff delivers a variety of sexual services straight off the menu. Barbara's interview is constantly disrupted by autograph requests, sexual favors, and visits from old friends, while the clientele dallies on the tables, enjoys unorthodox salad dressing, and watches the maitre'd exact a most perverse revenge against waitresses who drop the restaurant's expensive plates. Eventually Roberta decides to get in on the action by traipsing off to the kitchen, where she enjoys a steamy session with a dishwasher (Wade Nichols). That night she and Barbara meet up again at a disco, where they engage in some public displays with the libidinous Curley (Jamie Gillis) and listen to his story involving a disciplinarian approach to a Protestant American Princess (Constance Money).

The opening half hour of Barbara Broadcast is a delirious delight, as the elegant restaurant setting provides a perfectly Bunuelian backdrop for a variety of sexual activities. Unfortunately the film has nowhere to go from there, with the story simply tacking on one encounter after another but only barely bothering to explain them. The kitchen sequence is by far the most intense moment of the film, and all of the performers (particularly Jennifer Grey lookalike Laing) seem to be putting their all into their roles. Mildly diverting fun and unmistakably Metzger, this isn't Misty Beethoven, but then how could it be?

Like many '70s "Henry Paris" titles, Barbara Broadcast has been chopped to pieces over the years due to various censorship laws governing the home video industry. First The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann lost an entire sequence in a car garage involving Jamie Gillis due to the presence of a prop gun, and then this film turned up on home video from VCA (running a scant 69 minutes!) missing the entire final seven minutes of the film, again featuring Gillis. In fact this chilly S&M sequence was an excised scene from Misty Beethoven, which provoked Money into a succesful lawsuit for additional payment. The DVD restores this rarely seen finale, presented by Gillis as a flashback, though a few close up shots are still missing (legally a film can't mix hardcore with physical restraints in the same scene). The kitchen scene also contains the same softened opening from the earlier VCA release; originally Laing relieved herself on camera, but most versions subtitute Nichols' reaction shots instead combined with some vivid sound effects. Therefore the disc still comes up a bit short compared to the original running time, but it's still far more complete than anything we've had before. As with the Misty Beethoven disc, Gillis and Leonard return for an audio commentary, though their specific recollections are rather limited due to the fact that Leonard had nothing to do with the film and Gillis merely had a glorified cameo. Instead they offer more of an overview of the whole '70s adult film scene, Metzger's filmmaking techniques, and the histories behind the various performers.

A customer from New York, NY
One of the best in adult cinema, Barbara Broadcast is the story of a young reporter (C.J. Laing) who gets the opportunity to interview one of her heroes, a legendary NY prostitute played by Annette Haven. The interview takes place in a restaurant where diners order various types of sex rather than food, and a good time is had by all. An excellent film. Radley Metzger's (Credited here as Henry Paris) films are arguably the best films ever. - Ruby Soho
     
A customer from Moline, IL
Although there is more sucking than f*cking in this movie, it is a keeper. Lots of sex in a restaraunt and dance club shows Annette giving head, getting laid and doing a lesbian scene. CJ Laing takes it in the ass without a whimper. Great movie.
     
A customer from Rock Island, IL
I saw this film when it first came out. To this day,I still think it's great. The restaurant scenes are memorable to say the least. The acting in this film compares well with some of the better financed and directed films of the late 70's. This film, just like 'DeepThroat' and 'Behind the Green Door' will always be classics in an industry that exposed the pleasures of private home entertainment.