''Maraschino Cherry'' is an American

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

pornographic film and

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

released in 1978. The film was directed by

Radley Metzger Radley Metzger (also known as Radley Henry Metzger, Radley H. Metzger and by the pseudonyms, "Jake Barnes", "Erich Farina" and "Henry Paris") (January 21, 1929 – March 31, 2017) was an American pioneering filmmaker and film distributor, mos ...

(as "Henry Paris") and filmed in several locations in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

; it was his fifth and final hardcore film.

Plot

Maraschino Cherry (

Gloria Leonard Gloria Leonard (born Gale Sandra Klinetsky; August 28, 1940 – February 3, 2014) was an American pornographic actress during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984) who later became the publisher of ''High Society'' magazine. As a board member of ...

), the owner of a high-class

escort service An escort agency is a company that provides escorts for clients, usually for sexual services. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room (outcall), or at the escort' ...

, teaches her younger sister Penny Cherry ( Jenny Baxter) about the business The two sisters reflect on a series of erotic episodes related to the service and its clients., replete with humorous puns and innuendos.

Cast

as Maraschino "Mara" Cherry * Jenny Baxter as Penny Cherry, Maraschino Cherry's younger sister * Lesllie Bovee as Maraschino's personal assistant * Annette Haven as the Piano Bar Girl * C. J. Laing as a Slave * Constance Money as an Escort *

Eric Edwards Eric Edwards may refer to: * Eric Edwards (actor) Eric Edwards (born Robert Everett on November 30, 1945) is an American pornographic actor, photographer, and director. Everett started in mainstream theater and transitioned into porn, starting ...

as a Client *

Michael Gaunt Michael Gaunt is a former pornographic actor who appeared in many films during the Golden Age of Porn, including ''Barbara Broadcast'' in 1977 and ''Maraschino Cherry'' in 1978. Awards and nominations *1988 AVN Award – Best Supporting Actor – ...

as a Client * Susan McBain as an Escort *

Wade Nichols Dennis Posa (October 28, 1946 – January 28, 1985), also known by the performing names of Wade Nichols and Dennis Parker, was an actor and singer who started his career in adult films. Early life Parker was born in Manhattan, New York and raise ...

as a Boyfriend

Reception

One film reviewer notes that " 'Maraschino Cherry''may not be 'Metzger's''finest moment", but that it is "... still a beautifully shot film ... the dialogue is well written, the humor genuinely funny ...". Another reviewer writes, "Most of Metzger’s films are known for their offbeat humor and witty dialog. ''Maraschino Cherry'' is filled

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

many amusing comedy set pieces ...".

Background

''Maraschino Cherry'' was released during the

Golden Age of Porn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2018/01#Another_Worthy_Journal_Article_on_Wordpress ---> The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American porno ...

(inaugurated by the 1969 release of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

'' Blue Movie'') in the United States, at a time of "

porno chic Porno may refer to: * Pornography, explicit depiction of sexual subject matter with principal intention of sexually exciting a viewer **Pornographic magazine **Pornographic film * ''Porno'' (film), a 2019 American film * ''Porno'' (novel), a 2 ...

",Porno Chic (Jahsonic.com)
/ref> in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

) and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).

Notes

According to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the

(1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle". Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography". Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

Remastered version

In 2009, DistribPix released a complete remastering of the film, with the full cooperation of the director. The result had a limited exhibition in theaters, but the main outcome of the project was the first-ever official remastered DVD version. A listing of the music on the film soundtrack was released earlier.

Music soundtrack

References

External links

''Marascino Cherry''
at MUBI (related to The Criterion Collection) * *
''Maraschino Cherry'' – 2009 remastering at DistribPix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maraschino Cherry American erotic films Films directed by Radley Metzger 1978 films 1970s pornographic films Films set in New York City 1970s English-language films 1970s American films