Score (film)
Encyclopedia
Score is the name of a sexploitation
film directed by Radley Metzger
that was one of the first films to explore bisexual relationships. It was part of the brief porn chic fad in the early 1970s that also included The Devil in Miss Jones
and Deep Throat
. The film was based on an off-Broadway
stage play that ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 through November 15, 1971 and that featured Sylvester Stallone
in a brief role (as telephone repairman Mike).
The theatrical version of Score was written and by Jerry Douglas, who later became a mainstream screenwriter. It was set in a shabby Queens
tenement, while the film was set in an elegant, mythical land and sported a relatively high budget for an independent film of that era.
It has been released in both soft-core and hard-core versions. One DVD release, a soft-core version, shows a renewed copyright date of 1976 (all prints featuring the 1976 copyright are the director's approved, edited version), but the film itself was actually released in the United States in December 1973. Hardcore prints, including full-frontal male nudity and fellatio, run 91 minutes, while the ubiquitous soft-core prints were released in an 84 minute format. First Run Pictures marketed the original hardcore version on videocassette, though it was a limited release available by special mail order only. These extremely rare prints occasionally surface on eBay. The hard-core version is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
ad. Elvira, a self-professed "sexual snob" has bet she can seduce newlywed Betsy, married to handsome marine biologist Eddie. If she fails by a certain midnight, then Jack gets to seduce Eddie.
While Jack and Eddie go to work separately, Betsy comes round to visit her new friend Elvira. She's very intrigued by Elvira's open admission of her swinging lifestyle, including spouse-swapping and drugs. When Mike, the telephone repair man, arrives (Elvira had sabotaged the phone earlier just in hopes of a handsome man showing up), Betsy is fascinated and shocked as Elvira seduces him right before her eyes. She also admits that she's not really happy, especially after catching Eddie masturbating in the bathroom. But she says Elvira's actions are not for her, because at heart she is still a Catholic
schoolgirl
. Elvira tells a story about Jack, about just before they were married, and how he said he would "climb aboard a porcupine
" if he had a mind to.
The two couples get together that night, and get slightly high on pot
. Pulling out a trunk of costumes, they decide to play dress up. Jack dons a sailor
's uniform while Betsy wears a very revealing modeling
outfit. To Betsy's shock/tititalation (and Jack's huge amusement), Elvira's costume is based on a nun
's wimple
, but with nothing underneath. They tease Eddie into putting on a cowboy
outfit.
As the night progresses, the two wives
and two husband
s pair off to wander and chat. During the course of their conversations, each of the naive couple admit to dissatisfaction, including a questioning whether they ever should have gotten married. Eddie, it turns out, was Betsy's brother's best friend. There is a hint that he and Eddie were maybe closer than friends, although Eddie doesn't seem to know that Betsy might realize that. Betsy, meanwhile, lets her hair down and is even a little worried something might "happen" between her and Elvira. She also gets giddy at saying the word "fuck" for the first time. Downstairs, Jack, remarks to Eddie that just before he and Elvira were married, she commented, "Jack, I'd hop in the sack with a porcupine if it struck my fancy."
Elvira and Betsy end up in the upstairs bedroom, with Jack and Eddie in the downstairs den. A quick phone
call between the swinging couple has them agree that midnight is the deadline for them both. As the late night progresses, both introduce their perspective seductees to amyl nitrite
(each says the same line as they do: "Bingo!") and when asking for the time, interpret the respective watch
es as either "slow" or "fast" depending upon their own desires.
Both Eddie and Betsy are simultaneously seduced, receiving and giving oral sex
. Betsy is even penetrated with a strap-on
(while wearing a collar and leash). Eddie, penetrated by Jack, has a brief hallucination
that the person making love to him is Betsy.
In the morning, Jack and Elvira consider the score pretty much even. Betsy and Eddie are confused, each thinking perhaps the other is the "normal" one. Betsy even makes a remark about them both being "porcupines." When Mike suddenly arrives for a visit, just as Jack and Elvira are getting ready to have a ménage à trois
with Betsy, Jack invites him, too, boasting that they "play all kinds of games around here". A chance remark brings out the fact Mike and Eddie both enjoy bowling. Somewhat to Jack and Elvira's surprise, Mike leaves to play with Eddie and Betsy, who suggests they all get together soon to play "Bingo".
Sexploitation
Sexploitation, or "sex-exploitation", describes a class of independently produced, low-budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity. The genre is a subgenre of exploitation films...
film directed by Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger is an American filmmaker and distributor. He is also credited under the pseudonym Henry Paris, a name he adopted in the 1970s when he began to direct hardcore pornography....
that was one of the first films to explore bisexual relationships. It was part of the brief porn chic fad in the early 1970s that also included The Devil in Miss Jones
The Devil in Miss Jones
The Devil in Miss Jones is a pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano and starring Georgina Spelvin. It is widely regarded as a classic adult film, released during the Golden Age of Porn. Damiano made the film after his 1972 success with Deep Throat...
and Deep Throat
Deep Throat (film)
Deep Throat is a 1972 American pornographic film written and directed by Gerard Damiano and produced by Louis Peraino and starring Linda Lovelace ....
. The film was based on an off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
stage play that ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 through November 15, 1971 and that featured Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
in a brief role (as telephone repairman Mike).
The theatrical version of Score was written and by Jerry Douglas, who later became a mainstream screenwriter. It was set in a shabby Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
tenement, while the film was set in an elegant, mythical land and sported a relatively high budget for an independent film of that era.
It has been released in both soft-core and hard-core versions. One DVD release, a soft-core version, shows a renewed copyright date of 1976 (all prints featuring the 1976 copyright are the director's approved, edited version), but the film itself was actually released in the United States in December 1973. Hardcore prints, including full-frontal male nudity and fellatio, run 91 minutes, while the ubiquitous soft-core prints were released in an 84 minute format. First Run Pictures marketed the original hardcore version on videocassette, though it was a limited release available by special mail order only. These extremely rare prints occasionally surface on eBay. The hard-core version is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Cast
- Claire WilburClaire WilburClaire Wilbur, also known as Catt Wilbur was an American actress of stage and screen as well as an Academy Award-winning producer of short films...
(Elvira Jackson, the swinging wife) - Calvin Culver (aka Casey Donovan) (Eddie, the closeted husband)
- Lynn Lowry (Betsy, the naive wife)
- Gerald Grant (Jack, the swinging husband)
- Carl Parker (Mike Nixon, the horny telephone repairman)
Plot summary
In the mythical European city of Leisure, married couple Jack and Elvira have an ongoing bet regarding who can seduce whom. This comes up in the wake of a swinging night with a couple of tourists picked up via a newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
ad. Elvira, a self-professed "sexual snob" has bet she can seduce newlywed Betsy, married to handsome marine biologist Eddie. If she fails by a certain midnight, then Jack gets to seduce Eddie.
While Jack and Eddie go to work separately, Betsy comes round to visit her new friend Elvira. She's very intrigued by Elvira's open admission of her swinging lifestyle, including spouse-swapping and drugs. When Mike, the telephone repair man, arrives (Elvira had sabotaged the phone earlier just in hopes of a handsome man showing up), Betsy is fascinated and shocked as Elvira seduces him right before her eyes. She also admits that she's not really happy, especially after catching Eddie masturbating in the bathroom. But she says Elvira's actions are not for her, because at heart she is still a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
schoolgirl
Schoolgirl
A schoolgirl is a girl attending either primary or secondary school, generally aged between four and eighteen years old.-Academic performance:This has led in some countries to calls for greater equality for education in the school system...
. Elvira tells a story about Jack, about just before they were married, and how he said he would "climb aboard a porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
" if he had a mind to.
The two couples get together that night, and get slightly high on pot
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. Pulling out a trunk of costumes, they decide to play dress up. Jack dons a sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
's uniform while Betsy wears a very revealing modeling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
outfit. To Betsy's shock/tititalation (and Jack's huge amusement), Elvira's costume is based on a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
's wimple
Wimple
A wimple is a garment worn around the neck and chin, and which usually covers the head. Its use developed among women in early medieval Europe . At many stages of medieval culture it was unseemly for a married woman to show her hair...
, but with nothing underneath. They tease Eddie into putting on a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
outfit.
As the night progresses, the two wives
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
and two husband
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
s pair off to wander and chat. During the course of their conversations, each of the naive couple admit to dissatisfaction, including a questioning whether they ever should have gotten married. Eddie, it turns out, was Betsy's brother's best friend. There is a hint that he and Eddie were maybe closer than friends, although Eddie doesn't seem to know that Betsy might realize that. Betsy, meanwhile, lets her hair down and is even a little worried something might "happen" between her and Elvira. She also gets giddy at saying the word "fuck" for the first time. Downstairs, Jack, remarks to Eddie that just before he and Elvira were married, she commented, "Jack, I'd hop in the sack with a porcupine if it struck my fancy."
Elvira and Betsy end up in the upstairs bedroom, with Jack and Eddie in the downstairs den. A quick phone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
call between the swinging couple has them agree that midnight is the deadline for them both. As the late night progresses, both introduce their perspective seductees to amyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite is the chemical compound with the formula C5H11ONO. A variety of isomers are known, but they all feature an amyl group attached to the nitrito functional group. The alkyl group is unreactive and the chemical and biological properties are mainly due to the nitrite group...
(each says the same line as they do: "Bingo!") and when asking for the time, interpret the respective watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
es as either "slow" or "fast" depending upon their own desires.
Both Eddie and Betsy are simultaneously seduced, receiving and giving oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
. Betsy is even penetrated with a strap-on
Strap-on dildo
A strap-on dildo is a dildo designed to be worn, usually with a harness, during sexual activity. Harnesses and dildos are made in a wide variety of styles, with variations in how the harness fits the wearer, how the dildo attaches to the harness, as well as various features intended to facilitate...
(while wearing a collar and leash). Eddie, penetrated by Jack, has a brief hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
that the person making love to him is Betsy.
In the morning, Jack and Elvira consider the score pretty much even. Betsy and Eddie are confused, each thinking perhaps the other is the "normal" one. Betsy even makes a remark about them both being "porcupines." When Mike suddenly arrives for a visit, just as Jack and Elvira are getting ready to have a ménage à trois
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
with Betsy, Jack invites him, too, boasting that they "play all kinds of games around here". A chance remark brings out the fact Mike and Eddie both enjoy bowling. Somewhat to Jack and Elvira's surprise, Mike leaves to play with Eddie and Betsy, who suggests they all get together soon to play "Bingo".
Trivia
- Claire WilburClaire WilburClaire Wilbur, also known as Catt Wilbur was an American actress of stage and screen as well as an Academy Award-winning producer of short films...
was the only performer from the original Off-Broadway play to reprise her role in the film. Both Metzger and writer Jerry Douglas wanted to retain the play's male lead (Michael Beirne as Jack), but he declined the offer due to another stage commitment. Neither Metzger nor Douglas considered hiring then unknown Sylvester Stallone, whom they felt would not fit in with the elegant European sensibility of the film. - Although widely believed that Score was shot in the city of ZagrebZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, capital of CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
then in YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, this is incorrect. All locations in Score were filmed in BakarBakarBakar ) is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The population of the town is 1,566 , while the population of the municipality is 7,773. 90% declare themselves Croats . The old part of Bakar is situated on a hill overlooking the Bay of Bakar...
, Croatia, a seaport and small village located about 15 km from RijekaRijekaRijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, south of Zagreb in the Kvarner region of Croatia. - There is a sixth speaking role in the film, the actress who plays Gerald Grant's photography assistant. She is uncredited for her one line, and has never been identified.
- According to Radley MetzgerRadley MetzgerRadley Metzger is an American filmmaker and distributor. He is also credited under the pseudonym Henry Paris, a name he adopted in the 1970s when he began to direct hardcore pornography....
, the interior scenes of the house owned by the swinging couple were shot in three different homes. This was necessary because the original home was being rented by a Yugoslavian government official who continually ordered the crew to leave the home. Metzger disguised the change in location through ingenious editing techniques. - In an interview with Stephen Gallagher for Filmmaker magazine, Metzger revealed that the film originally had a four-week shooting schedule but was extended to nine because he had just one cameraman/lighting director. To save time, Metzger operated the camera himself. This was the only film in Metzger's career in which he acted as both camera operator and director.
- According to the biography on Lynn Lowry's homepage, Claire Wilbur (a veteran stage actress) became upset during filming on discovering that Lowry (a newcomer) was earning three times as much money as Wilbur. This created tension that lasted throughout the shooting.
- In a July 2007 article for the Desert Valley Times News , Claire Wilbur's longtime friend Margaret Caldwell wrote that years later, Wilbur commented that she wouldn't have accepted the film role if she had known it would be the feature for which she was best-remembered. Wilbur claimed that she only took the role for the money, which she needed to bankroll a short film written and directed by friend Robin Lehman.
- Of the five main actors in the film, only Lynn Lowry and Carl Parker are alive as of January 5, 2007. Both Cal Culver and Gerald Grant died from complications related to AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, Culver in 1987 and Grant in 1993. Claire Wilbur died from lung cancer in 2004. Contrary to popular belief (and what a Score DVD featurette might claim), Carl (Carlton) Parker is not dead. He is now a real estate broker in Delaware CountyDelaware County, New YorkDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
in centralCentral New YorkCentral New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State. - The uncredited theme song "Where is the Girl" is played repeatedly throughout the movie. This was performed by the house band at the Zagreb hotel where Metzger and the crew were staying. The name of the band and musicians is unknown.
External links
- Blu-ray Review, at DVD Resurrections.com
- Online Review
- Another Online Review
- Score podcast interview with Radley Metzger, GreenCine Daily, October 2010