Hurrah to the AV Channel yet again, coming good with more dodgy stuff from the decade that taste forgot, the 1970’s; Using the banner of the sexy oz retro collection AV bring us the delights of the Pacific Banana, The True Story of Eskimo Nell, Fantasm and Fantasm Comes Again.

Pacific Banana… This sub carry on/confessions movie from 1981 stars old Alvin himself Graeme Blundell as Martin, an airline pilot with the Pacific Banana airline, Martin is a bit of a hit with the ladies but thanks to an unfortunate problem which sees him sneezing and wilting somewhat everytime he tries to get jiggy with it, he is feeling pretty frustrated.  Hi co-pilot is Robin Stewart whose character seemingly exists to pleasure as many women as he can, the movie is basically an excuse to feature as many naked girls in exotic locations as possible but when the girls include the gorgeous Alyson Best, Helen Hemingway and Deborah Gray it’s certainly a movie that’s easy on the eye; With the cast obviously not taking things too seriously this is actually a fun movie to watch, it also contains a cracking set of extras that include a half hour feature on the making of the movie with contributions from the cast and director John D. Lamond; There’s also an extensive interview with Lamond, the original theatrical trailer, a stills and poster gallery, a Deborah Gray gallery and even the chance to hear the single Trouble made by Deborah Gray and Luan Peters.

The True Story of Eskimo Nell… Made in 1973 with a script by sauce writer de jour Alan Hopgood (who also scripted Pacific Banana) The True Story of Eskimo Nell stars Serge Lazareff as Mexico Pete and Max Gillies as Dead Eye Dick, set in the Victorian goldfields of the 1850’s the movie sees the less than dynamic duo embark on a quest to discover the whereabouts of fabled “womper” Eskimo Nell whom Dick holds dear to his heart, along the way there’s a brief appearance from Abigail (naked of course) and Aunty Jack himself Grahame Bond.  Certainly a few more longeurs than Pacific Banana but an entertaining artefact none the less.  Extras are good again featuring a new interview with cast and crew as well as a stills & poster gallery and the original theatrical trailer.

Fantasm and Fantasm Comes Again… This double bill is actually a bit of a different kettle of fish, in fact verging on the pornographic, certainly deserving of the R18+ rating the movies are given, ostensibly the two flicks follow the same comedy format as the previous two but this time the cast is made up of “adult” stars of the day including the infamous John Holmes, Mary Gavin, Rene Bond and Uschi Digart amongst others; The slimline plot for Fantasm features sexologist Professor Jungen Notafrued (played by John Bluthal with an ever moving moustache) guiding us through woman’s supposed ten most common fantasies whilst Fantasm Comes Again sees ten letters to “Dear Collette” come to life, definitely a seedier proposition than Eskimo and Banana but with John Holmes back in the limelight thanks to Val Kilmers wonderland movie the time is certainly right for a release. Again the extras are excellent and include a new interview with producer Anthony I. Ginnane (who would soon move on to make the classic Patrick) and director Richard Bruce as well as an audio commentary from Ginnane; There is also a stills gallery and the original trailers.  

What makes these releases a cut above is the work the AV Channel have put in to make them worthwhile, from the groovy 70’s packaging (complete with pink cases) to the tongue in cheek sexy Oz stats on the back covers (Fantasm features 25 bums, 68 boobs, 26 pubes and 9 tackle), for any fan of 1970’s kitsch these releases are a must.