The Back Row Collector's Set

Online Rental: 24 hrs $10.49 Director: Jerry Douglas/Chi Chi LaRue Studio: Channel 1 Releasing Starring: Casey Donovan, George Payne, Robin Anderson, David Knox, Warren Carlton, Chris Villette, Arthur Graham, Robert Tristan, Kyle Kennedy, Ryan Zane, Mark Slade, Rob Kirk, Ethan Richards, Dante Foxx, Thomas Bond, Tanner Reeves, Danny Lopez, Chad Hunt, and in non-sexual roles Mistress Mona, Billy Hart Rating:

In 1972, movies like Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones, and Boys in the Sand were making hardcore sex flicks almost respectable to the general public. This was the year that first time director Jerry Douglas contributed this nifty little stroker to the world of gay cinema.
    The Back Row follows Casey Donovan as he cruises the porn theaters and sex shops of New York in search of a sleazy good time. He spots "The Kid from Montana," played by George Payne in a cowboy hat, at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. They fall in lust at first site. Coincidentally, Payne--a married firefighter from Ohio--was discovered almost literally after getting off the bus from the Midwest.
    From here on we follow the two as Casey leads George in a flirtatious game of cat and mouse through the streets of pre-Giuliani New York. Jerry Douglas' guerilla-style filmmaking in real locations without a permit offers a travelogue of Times Square's now defunct sex shops and porno theaters. Opting for gritty realism instead of an all out porn fantasy, we get an often-downbeat day in the life story of two gay men cruising for sex.
    The boys keep their clothes on for the bulk of the video, but their skintight jeans give us a nice preview of what we'll see when the clothes come off. Surprisingly, in one of the sexiest moments in the video both guys are fully clothed. It happens during a scene on a subway train. Casey and George sit on opposite sides of the train, teasing each other by fondling their bulging crotches.
    Douglas, a first time director with a theater background, adds some imaginative cinematic touches. Such as the scene where George mentally undresses Casey while he's shopping for sex toys at the Pleasure Chest. We see a series of matching jump shots, putting Casey in and out of his clothes and into some sexy leather gear. It's an impressive camera trick when you consider the limitations of low budget film editing back when Douglas shot the footage. In another scene at a porno theater, George and Casey mentally project themselves into a sex scene, giving us a chance to see George and Casey reenacting the hardcore scene alongside footage of the movie (within the movie) actors.
    The two leads are terrific. Casey Donovan is a porn legend who truly lives up to the hype. He's both handsome and charismatic with an attitude that's alternately wholesome and sleazy. (Donovan actually worried that the piggish sex during the video's finale would damage his wholesome persona.) Then there's eager to please newcomer George Payne. He's my idea of the perfect man. Great body, handsome face, beautiful cock, masculine attitude. And he's so charming and adorable as he follows Casey around like a puppy. Payne looks like he could be Joey Stefano's older brother. They also give two better than average performances, effectively telling a story without uttering a single word of dialogue. The Back Row is practically a silent movie that uses mood enhancing music and campy original songs to set the tone.
    The sex itself is the kind of stuff vintage porn fans crave. Some highlights: A sailor and popper-sniffing hippy trade blowjobs in an X-rated theater, complete with an oral cum shot. A movie house ticket taker does a solo jack off after being rebuffed by Casey and George. George Payne takes a shower of cum from Casey Donovan in an early masturbation fantasy with jism landing all over his face and chest. Then there's a sweaty tearoom threeway with Casey, the ticket taker, and a construction worker, played by a voracious sex pig who was a lawyer in real life.
    Chi Chi LaRue's remake, which stars Kyle Kennedy in the Casey Donovan role and Ryan Zane as "The Cowboy," is a loving homage to the original. Chi Chi recreates most of the shots from the Jerry Douglas version in exacting detail and even matches the clothes worn in the original. Since pornographic movie houses have gone the way of the buffalo, some scenes had to be shot in abandoned rat infested theaters. However, Chi Chi's pre-9/11 New York location footage is gorgeous, and it includes a now haunting shot of the Twin Towers.
    On the commentary track Chi Chi notes that the original contained a relatively small amount of sex. Contemporary viewers won't be disappointed however because she ups the ante by expanding the sex scenes and by adding two additional actors to the cast. For instance, Kyle Kennedy jacks off during the first sex scene between the sailor (Ethan Richards) and the "The Popper Guy" (Mark Slade). And a fourth guy (Rob Kirk) also gets in on the action, blowing his load on the sailor's face.
    Rounding out the cast, mega-dicked Chad Hunt plays the self-abusing ticket taker. And Tanner Reeves comes out of retirement--taking time off from his day job--to play the horny construction worker. He looks great and still knows how to suck a mean cock. Real life lovers Dante Foxx and Thomas Bond play the characters in the movie within the movie. Dante looks delicious, reenacting the shower scene from the original, and his scene with Thomas sizzles. The final tearoom scene is every bit as raunchy as the original. But Chi Chi adds a fourth man to the action--newcomer Danny Lopez. Danny ends up sucking off Chad Hunt while lying on Tanner Reeves back as Kyle Kennedy fucks his big bubble butt.
    Kennedy and Ryan Zane are an engaging pair. During his walking around scenes, you can see the outline of Kyle's dick through his pants. This boy is clearly too big for his britches! Zane makes an impressive debut.
    This collector's edition gives both movies the deluxe treatment. Each video includes a commentary track from the directors. Jerry Douglas' commentary provides insights into the making of the film and it also gives an informative oral history (pardon the pun) of a New York city that doesn't exist anymore. The DVD extras also include hardcore previews of other Channel 1 videos, a "PopShot-On-Demand" index, and a slideshow of solo shots of each of Chi Chi's actors.
    Whether you're a fan of gritty porn from yesteryear or the slickly produced videos of today, The Back Row Collector's Set is a solid five hanky collectible.