The Switch or How to Alter Your Ego

There was a short period when sexploitation guru Joe Sarno apparently just wanted to try something different. Having made (literally) a dozen or more suburban sex dramas in the 60's and then a handful of more straight forward but arty Euro sex films, Sarno then started to throw some curveballs. His bizarre YOUNG PLAYTHINGS, and the sexy horror VEIL OF BLOOD were examples of his brief break away from typical territory. With THE SWITCH Sarno did one last oddball pic, a goofy sex comedy based on the classic Jekyll & Hyde theme.

Rebecca Brooke plays geeky scientist Shirley Jekyll who wears coke bottle glasses and is a man repellent. She discovers a formula that, she thinks, will alter living cells to perfection. Of course after trying it on herself it turns her into Sherry Hyde, a nympho who gives off an irresistible scent (described as "a hint of amino acids") that makes everyone horny. Well you know where this is going..., however what one does not expect is the near slapstick comedy which is totally off character for Sarno. Jekylls roommate Louise (Chris Jordan, Clamdigger's Daughter) is a whiney white trash slut who uses words like "prevert" and spells out "o.t.e.". Louise's boyfriend Ralph is a total slob but is a riot with every third word out of his mouth being a mumbled "muther f***kin". Eric Edwards has a small role as Dr Jenkins and a miscast Sonny Landham (48 hrs) plays suave Huntingdon Van Huff the guy who falls in love with Sherry Hyde, not to be left out Jennifer Welles has a funny role as a lab assistant. The actors all seemed to be having a ball playing the goofy characters and there are a few genuinely funny moments.

As usual Rebecca Brooke really throws herself into her dual roles as both the geek and the nympho. The climactic sex scene has to be a career highpoint for Rebecca. Toward the end Sherry Hyde is so horny she propositions five of the "toughest, no goodest deck hands" to a gang bang. With full gusto she does them all screaming "screw, screw you son of a bitch" until one by one there all dead. What takes this down a notch is the fact its intercut with Sonny Landham looking for her.

The print I saw had three main sex scenes one of which was clearly heavily trimmed (it seemed to have involved a large sausage!!) where as the others seemed complete. Sarno movies are known for their trashy dialog during sex scenes but in this one it ascends to all out screaming. The first orgy had 2-3-4 participants screaming at once, rather amusing or annoying depending on your viewpoint.

As for recommendations, Its no where near perfect, the budget is non existent and really only fans of Sarno and/or Rebecca Brooke will find this enjoyable. Others looking for erotic 70's softcore would probably just be annoyed at the whole thing. My rating is 7/10 but is mostly based against Sarno's other work. Hopefully someday proper film elements can be found for an uncut DVD release rather than this old incomplete poor quality transfer.

The Switch or How to Alter Your Ego (1974)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Dr. Shirley Jekyll (Mary Mendum) is a rather big nerd who does nothing but work on her experiments. She has no social life and certainly no love life. All of that changes when she creates a potion and tries it on herself. Before long she is transformed into the sexy Sherry Hyde and goes out for some hot passion.

This sexploitation comedy was directed by the one and only Joseph W. Sarno and I must admit that I really wasn't sure what to expect from it. After all, Sarno had directed the comedy DEEP THROAT PART II and it was a downright awful movie so I was thinking that perhaps comedy just wasn't his thing. Well, this here turned out to be an entertaining, if not all together funny, movie that perfectly spoofs the Jekyll and Hyde theme while pleasing the male viewers looking for nudity.

A lot of the credit for the film's charm must go to Mendum who is simply very fun in the role of Jekyll and especially Hyde. I thought her comic timing was pretty good playing the rather silly and straight Jekyll character. She was also very seductive when it came time to play the wilder side. The actress was obviously very beautiful so that's a major plus in a film like this. The supporting players fits their roles nicely, although no one really stands out.

One shouldn't really go into this film expecting some sort of horror-comedy. The main goal of this picture was to play on 42nd Street and bring in male viewers who were wanting to see nudity. There are a bunch of comic sex scenes throughout including a massive orgy at the end. As I said, I really didn't think the comedy worked as well as it could have but the film remains entertaining throughout.

If you still need convincing that Joe Sarno was the greatest non-explicit adult filmmaker working throughout the '60s and '70s, though he simultaneously dabbled in the hardcore end of the industry as well, then this routinely overlooked little gem should go a long way. Essentially a sexed-up retelling of the Jekyll and Hyde story, it benefits enormously from a rib-tickling performance by perfect blonde "Veronica Parrish" (real name : Mary Mendum, though better known to sex film fans as "Rebecca Brooke") as a mousy lady scientist who accidentally stumbles upon a potion that turns her into an irresistible – not to mention insatiable – seductress. Shot as professionally as just about any Hollywood picture of the period, this is a truly fun sex farce with jokes that hit the mark more often than they miss. Added enjoyment for porn mavens comes from the employment of many familiar triple X faces and bodies in supporting roles, including legendary Jennifer Welles, Eric Edwards, Kristine Heller (whose tragic life inspired Paul Thomas' terrific AWAKENING) and Sonny Landham as the dashing millionaire who wants to take bountiful Becky away from all those wild orgies and make an honest woman out of her.