Chatterbox... il sesso parlante

A young woman who works in a beauty parlor (Candice Rialson) discovers that her vagina can talk, which causes her no end of trouble.

Although American International Pictures may be best known for their low budget horror and Roger Corman films, they were not afraid to make a quick buck here or there from something a bit racier. And this is definitely racy. While not the "soft-core pornography" that some have labeled it, the lead actress is naked for a good portion of the film and the very plot simply cannot be PG.

Unlike vagina dentata, whatever happened to Penelope is hard to explain -- apparently her female parts not only have a voice (and hence vocal chords, a tongue, and whatnot) but also eyes and ears, because Virginia seems to know a whole lot about what is being said and done around her...

Candice Rialson has something of her own interesting history. While she did some real acting, such as in "The Eiger Sanction" (1975) and "Logan's Run" (1976), she ended up getting typecast as a "sex kitten" and ultimately died prematurely at age 54. As an odd consolation, Quentin Tarantino based a character off of her in "Jackie Brown", no doubt in part inspired by "Chatterbox".

Director Tom DeSimone is the ultimate mystery, and no one seems to even know how old he is. He started out in adult films, moved to exploitation, and then rose to horror, making a few memorable flicks (most notably "Hell Night" with Linda Blair). How he was able to transition to legitimate director is beyond me, but well played, good sir.

Really bad, in that weird seventies movie way. Basically one joke, and the premise wears thin, but it is one hell of a weird premise. For similar bad/weird/sexy kicks see Percy and Percy's Progress.

I first saw this movie on cable back in the '80s, but first heard of it when it played at the local drive-in in the '70s.

The one song I could never get out of my head is when Penelope is dressed up like Marilyn Monroe in the famed Seven Year Itch scene with her dress blowing up in the air. The song says something about "Get out your doctor-ordered wang dang doodle." Penelope, of course, is totally embarrassed to be seen and exploited this way but it's a rather classic scene.

Candace Rialson was exceptionally beautiful and it is so sad to hear she died at such a young age. I'm sure this film would not be on the top of her list as one of her favorites, but it does have it's moments.

Chatterbox is a great movie. Candice Rialson's performance is spot on. The musical intermezzo's a hilarious, especially the one where Candice performs before a live audience for the first time. And the happy end (with a twist) is just great.

The overall tone is tongue in cheek. It's obviously they weren't trying to make Citizen Cane here.

For those people who say this is a bad movie, I'm just wondering. Did they really expect an insightful drama about a woman with a singing vagina?

It is what it is: a wonderful piece of cult-trash cinema. And I loved every minute of it...

I saw this movie on the big screen when I was a teenager. It was a time when you couldn't go to XXX rated movies... This is not that kind of movie.

The idea is so original, never been done before or since... a woman has a vagina that talks and sings (makes you think of a combination of Joan Rivers and Don Rickles). Because of it's caustic and degrading humor the poor girl can't maintain a decent relationship with any man. When she goes to a Doctor to see if something can be done to shut it up, he decides this is a dream come true and should take it on the road. He becomes her manager. Unfortunately the vagina gets more attention than the girl it's attached to. I'll leave the ending for you to see, all I'll say is that it's a happy one.

Regarding the quality of the film, yes it is a stinker. But when you take such a unique story and stick in a few decent jokes (no worse than Arnolds'), some small cameo appearences and a lot less sex than you'll see in today's movies.) I think that what came out was a hysterical, never to forget, sexual comedy worth taking out a bottle of champagne or a jug of cheap wine and playing when you and yours decide you want a good laugh before going to bed. Just sit back and relax and have a good laugh. Believe me, it could do wonders to add a little extra into a relationship. And then when I think of when Madeline Kahn sings "Sweet Mystery of Life" in "Young Frankenstein", I thought I would lose my lunch I laughed so hard. Give the movie the chance... I guarantee that you have paid much more for lots of movie to see worse.