John Phillip Law: ACTORS & Skin

Actor John Phillip Law's acting career was at it's height in the 1960's and 70's with a long line of box office hits and critically acclaimed films.  By the time the 80's rolled around, although Law was still working steadily, including a turn in Bo Derek's Tarzan the Ape Man,  he was mostly appearing in episodic television on shows including; The Love Boat and Murder She Wrote.  

As I said in the intro piece, Law did have a few 'quick or you'll miss them' butt scenes, but few were really worth capping.  Below however, are three films that grabbed my interest for a variety of reasons.  1974' Open Season promised a flash of Law's but, but it was quick, dark and just a second of butt crack.  Hardly worth watching the dark flick.

Law plays one of three Vietnam veterans who are stimulated by violence and terrorizing others.  They also seemed to have no issue with having sex in front of each other.  The film was a difficult watch, an interesting premise, but a little too dark for me. 

Open Season (1974)

Angel Eyes (1993)

By the time the 1990's rolled around, Law was no longer a box office draw and was reduced to playing 'daddy' types like in the 1993 soft-core flick Angel Eyes. Law would have been in his mid-fifties when Angel Eyes was filmed and was still looking quite hot. Unfortunately, even though his character had plenty of sex, we only got the 'straight' guy view of the side of his ass in most of the love scenes.

The Love Machine (1971)

His Women...Judith, Amanda, Ethel, Maggie, the Twins, and all the others...

Now, despite the title, there isn't a lot of love in 1971's The Love Machine, there also isn't a lot of skin.  Although Law's character has a lot of sex, with a lot of different women, it's all very PG rated.  We do get one quick, and obscured view of Law's behind, but it's shot through a room divider.   Although the movie doesn't have much skin, it does have an interesting twist, something I didn't know until I sat down to watch.

Based on the novel by Jacqueline Susann, The Love Machine follow Robin Stone, an ambitious newscaster who's working his way to the top, or maybe the bottom, not sure.  Robin has sex with many women on his way up, a model, the head of the networks wife, and several other women, including a shower threesome.  Robin also happens however to be gay.

Although there are hints given in the early part of the film, Robin's sexuality isn't every really confirmed outright until the end of the film.  Early on, his model girlfriend questions whether he finds her attractive given her model body is more like that of a young boy's than a grown woman.  Robin doesn't seem to mind.

Robin's best friend is Jerry, a gay fashion photographer who makes no secret of his love for his  closeted best friend.  Hiding his true self makes Robin a bit of an ass, mistreating most of the women he uses to maintain his womanizing reputation.  Near the end of the film, one of them, played by Dyan Cannon, decides to blackmail Robin after discovering a bracelet, one that Jerry had inscribed  from Robin.  

A fight takes place and the police are called and Robin ends up in jail.  Not much of an ending, but unusual for a film in the early 70's to have a gay lead character.  That being said, the film includes only heterosexual love scenes and the promotion for the film clearly wants viewer to think that Robin is a straight love-making machine. 

Law's most daring nude scenes occurred not in an American film, but in a Foreign film, the 1977 Italian thriller L'occhio dietro la parete.  Check out caps and video clips in the post below HERE.