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THE BOOTLEG FILES: THE ALLEGED BARBRA STREISAND PORN FILM

By Phil Hall | August 12, 2011

BOOTLEG FILES 388: “The Alleged Barbra Streisand Porn Film” (1960s one-reel sex film starring someone who is not Barbra Streisand).

LAST SEEN: The entire 10-minute silent film is online.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It was included in a 2006 DVD anthology of vintage blue movies.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Hello, gorgeous!

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It has already been in retail distribution, but no one is begging for a reprise.

Last week, this column paid attention to a vintage porn film starring an unidentified woman that some people claim to be Marilyn Monroe. I wasn’t expecting to pursue the genre of dubious old-time porn flicks further, but Film Threat reader Vincent Basilicato responded to that column by asking if I would pursue the matter of another curious bit of erotica: a mysterious porn film starring an unidentified woman that some people claim to be Barbra Streisand.

Barbra Streisand in a porn film? Yes, some critics claimed that she was miscast in “Hello, Dolly!” – but this seems like an extreme example of unlikely casting. However, the alleged Streisand skin flick shares identical territory with the alleged Monroe offering: one glimpse at the tawdry footage and it is obvious that no celebrities were involved.

The alleged Streisand porn film first surfaced in the early 1970s, when the star was at the peak of her movie and recording careers. Streisand had flirted with the concept of nudity in her 1970 comedy “The Owl and the Pussycat,” but footage capturing too much of her fine flesh was not incorporated into the release.

However, a fly-by-night company advertising in adult magazine promised Streisand fans something they had never seen before: an 8mm film advertised as “Barbra Streisand in Hardcore!” The untitled film was presented as being in “SepiaTone” – or, in non-marketing English, it was a black-and-white film with a brownish tint.

This unlikely offering began to create a good deal of buzz in the home porn market. The film managed to generate a large number of curious viewers – including, of all people, Streisand herself. In a 1977 interview with Playboy magazine, a fully clothed Streisand amusingly recalled her impression of watching her naked doppelganger.

“I couldn’t resist the temptation to see what the actress looked like – and also to check out her performance – so we got a copy,” Streisand recalled. “The film, naturally, is very blurred. The girl has long hair, like I did back in the Sixties, although she was chubby, while I was very skinny. But the dead giveaway came when the camera zoomed in on her hands around the guy’s you-know-what. There they were: short, stubby fingers! Definitely not mine. So all you would-be buyers, don’t waste your money.”

Well, at least one person decided to waste his money: Al Goldstein, publisher of the notorious Screw magazine, obtained a copy and broadcast it on his “Midnight Blue” program on New York’s public access cable television during the 1980s. To his credit, Goldstein prefixed the broadcast with a debate regarding whether Streisand was in the film. Goldstein included the film on a 2006 DVD anthology of the “Midnight Blue” series.

Over the years, the film has popped up in unlikely places: a 2003 feature article on celebrity sex tapes mentioned the alleged Streisand reel, while the appearance of an original 8mm reel in an eBay auction generated some online media chatter.

As for the film itself: viewing it is something of a challenge, since the copies that are freely available look like fifth-generation dupes (which circles back to Streisand’s comments from the 1970s that it was a blurry film). But when you squint and look carefully, there is not very much worth watching.

Quite frankly, it is a lot less interesting than the alleged Monroe porn film. For starters, most of the film consists of extreme close-ups of the film’s male star – or, to be more specific, a certain anatomical feature of the male star that repeatedly disappears into the female star’s mouth and between her legs. The male star certainly receives a vigorous workout – though in the very few shots of the man’s face, he appears to be indifferent to the transaction.

Ah, but what about the woman in the film? Yes, she has the Cleopatra-style eye make-up and beehive hairdo that Streisand wore in the early 1960s. And in a fleeting profile shot, one could imagine a faint resemblance to the “Funny Girl.” But at the end of the film, the woman is presented in a full-frontal close-up and it becomes ridiculously obvious that this is not Streisand.

Also, this is a silent film. One might imagine that an enterprising bootlegger would sync up some Streisand tunes to the flick, but that never happened.

There are a number of alleged porn films and sex tapes with A-list stars that are floating about cyberspace and the X-rated film avenues, but I don’t believe that I will pursue this genre further. Watching pornography, in my opinion, is a dismal distraction. Watching badly made pornography is even more depressing. And watching crummy old stag reels that are falsely promoted as starring famous women is a new low in time wasting.

Though, on the other hand, it could be worse: did you ever try to sit through “The Mirror Has Two Faces”?

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The unauthorized duplication and distribution of copyright-protected material, either for crass commercial purposes or profit-free s***s and giggles, is not something that the entertainment industry appreciates. On occasion, law enforcement personnel boost their arrest quotas by collaring cheery cinephiles engaged in such activities. So if you are going to copy and distribute bootleg material, a word to the wise: don’t get caught. Oddly, the purchase and ownership of bootleg DVDs is perfectly legal. Go figure!

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  1. Nicholas Paolino says:

    My uncle John is an authenticator doing it for over 50 years. He’s never seen the film but only heard of the rumors of it. When I told him I found one unopened in the original cover he told me it had to be fake. Even though Barbra Streisand has had encounters paying for these so called fake flick. I gave my unopened super 8 to my uncle he said he’s see but he’ll have to open it to verify. After about a month he came back shacking telling me about the transactions from her buying her home made Porn flick super 8 film. He didn’t know what to say after showing this to multiple other authenticators they all came up with the same answer it’s 100% authentic. For me to take it back and hide it. It comes at to great of a risk to sell it after she passes away. After finding it in a room that didn’t exist on the as built prints hidden away in a bricked off room in a bricked off wall I know why it was hidden after I found it 17 years ago. Because Barbra Streisand has been trying to recover all the super 8 films of her slipped porn thinking it will ruin her reputation.

  2. Nichole L Mcmillan says:

    I have this film

  3. Marvin8 says:

    Myself and ten fraternity brothers all watched a showing of this silent 8mm film in the late 70’s. In fact, one of us was a HUGE Streisand fan. We stopped and rewatched the film several times and were shocked to be in total agreement that it was ABSOLUTELY her. Trust me, it wasn’t some doppelgänger. Don’t believe that crap. It was her and we would have all bet our lives on it.

    • Julie says:

      I agree with you .. my mom told me in the 80’s when I was a teen that Babs did a soft porn flick! I snuck the beta tape and seen with my own eyes that’s definitely her!!! And she knows what she’s doing! 😳

  4. patrick g. says:

    A good title for the clip would be: “The Way We Were” I sure hope that salami was of the kosher variety.

  5. Kurtzarlengo says:

    I love Barbra and I would give her A*s Worship!!!

  6. James Conrad says:

    Would like a dvd of Barbra streisand sex tape not sure how to find it can anyone help please

    • David Sawyers says:

      I have that very tape 8 mm black and white I purchased it 40 years ago and the estate sale bought the whole box and found it in the bottom with the Marilyn Monroe tape also

    • Ross Mcilwain says:

      I have an original copy of the 8 mm Barbara Streisand porn. There was only 100 made. I heard they go for a fortune. If your interested letme know.

    • Melyssa Sharp says:

      Hi my name is Melyssa and I have an original 8mm reel. Lmk if your still interested in buying one.

  7. Ross says:

    I have one of the 8mm original copies of Barbara Streisand Hardcore 8mm. How much is it worth?

    • Luci Jucinich says:

      Did you ever find out the value of your Streisand porn 8mm film? I inherited a original 8mm reel with the cover. I viewed it. At first I swore it wasn’t her. Then later in the film, there is a face shot and it is absolutely clear that it is Barbra. She takes the money shot in the mouth. I would love to know the value as I want to sell it.

  8. Chris says:

    To my surprise, Barbara ,this is You ! I have two copies 1 in color ,the other in b&w I original case, 8 mm reels , will sell for the right price if someone is interested, make an offer all I can say is No ,your Insane ,Holla ,Holla !!!

  9. johnny says:

    I too saw the film..studied it carefully and her face is clear – I’d NO DOUBT it was her – the face is her 100%

  10. Tom says:

    I saw Babs in a Jacques Cousteau film from the 70s. She was playing a Cousteau double, serving up punishment to Great Whites that strayed too close to Jacques. People still argue with me about this but I know what I saw. I think the film was
    titled “Don’t Bite Me.”

  11. Kayla says:

    The porn film was her. I saw it many years ago. It was on reel to reel and it was most definitely her.

  12. confidential says:

    I have bought a copy not knowing it was so graphic in nudity I have seen a lot of her films thought it was something I missed to my surprise it’s in 8mm film still in the original box want to get rid of it

  13. Bill Payer says:

    I saw this film many years ago and it IS Barbra Streisand. You can’t see the face and not know it’s her. Frankly, I had thought she probably bought up all copies of the film but that isn’t really practical so she has done the next best thing, disavowed any association with it. Can’t blame her. I don’t get what these guys who say it isn’t her get out of it but they need an eye doctor or a bottle of truth serum.

  14. Daniel Asamota says:

    This Barbara Streisand film is her. She’s got a lot of money and clout and she was smart to get out there and laugh it off, but it’s her. You can tell with the nose, the hair, ther mannerism and the like. I don’t know why Babs is so ashamed of it because she’s one of MANY stars who did things early on in their career they’d rather not to get started. She’s such an established star now it doesn’t really matter. It’s part of my collection of celebrity sex tapes and it’s the closest anyone else can get to having Babs themselves.

  15. Vincent Basilicato says:

    Jeez… I din’t think my comment would end up in an elaborate search into such a waste of celluloid. But thanks for taking my comment seriously. You are a brillant writer and a film buff for the ages. My copy of this 8mm Streisand ripoff was packaged in a Blackhwk-style box with a picture of Barbara in afro mode. “Hardcore” screamed the title. I reviewed this in my old zine THE GRINDHOUSE JOURNAL. I’ll see if I can find a copy of the original 8mm cover.

  16. anonymous says:

    ….or perhaps this is an wonderful opportunity to start a new column….
    about fake celeb porn…..what about Joan Crawford?

    “Ancient Hollywood gossip has it that Joan Crawford acted in several early stag films, including some with lesbian scenes.”

    http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-12-02/news/secrets-and-thighs/1/

    Remember seeing this same claim in this TV-series.

    http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0290854/

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