One of the pioneers of American adult cinema, Radley Metzger was born in New York. He first made a name in erotic cinema by importing and distributing European erotic films, including the Danish sex film Moi, une femme (1965). At around the same time Metzger decided to direct his own features, which quickly became renowned for their strong sense of composition, high-tone locations and edgy, erotic subject matter. Among his best-known softcore features are Thérèse et Isabelle (1968), Carmen Baby (1967) and Camille 2000 (1969), all of which were shot in Europe. Other notable Metzger films of the period include The Lickerish Quartet (1970), Little Mother (1973) and Score (1974). Once hardcore porn came to dominate the US adult film market after Gorge profonde (1972), Metzger directed several highly-regard explicit features using the pseudonym "Henry Paris," including The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974), Naked Came the Stranger (1975), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Barbara Broadcast (1977).
