Golden Age of Porn
Part of the sexual revolution | |
Date | 1969–1984 |
---|---|
Location | United States |
Participants | Porn producers, critics, porn fans, and celebrities |
Outcome |
|
The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in
Following mentions by
Prior to this, thousands of U.S. state and municipal anti-obscenity laws and ordinances held that participating in the creation, distribution, or consumption of obscene films constituted criminal action. Multi-jurisdictional interpretations of obscenity made such films susceptible to prosecution and criminal liability for obscenity, thereby restricting their distribution and profit potential. Freedom in creative license, higher movie budgets and payouts, and a "Hollywood mindset" all contributed to this period.
However, with the increasing availability of videocassette recorders for private viewing in the 1980s, video supplanted film as the preferred distribution medium for pornography, which quickly reverted to being low-budget and openly gratuitous, ending this "Golden Age".[19]
Background
Pornographic films were produced in the early 20th century as
In the US, during the late 1960s, there was regular semi-underground production of pornographic films on a modest scale. After answering New York City newspaper advertisements for nude models,
The era
Beginnings
Also around this time, in June 1970, the
Nevertheless, afterwards, in October 1970, the
In December 1971,
Deep Throat
The 'Golden Age of Porn' continued in 1972 with
The Devil in Miss Jones
The 1973 film The Devil in Miss Jones was ranked number seven in the Variety list of the top ten highest-grossing pictures of 1973, despite lacking the wide release and professional marketing of Hollywood and having been virtually banned across the country for half the year (see Miller v. California, below).[43] Some critics have described the film as, along with Deep Throat, one of the "two best erotic motion pictures ever made".[44] William Friedkin called The Devil in Miss Jones a "great film", partly because it was one of the few adult erotic films with a proper storyline.[45] Roger Ebert referred to The Devil in Miss Jones as the "best" of the genre he had seen and gave it three-stars (of four).[15] Ebert also suggested the film's box office receipts were inflated as a way of laundering the profits from illegal activities, although such a method would have required organized crime to be paying taxes on their illegally obtained income.[46][47]
The Devil in Miss Jones was one of the first films to be inducted into the
"Porno chic"
An influential five-page article in The New York Times Magazine in 1973 described the phenomenon of porn being publicly discussed by celebrities, and taken seriously by critics, a development referred to, by Ralph Blumenthal of The New York Times, as "porno chic".[10][16][56] Some expressed the opinion that pornographic films would continue to extend their access to US theaters, and the mainstream film industry would gravitate toward the influence of porn.[17][18] Several Golden Age films referred to mainstream film titles, including "Alice in Wonderland" (1976), "Flesh Gordon" (1974), "The Opening of Misty Beethoven" (1976) and "Through the Looking Glass" (1976).
Supreme Court's 1973 Miller v. California
Supreme Court's 1973 Miller v. California decision redefined obscenity from "utterly without socially redeeming value" to lacks "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value". Crucially, it made 'contemporary community standards' the criterion, holding that obscenity was not protected by the First Amendment; the ruling gave leeway to local judges to seize and destroy prints of films adjudged to violate local community standards. The Miller decision obstructed porn distribution.[39] The Devil in Miss Jones, as well as Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, were prosecuted successfully during the latter half of 1973; the Supreme Court's Miller decision closed much of America to the exhibition of adult erotic films, and often led to it being banned outright. Porn films would not feature as prominently in the mainstream movie business as they did in the Golden Age,[57] until the emergence of the internet in the 1990s.[58]
Post-1973
In the aftermath of Miller v. California (1973), with the consequence of fragmenting distribution in the American film market and putting mass box office returns beyond the reach of pornographic films, the brief commercial foray into the production of pornographic films with higher artistic and cinematic production values that occurred between 1972 and 1973 was not sustained. With their relatively modest financial means, a predicted move of organized crime into Hollywood failed to materialize.[18] Pornographic films continued to be a highly profitable business, and thrived throughout the rest of the 1970s, leading to the concept of porn "stars" gaining currency. Ostracism of porn performers meant they almost invariably used pseudonyms. Being outed as having appeared in porn usually put an end to an actor's hope of a mainstream career.[59] An indication of the returns still possible was that a 1976 release, Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy, favorably reviewed by film critic Roger Ebert in 1976,[60] reportedly grossed over $90 million globally.[39][61] Some historians assess The Opening of Misty Beethoven, based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (and its derivative, My Fair Lady), and directed by Radley Metzger, as attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets.[62] Author Toni Bentley called the film the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age.[13][14]
In general, after 1973, adult erotic films emulated mainstream filmmaking storylines and conventions, merely to frame the depictions of sexual activity to prepare an 'artistic merit' defense against possible obscenity charges. The adult film industry remained stuck at the level of 'one day wonders', finished by participants hired for only a single day. The ponderous technology of the time meant filming a simple scene would often take hours due to the need for the camera to be laboriously set up for each shot.
Feminist criticism
The 'Golden Age' was a period of interactions between pornography and the contemporaneous
Golden Age stars
The Golden Age of Porn, between the years 1969 to 1984, was split into two waves: the first wave (the "porno chic" era), between the late 1960s to early 70s; and, the second wave reportedly "between the late 70s and early 80s".[70][71]
Major pornographic film actors of the first part of the 'Golden Age', the "porno chic" era, included:
- Bobby Astyr
- Rene Bond
- Rebecca Brooke
- Rick Cassidy
- Marilyn Chambers
- Zebedy Colt
- Carol Connors
- Desireé Cousteau
- Casey Donovan
- Eric Edwards
- Samantha Fox
- Michael Gaunt
- Jamie Gillis
- Terri Hall
- Annette Haven
- John C. Holmes (a.k.a. "Johnny Wadd")
- Mike Horner
- Robert Kerman (a.k.a. "R Bolla")
- Johnny Keyes
- C. J. Laing
- Gloria Leonard
- John Leslie
- Linda Lovelace
- William Margold
- Sharon Mitchell
- Constance Money
- Wade Nichols
- Kay Parker
- George Payne
- Rhonda Jo Petty
- Darby Lloyd Rains
- Harry Reems
- Vanessa del Rio
- Candida Royalle
- Herschel Savage
- Joey Silvera
- Georgina Spelvin
- Annie Sprinkle
- Marc Stevens
- Jessie St. James
- Paul Thomas
- Jennifer Welles
- Marlene Willoughby
Second-wave stars
- Tracey Adams
- Juliet Anderson (a.k.a. "Aunt Peg")
- Colleen Brennan
- Jerry Butler
- Tom Byron
- Christy Canyon
- Desireé Cousteau
- Barbara Dare
- Billy Dee
- Lisa De Leeuw
- Debi Diamond
- Jeanna Fine
- Veronica Hart
- Nina Hartley
- Ryan Idol
- Ron Jeremy
- Angel Kelly
- Brigitte Lahaie
- Hyapatia Lee
- Traci Lords
- Amber Lynn
- Ginger Lynn
- Porsche Lynn
- Shauna Grant
- Shanna McCullough
- Kelly Nichols
- Peter North
- Seka
- Long Dong Silver
- Randy West
- Bambi Woods
- Jack Wrangler
- Ona Zee
At the time of the maturation of the second wave, movies increasingly were being shot on video for home release.
As their popularity rose, so did their control of their careers. John Holmes became the first recurring porn character in the "Johnny Wadd" film series directed by
Producers
Major producers during the first wave of the 'Golden Age', the "Porno Chic" era, include:
With the rise of video, the dominant pornographic film studios of the Second Wave period were VCA Pictures[72] and Caballero Home Video.[73]
Films of the period
Some of the best-known
- Alice in Wonderland (US, 1976)
- Barbara Broadcast (US, 1977)
- Behind the Green Door (US, 1972)
- Blue Movie (US, 1969)
- Boys in the Sand (US, 1971)
- Café Flesh (US, 1982)
- Caligula (US-IT, 1979)
- Candy Stripers(US, 1978)
- Centurians of Rome (US, 1981)
- The Cheerleaders (US, 1973)
- Debbie Does Dallas (US, 1978)
- Deep Throat (US, 1972)
- The Devil in Miss Jones (US, 1973)
- A Dirty Western (US, 1975)
- El Paso Wrecking Corp. (US, 1978)
- Flesh Gordon (US, 1974)
- The Image (US, 1975)
- Insatiable(US, 1980)
- Inside Desiree Cousteau(US, 1979)
- Inside Jennifer Welles (US, 1977)
- Kansas City Trucking Co. (US, 1976)
- L.A. Plays Itself (US, 1972)
- L.A. Tool & Die (US, 1979)
- Maraschino Cherry(US, 1978)
- Memories Within Miss Aggie (US, 1973)
- Mona the Virgin Nymph (US, 1970)
- Naked Came the Stranger(US, 1975)
- The New Comers (US, 1973)
- New Wave Hookers (US, 1985)
- New York City Inferno (France, 1978)
- A Night at the Adonis (US, 1978)
- Nightdreams (US, 1981)
- The Opening of Misty Beethoven (US, 1976)
- The Other Side of Aspen (US, 1978)
- Pink Narcissus (US, 1971)
- Pretty Peaches (US, 1978)
- The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (US, 1974)
- Reel People (US, 1984)
- Resurrection of Eve (US, 1973)
- Score (US, 1974)
- Sensations (NL, 1975)
- Spirit of Seventy Sex (US, 1976)
- The Story of Joanna (US, 1975)
- Taboo (US, 1980)
- The Tale of Tiffany Lust (US, 1979)
- Talk Dirty to Me(US, 1980)
- Through the Looking Glass (US, 1976)
See also
- 55th Street Playhouse
- Boogie Nights – 1997 film about the Golden Age of Porn
- Dave's Old Porn − 2011 TV show discussing 1970s porn films
- The Deuce – 2017 TV show about the Golden Age of Porn
- Inside Deep Throat – 2005 documentary film
- Lovelace – 2012 film about Linda Lovelace, star of Deep Throat
- New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre
- Ordeal – 1980 autobiography by Linda Lovelace
- Pornography in the United States
- The Rialto Report − archives of the Golden Age of Porn
- Sex in film
- Unsimulated sex
Citations
- ^ Paasonen, Susanna; Saarenmaa, Laura (July 19, 2007). The Golden Age of Porn: Nostalgia and History in Cinema (PDF). Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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- ^ Francoeur, Robert T.; Noonan, Raymond J. (2004). "Denmark in the International Encyclopedia of Sexuality". International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Staff (May 31, 2019). "Denmark legalized pornography 50 years ago. Did the decision turn out as expected?". The Local. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Staff (July 21, 1969). "Blue Movie (1969)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Canby, Vincent (July 22, 1969). "Movie Review - Blue Movie (1968) Screen: Andy Warhol's 'Blue Movie'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Comenas, Gary (2005). "Blue Movie (1968)". WarholStars.org. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Pornography". Pornography Girl. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
The first explicitly pornographic film with a plot that received a general theatrical release in the U.S. is generally considered to be Mona (Mona the Virgin Nymph)...
- ^ a b c d e f Corliss, Richard (March 29, 2005). "That Old Feeling:When Porno Was Chic". Time. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ "Sex in Cinema: 1970 Greatest and Most Influential Erotic / Sexual Films and Scenes". Film Site. p. 21. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
The storyline in the film Mona was later borrowed, to some degree, by Gerard Damiano in his film Deep Throat in 1972.
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- ^ Playboy. Archived from the originalon February 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
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- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (June 13, 1973). "The Devil In Miss Jones – Film Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c Blumenthal, Ralph (January 21, 1973). "Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ a b From a 1970s interview with Linda Lovelace, shown in the documentary Inside Deep Throat.
- ^ Daytona Beach Morning Journal. October 12, 1975. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
If the trend continues, these people are going to become a major force in the movie industry within a few years," said Capt. Lawrence Hepburn of the New York Police Department's organized crime division. "The movie business is going to be like the garment business, riddled with Mafia influence.
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- ^ http://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/id111.htm, My Al Capone Museum "Vincent 'The Schemer' Drucci", Mario Gomes, accessed 14/6/14
- ^ Martin, Douglas (January 4, 2006). "Candy Barr, 70, Stripper and Star of 1950's Stag Film, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- City Journal. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Kelling, George L.; Wilson, James Q. (March 1982). "Broken Windows". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
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- ^ Comenas, Gary (1969). "July 21, 1969: Andy Warhol's Blue Movie Opens". WarholStars.org. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Flesh GordonInterview 3". PicPal.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Staff. "Blue Movie (1969)". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ a b Canby, Vincent (June 17, 1970). "The Screen: 'Censorship in Denmark' Begins Run". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ Staff (August 3, 2012). "The Holbein Studios -- No. 154 West 55th Street". DaytonianInManhattan. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (August 25, 1971). "Historyof the Blue movie - Film Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
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- ^ Stevenson p. 113
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- ^ Chuck Traynor, speaking in the documentary Inside Deep Throat (2005)
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- ^ a b Lewis, p.211-212
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- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 11, 2005). "Inside Deep Throat". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market, Eric Schlosser, p144
- ^ "Hall of Fame". Dirty Bob/X-Rated Critics Organization. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c Lewis, p.211
- ^ Dirks, Tim (n.d.). "History of Sex in Cinema: Porn Chic of the 1970s". AMC Filmsite (AMC Networks). Retrieved September 12, 2013.
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- ^ SF blogs, David-Elijah Nahmod Thu., October 10, 2013 Forty Years After The Devil in Miss Jones: Georgina Spelvin's Happy Ending
- ^ Jan Willem, Geerinck. "Porno Chic (blog)". jahsonic.com.
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- ^ Tongue, Stewart. "Crowdsourcing Column: Mainstream vs. Adult". AVN.com. Adult Video News. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Nitke Barbara, in "American Ecstasy: The Photography of Barbara Nitke and The Golden Age of Pornography". AtomicLegdropZine.wordpress.com/. February 4, 2014. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 24, 1976). "Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
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- ^ a b Breslin, Susannah (November 25, 2013). "From Sexploitation Star to Porn Star: An Interview with Colleen Brennan". Susannah Breslin official site. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Chenier, Elise (2004). "Lesbian Sex Wars" (PDF). GLBTQ Journal: 1–3. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
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- ^ Glass, Loren (October 2002). "Bad Sex: Second Wave Feminism and Porn's Golden Age". Radical Society. 29 (3): 55–66.
- ^ Bailey, Cameron (February 2005). "Blow-by-blow accounts". NOW Toronto. Vol. 24, no. 24. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ^ Weitzer p. 52
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- ^ Salucci, Mariavittoria (January 22, 2021). "The History of the Sex Wars - How feminism split because of porn". NSS/NapleStreetStyle G-Club Magazine (nssgclub.com). Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Morrissey, Tracie Egan (November 27, 2012). "Sorry Second Wave Feminists, Porn Stars Are Actually Emotionally Stable, Self-Confident Women Who Weren't Molested as Kids". Jezeel. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Connelly, Tim (May 2003). "It's Now Official: Hustler Acquires VCA; Deal Comes a Year After Vivid Pact, Cementing Hustler As..." AVN. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
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General and cited references
- Lewis, Jon (2002). Hollywood v. Hard Core: How the Struggle Over Censorship Created the Modern Film Industry. NYU Press. ISBN 0-8147-5143-1.
- ISBN 0-06-009659-4.
- Rutledge, Leigh (1989). The Gay Fireside Companion. New York: Alyson. ISBN 1-55583-164-8.
- ]
- Stevenson, Jack (2000). Fleshpot: Cinema's Sexual Myth Makers & Taboo Breakers. Critical Vision. ISBN 1-900486-12-1.
- Weitzer, Ronald John (2000). Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry. New York: ISBN 0-415-92294-1.
External links
- "That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic", Time, March 29, 2005.
- The Rialto Report: Audio, photo, and documentary archives from the golden age of adult film