Golden Age of Porn  

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porno chic, sexual revolution

The Golden Age of Porn or porno chic refers to a period in the history of pornography, approximately from the late-1960s to the early-to-mid-1980s. The period is idealized as a time in history where the difficulties in treating STDs had not achieved wide public notice. This freedom was ostensibly reflected in the pornography industry, with adult movies and adult magazines approaching the mainstream and becoming increasingly visible.

The era

The Golden Age was a period of interactions between pornography and the contemporaneous second wave of feminism. Radical and cultural feminists, along with the Christians, religious, and conservatives attacked pornography, while other feminists were pro-pornography, such as Camille Paglia, who defined what came to be known as sex-positive feminism in her work, Sexual Personae. Paglia and other sex-positive or pro-pornography feminists accepted porn as part of the sexual revolution with its libertarian sexual themes, such as exploring bisexuality and swinging, free from government interference.

The origins of the Golden Age are typically associated with the 1970 film Mona the Virgin Nymph, the first adult film to obtain a wide theatrical release in the USA. Following this came the massive success of the 1971 film Boys in the Sand, and of Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, which were both released in 1972. These three were the first hardcore porn films to reach a mass mixed-sex audience, and all received positive reviews in mainstream media. Other key films from the period include The Devil in Miss Jones and Score, which appeared in mainstream movie houses of the United States for the first time.

These films brought pornography into mainstream consciousness, whereby drive-in theatres would take out full page newspaper ads to promote the latest adult features. Porn films started being shown in mainstream movie theaters, and were accepted as suitable for general public consumption, or at least tolerated. Debbie Does Dallas (1978) is also regarded as one of the most important releases during the period.

Mainstream attention

For a period of two or three years it was fashionable to watch and discuss pornographic films. An influential five-page article about the film Deep Throat in the New York Times Magazine in early 1973 used the phrase "porno chic" in the title to describe the phenomenon. Actress Linda Lovelace once stated at that time that she believed that pornography would merge with the mainstream film industry.

Porno chic actors

Major pornographic film actors of the Golden Age included Linda Lovelace, Marilyn Chambers, Annie Sprinkle, Lisa De Leeuw, Jacqueline Lorains, Nina Hartley, Juliet Anderson (a.k.a. "Aunt Peg"), Seka, Desiree Cousteau, Harry Reems, John Leslie, Jack Wrangler, Ron Jeremy (a.k.a., "the Hedgehog") and John C. Holmes (a.k.a. "Johnny Wadd").

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 Bob Chinn. Lisa DeLeeuw was one of the first to sign an exclusive contract with a major adult production company, Vivid Video, and Marilyn Chambers worked in mainstream movies, being one of the first (and still rare) crossover porn actors.

The dominant pornographic film studios of the period were VCA Pictures and Caballero Home Video.

Films of the period

Some of the best-known pornographic films of the period include:

• Mona the Virgin Nymph (USA, 1970)
• Boys in the Sand (USA, 1971)
• Deep Throat (USA, 1972)
• Behind the Green Door (USA, 1972)
• The Devil in Miss Jones (USA, 1973)
• Emmanuelle (France, 1974)
• Sensations (France, 1975)
• The Story of Joanna (USA, 1975)
• The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (USA, 1975)
• Alice in Wonderland (USA, 1976)
• Through the Looking Glass (USA, 1976)
• The Opening of Misty Beethoven (USA, 1976)
• Kansas City Trucking Co. (USA, 1976)
• El Paso Wrecking Corp. (USA, 1978)
• Debbie Does Dallas (USA, 1978)
• A Night at the Adonis (USA, 1978)
• Jack and Jill (USA, 1979)
• Taboo (USA, 1980)
• Insatiable (USA, 1980)
• Nightdreams (USA, 1981)
• Café Flesh (USA, 1982)
• The Bigger The Better (USA, 1984)
• Big Guns (USA, 1987)

Bibliography

• Weitzer, Ronald John (2000). Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92294-1.
• Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osborne and Peter Pavia: The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry. Regan Books 2005. ISBN 0-06-009659-4