![]() ![]() Marvin Miller, the owner of a small mail order business, was convicted of sending sexually oriented ads through the mail. California granted greater power to states in setting their own “community standards” and established the “Miller Test” for communities to decide for themselves if material was obscene. The trial leading up to its ban made the film wildly popular in other parts of the country, which helped fuel rumors that the early court proceedings had actually been staged to create buzz.Īt about the same time, in June 1973, the Supreme Court decision in Miller v. But, in fact, it was just the beginning of the phenomenon. The headline on the marquee of the World Theater-“Throat Cut, World Mourns”-seemed to signal the end of Deep Throat. Judge Joel Tyler, in a Manhattan Criminal Court, ruled that the film was indecent and he closed down the showing at the World Theater. In April 1973, Deep Throat was banned in New York City as part of Mayor Lindsey’s vow to clean up Times Square. This movie was redefining our culture in a controversial way. My dad knew that if he didn’t cash in, someone else surely would.īut there was much more to Deep Throat than just a very good business opportunity for my father. But fast forward a year and everything had changed- Deep Throat was an all out sensation. That wacky doctor character, Harry Reems, actually seemed to have some acting talent.”Īs my father tells it now, he returned to work that afternoon having no idea that someday he would be involved with the film. “I just found the plot so weird,” he said. It seemed part luck and part genius that Damiano was able to pull this movie together in such a short amount time and with very little money.Īfter they left the theater, a coworker said to my father, “If my wife could do what Linda Lovelace can do, I might be worried.” The director, Gerard Damiano-himself transformed from Queens hairstylist to porn director-knew he had found a gem when he discovered Linda Lovelace. He appreciated the movie’s unconventional, offbeat storyline, and he was strangely curious about Linda Lovelace’s unique skill set, which left the average viewer dumbfounded about the gag reflex (or, in this case, the lack thereof). My father had seen the movie shortly after its premiere when he and a group of coworkers had gone to a local theater on their lunch hour to check it out. The film was a household name, even before its bizarre and rather arbitrary connection to the Watergate scandal, with which the term “ Deep Throat” is now more popularly associated. The notion of a woman having a clitoris in the back of her throat-perhaps the weirdest and most notorious aspect of Deep Throat-was not seen by most as obscene, but rather hilarious. For one, the film defied convention in that it incorporated a complete plot (albeit a flimsy one). The reasons for the movie’s success are myriad. In January of that year, The New York Times Magazine had published an article titled “Porno Chic” that described Deep Throat as a cultural phenomenon, and the article’s author, Ralph Blumenthal, had even hypothesized that based on Deep Throat’s huge crossover success, hardcore pornography would one day merge with traditional movies. By then, August 1973, it was still hugely popular. In fact, its popularity accelerated. The film had premiered in Times Square at the World Theater in June 1972 and had been showing in theaters for more than a year. And he knew Deep Throat would basically sell itself. My father knew making a few phone calls and booking sales was basically what he did as a broker, so in that regard, he was incredibly well suited for this opportunity. Hutton? “Doesn’t sound too hard,” he said after a moment. What would his co-workers think if they knew he was having this conversation while on the clock at W.E. My father peered left and right at the large office space. You get five percent of the distributor’s cut of the gross from whatever theaters you sign.” All you’d have to do is call up some theaters and pitch them the movie. “They need distributors in the Northeast. “The producers are moving the movie nationwide, and pronto,” said Tony. ![]() You remember me mentioning Lou Perry?”ĭad whispered into the phone. “Look, I don’t want to keep you,” Tony continued, “but a business opportunity has come up. Hutton would hear the man my family called “Uncle Tony” on the other end of the line. “Grosses this week at the Premier are up, and Deep Throat is still bringing in the crowds," said Tony Arnone, my father’s business partner and old college friend.ĭad held the phone closer to his ear lest one of the other salesmen working at the twenty identical desks lined up in the cavernous trading room at W.E. Excerpted from "The Pornographer's Daughter: A Memoir of Childhood, My Dad and Deep Throat"
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