Yes, there were few, however, many of them were documentary types, and the two directors that had them out at the time were Gerard Damiano (Jerry Gerard, "Deep Throat") and Anthony Spinelli, from 1969 to early 1971. These included "History of The Blue Movie" and discussed sex in films, and were shown in theatres, before they moved on to what they really wanted to make a film about, which was the beginning of the adult film boom, "Deep Throat". "The Devil In Miss Jones" and I do believe "Behind The Green Door" were released that same year, but the film was primarily singled out I do believe because it was one of the first. However, "Devil In Miss Jones" I would imagine was more graphic. (Roger Ebert praised it.)
Back when the film was made, they would send couriers to the theatres to collect the returns, or profits. There's really no telling how much the film made, and that was what led to beliefs that the mafia was involved. The film, shot on 25,000 for 6 days, is purported to have made an estimated 600 million dollars in box office returns alone, making it one of the single most profitable films of all time, and the most successful independant feature film ever made for that matter. It ran for a short 60 minute running time, and accusations from Lovelace that she was forced to star in it against her will had actor Harry Reems and Co. dragged to court on obsenity charges.
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ae7641
19 years ago
I ran across some information linking the mafia to porn. Here is a sample:
"Members of the Mafia had been making a modest income by producing stag films for at least ten years when, in 1971, some associates of the Columbo organization (one of five Mafia families in New York City) hit the jackpot after producing the enormously successful X-rated comedy, D___ T____. Filmed mostly in a motel on Biscayne Blvd. in North Miami, the movie cost less than $25,000 to produce, but within a couple of years the mob had raked in a staggering $50 million in profit. (See Pay Dirt.)
This windfall attracted other Mafioso, such as Robert DiBernardo (a “capo” in the Gambino organization), who presented himself more like a Wall Street broker than a smut-peddling thug. He began Star Distributors, which became the main supplier of pornography in New York City. He was also responsible for bringing all of the pornographers under the control of the mob. Another key player was Michael Zaffarano, who was the main contact between the mob and the porn industry. He often mediated disputes between various Mafia families over the production of X-rated movies. "
By the mid-eighties, most of the porn industry had moved to Southern California
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