Remember when people watched pornos in movie theaters? So long ago. And when's the last time you saw a one-sheet for an "adult" film? OK, for one not starring Ms. Jameson? Exactly.
But in the 1970s, it paid to advertise. The image to the left is one of the more tasteful pre-1975 adult movie posters you can find in the X-Rated Gallery [there's a book, too]. We're talking more than just the European softcore Radley Metzger flicks that are a slow-paced staple in any self-aware indie video store these days. Some of these films look like they were crude as well as lewd. O, pioneers!
Aside: The 'Fesser once rented an apartment across the street from a gorgeous old movie palace in Providence that showed porn to pay the bills precisely because he figured folks too dumb to operate a VCR were less likely to be smart enough to break into his place.
The cinetrix is actually headed to D.C. right now, for the first time in nearly 10 years. During my last visit, I took in a curated collection of "adult" shorts from the 70s--lotsa giggle-worthy animation and soft-focus, LSD-influenced cinematography, if I recall--at some art house with a good pal. We're talking rounded bodies untouched by gym culture or estheticians' wax. It all seems so innocent now, when even pretty much every mainstream title already sounds dirty depending on where you lay the stresses.
When I worked at a video store, we'd compete to see who come up with the filthiest titles as we realphabetized the New Releases at the end of the night. Try it for yourself the next time you go rent a movie. Shaving Ryan's Privates, anyone?
[Wasn't somebody just mentioning Charles Napier? Take a look at the credits.]
