Read Online The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz by Ron Jeremy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ron Jeremy
Tags: General, Social Science, Personal Memoirs, Biography & Autobiography, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Biography, Performing Arts, Film & Video, Autobiography, Pornography, Motion Picture Actors and Actresses, Entertainment & Performing Arts - General, Pornographic films, Erotic films
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Throat , was being investigated by the FBI, so they decided to make two different versions of the sequel: one an X-rated version and the other a softer, less-explicit R-rated version. The X-rated reels were stolen from the lab, so the company had no choice but to release the R-rated version. It flopped, of course, because who wants to see Deep Throat without any deep throating? *
I went to see a few other adult films when I lived in the Catskills, mostly at the insistence of my friends. I didn’t find them particularly erotic, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to jerk off to any of them. For the record, I’ve never jerked off to porn. When I was a kid, I occasionally masturbated to Gilligan’s Island and I Dream of Jeannie . I still prefer Mary Ann to Ginger. But jerking to porn just seemed too obvious.
It never crossed my mind that a career in adult films might be something I’d want to pursue. The actors weren’t really actors, after all. They were just stunt people who could handle some dialogue. They were movable body parts hired to reenact fantasies. I wanted to be a thespian , performing great plays on Broadway or starring in major motion pictures. I wanted to be appreciated for something other than the size of my penis, or my ability to fuck in front of a camera. No, I thought, the very idea is preposterous. Not even worth considering.
It’s funny how quickly your entire outlook can change.
I n 1978, not long after my Playgirl spread, an acting friend arranged for me to meet Jim Sandberg, a New York–based director who’d made a name for himself with low-budget B movies. I was beside myself with excitement. It was my first contact with a legitimate filmmaker, and I was ready to take whatever role he offered.
“I hate to break this to you,” Jim told me when I called. “I don’t really make B movies anymore. I’m mostly doing X-rated stuff these days.”
My heart sank. “Oh, well that’s—”
“Have you ever thought about doing an adult film?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said, being totally honest.
“We could use a guy like you. I’ve seen some of your theater credits, and I’m very impressed. You studied with Dr. Stephen Macht and Joel Zwick * of La MaMa, isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
“I also saw you in a production of Salome . That was probably the best interpretation of King Herod I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks.” I was blown away. He seemed to know more about my theater career than most of my closest friends.
“And, of course, I had to sneak a peek at you in Playgirl . Not bad at all. If you don’t mind my saying, you have an extraordinary penis.”
I had no clue how to respond to that.
He offered me a small part on his latest film, All About Gloria Leonard , based on the memoirs of the female publisher of High Society magazine.
“No,” I said, a bit too quickly. “No, I think I’ll pass.”
“Okay,” he said, unable to hide his disappointment. “Well, if you ever change your mind, feel free to call me. I’m sure I can find something for you.”
I spent the rest of the week telling myself that I’d made the right decision. But all around me was mounting evidence that I had made a mistake. Since the mainstream success of Deep Throat , adult films had achieved a legitimacy that would’ve been unthinkable just years earlier. Porn directors were no longer stringing together unrelated sex scenes with flimsy or nonexistent story lines; they were creating actual plots with compelling characters. Gone was the silly hamming of Deep Throat . The new breed of adult actors performed, in some ways, with the intensity and commitment of a trained Broadway player.
Even more surprising was the crossover potential. In the days of porn loops and stag films during the 1960s, there was a clear line between adult and mainstream actors. But thanks to the growing popularity of porn, it was beginning to change. Georgina Spelvin, who starred in the original Broadway production of
I went to see a few other adult films when I lived in the Catskills, mostly at the insistence of my friends. I didn’t find them particularly erotic, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to jerk off to any of them. For the record, I’ve never jerked off to porn. When I was a kid, I occasionally masturbated to Gilligan’s Island and I Dream of Jeannie . I still prefer Mary Ann to Ginger. But jerking to porn just seemed too obvious.
It never crossed my mind that a career in adult films might be something I’d want to pursue. The actors weren’t really actors, after all. They were just stunt people who could handle some dialogue. They were movable body parts hired to reenact fantasies. I wanted to be a thespian , performing great plays on Broadway or starring in major motion pictures. I wanted to be appreciated for something other than the size of my penis, or my ability to fuck in front of a camera. No, I thought, the very idea is preposterous. Not even worth considering.
It’s funny how quickly your entire outlook can change.
I n 1978, not long after my Playgirl spread, an acting friend arranged for me to meet Jim Sandberg, a New York–based director who’d made a name for himself with low-budget B movies. I was beside myself with excitement. It was my first contact with a legitimate filmmaker, and I was ready to take whatever role he offered.
“I hate to break this to you,” Jim told me when I called. “I don’t really make B movies anymore. I’m mostly doing X-rated stuff these days.”
My heart sank. “Oh, well that’s—”
“Have you ever thought about doing an adult film?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said, being totally honest.
“We could use a guy like you. I’ve seen some of your theater credits, and I’m very impressed. You studied with Dr. Stephen Macht and Joel Zwick * of La MaMa, isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
“I also saw you in a production of Salome . That was probably the best interpretation of King Herod I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks.” I was blown away. He seemed to know more about my theater career than most of my closest friends.
“And, of course, I had to sneak a peek at you in Playgirl . Not bad at all. If you don’t mind my saying, you have an extraordinary penis.”
I had no clue how to respond to that.
He offered me a small part on his latest film, All About Gloria Leonard , based on the memoirs of the female publisher of High Society magazine.
“No,” I said, a bit too quickly. “No, I think I’ll pass.”
“Okay,” he said, unable to hide his disappointment. “Well, if you ever change your mind, feel free to call me. I’m sure I can find something for you.”
I spent the rest of the week telling myself that I’d made the right decision. But all around me was mounting evidence that I had made a mistake. Since the mainstream success of Deep Throat , adult films had achieved a legitimacy that would’ve been unthinkable just years earlier. Porn directors were no longer stringing together unrelated sex scenes with flimsy or nonexistent story lines; they were creating actual plots with compelling characters. Gone was the silly hamming of Deep Throat . The new breed of adult actors performed, in some ways, with the intensity and commitment of a trained Broadway player.
Even more surprising was the crossover potential. In the days of porn loops and stag films during the 1960s, there was a clear line between adult and mainstream actors. But thanks to the growing popularity of porn, it was beginning to change. Georgina Spelvin, who starred in the original Broadway production of
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