The Rialto Report

Candy Samples was one of the true larger than life figures that lit up the early adult industry. Whether is it was in black and white cheesecake photo sets from the late 1960s, thousands of magazine appearances, and scores of films – from softcore to hardcore, from loops to catfight wrestling shorts. She had a mischievous, friendly look that stood out from all the other models. She often pla...

Our friend Candida Royalle passed away this week. She was 64. Candida was a former star of pornographic movies who became a self-styled feminist filmmaker at 30 when she started producing and directing films for her own company, Femme Productions. She defined her work as female-oriented, sensuously explicit cinema as opposed to formulaic hard-core pornographic films that she said degraded women fo...

George McDonald was an adult film star at a time when there were no adult film stars. He started in the era of short, silent 8mm films and saw first hand the progression to full-length pornographic features within a couple of years. This was an era of shame and secrecy when no one used their real name – except for George.  And for a time his name was everywhere – he once counted nine theaters show...

The Rialto Report really took off when we tracked Jennifer Welles down for one of our first podcasts. Over two years after its posting, it still remains one of our most popular interviews. We’ve stayed in touch with Jennifer since we first met her and she continues to be surprised and delighted by the level of interest in her story. While she values her privacy, we’re pleased that she chose to sha...

It’s safe to say that Roberta Findlay wasn’t immediately interested when I contacted her for an interview. In fact I lost count of the number of times she told me to just go away. Actually I do remember. It was 14. Or 15 if you count the time I called her afterwards to thank her for this interview. That’s not to say I wanted to force her to speak. But I did try and convince her that her career in...

When we launched the Rialto Report a few years ago, one of the first people we were keen to interview was the actor George Payne . He was a dramatic and intense on-screen presence in early 1980s New York adult films, often playing mentally unhinged characters. We wanted to know more about the man behind the craziness. It turns out George is one of the most gentle people you could hope to meet, and...

When we contacted Sharon Kelly to request a Rialto Report interview with her, we suggested the conversation might take a couple of hours. She wrote back immediately expressing mild surprise that anyone would want to listen to her for that long. Actually to be more precise she said: “Jesus Christ – two hours?! I wouldn’t listen to George Clooney beg to have sex with me whilst a resurrected Jo...

Michelle Maren ’s life has been eventful, surprising and difficult. So much so that she has recently finished a documentary, ‘ An Autobiography of Michelle Maren ’ which she co-directed with award-winning filmmaker, Michel Negroponte . The film is starting to appear in film festivals around the country. It recounts her troubled beginnings as a victim of abuse and domestic violence. By the age of 1...

Jim South didn’t act in many adult films, and certainly didn’t take part in any sex scenes. He didn’t direct, produce, or finance many movies either. But if you watch any film made in Los Angeles since the mid 1970s, the chances are that Jim South was intimately involved in who you’re actually watching on-screen. For years his company, World Modeling , supplied talent to the adult film industry. A...

Make no mistakes about it, Howard Ziehm is one of the people who invented the adult film industry. He was there taking still photos for adult bookstores in the 1960s – when the most you could reveal was a girl in her underwear. He made some of the first color loops – when all you could show was the subject writhing on a mattress by herself. And then in 1970, as the market finally deman...

For the first time on The Rialto Report, we feature a current day adult film performer. But the twist is that Nina Hartley is also one of the true stars of the golden age, having appeared scores of films since her start in 1984. By any standards, Nina is a unique person. The daughter of a socialist blacklisted writer, she was raised in Berkeley, CA and became a registered nurse whilst dancing at t...

For many people Radley Metzger’s 1976 film ‘ The Opening of Misty Beethoven ’ was the greatest adult film of all time. It had everything – a witty script, great cast, international locations, and was made by a talented filmmaker. And it had the enigmatic Constance Money . Hers is one of the iconic roles in the golden age of adult film. She was an unlikely star; unlike other actresses in the indust...

For our first podcast of 2015 we’re reaching back into last year’s archives to honor a legend of adult cinema who is in need of our help: Kay Parker: Many Lives – Podcast 32 . About a month ago together with Jill Nelson and Mark Murray , we set up The Golden Age Appreciation Fund after learning that Kay is experiencing financial difficulties which have forced her out of her home....

When people talk about the early pioneers of adult film in New York, names like Jamie Gillis , Harry Reems and Tina Russell spring to mind. But in January 2013, the industry lost someone who was there at the beginning, and remained there pretty much until his passing – and that’s Fred Lincoln . Fred was born to a traditional Italian family in 1930s Hells Kitchen, New York. He was smart, but prefer...

Hyapatia Lee was always an instantly recognizable figure in the adult films and magazines of the 1980s; she was a strong and striking presence with an unusual Native American persona, which it turned out was more than just a character – Hyapatia is one-quarter Cherokee which was and is a proud part of her heritage. But her wholesome image masked a troubled life; she grew up raised by her grandmoth...

Ginger Lynn is an actress, artist, and radio show host. And in the 1980s, she was an adult film star. One of the biggest. And in some ways, the modern adult film industry started with her. She began as an actress when adult films were still films – appearing with many of the names that had helped create the industry in the first place – from John Holmes to Jamie Gillis , Harry Reems and John Lesli...

In many respects, Marlene Willoughby was the archetypal 1970s New York adult film actress – which was strange as she is a Polish / Italian Catholic from Detroit. She arrived in New York as a teenager in 1961 with her mother and older sister – and immediately set about becoming an actress. Her sister led the way singing on Broadway with Buddy Hackett , and Marlene followed with parts in controversi...

Suze Randall (above), her husband Humphry Knipe , and her daughter Holly have been one of the most influential families in the adult industry of the last 40 years. – Suze is a former model, who shot many photographic layouts for Playboy , Hustler , Penthouse and more. – Humphry directed a series of acclaimed adult films in the mid 1980s, under the name Victor Nye, which starred the lik...

Shanna McCullough always seemed to be full of contradictions. She was a golden age adult film actress, yet she was still in the industry until just a few years ago. She’s an award-winning veteran of 100s of films, but she came from a Christian family and only had a couple of boyfriends before she found herself making her first film. She’s a glamorous sex symbol and a successful feature dancer for...

Carter Stevens is back in the game! He recently announced his intention to make a comedy called ‘The Squad’. You can find out more details about his project – and learn how you can help raise the funds – here . Please give generously! In the meantime, we’re re-posting our interview with Carter Stevens – one of The Rialto Report’s earliest podcasts. This ep...

Serena was one of the most popular stars of 1970s adult film. She stood out from many other actresses. She was striking, aloof, distant, and cool and had a genuine star quality. She was private and enigmatic too, and details of her life seemed to be mysterious and unknowable. This is set to change however with the publication of her autobiography later this year, entitled ‘Bright Lights, Lonely Ni...

On this episode of The Rialto Report, we tell the story of the legendary Marty Hodas – ‘King of the Peeps’ – with his only audio interview since the 1970s. Marty introduced peep show machines into Times Square – creating the basis for the adult film industry, and changing the face of New York in the process. His remarkable story is one of sex films, obscenity busts, p...

2014 marks the 25 th anniversary of the publication of Jerry Butler ’s autobiography, ‘ Raw Talent ’. It was opinionated, frenetic, controversial, and entertaining. Just like Jerry Butler himself. Love it or hate it – and many loved it, and many hated it – ‘Raw Talent’ was a revelation. For the first time, a book by an insider blew the lid off the inner workings of the adult film industry and dish...

Sharon Kane is one of the most prolific adult film stars of all time, having featured in 100s of films, videos, and loops over a 30 year period. She began work as an exotic dancer at Alex De Renzy ‘s Screening Room in the mid-70’s, before entering the porn industry in 1978 in the film ‘ Pretty Peaches ‘. Over the next three decades Sharon worked in San Francisco, Seattle, N...

This week we return to one of The Rialto Report’s earliest and most downloaded interviews. Long Jeanne Silver – adult film actress and stripper from the 1970s and 1980s – joins us to talk about her life and memories. With thanks to Josh Alan Friedman for the great picture above. Visit his website here . This episode running time is 68 minutes. ____________________________________...