GOLDEN GODDESSES: 25 LEGENDARY WOMEN OF CLASSIC EROTIC CINEMA, 1968-1985
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McDowell and her blossoming tummy made another appearance in Helen Bedd (1973), one of her very few feature film roles. Linda demonstrated the proper use of a dildo to a friend (Sandi Carey) in a kitchen chair, in addition to engaging with various sexual partners as a supporting performer. Helen Bedd starred Sandi Carey, director Walt Davis, and the diminutive, seldom seen nymphet Barbara Barton (aka Gilda Grant).
Lovely Linda’s chapter as an adult performer was limited to very few appearances. It is believed she may have passed away from cancer in June 2008 in Delhi, Iowa where she resided for many years along with her husband.
Linda McDowell will forever be commemorated on eight millimeter films, and undoubtedly, in the memory banks of many of the male populous where she continues to be regarded as one of the most desirable and superb creatures ever to have ever graced celluloid.
Rene Bond
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Rene Bond (born Rene Ruth Bond in October 1950) is a standout pioneer performer beginning with minimal appearances in the late 1960s, particularly in sexploitation films produced by Harry Novak (dubbed the “Sexploitation King”). One of Bond’s first films in which she appeared nude (and swinging on a rope) is the low budget “B” film Country Cuzzins (1971) involving the silly shenanigans surrounding the Peabody’s, a hillbilly family in the deep south. Later, after receiving breast implants, Bond advanced to hardcore and S&M films in the 1970s, quickly customizing herself as a veritable rebel in her field. Rene also made waves in a couple of director Ed Wood’s pictures: Necromania (1971) and Fugitive Girls (1974).
Encased within a tantalizing, tidy, curvy package, Rene and her boyfriend, sex performer Ric Lutz, were often paired together or as part of an ensemble cast in dozens of loops and hardcore features. Bond pronounced Lutz was her favorite on screen partner. Indubitably, Rene took delight in wearing the crown as a lusted after cult idol, particularly noted in Alpha Blue Archives’ Rene Bond, Sex Kitten, a medley of seventies scenes underscoring her work with Lutz, John Holmes, Nina Fause and Virginia Winter (another beauty from her day). In footage excerpted from Teenage Fantasies (1971), cheekily, Bond introduces each passage by deep-throating unidentified males, demonstrating unabashed devotion to her technique and putting her personal stamp on every entry.
Rene’s last known public appearance was in 1985 on the television program Break the Bank where she was a contestant along with her third husband. Tragically, Bond died in 1996 at age forty-five from cirrhosis of the liver, but her image as a blue screen icon is immortalized in the annals of her untamed performances that lasted well into the late 1970s. An anticipated biography on Rene Bond is currently in the works titled Rene Bond: America’s Tragic Teenage Fantasy by John Harrison slated for a 2013 release.
Cyndee Summers
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Cyndee Summers (aka Anne Faulkner), a stunning redhead with a perfectly crafted body to match, was a frequent performer during the golden era of adult films in a career that overlapped three decades.
During her early years, Summers often joined steady boyfriend Rick Cassidy in loops and rudimentary pictures such as Sex Picnic (1971), Penthouse Passions (1971), Panty Girls (1972) and The Winning Stroke (1973). Dubbed “Lady Vanity” by adult historian William Margold (Summers had a habit of keeping a mirror on hand at all times) Cyndee blazed across countless cinemascapes as an ultimate male fantasy where she flaunted MILF authority even as a young woman in short films.
Continuing in the tradition of exploring the unconventional theme of incest, director Kirdy Stevens hired Summers to co-star in the 1985 film Taboo 4: The Younger Generation, the third sequel to the highly successful Taboo (1980). Summers was ideally cast as the sex-starved wife of sexual psychiatrist Dr. Jeremy Lodge (Jamie Gillis) and becomes immersed in an affair with Lodge’s brother (John Leslie), creating upheaval and dissention in the family structure. Luxurious and elegant to a fault, Summers handled the role with aplomb as she effectively elicited empathy on the part of the viewer for her plight.
In 1987, Cyndee appeared again with Rick Cassidy in Divorce Court Expose 2 directed by Vinni Rossi. Cyndee made her final appearance in Swedish Erotica Featurettes 5 (1990, directed by Patti Rhodes-Lincoln) where she performed with co-stars Mindy Rae, Stevie Taylor and Mike Horner.
According to Wikipedia, Cyndee Summers is purported to have passed away in November 2009 at age sixty although that information has not been verified. Summers’ trademark as a stealth feline with a wild, yet cultivated appetite for sexual variety renders her one of the true renegade women of the golden age.
Sandy Dempsey
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Sandy Dempsey (aka Darleen Saunders/Tiffany Stewart) is a first generation adult performer easily recognized by an endearing overbite set off by her auburn hair; a lithe figure (sporting all natural, shapely breasts), and a butterfly tattoo on her right thigh — one of the original performers to have one.
Dempsey sparked off her career in adult entertainment in the mid-1960s when she appeared in Kirdy Stevens and Helene Terrie’s experimental nudist films, along with boyfriend John Holmes and a group of unknowns. In 1967, Dempsey and Holmes (Sandy and Holmes appeared together in more than a combined twenty loops and features) were hired by Stevens and Terrie to perform in one of Stevens’ first hardcore loops for mail order which can be viewed as a clip insert in the director’s 1979 film Me and Marla Strangelove. Dempsey’s initial full feature is listed as Tough Guns (1968) in which she assumed a non-sex role.
In addition to her extreme sex appeal and partiality, Dempsey had a knack for natural delivery of dialogue and floated easily between loops, sexploitation and hardcore films for directors Stevens, Walt Davis, Chris Warfield, Bob Chinn and others. Sandy also showed off her talent for the facetious in some of the sophomoric comedies of the era such as the softcore feature Sex and the Single Vampire (1972).
Wearing a big, floppy hat and bug-eyed sunglasses, Dempsey portrayed Sandra Hamilton in the 1970 release Johnny Wadd (the landmark film of the nine-part series) whereby her character successfully enticed the detective (Holmes) not to search for her missing sister by paying him handsomely in funds and sexual favors. Little Miss Innocence, released in 1978, is Sandy’s final hardcore performance.
In the mid-seventies Dempsey left the adult business and is rumored to have died in a boating accident with possible foul play in 1975. However, as her filmography suggests, it has also been reported she is alive and well, and living in the South Western United States. Sandy Dempsey is one of the most dynamic and titillating adventurers of early erotic films.
Sandi Carey
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Sandi Carey (aka Daisy Lay/Sylvia Duval) broke into adult films after starting out as a figure model in sexy magazines in the late 1960s. The petite, fine-boned, blonde Carey with large doe eyes was soon hired to perform in softcore, and also hardcore features coinciding with the late 1960s and the coming of a new era in filmmaking. Some of Carey’s primitive appearances were uncredited roles, but by 1971, she had made over fifteen films mostly in the hardcore genre — some of which are difficult to track down.
Carey often co-starred with early contemporaries and friends Sandy Dempsey and Rene Bond as is evidenced in Sex as You Like It (1972), City Woman (released in 1974), and the softcore detective story The Danish Connection (1974) directed by Walt Davis.
Carey’s delightfully coy on screen presence is maximized in the softcore feature The Liberated Woman (1972) about a frigid woman’s entry into a world of swing parties and forbidden sexual delights. (The film’s poster featured the graphic illustrations of gifted artist and former producer Linda Adrain). In 1976, Carey once again joined forces with the trio of starlets: Rene Bond, Sandy Dempsey and Cyndee Summers and put on a sexually supple performance in the opening scene of A Touch of Sex, a sultry story about a hot clique of California women hell bent on showin
g a city slicker the private pleasures of Los Angeles.
Sandi Carey was actively involved in the adult business on and off until the late-1980s, and held minor roles in a few horror pictures throughout the course of her film career as Sandra Carey. Sandi’s final appearance in the adult genre was in a non-sex capacity in the 1987 sequel Debbie Duz Dishes 111 starring Nina Hartley. It is alleged that Sandi Carey is presently living and working in Las Vegas.
Sharon Thorpe
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Sharon Thorpe, the unconventional, captivating artiste began her career as a pornographic film performer in the early 1970s. She has been honored as one of the first five female stars to be inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame on February14, 1985. Often featured wearing eyeglasses in the early years, Thorpe (aka Joanna Savage and Julie Holmes) and her skill set were underrated. She was often cast in marginal parts; either presented as the BFF of the lead female character or as a mousey bookworm. Essentially, Sharon was an alluring and uniquely attractive character actress who soon won over film critics and fans with her solid acting capabilities and her passionate, sensual enthusiasm with partners.
Thorpe toiled through her service within the X-rated empire with all of the greats of the industry, and was often coupled with John Leslie and Clair Dia. Sharon played Leslie’s first hook up in director Alan Colberg’s (unavailable) feature Tapestry of Passion (1976) for Essex Films, entailing the resolution of a murder investigation.
Robert McCallum’s 3:00AM (1975) is considered one of Sharon’s finest acting pieces. Thorpe summoned her inner “Mrs. Robinson,” as a sexy thirty-something who consoles and satisfies the carnal yearnings of her neighbor’s son (Charles Hooper) after the accidental homicidal death of his father. The act commences as a shy romantic union of two unlikely souls and evolves into a torrid interchange that becomes an instigator for the boy and his sister (Clair Dia) to embark upon their own incestuous sexual exploration.
Thorpe’s touching and erotic scene with Johnny Keyes in Anthony Spinelli’s SexWorld (1977) could be considered the seminal performance of her career. Juxtaposed against a preceding line-up of lonely hearts housed at SexWorld, a destination getaway resort on a tropical island that matches applicants with candidates promising to fulfill sexual requirements, Sharon and Keyes (reprising his role as the fantasy lover in Behind the Green Door, 1972) intuitively and lovingly anticipate one another’s emotional and physical cravings. With bodies entwined, they effortlessly put a perfect exclamation mark on the weekend’s curious rendezvous.
In the mid-seventies, Thorpe began to work in the areas of production and musical direction before leaving the adult business in the 1980s to pursue other opportunities. Reportedly, Sharon Thorpe presently resides in San Francisco and works as a real estate agent.
Annette Haven
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Without question, Annette Haven is one of the most magnificently beautiful and adored golden era women with facial features and a form reminiscent of classic Hollywood. Having grown up in a strict religious environment, Haven married while still a teenager and divorced two years later. Shortly thereafter in the early 1970s, Annette left her home in Las Vegas and travelled to San Francisco where she began working on the dance circuit as a stripper and met pornographic actress Bonnie Holiday. Haven’s first appearance in a sex film was Alex de Renzy’s Lady Freaks (1973) which also starred Holiday. The two appeared in several productions together and lived under the same roof for a number of years, along with Holiday’s boyfriend.
By 1975, Annette was a sensation and much sought after actor who patented her talent and exquisite beauty in some of the most preeminent and successful pictures of the 1970s and eighties decades. She had a reputation for setting the tone on a set and would not compromise her integrity and moral code for anyone. Many industry insiders and fans contend that Haven is responsible for transforming the sex film genre from grinder exhibitions into productions of prestige because of her poise and caliber of performance. It is said that Annette was considered for director Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984) in a leading role that was ultimately assigned to Melanie Griffith.
Haven is enduring as a virginal maiden in the Mitchell brother’s hit film The Autobiography of a Flea (1976) and followed up as Johnny Wadd’s eye-popping main squeeze in the opening sequence of the Freeway Film production Tell Them Johnny Wadd is Here (1976). Throughout the pinnacle of the golden age, Haven continued banking on her marquee status by appearing in a steady stream of first-rate productions with some of the industry’s brightest stars and directors. In her starring role in the outstanding picture “V”: The Hot One (1978), Annette memorably performed with a fine selection of studs from the era: John Leslie, Paul Thomas, Joey Silvera, and John Seeman. SexWorld (1978), Take-Off (1978) and The Grafenberg Spot (1985) are other examples of exceptional films brandishing Haven’s expertise as an actor and performer. Annette’s star power shone within a career lasting almost two decades and she is an honored inductee of the XRCO and AVN Halls of Fame.
Today, Annette Haven lives in Sausalito, California, and will be turning fifty-eight years old this year. She has retained her classic beauty, and graceful, well-toned figure. Haven avidly communicates with friends and fans through Facebook.
Vanessa del Rio
Vanessa del Rio was born in Harlem, New York to Cuban and Puerto Rican parents in March 1952. Raised in the Catholic faith by a controlling father, a pious mother and overly zealous nuns, during her teen years, the voluptuous young maverick admired Argentine sex symbol/actress/model, Isabel Sarli and rebelled against the conventional rules and regulations established by her parents. Vanessa began to experiment with her own sexuality and tested the waters by charming suitors while asserting supremacy and control over liaisons. After leaving home at age sixteen, del Rio worked as a key punch operator and computer programmer before Go-Go dancing in clubs in the East Village. Eventually, she found employment as a call girl.
In 1974, the hot new starlet appeared in her first adult feature, China Doll, directed by Shaun Costello. Shortly thereafter, she became regarded as “America’s first Latina Porn Star,” breaking through all ethnic barriers. del Rio worked steadily in adult films from the early seventies through to the mid-eighties, thoroughly enjoying her time in the limelight on and off the set. While developing a reputation as a party girl, Vanessa utilized her star power to the utmost. She was arrested for what was deemed “obscene behavior” while headlining a strip tease act in Richmond, Virginia, and was charged with possession of cocaine and Quaaludes. During her time in jail, the adult cinema star reflected upon her childhood years spent in the Catholic Church, assessing the contrasts between her roots and her career in the adult entertainment industry. For a time, Vanessa disconnected herself from her porn persona. After making the decision to return to films, del Rio left the business again in 1986 when AIDS became a legitimate threat to the industry.
Acknowledging porn and rap make ideal bedfellows, Vanessa resurfaced again a decade later with a revamped profile manifested by her appearance in rap artist Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s video Get Money. The frequently recognized and well-respected del Rio, accepted cameos in additional videos and did occasional television spots while sustaining her work in adult films which officially ended in 1999.
Since disembarking from the industry, del Rio has been actively involved in maintaining her website. She is also on Facebook where she communicates with many admirers and aficionados of her work. In 2007, German art book publisher, Benedikt Tashen, released a coffee table biography on the larger-than-life icon titled Vanessa del Rio: Fifty Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior. In a 2011 interview for Media Take Out.com, Vanessa avowed that if she had the opportunity to do it all over again she would have probably taken a shot at Hollywood. In the same interview she proudly proclaimed, “Porn is the only industry where women are really in control.” At age sixty, Vanessa del Rio continues to speak her mind, and as
a gracious and durable celebrity, she frequently attracts new fans to her body of work.
Lesllie Bovee
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Lesllie Bovee, another trailblazer with impeccable beauty and sexual allure, became known to adult fans after her feature role in Artie and Jim Mitchell’s C.B. Mamas (1975) which co-starred luminaries Jon Martin, (the lovely and not forgotten African American actress) Desiree West, Joey Silvera and Paul Thomas.
Born in Bend, Oregon, Bovee (aka Lesllie Bovée) charmed spectators of X-Rated films with her unreserved and vociferous expressions of passion with many of her male partners. As samplings of her filmography will confirm, Bovee matched her sexual prowess with practically every male in her wake, and did so with such gusto it would be a tall order to attempt to challenge the legitimacy of her performances. Bovee’s absorbing roles are plentiful, so to name a few is not to negate her contribution or dynamism in her field.
Eruption (1978) directed by Stanley Kurlan, is a porn parody of the 1944 film noir classic Double Indemnity in which Bovee portrayed Sandy Bevin (opposite John Holmes), a woman plotting to knock off her wealthy husband to gain full access of his fortune. Shot on location in Hawaii, Lesllie proved herself as a premiere leading lady in all facets of the film which contained murder, sex, intrigue, and plot twists. One year later, Bovee and Holmes starred together again in The Senator’s Daughter, a highly entertaining spoof of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. Lesllie portrayed the kidnapped daughter of a senator taken to Tangiers where she is brainwashed and cloned. Upon her rescue by her bionic secret agent (Holmes), the two have (lots of) sex and fall in love. The film wraps neatly with a storybook wedding.