Sexplosion

by Robert Hofler

  Photofest

  The nude wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed in Women in Love (1969) challenged the censors, intrigued audiences.

  Photofest

  Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson disagree vehemently over how to play their sex scene in Women in Love.

  Photofest

  Jennie Linden and Alan Bates take to the outdoors for their lovemaking in Women in Love. Photofest

  Many more people saw the photo of a shirtless Raquel Welch and Jim Brown in Time magazine than their movie, 100 Rifles (1969). Everett Collection

  Kenneth Tynan turns Clovis Trouille’s odalisque into a poster image for his sex revue, Oh! Calcutta! (1969). The New York Times subsequently banned the image from its ad pages.

  Photofest

  The Off-Broadway sex revue Oh! Calcutta! defies convention by offering performers who both disrobe and move onstage. Michael Childers

  Jon Voight, John Schlesinger, and Dustin Hoffman film on the streets of New York City to bring the tale of a Times Square hustler, Midnight Cowboy (1969), to the screen.

  Photofest

  John Schlesinger agrees to let Brenda Vaccaro wear a fox wrap for her sex scene with Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy.

  Photofest

  Helmut Berger, inspired by The Blue Angel, performs a Marlene Dietrich impersonation in The Damned (1969).

  Photofest

  The Night of the Long Knives sequence from The Damned is heavily censored in most countries due to its depiction of gang rape, homosexuality, and transvestism.

  Photofest

  Incest is one of the lesser offenses committed by Helmut Berger’s son and Ingrid Thulin’s mother in The Damned.

  Photofest

  The rape scene in Lonesome Cowboys (1969), featuring Viva and a few other Andy Warhol superstars, attracted the attention of the FBI.

  Photofest

  U.S. Customs seized I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) over objections to nude scenes involving Lena Nyman and Börje Ahlstedt.

  Photofest

  In 1969, Jacqueline Onassis is caught by a paparazzo as she leaves the Manhattan theater that is screening the suddenly notorious I Am Curious (Yellow). New York Daily News

  Holly Woodlawn’s welfare queen finds solace with a beer bottle while Joe Dallesandro’s drug addict takes a heroin-induced nap in Trash (1970).

  Photofest

  Andy Warhol says of his oft-naked leading man in Trash, “Everybody loves Joe.”

  Photofest

  Leonard Frey’s birthday boy receives the gift of Robert La Tourneaux’s hustler in the movie version of The Boys in the Band (1970).

  Photofest

  Raquel Welch drops trou to expose her character’s transsexuality to a boardroom full of shocked execs in Myra Breckinridge (1970).

  Photofest

  Mae West arrives for the world premiere of Myra Breckinridge in New York City, then trashes the film to reporters.

  Photofest

  Viva forms a ménage à trois with James Rado and Gerome Ragni in Lions Love (1970); the movie still goes on to grace the first cover of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.

  Photofest

  One movie executive charges that “even the bath water is dirty” when Mick Jagger, Michèle Breton, and Anita Pallenberg get in a tub together in Performance (1970).

  Photofest

  James Fox and Mick Jagger indulge in a bit of cross-dressing for their gender-bending roles in Performance.

  Photofest

  Melvin Van Peebles lowers production costs by convincing union officials that he’s shooting a triple-X movie, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971).

  Photofest

  Jack Nicholson is dubbed a male chauvinist, thanks to a Playboy interview and his role in Carnal Knowledge (1971), which costars Ann-Margret.

  Photofest

  Björn Andrésen finds himself pursued by an older man, Dirk Bogarde, in Death in Venice (1971), adapted from the Thomas Mann novella.

  Photofest

  John Schlesinger follows a close-up kiss between Peter Finch and Murray Head with a same-sex bedroom scene in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971).

  Photofest

  Censors cut the rape of Christ sequence from The Devils (1971), the footage later found and reinserted into Ken Russell’s film.

  Photofest

  Vanessa Redgrave’s nun fantasizes having sex with Oliver Reed’s Christ figure in The Devils.

  Photofest

  Straw Dogs (1971) features a controversial double rape, enacted by Del Henney, Susan George, and Ken Hutchison.

  Photofest

  Malcolm McDowell’s thug, using phallic artwork as a murder weapon, kills the Cat Lady in A Clockwork Orange (1971).

  Photofest

  Nude mannequins supply the libations to the “droogs” in the Milk Bar sequence from A Clockwork Orange.

  Photofest

  Stanley Kubrick directs the rape scene in A Clockwork Orange, with Malcolm McDowell and Adrienne Corri.

  Photofest

  The Motion Picture Association of America gave an X-rating to Fritz the Cat (1972), the first animated feature to be deemed suitable only for adults.

  Photofest

  The New York Times identified Deep Throat (1972) as a major attraction in the burgeoning “porno chic” movement.

  Photofest

  Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider are acquitted of obscenity charges in Italy, where Last Tango in Paris (1972) runs into trouble with the law.

  Photofest

  Lance Loud, upper left, doesn’t hide his homosexuality in An American Family (1973); he poses here with his siblings and his parents, Pat and Bill Loud. Everett Collection

  Acknowledgments

  I am pleased and very proud to pay taxes to support the public libraries that make a book like this possible. Those libraries include the Beverly Hills Public Library, Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, Los Angeles Public Library, New York City Public Library, and West Hollywood Public Library. Also essential to my research were such private institutions as the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the One Institute at the University of Southern California. Their librarians are my saviors.

  I’m indebted to all the people whom I interviewed for this book, especially Michael Childers, who shared not only his memories but his magnificent photographs.

  Peter Bloch, Holly Millea, and Stephen M. Silverman were early supporters who made invaluable suggestions regarding what I wrote. And Denise Smaldino designed a mock-up book cover that aided immensely in helping to find a publisher.

  Above all, this book would not be a book without my agent, Eric Myers at the Spieler Agency; my editors, Cal Morgan and Denise Oswald at HarperCollins; and my photo guru, Howard Mandelbaum at Photofest.

  Bibliography

  Adair, Gilbert. The Real Tadzio: Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice and the Boy Who Inspired It. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2003.

  Aldgate, Anthony, and James C. Robertson. Censorship in Theatre and Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.

  Amburn, Ellis. The Sexiest Man Alive: A Biography of Warren Beatty. New York: Harper Entertainment, 2002.

  Andersen, Christopher. Citizen Jane: The Turbulent Life of Jane Fonda. New York: Henry Holt, 1990.

  Ann-Margret, with Todd Gold. Ann-Margret: My Story. New York: Putnam, 1994.

  Bailey, David, and Peter Evans. Goodbye Baby & Amen. New York: Coward-McCann, 1969.

  Baker, Roy Ward. The Director’s Cut: A Memoir of 60 Years in Film and Television. London: Reynolds & Hearn, 2000.

  Barrett, Raina. First Your Money, Then Your Clothes: My Life and Oh! Calcutta! New York: Signet /New American Library, 1973.

  Bart, Peter. Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob (and Sex). New York: Weinstein Books, 2011.

  Baxter, John. An Appalling Talent/Ken Russell. London: Michael Joseph, 1973.

  ———. Glenda Jackson. London: Michael Joseph, 1973.

  Berg
en, Candice. Knock Wood. New York: Linden Press/Simon & Schuster, 1984.

  Bisbort, Alan. Media Scandals: Scandals in American History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2009.

  Biskind, Peter. Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.

  Biswell, Anthony. The Real Life of Anthony Burgess. London: Macmillan UK, 2007.

  Bloom, Claire. Leaving a Doll’s House: A Memoir. New York: Little, Brown, 1996.

  Bloom, Harold, ed. Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004.

  Bockris, Victor. The Life and Death of Andy Warhol. New York: Bantam Books, 1998.

  ———. Warhol. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2003.

  Bogarde, Dirk. An Orderly Man. London: Chatto & Windus, 1983.

  ———. Snakes & Ladders. London: Chatto & Windus, 1991.

  Bosworth, Patricia. Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

  ———. Marlon Brando. New York: Lipper/Viking, 2001.

  Brando, Marlon, with Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me. New York: Random House, 1997.

  Brode, Douglas. The Films of Jack Nicholson. New York: Citadel Press, 1996.

  Broer, Lawrence R., ed. Rabbit Tales: Poetry and Politics in John Updike’s Rabbit Novels. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1998.

  Brown, David. Let Me Entertain You. New York: William Morrow, 1990.

  Bruce, Lenny. How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography. New York: Fireside, 1992.

  Burgess, Anthony. You’ve Had Your Time. New York: Grove Press, 1991.

  Buruma, Ian. Conversations with John Schlesinger. New York: Random House, 2005.

  Capsuto, Steven. Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television. New York: Ballantine Books, 2000.

  Carey, Gary. Marlon Brando: The Only Contender. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1986.

  Cassell, Erik. Lindsay Anderson: Maverick Film-Maker. London: Cassell, 1998.

  Castle, Alison, ed., Jan Harlan, Christian Kubrick, and Stanley Kubrick. The Stanley Kubrick Archives. Cologne: Taschen, 2008.

  Chandler, Charlotte. She Always Knew How: Mae West. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.

  Childers, Michael, and Christine Gildes. Icons and Legends: The Photography of Michael Childers. Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Desert Museum, 2004.

  Chunovic, Louis. One Foot on the Floor: The Curious Evolution of Sex on Television from I Love Lucy to South Park. New York: TV Books, 2000.

  Colacello, Bob. Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up. New York: HarperCollins, 1980.

  Coldstream, John. Dirk Bogarde: The Authorised Biography. London: Orion, 2004.

  Crane, Robert David, and Christopher Fryer. Jack Nicholson: Face to Face. New York: M. Evans, 1975.

  Crimp, Douglas. “Our Kind of Movie”: The Films of Andy Warhol. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012.

  Davis, Lorrie, and Rachel Gallagher. Letting Down My Hair: Two Years with the Love Rock Tribe—from Dawning to Downing of Aquarius. New York: A. Fields Books, 1973.

  Dearborn, Mary V. The Happiest Man Alive: A Biography of Henry Miller. New York: Touchstone, 1992.

  Dundy, Elaine. Finch, Bloody Finch: A Life of Peter Finch. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1980.

  Ebert, Roger. Life Itself: A Memoir. New York: Grand Central, 2011.

  Epstein, Helen. Joe Papp: An American Life. New York: Little, Brown, 1995.

  Evans, Robert. The Kid Stays in the Picture. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

  Faulkner, Trader. Peter Finch. New York: Taplinger, 1979.

  Feiffer, Jules. Backing into Forward. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2010.

  Ferguson, Michael. Little Joe, Superstar: The Films of Joe Dallesandro. Laguna Hills, CA: Companion Press, 1998.

  Ferguson, Robert. Henry Miller: A Life. New York: Norton, 1993.

  Fine, Marshall. Bloody Sam: The Life and Films of Sam Peckinpah. New York: Hyperion, 2007.

  Finkelstein, Nat. Andy Warhol: The Factory Years 1964–1967. New York: Powerhouse Books, 2010.

  Finstad, Suzanne. Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood. New York: Harmony Books, 2002.

  ———. Warren Beatty: A Private Man. New York: Harmony Books, 2005.

  Fonda, Jane. My Life So Far. New York: Random House, 2005.

  Freedland, Michael. Jane Fonda: A Biography. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

  Friday, Nancy. My Secret Garden. New York: Pocket Books, 1998.

  Friedkin, William. The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir. New York: HarperCollins, 2013.

  Gardner, Gerald. The Censorship Papers: Movie Censorship Letters from the Hays Office, 1934 to 1968. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1994.

  Gerard, Fabien S., T. Jefferson Klin, and Bruce Sklarew, eds. Bernardo Bertolucci: Interviews. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2000.

  Gerber, Gail, with Tom Lisanti. Trippin’ with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009.

  Gibson, Jon M., and Chris McDonnell. Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi. New York: Universe, 2008.

  Gomez, Joseph A. Ken Russell: The Adaptor as Creator. London: Frederick Muller, 1976.

  Goodwin, Cliff. Evil Spirits: The Life of Oliver Reed. London: Virgin Books, 2001.

  Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop. New York: Delacorte Press, 2004.

  Grode, Eric. Hair: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2010.

  Guiles, Fred Lawrence. Jane Fonda: The Actress in Her Time. New York: Doubleday, 1982.

  Gussow, Mel. Edward Albee: A Singular Journey. New York: Applause, 2001.

  Hayes, Kevin J., ed. Sam Peckinpah: Interviews. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2008.

  Herman, Gary. Rock ’n’ Roll Babylon. London: Plexus, 1982.

  Higham, Charles. Brando: The Unauthorized Biography. New York: New American Library, 1988.

  Highberger, Craig B. Superstar in a Housedress: The Life and Legend of Jackie Curtis. New York: Chamberlain Bros., 2005.

  Hill, Lee. A Grand Guy: The Art and Life of Terry Southern. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

  Hollander, Xaviera, with Robin Moore and Yvonne Dunleavy. The Happy Hooker: My Own Story. New York: Dell, 1972.

  Hurwood, Bernhardt J. Burt Reynolds. New York: Quick Fox, 1979.

  Johnson, Jonathon. Good Hair Days: A Personal Journey with the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Hair. New York: iUniverse, 2004.

  Johnson, Paul. Intellectuals. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988.

  Kael, Pauline. For Keeps: 30 Years at the Movies. New York: Plume, 1996.

  Kaplan, Fred. Gore Vidal: A Biography. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

  Kellow, Brian. Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark. New York: Viking, 2011.

  Koestenbaum, Wayne. Andy Warhol. New York: Lipper/Viking, 2001.

  Kramer, Larry. Women in Love and Other Dramatic Writings. New York: Grove Press, 2002.

  Lahr, John, ed. The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan. London: Bloomsbury, 2001.

  Lambert, Gavin. Natalie Wood: A Life. New York: Knopf, 2004.

  Lanza, Joseph. Fragile Geometry: The Films, Philosophy and Misadventures of Nicolas Roeg. New York: PAJ, 1989.

  Lewis, John. Hollywood v. Hard Core: How the Struggle over Censorship Saved the Modern Film Industry. New York: New York University Press, 2000.

  Lewis, Roger. Anthony Burgess. London: Faber & Faber, 2003.

  LoBrutto, Vincent. Stanley Kubrick: A Biography. New York: Donald I. Fine Books, 1997.

  Loud, Pat, with Nora Johnson. Pat Loud: A Woman’s Story. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1974.

  Lovelace, Linda. Inside Linda Lovelace. New York: Pinnacle Books, 1973.

  Lovelace, Linda, with Mike McGrady. Ordeal: The Truth Behind Deep Throat. New York: Citadel Press, 1980.

  McDonough, Jimmy. Big Breasts and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006.

 
McDouglas, Dennis. Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times. New York: Wiley, 2008.

  McGilligan, Patrick. Jack’s Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson. New York: Norton, 1996.

  Mailer, Norman. The Prisoner of Sex. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971.

  Mann, Katia. Unwritten Memories. New York: HarperCollins, 1976.

  Mann, William J. Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger. New York: Billboard Books, 2005.

  Manso, Peter. Brando. New York: Hyperion Books, 1995.

  ———. Mailer: His Life and Times. New York: Washington Square Press, 2008.

  Marc, David, and Robert J. Thompson. Prime Time, Prime Movers: From I Love Lucy to L.A. Law—America’s Greatest TV Shows and the People Who Created Them. Boston: Little, Brown, 1992.

  Mazursky, Paul. Show Me the Magic. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

  Mitzel, John, and Steven Abbott. Myra & Gore: A Book for Vidalophiles. New York: Manifest Destiny Book, 1976.

  Offen, Ron. Brando. Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1973.

  Parker, John. The Joker’s Wild: The Biography of Jack Nicholson. London: Anaya, 1991.

  ———. Warren Beatty: The Last Great Lover of Hollywood. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993.

  Pennington, Jody W. The History of Sex in American Film. New York: Praeger, 2007.

  Phillips, Gene D. John Schlesinger. Boston: Twayne, 1981.

  ———. Ken Russell. Boston: Twayne, 1979.

  Resnick, Sylvia Safran. Burt Reynolds: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1983.

  Reynolds, Burt. My Life. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

  Richards, Keith, with James Fox. Life. New York: Little, Brown, 2010.

  Rollyson, Carl E. The Lives of Norman Mailer: A Biography. St. Paul, Minn.: Paragon House, 1991.