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 preferred the streets and petty crime to church and school, maybe influenced by family connections to local mobsters. After a time in the marines, Fred tried the quiet life; he settled down, got married and worked at a regular job, but the bright lights of the city were calling. He started acting, and before long became one of the very first adult film performers in loops and early features.

Fred made loops with all the early characters like Sam Menning, Teddy Snyder and Smitty. He starred with Harry Reems in ‘Sex USA‘ (1971), Gerard Damiano’s pre-‘Deep Throat‘ (1972) hit that paved the way for porno chic. He acted regularly before turning his hand to directing and following the industry out to the west coast.

Along the way, he was married seven times, counting adult star Tiffany Clark and porn director Patti Rhodes among his wives. He helped Larry Levenson manage Plato’s Retreat and started the notorious Hellfire Club. He even found time to regularly work in mainstream movies as a stuntman, and to star in one of the most influential horror films of the early 1970s, ‘Last House on the Left‘ (1972).

I wanted to know how Fred remembered the early days of the porn industry when loops were king, porno was chic and New York was the center of it all, so in 2007, I sat down with him to discuss his New York years.

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 grandmother and thinking that her mother was actually her sister. She suffered abuse and rape, and, in part as a response to these terrible events, developed dissociative identity disorder – commonly referred to as having multiple personalities.

She dreamt of singing and dancing on Broadway – but instead became a stripper and then an actress in adult movies. She was one of the first genuine stars and contract girls – first with Harry Mohney’s Caribbean Films and then with Vivid.

She starred in a string of hugely successful films, including ‘The Ribald Tales of Canterbury’ which she also wrote and was one of the most expensive pornographic movies of the era.

At the same time she had a parallel career as a singer with her own band – and recorded a couple of CDs.

But controversy was never far away, whether it was her continuing mental illness, her marriage to her manager and frequent co-star Bud Lee, or the rumors that she faked her death to leave the industry or to increase merchandise sales.

To set the record straight, she published an autobiography in 2000 – but the Hyapatia Lee story didn’t stop there. In 2013 she appeared under her real name on the reality TV show ‘Gigolos’ as a client for one of the male leads and at the age of 53 engages in an unsimulated sex scene. Today she lives in Colorado growing marijuana and writing for the pro-cannabis magazine ‘High Times’.

On this episode, Hyapatia Lee joins April Hall to look back at her eventful life.

This episode running time is 114 minutes.

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Buy Hyapatia’s autobiography here.

Visit Hyapatia’s website here.

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 Leslie.

But then as film turned to video, and the lead actresses became contract girls and featured dancers, Ginger Lynn became a superstar and one of the most popular actresses in adult film history.

She marked a new type of performer – she was one of the first contract girls with Vivid Entertainment, and brought a mid 80s rock star glamor to the business.

Ginger was the girl next door… if you happened to live next door to a stunning sex goddess, who had her own line of videos, and dated mainstream figures like Billy Idol, George Clooney and… yes, Charlie Sheen.

Ginger is more modest about herself. When she started out she couldn’t act and she couldn’t dance, she says. She never found herself particularly attractive or even that sexual. She thought she’d only make a couple of films and nobody would notice her.

So how did Ginger Lynn become one of the most recognizable stars of adult film? What does she remember about her time in the business, and how does she remember her fellow stars – like Nina Hartley, Annette Haven or Traci Lords, on whose behalf she was called on to testify against the porn industry?

On this episode of The Rialto Report, Ginger Lynn joins April Hall to look back at a career that has spanned four decades, and shows no signs of slowing down.

This episode running time is 93 minutes.

With thanks to Suze Randall for the use of the first five pictures in this feature.

Visit Ginger Lynn’s website here.

Listen to Ginger’s radio show here.

See Ginger Lynn auctions here.

See Ginger’s artwork here.

See more of Suze Randall’s photo’s of Ginger here.

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 controversial off-off Broadway plays. It was a time when theaters were just starting to experiment with on-stage nudity, and Marlene signed up to act in several of these ground-breaking pieces.

Marlene modeled too – she was tall, dark, and waif-like, and for a time her Audrey Hepburn looks were used across fashion magazines.

But experimental theater and photo shoots didn’t pay extravagantly, and in 1975 Marlene was tempted into the burgeoning world of New York adult films. She never did anything in half measures, and for the next ten years Marlene threw herself into the world of porn – making films, writing magazine columns, posing for photo layouts, organizing film release parties, and speaking out about the industry whenever she got the chance.

And all the time she never gave up on her dream of a mainstream career. She once gave me a videotape of some of her television roles; I watched the compilation of scenes in amazement – seemingly from every New York TV series made in the 1970s and 80s – which featured Marlene walking into shots, delivering one liners, being part of crowd scenes or just standing there in the background. It was delicious to see, like seeing a porn Zelig turning up at every corner.

And then (and how often do we say this?), Marlene retired and disappeared. She left New York and her dreams of being an actress behind, and headed into the wilderness of Alaska.

On this episode of The Rialto Report, Marlene speaks publicly for the first time in decades about her acting, modeling, and adult film career.

Visit Marlene’s fan page on Facebook and YouTube site.

This episode running time is 67 minutes.

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 likes of Ginger Lynn, Harry Reems and Lisa De Leeuw.

– And Holly is one of the world’s leading adult photographers, who photographs for many sites, including her own, HollyRandall.com, as well as presenting a reality show on Playboy TV.

Together their involvement in the adult industry dates back to the early 1970s when Suze was a midwife nurse in England, who started nude modeling as a way of earning extra money. Within a few years, she was at the heart of the adult magazine industry in Los Angeles, dealing, and often fighting, with the egos of Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, and Bob Guccione.

Then Humphry made films for the notorious Reuben Sturman, including several movies with Traci Lords that were made just before it was revealed that Traci was in fact an underage performer.

Today Holly carries on the family tradition, in an internet age where free content is plentiful and the emphasis is often on quantity rather than quality.

On this episode of The Rialto Report, Ashley West speaks to Suze, Humphry, and Holly, to find out what the adult business was like in the golden age, and how much it has changed today. How profitable was it then – and how profitable is it now? What was it like to shoot the most famous adult film stars of the time? What really went on at the Playboy Mansion, and how crazy was Larry Flynt? And what was it like to wake up one day to the news that all the pictures of your favorite model had to be trashed immediately, and you could face decades locked up in jail?

We’re also pleased to show two collections of photographs; first a selection of images from Suze’s career as a model and photographer, and secondly we’re indebted to Suze.net for allowing us to present a collection of her photographs of golden age adult film stars from the 1980s.

Special thanks to Michael Nirenberg for assisting with this episode.

This episode running time is 67 minutes.

For more details, please visit the following sites:

Suze Randall’s website

Holly Randall’s website

Holly Randall’s blog

‘Suze: The Girl Who Clicked on Both Sides of the Playboy Camera’ (1977) – Humphry’s original account of Suze’s rise to fame

‘Lies, Love & Porn’ (2010) – Humphry’s novelized account of the Traci Lords scandal

‘Back Issues’ (2014) – Michael Nirenberg’s documentary about Larry Flynt, which features Suze, Humphry and Holly

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, a successful feature dancer for many years across the country, but she’s also a tomboy who worked as an electrician and is happy hiking and studying.

So what’s the truth – will the real Shanna McCullough stand up?

Today we’re joined by Shanna, who looks back at a 30 year career, working with many of the greats from the industry, including Alex de Renzy, Henri Pachard, Anthony Spinelli, and her pet python, Monty.

This episode running time is 78 minutes.

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 episode running time is 68 minutes.

From Carter’s Indiegogo site:

“Carter Stevens, one of the most prevalent and beloved directors of the porno-chic era of American adult film making is BACK!

In the days when porno had budgets, stories and characters, Stevens was known for filling his 1970s productions with (and in some cases was even responsible for discovering) some of the most recognizable faces in XXX history! Performers like: Deep Throat’s Harry Reems, Cannibal Holocaust’s Robert Kerman, perv-king Jamie Gillis, juicy earth-goddess Annie Sprinkle, the exotic Miss Vanessa Del Rio, the stunning Serena and SO many more!

Add to that real scripts, plots, production values way above the norm, and budgets that would put Hollywood to shame, and the result was a Carter Stevens Production.

Stevens has also received the lifetime achievement award from the Free Speech Coalition, and many other industry accolades. Then, he doffed his cap to the world of smut, and hung up his assless chaps. But you can’t keep a good man from the Pocono Mountains down, and Stevens is back with something brand new for 2014 – not a hardcore porn movie – but an off-the-wall sex comedy called THE SQUAD!

Set in the offbeat, raunchy and colorful world of the late 1970s porn scene that Carter himself knows so well and helped to cultivate and create, THE SQUAD is a cross between Boogie Nights and Police Academy! The plot finds a small group of undercover Police Officers assigned to infiltrate the porn industry by making a porno film of their own!. Their plan works better than ever expected and THE SQUAD produces the most successful porn film in the history of the genre! Then the mayhem REALLY STARTS!”

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 Nights’ (Bear Manor Media).

On this episode of The Rialto Report, we are joined by one of the first directors Serena ever worked with – the rockabilly Rasputin, Johnny Legend, who remains her friend to this day, and who describes what it was like to make ‘Teenage Cruisers’ – one of the strangest films to come out of the golden age – with Serena.

And we speak to Serena herself, as she prepares to come back into the public spotlight and reveal all for the first time.

This episode running time is 109 minutes.

It’s a complex and compelling story, detailing her life as a teenage runaway, single mother, underage performer in the adult industry, dancing at the Mitchell Brother’s O’Farrell Theater – whilst all the time struggling with undiagnosed mental illness.

And then there was Serena’s relationship with Jamie Gillis. It was a striking affair between two of the biggest names in adult film. She was a Californian, hippy red-head. Jamie was a dark, intense New Yorker. She moved to New York to be with him – and their relationship was unusual. It played out in films and in their private lives; on screen Serena would often assume the passive role in explicit S&M scenarios that were notable for their extreme sexual content. Some doubted whether they were truly consensual, whether Serena was being coerced or manipulated.

When we spoke to Jamie in the last years of his life before he passed away in 2010, he was clearly still enamored with her.

Here’s how he wrote about meeting Serena:

“I first eyed Serena when she was posing for Sam Menning in his LA studio in 1973 or 74.   She was writhing around naked while Sam snapped away and I was immediately smitten. He told me she was living with some guy in a remote area of northern California. I gave him a “too bad” shrug and left but I never forgot her.

A few years later she showed up single in New York City as the featured dancer/stripper at the Show World Center on Eighth Avenue and 42nd St.The place was going strong as a multi-level Times Square sex emporium and as I lived in the area, it was my neighborhood ‘playground’. A couple of floors featured 25 cent peep show girls. What a great relief it was to be able to go look at a naked girl for almost nothing and either stay to masturbate to her or simply bask in the wonder of it all.

An upper floor was dedicated to live sex shows but Serena’s act was much more demure. She danced around the stage with very easy, fluid motions, waving her arms overhead as if she were a young sapling bending with the breeze. You weren’t so much aroused by her performance as moved by it. You just wanted to hold her and love her. Maybe I was just pleased that this angelic, blond vision with the great ass and snub nose had come to a place and time where she was within my reach.

All I had to do was go backstage to say hello and she was mine”.

In 2001, Serena was in a coma that resulted in her losing parts of her memory. She’s written her autobiography by piecing together her life with help from family, friends and fans. It has been a journey of discovery for her almost as much as it will be for the reader.

So who is Serena today, and how does she remember the years in the adult films? What does she make of her role as the one-time Queen of Kink? And what is the truth behind her relationship with Jamie Gillis?

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, police harassment, mob heat, Times Square, and millions of dollars. In quarters. Lots and lots of quarters.

This episode running time is 52 minutes.

But he played an important role in creating the sex film industry.

He did this by introducing peep shows with sex films into adult bookstores in New York in the 1960s.

Along the way, he took risks. He set laws. He upset the city. He angered the mob. And he made millions.

He changed the face of New York as well; transforming Times Square overnight into a place The New York Times called as “a cesspit of filth – the nation’s centre for the new sex trade”.

For a time Marty was all-conquering. He was splashed over the national newspapers. He was described as King of the Peeps. The Merchant of Sleaze. Lord of the Loops. Even Public Enemy Number One.

Newspapers in New York reported that he earned $13m a year at his height.

Not bad for a poor Jewish kid from Brooklyn.

Along the way, he made sex film loops that gave a start to actors such as Linda Lovelace, Harry Reems, Jamie Gillis, and Darby Lloyd Rains.

So how was one man responsible for all this? How did he build this empire? And what happened when the forces of law and order and the mob both started closing in him?

2014 marks the 25th 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 dished the dirt on its stars.

It was named after Jerry’s best-known film, which told the story of a talented but struggling actor who gets sucked into making porn films, winning the fame he craved, but losing himself along the way. It was almost like porn was imitating real life. Except, here’s the irony: Jerry Butler’s real life was more extraordinary and crazy than anything he played on the big screen.

So what happened to the boy from New York with the raw talent? What’s his place in the golden age of adult film? And how does he look back on that period?

On this episode of The Rialto Report, April Hall speaks to three people who know the Jerry Butler story intimately: