‘Deep Sleep’ (1972): How a Suburban Porno Set Off a Massive Federal Witch Hunt – Podcast 52 (reprise)

In 1972, Alfred Sole, a first time filmmaker, made an X-rated film called ‘Deep Sleep’.

He didn’t know much about adult films or the industry, so he shot it in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey and using a cast and crew made up of friends and family members.

This meant that the local lawyer, banker, policeman, high school teachers, funeral home director, the mayor’s wife, even Alfred’s wife and his mother were part of the film-making group. It seemed like everyone in Paterson knew someone who was involved in the making of ‘Deep Sleep’.

And so predictably when it came out it was a smash hit in New Jersey, with long lines of people breaking box office records trying to get into the theaters to see it.

But not everyone was impressed. And what followed was one of the most remarkable and notorious prosecutions of an adult film in American history. First the filmmakers were indicted on a state basis under an ancient anti-fornication statute, and then on a federal level for interstate transportation of pornography. Suddenly Alfred Sole found himself at the center of a storm. He was under attack both from the law and from everyone who’d helped him make the film in the first place.

On this Rialto Report, the people involved speak out for the first time in 40 years. We speak to –

Alfred Sole, Deep Sleep’s director

Kim Pope, Deep Sleep actress

Joseph Friedman, Deep Sleep cinematographer

Butch Taylor, Deep Sleep’s soundtrack composer

John Niccollai, Assistant District Prosecutor

This episode’s running time is 69 minutes.

The music playlist for this episode can be found on Spotify.

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Meeting Alfred Sole

To set eyes on Alfred Sole is to like him instantly.

He’s just welcomed me onto the Warner Brothers soundstage in Los Angeles where he works. At 75, Alfred is technically of retirement age, but he remains an in-demand production designer on popular television ...