The 70’s were a big turning point for the country in many ways. Where were you in 1975 and what do you remember from that year? For me, my country music management and booking company, Warric Productions, was doing quite well in the New York-New Jersey area and Nashville. The adult industry wasn’t even a tiny blip on the radar screen regarding my future.
As we always do we’ll begin with what the cost of living was back then. The average income per year was just $14,500., the average cost of a new 3 bedroom home was around $39,300. You could buy a new Chevrolet Caprice for $4,800 or a Ford Mustang for $4,100. Gas was now a whopping 44 cents a gallon. A loaf of bread was 28 cents, a gallon of milk $1.05 and a record album was $3.99. It was a year when Pet Rocks made their debut and a new candy known as “Jelly Bellies” also made their debut. BIC introduces the disposable razor. The Laser Printer is also introduced in 1975. The Kodak company is working ona new product, the digital camera. Gerald Ford was President and he signs a $2.3 billion loan to New York City to keep them from bankruptcy. Bill Gates and Paul Allen start up a brand new company called Microsoft that would change the future of the entire world in the years ahead. There was also the introduction of home video recorders and a battle brewing between VHS and Betamax. Jimmy Hoffa, the ex teamsters boss disappears and is never to be seen again. Patti Hearst becomes one of America’s Most Wanted and arrested for armed robbery. US Apollo and Soviet Soyuz 9 spacecraft link up in space and Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts shake hands. Finally, the very unpopular Vietnam War ends as forces take Saigon and South Vietnam surrenders unconditionally. The U.S. carries out Vietnam “Operation Babylift” bringing Vietnamese orphans to the U.S.
On the entertainment front among the popular films in 1975 were Jaws, The Towering Inferno, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Funny Lady and The Godfather II. In music the big names include Aerosmith, David Bowie, Chicago, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen and The Eagles. As for 1975 TV among the most popular shows were All in the Family, The Bionic Woman, Sanford and Son, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and brand new show on NBC, Saturday Night Live. Among the celebrities we lost in 1975 were actress Susan Hayward, baseball’s Casey Stengel, writer Rod Serling, comedienne Moms Mabley, Aristotle Onassis and musician T-Bone Walker.
In the porn world, the year saw a large number of productions being filmed all over the New York area, new adult stars emerged and regular theaters were beginning to show adult at times. With new technology films now had more diversity with overall cinematography. 1975 produced several top porn films, such as the one we take a look back at today, “The Story of Joanna”.
The Story of Joanna – AVC Films – Director – Gerard Damiano – Cast – Terri Hall, Juliet Graham, Jamie Gillis, Zebedy Colt, John Busch, Steven Lark, John Koven, Roy Carlton.
While the theme of this film revolves around S&M, it is a true love story, and one of the very best from porn’s golden age. Directed and written by Gerard Damiano who gave the world “Deep Throat” and “The Devil and Miss Jones”, this masterpiece gives Damiano three of the very best to come out of the golden age. The storyline is one that will keep you watching every little nuance, listen to every word, watch every second of the sex scenes and keep you totally mesmerized right until the very end.
The film centers on Jason (Jamie Gillis) a very wealthy, womanizing gent who gets what he wants. He meets a debutante, Joanna (Terri Hall) and convinces her to come and be his maid in his castle like home. She is reluctant but something tells her to go ahead and accept his offer. It doesn’t take long after she becomes his maid that she is beginning to fall in love with him. She also sees the other side of him and is subjected to his every sexual whim which she gives into because of her love for him, However Jason tells Joanna that no matter what he cannot, and will not, love her back. She is convinced that she can change him and goes along with whatever he wants of her sexually. He also wants her to have sex with others and again she complies with his wishes. For some women this would be degradation, but for Joanna it is now a way of life, her love for him is too strong and she is convinced that she can, and will, change him.
The sex scenes in the film have a lot of S&M attached and Ms. Hall handles the role and the sexual scenes extremely well. Her looks and body are the perfect fit for the role of Joanna. There is some tenderness in the sex scenes but they are quickly overtaken by the S&M acts that are performed. There is also one beautifully filmed scene where Jason is being serviced orally by his man servant Griffin (Zebedy Colt). It is done and filmed in such a way that it doesn’t come off as a shocking scene, but one that fits into the overall theme. The scene where Joanna takes on three men is another that has the lust and love factor as she does it to prove her undying love for Jason. Sexually there is nothing she won’t subject herself to trying to prove her love for him is real even though he continues to tell her he will never return the favor of true love. As the film comes to the end there is a very surprising, and not expected, twist to this story that I will not divulge, that explains the entire reasons for Jason’s control of Joanna. It is extremely well done.
Overall, this film is one not to miss. The cinematography, the shadings and lighting are exceptional. The performance, in particular by Gillis and Hall are extremely realistic, the lines of dialogue delivered convincingly. Ms. Hall, a former premier ballet dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet Company, handles her role as Joanna to perfection, while Gillis turns in another masterful performance as the wealthy, brooding, controlling Jason. The rest of the cast handle their brief roles exceptionally well making all of the characters come to life. One of the surprisingly solid additions to the film is the use of some exceptional classical music pieces throughout the film highlighting many of the scenes and adding to the overall eroticism the film purveys.
It has been re-mastered on DVD and for the most part visually looks very good for a film done over forty years ago. I recommend this as an exceptional piece of adult film making that should not be missed. Look for “The Story of Joanna” one of the truly classic films from porn’s golden age.
Note: Terri Hall will also be the subject of my “Where They Now??” feature this week.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
