Los Angeles, CA (May 24, 2023) —Gerard Damiano Jr. and Christar Damiano, son and daughter of legendary filmmaker Gerard Damiano Sr., are embarking on a Hollywood Homecoming tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of iconic erotic movie DeepThroat. The festivities will kick off at the UC Santa Barbara on May 24th, celebrating 30 years of Professor Constance Penley’s Porn 101 Class which has started each semester with a screening of the film. A talkback moderated by her students will follow. with a discourse that will include golden age porn stars Annie Sprinkle and Richard Pacheco.
The Damianos have made a new 4K version of their father’s best-known film and restored it back to his original vision for the film.
“Our father always dreamt of making films in Hollywood, so we are proud to honor him by ending our World Tour by bringing his best-known film to California” says Christar Damiano. Her brother adds “Everyone has heard of Deep Throat, but today few have actually seen it. It’s hard for younger generations to imagine what the big deal was when it was released in 1972. This is why we’ve followed each screening with a discussion where we are joined by film critics, historians, sex worker’s rights advocates, and even porn stars. We take questions from the audience and engage in conversation which leads to a deeper understanding of the events leading up to the making of the film and the impact that it had afterwards. “This trip to California including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Ana and Oakland not only celebrates the golden anniversary of Deep Throat, but is also to honor our beloved father whose dream it was to bring his movies to mainstream Hollywood,” says Gerard Damiano Jr. “Academic Porn 101 starts with Deep Throat at UC Santa Barbara and then we celebrate at participating clubs and theaters.”
To conclude the Spring Semester of her Porn 101 class at UC Santa Barbara, Professor Constance Penley celebrates 30 years of showing “Deep Throat” to her students in this special screening of the 4K Restoration, presented by the director’s son and daughter. A talkback moderated by a panel of Prof. Penley’s students will discuss the history, cultural impact, and controversy surrounding the film. Gerard Jr. and Christar will share stories of being on location in Miami during the filming of “Deep Throat” and growing up with “The King of Porn.”
“I have been teaching a course on pornography at UC Santa Barbara for 30 years. The students are advanced film and media studies majors who examine pornography as film and popular culture, a genre and industry,” says Professor Penley. “On the first day of class, I always show Deep Throat. After all, why not begin with the money shot of porn film history? The students are always astonished, saying, “It’s a real film with a script, acting, special effects, and an original score!” “And it’s a comedy, full of delicious puns and comic twists, including the surprise ending!” Then, when they view other of Damiano’s films, such as The Devil in Miss Jones, they become even more convinced they are seeing true cinematic creativity.”
“Hosting Gerard and Christar in my 30th-anniversary class with the 50th-anniversary 4K restored version of Deep Throat is an honor. I am grateful that they so generously gave their time to talk to my students about the background of the film’s production and distribution history to help my students understand the ongoing cultural relevance of Deep Throat.”
The tour will continue with events scheduled throughout California which will feature appearances by performance artist and Ecosexual Activist Annie Sprinkle, and Legends of the “Golden Age of Porn” Sharon Mitchell and Richard Pacheco. They will be joined by Dr. Susan Block, Carol Queen Founder of the Center of Sex and Culture, and other special guests. The events will range from simple, theatrical screenings, to an Events 70s themed dance parties where attendees are encouraged to dress “Porno Chic.”
The Deep Throat Golden Anniversary Tour is as follows:
June 2
Laemmle Royal 11523 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Red Carpet Event 9:15 PM
Doors Open at 9:30 PM
Show starts at 10PM
Red Carpet Event
11523 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Purchase Tickets:
https://www.laemmle.com/film/deep-throat-50th-anniversaryhistory-cultural-impact-
and-controversy
June 3-June4
910WeHo
910 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
8pm – 2am
Purchase Tickets:
June 5
The Frida Cinema
8:00PM – 10:00
305 E 4th St #100
Santa Ana, CA 92701
PurchaseTickets:
https://thefridacinema.org/film/deep-throat-50th-anniversary-screening-discussion/
June 8
Oasis
298 Eleventh St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
8:00PM
Tickets TBA
June 11
The New Parkway
474 24th St, Oakland, CA 94612
https://www.thenewparkway.com/
https://www.thenewparkway.com/reaching-us/
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Tickets TBA
You may follow Deep Throat on Twitter at https://twitter.com/deepthroatfilm on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/deepthroatmovie/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/deepthroatfilm
For more information on Damiano Films go here https://damianofilms.com and
for more information on how you may #VoteThroat and help make Deep Throat join the ranks of American classic cinema in on the Library of Congress National Film Registry go here https://damianofilms.com/deepthroat50/votethroat
About Gerard Jr and Christar Damiano:
Visual Artist & Filmmaker Gerard Damiano Jr. and Sound Healer & Performance Artist Christar Damiano are the only children of director Gerard Damiano Sr. They grew up in Queens, New York, in a house that always seemed to have film in the refrigerator.
They were raised to believe that the human body was “a thing of beauty” and never something to be ashamed of. They often accompanied their father to the film set (although they were never exposed to hardcore sex) and . They were on location in Miami with their family during the filming of Deep Throat. Reacting to their father’s arrest and subsequent prosecution, their mother reassured them that “People don’t understand him because he’s ahead of his time.” Gerard and Christar believe that their father’s time has finally come. They have dedicated themselves to preserving his legacy and continuing his fight for Freedom of Expression without censorship through their company Damiano Films.
About Deep Throat:
The Zeitgeist of 1972, Deep Throat brought adult films into the mainstream and kickstarted the Sexual Revolution. Its success was unprecedented, breaking box office records in its very first week of exhibition. Lauded as one of the first hardcore films to feature a plot, character development, and production values, it pushed the limits of what could be shown on screen and made an international celebrity of its star, Linda Lovelace.
Busted by police, picketed, and banned, the ongoing persecution only added to the film’s popularity. It would help to create the Adult Film Industry and an audience hungry for feature length films with adult content. Celebrities, dignitaries, couples and women joined the usual “raincoat crowd,” waiting in lines that wrapped around the block just to see it.
A half century later the film still enjoys a cult status, having found its way into every aspect of popular culture. Referenced in countless films, documentaries, and TV shows, it has inspired songs, plays, and musicals. The term “Deep Throat” became a household word and can now be found in Webster’s dictionary.
Deep Throat is still considered to be the most profitable film of all time.
A Brief History of Deep Throat:
In the Summer of ’72, shortly after Deep Throat premiered in New York City, Mayor John Lindsay sent police to shut down the theater and seize the film print in a highly publicized effort to “Clean up Times Square.” As the cops had violated due process, it was back on the screen the very next day. This gave Lindsay time to “stage” an even larger assault, and a week later no less than 50 uniformed police officers returned to arrest everyone, from the ticket takers to the projectionist, in a show for the cameras. The war on Deep Throat had begun.
The immense popularity of Deep Throat the film made it a symbol of the new sexual freedom and therefore a target. President Richard Nixon attacked the film in an effort to draw attention away from his own wrongdoing. This came to the attention of the “Citizens for Decent Literature,” who used their crusade against “pornography” to galvanize the burgeoning “Conservative Christian” movement. Joining forces with the Republican Party made their cause not just a “moral” one, but a political one as well.
The newly organized Anti-Porn Feminists also staged protests and sought to ban the film. For a time, even Linda Lovelace joined their cause. The Federal Government went after male lead Harry Reems. Fearing they could be next, A–list Hollywood stars came to his aid, forming the “Harry Reems Defense Fund,” a cause célèbre. He was eventually acquitted of all crimes, but the persecution took a tremendous toll on his life and career. Legal battles were fought all the way to the Supreme Court.
Finally, it was not the film, but the very definition of “obscenity” that was on trial. Ultimately it was decided that no definition could apply to the entire Nation. What may be commonplace in San Francisco could be shocking in Memphis. Therefore, what was considered “obscene” could only be determined on a local level, based on “community standards.” This created further chaos, as one county would ban Deep Throat completely, while across the river people would line up to see it. Between the relentless attacks by the Feds, The Right AND The Left, the mere mention of Deep Throat became a touchstone of the Free Speech Movement. All the while the film’s popularity grew.
When the President was finally brought to justice, Damiano quipped “Nixon tried to take down Deep Throat, but in the end it was ‘Deep Throat’ who took down Nixon.”
Under Reagan the “Integration of Church and State” continued, setting the stage for the struggle against censorship and for Freedom of Speech, which continues to this day.
