This week we go back thirty three years to 1983. What was it like, what did it cost to live and buy different products back then? What were the big news and entertainment stories in 1983? Let’s begin, as always, with what the cost of living was in the U.S. back then.
Compared to the 70’s the cost of living in the 80’s was going upward. The average yearly income was only $22,000 a year, the cost of a new home averaged $89,000 and you could buy a new Ford Mustang for $6,600. A gallon of gas was now at its highest level yet at a ridiculous $1.24, but some food prices were pretty good. A dozen eggs were just 86 cents and a gallon of milk a $1.75. You could buy a Sony Walkman for $229 and an RCA VCR player for $399 and up, depending on the style and the Atari 5200 game was $200. As for the news headlines actor, then Governor Ronald Reagan became our President as unemployment in the U.S. rises to 12 million, the highest since 1941. The UK is the first country to make automobile seat belts mandatory. Terrorists bomb the US Embassy in Beirut killing 239 Marines and Sailors. The Supreme Court reaffirms its 1973 (Roe Vs Wade) right to abortion. The first mobile phones are introduced by Motorola and Microsoft Word made its debut. Peoples Express is a new “no frills” airline and Sally Ride becomes the first woman astronaut as part of the crew on the Space Shuttle Challenger.
In the world of entertainment in 1983 some of the top movies included Tootsie, Flashdance, Octopussy and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. In music among the hit makers that year were The Police, Black Sabbath, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and Culture Club. In the world of TV Simon& Simon, Dynasty, Cagney and Lacy, Dallas and The Love Boat were among the hit shows. Among the celebrities we lost during the year were football coach Bear Bryant, TV host/entertainer Arthur Godfrey, actor Buster Crabbe, actress Gloria Swanson and former heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey.
In porn the switch from productions in the east coast to the west coast continues. New technological advances make filming more updated. Some female porn stars begin to show a new look of breast enhancement and the clean shaven look. 1983 would also produce some top notch adult films such as the one we take a look back at today, “Dixie Ray Hollywood Star”.
Dixie Ray Hollywood Star – Caballero Films – Director – Anthony Spinelli – Cast – Lisa De Leeuw, Veronica Hart, Juliet Anderson, Kelly Nichols, Samantha Fox, John Leslie, Cameron Mitchell, Tom Reese, Steve Marlow, others.
Let me say right at the top this is one of those porn classics that could have stood on its own as a solid B mainstream movie mystery minus the hardcore sex scenes. Technically and visually it is an incredible piece of film making. The story revolves around the disappearance of Hollywood star Dixie Ray’s (Lisa De Leeuw) husband. She brings in top investigator Nick Popodopolis (John Leslie) to take the case and find the answers. It is set in Hollywood circa 1942 and the attention to detail from that period was done perfectly. The clothes, undergarments, hairstyles and settings are very well executed. There are the old cars of that time period and the set design are all spot on. Add to that the excellent acting chops of the cast that has very realistic and sharp dialogue and then put all together it becomes one hell of film to enjoy. The budget for this film, I would think, had to be extremely high to create such a realistic look and feel of 1942-43 Hollywood.
The opening quickly sets the mood for this “film noir’ style movie with the appropriate 40’s music playing in the background as the opening credits roll. You see Nick in his office and catch a glimpse of him having an argument with some female. We hear him talking to the woman and then we hear shots fired, the scene fades out then returns with a caption ‘Friday, 7:10 PM, February 12, 1943’. Here is Nick sitting at his desk, a knock on the door, then the police Lieutenant and his partner enter the office. There is some small talk before Nick points to the female body lying on the floor. So now the cops want an explanation of what happened and Nick begins the story, which is mainly told via flashbacks that are extremely well done.
The way this story is laid out and played with the various flashbacks, the viewer knows the case involves Dixie Ray but not to what extent, at least for a while. There are a few twists and turns along the way that will keep you guessing and keep the interest level high. The sex that takes place might be considered tame by today’s standards as they are pretty normal without all the acrobatics and in your face style. They do, however, provide lust, desire, need, passion, potent and powerful. Most importantly, they also play into the story line and plot. There is a flashback as to how the shooting took place that offers up a few humorous lines. But they still need more to go on, so Nick takes them all the way back to the beginning and how everything got started with Dixie Ray.
She wants to hire him because she is being blackmailed by her husband who she threw out of their opulent home. It seems during one of their sex parties he took pics of her. She tells Nick she paid off a gangster to get the negatives back, but her husband still has the prints. She tells him where her husband is staying and gives him the negatives to hide. When Nick gets to the motel where the husband is supposed to be, he sees Leslie (Kelly Nichols) but no husband. Leslie teases him about it and that leads to Nick getting it on with her. No idea where the husband is, Nick goes back to the office and gets a call to come to Dixie Ray’s. When he arrives Dixie is getting a massage and a lot more from her secretary (Juliet Anderson) but Nick’s arrival puts an end to their pleasure. Dixie wants to know if he located her husband and the prints and he tells her no. Dixie begins to make a play for him, and in walks Leslie. It turns out Leslie is Dixie’s daughter from a previous marriage. Nick and Leslie do not let on they have met and had an encounter.
What takes place from that point on till the end of the film is filled with a lot of gangster style action. Nick getting knocked around, women getting fucked and twists and turns in this well devised and played out story. Just when you think you have it all figured out, who is who and what is what, you get thrown another curve ball. There is blackmail, there is the mob, there is the police Lieutenant and his detective sidekick and there are assorted females. The movie rolls along at a good pace and the continued flashbacks that pull this story together don’t have a dull moment. The action, whether its sex, fists and guns, is fast and furious and any minute you almost expect to see Bogart and Bacall come on the screen. But the end of the film is not what you might think, as director Anthony Spinelli keeps you guessing right until the final frame.
As I said at the top, the attention to every detail for this period film was impeccably done. In addition to the crisp writing, fluid directing and great settings and back drops for the time, it is the acting that really pulls this film together tightly. The late John Leslie, long considered one of the best actors ever in porn, really shines in the role of Nick displaying a true Hollywood mainstream star quality. The only other male star of today that I would say is on an equal, or even better, is Steven St. Croix. Leslie’s female co stars (De Leeuw, Anderson, Nichols) also show off some excellent acting skills and bring real life to their characters.
The film won AFAA Awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director in 1984 and from AVN Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Screenplay. With all those awards and accolades you can see why this is one of the true classics of the golden age. Rare that a porn film is solid enough to be a mainstream film minus the hardcore sex, but “Dixie Ray Hollywood Star” is one film deserving of such a tribute. I highly recommend you find a copy of this great film that is now available on DVD. You are in for a real treat.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
