This week we travel back forty six years to 1982. The decade of the 80’s would bring many changes that would affect how we would live our lives forever. What do recall from that year? Let’s take a look back.
As always we take a look the cost of living back then first. The average income was just $22,000 a year. The average cost of buying a new 3 bedroom home was $88,000 and the average cost of a new car had risen to $7,900. The cost of a gallon of gas was creeping up towards the $1.00 mark at 91 cents, and we thought that was ridiculous! You could buy a new outdoor gas grill for $250, a Sony 19” color TV for $500, a portable cassette tape recorder for $50. For the kids, a full set of 20 Matchbox cars for $25 (Imagine what they are worth today!). A postage stamp was just 20 cents. A loaf of bread was 50 cents and tomatoes were just 39 cents a pound. As for some of the news headlines in 1982…..The largest cash robbery in history occurs in New York when $9,800,000 is stolen from an armored car. Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide kill 7 in Chicago. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is dedicated. The first issue of a brand new newspaper, USA Today, is published and Disney’s futuristic EPCOT opens in Orlando, Florida. Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley opens to the public as a tourist attraction. Boeing introduces the ultra modern 747 jetliner. The Weather Channel makes its debut on cable TV and music CD’s make their debut in Japan. Surround Sound is the new technology for music listening. It is the year we are introduced to the “Smiley” emoticon.
From the world of entertainment among the hit Hollywood movies were Porky’s, E.T The Extra Terrestrial, On Golden Pond, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Annie and Chariots of Fire. The big music makers in 1982 included Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Richie and Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. In TV land among the most popular shows were Knight Rider, Three’s Company, The Love Boat, Dynasty, Hill Street Blues and Magnum P.I. The world was most saddened by the death of former actress Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco. We also lost actor Henry Fonda, Negro League and ML baseball star Satchel Paige, TV star Paul Lynde, actor/director Jack Webb, jazz musician Thelonius Monk and actor/comedian John Belushi.
In the growing world of porn, more and more productions were shifting to California. The home video craze was on the horizon and would change porn forever. 1982 gave us some great adult films like the one we take a look back at today, “Scoundrels”.
Scoundrels – Command Cinema –Director – Cecil Howard – Cast – Sharon Mitchell, Ariel Lee, Tiffany Clark, Marilyn Gee, Tigr, Anna Turner, Copper Penny, Lisa Be, Tammy Lamb, George Payne, R. Bolla, Ron Hudd and Ron Jeremy
When this film came out new industry publication AVN called it a sexual masterpiece. It would go on to win Best Director and Best Editing after being nominated in all of the major film categories. The writing of the screenplay went to the acclaimed Anne Randall. Cecil Howard, who had a brilliant track record in porn was considered by Playboy magazine to be the “The Grandmaster of Erotic Film Making.”
It is a story intelligently told about infidelity within the dysfunctional family of a psychiatrist. It was considered at the time to be a milestone in erotic film making because of its approach that would bring both sympathy and pity for the characters in the film. The sex scenes, and there are ten of them, are high intensity and very explosive in many ways.
In this film, Ron Jeremy will surprise a lot of viewers. Known for his humorous and comedic portrayals, he undertook the serious role of the psychiatrist who falls victim to the sexual boredom of his suffering marriage. Lisa B. plays his wife and takes her role of the cheating wife to another level. That smile she greets him with when he gets home from a hard day masks every cock she has sampled, including that of his best friend. There is also the dirty, always horny, foul mouthed daughter Franci, played to the hilt by Tigr. Needless to say Jeremy’s home life is not what it pretends to be. Even he has his fun on the side as well.
While there is the cheating sex from husband and wife and the daughter, there is also a lot of story, a lot of inner soul searching and trying to fix what’s broke and get things back to some kind of normal. It is a difficult task for our three main characters that put on the good family front when needed. It all comes crashing down when Franci starts working at a local whore house which just happens to be where dad goes for his fun away from home. There is a lot more that takes place as this family continues to spiral further downward, but the answers lie in a superior being, or do they? It’s a twist that Randall has added to this story giving it more to play with in regards to this family. How they all work out their various problems and the way the film concludes is masterfully done and will definitely keep your interest.
The writing is brilliant, the characters are allowed to develop under Howard’s skillful direction and the entire cast really put everything they have into their various roles. In the forty plus years Ron Jeremy has been in the business, this role might have been one of the best he has ever done. The cinematography is above par and gives the full essence of who these characters are and what they have allowed themselves to become. The sex scenes are powerful and well done. The addition of the opera and classical music that is used when needed is masterful and makes this a complete film on every level.
I definitely recommend getting a hold of the re-released DVD of “Scoundrels” from 1982. This is another of those often forgotten classics that provided some great adult entertainment during porn’s golden age.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
