New York, NY–February 13, 2023—The son of legendary porn director of Devil and Miss Jones and Deep Throat, Gerard Damiano Jr. will be a live, in-studio guest on The Anthony Cumia Show today at 5pm ET/2pm PT on Compound Media.
“I look forward to being a guest on Anthony Cumia today and I will be asking Anthony’s fans to #VoteThroat and get my father’s groundbreaking film in The Library of Congress’ National Film Registry,” says Damiano. “Tune in today to find out how.”
The Anthony Cumia Show can only be seen on www.compoundmedia.com
For more information on how you may #VoteThroat and help make Deep Throat join the ranks of American classic cinema in the Library of Congress go here https://damianofilms.com/deepthroat50/votethroat
For more information on Damiano Films go here https://damianofilms.com
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
You may follow Anthony Cumia on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheCumiaShow and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/acumia/
You may follow Compound Media on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CompoundAmerica and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/compound_america/
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). 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.
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 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.
