The decade of the 70′s has often been referred to as the disco era, but there was a lot more taking place throughout the 70′s. In this week’s revisit, we take a look back at 1977.
As always, we begin with the cost of living. The yearly average income for 1977 was just $15,000 a year, the average cost of a new 3 bedroom house was $49,000 and if you rented, the average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment was $230. a month. As for cars, the average price for a brand new one was $3,700. You could go high end and get a Cadillac DeVille for an expensive $8,000, and the cost of a gallon of gas then was 65 cents. You could buy a new stereo set for $250, a microwave oven was $189, a Zenith 25” color TV set you back $600. AM wrist radio watches were a big new thing. Food wise Nabisco Oreos were 89 cents, Florida oranges were 10 for 99 cents, Van Camps Pork n’ Beans 4 cans for 99 cents and boneless chicken breasts, $1.49 a lb. As for some of the news headlines……Jimmy Carter is elected President….. In July New York City suffers a blackout that will last more than 24 hours due to lightning strikes from thunderstorms……..The Trans Alaskan pipeline opens……The twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City are completed….. The computer age begins as the first Apple II computers go on sale…….The first commercial flight of the Concorde jet liner goes from London to New York…… Voyager I and Voyager II are launched unmanned to explore the outer solar system……NASA space shuttle makes its first test flight off the back of a 747 jetliner successfully.
In the world of entertainment some of the big hits from Hollywood include Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Rocky, Smokey and the Bandit, Saturday Night Fever and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In music the hit makers would include Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Barbra Striesand and Wings. Disco music has become the rage. The big hit TV shows included Hawaii Five-O, All In the Family, Happy Days, Barnaby Jones, Little House on the Prairie and The Rockford Files. Among the celebrities we lost the biggest to shock in the world was the passing of “The King” Elvis Presley. We also lost actor/comedian Charlie Chaplin, actress Joan Crawford, comedian Groucho Marx, singer Bing Crosby and jazz pianist Errol Garner.
In the porn world, big productions were still being done in New York but a shift was starting towards the west coast. Some new advances in technology allow for some new camera techniques. More new faces and stars begin to emerge on the porn scene. 1977 also provides excellent adult fare including the one we look back at today, “Mary, Mary”.
Mary, Mary – Linda Productions – Director – Bernard Morris – Cast – Constance Money, Sharon Thorpe, Sandi Pinney, Rene Bond, Kristine Heller, Angela Haze, John Leslie, Jon Martin, Ken Scudder, Kent Hall, Tyler Reynolds.
This is a truly light hearted romp that is sometimes humorous, sometime dramatic, but always one that keeps your interest. The story revolves around a very liberated businessman played expertly by John Leslie. He has everything going for him, except for one important and embarrassing thing. He suffers from a very severe case of premature ejaculitis. No matter what he tries, no matter who the conquest is, this problem arises (pun intended) with every encounter. After not being able to find any help the Devil, or The Arranger, as he is referred to in the film, shows up to make Leslie a deal. If he will sell his soul to the devil, he will in turn, give Leslie an all powerful aphrodisiac that will immediately give him super human sexual endurance. So Leslie, wanting to get rid of this aggravating problem takes the deal with the devil. Suddenly he finds himself unable to say no to any female he comes in contact with.
Now Leslie is in seventh heaven because everything is working. He no longer has a wood problem and no longer the premature ejaculitis problem to deal with. However, because of the sudden turn of events in his sex life it does create one very major problem that he has to face and deal with. The Devil has become incessantly jealous of Leslie and his sexual prowess and continuing good fortune with the ladies. The story culminates in a big climatic orgy scene which the Devil sees taking place. He comes to the orgy having been especially aroused by the very sexual Constance Money and wants her for himself. To get what he wants and take away from Leslie, the Devil goes about eliminating the participants in this wild orgy except for Constance. He grabs her and takes her off to who knows where and gets what he wants as the film draws to a close.
The performances in the film are all first rate and a solid showcase for the talented Leslie who would go on to become one of the industry’s top woodsmen and later a very prolific and much awarded director of porn films before his passing in 2012. Ms. Money, who made a big name for herself in “The Opening of Misty Beethoven” turns in another stellar performance both as an actress and sexual performer. Her sexual talents were among the best of the time. The rest of the cast handle their roles well and the acting overall is above par. The settings, production, writing and camera work all come together to make it one of the most erotic, arousing and steamy films of any era and definitely deserves the title of golden age porn classic.
It is available on DVD with some great extras, so be sure to look for this one and enjoy. “Mary, Mary” will arouse you, hold your interest and also give you a chance to see, aside from John Leslie, one of early porn’s true stars, Constance Money, whose career was a relatively short one, but a very memorable one.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
