One of Porn’s Early Pioneers!

She was born somewhere in the midwest on November 30, 1948. Details about her early life are almost nonexistent. Ms. Rains found her way into the adult film business at the very beginning of the golden age of porn. She began by doing what were then called one reel grinder loops as early as 1970. After doing quite a few of these types and always coming across as a very sexual lady she was asked about doing regular porn films. It didn’t take long for this lithesome blonde to make up her mind and get in on the ground floor of this new industry that was beginning to grow in New York.

Visually Ms. Rains was seductive, long legs, all natural, had a very sultry look and tremendous sexual prowess. In addition to the very inviting visual picture she presented Darby also possessed some very serious acting chops that would serve her very well in the industry. Back in the beginning when porn was just beginning, being able to actually deliver dialogue and carry a scene was a major plus for performers because most of the 70′s porn films were story and plot driven. So Darby Lloyd Rains, along with the likes of Georgina Spelvin and other got in on the ground floor.

She would become one of the more well known and popular female performers of the 70′s. Before video boom, adult films were much more concerned with plot and characterization, so a good actress like Darby Lloyd Rains was a big plus and helped make her popular. It would also serve her well in mainstream as she was able to get a few small roles in films, most notably 1971’s “The French Connection” with Gene Hackman. When it came to hardcore sex on camera, she was simply amazing, as her male costars would attest to, and added plenty of sizzle and steam to the scenes she performed in sexually.

While she only made 50 films during her time which lasted through the decade of the 70’s, some of those films are memorable and contain some exceptional work by Ms. Rains not only as a voracious sexual animal, but as an accomplished actress. There were classic films like “Every Inch A Lady”, “Memories Within Miss Aggie”, “The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann” and “Bordello” among them. However, despite all of those great films, many true classics of the golden age, there was one film that really stood out and was, without question, her very best role. That film is “Naked Came a Stranger.” This classic is on every list ever assembled of the greatest porn classics of all time.

She left the adult business in 1980 just as video was becoming big and never looked back. From the time she left Darby Lloyd Rains, who would be 68 next month, just went on with her life and while there have been rumors, where she is today and what she may be doing remains a mystery regarding one of the true pioneers and early stars of porn. While she is a member of the XRCO Hall of Fame, it is puzzling as to why she has not been elected to the AVN Hall of Fame for her contributions to the industry. Hopefully that will be corrected in the future. as she will always be remembered as one of the groundbreaking females in the very early days of porn.

Thanks to today’s technology most of her best work is now on DVD. If you want to see one of the true, very gifted performers who helped shape porn back in the day as one of its pioneers, then check out some of the films we mentioned. For porn aficionados, as well as new fans, Darby Lloyd Rains films can be viewed with great pleasure and many fond memories of the great early days of porn’s golden age.

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN