The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry (Hardcover)

~ Legs Mcneil (Author), (Author), (Author) "JOHN WATERS (FILMMAKER): There was a theater in Baltimore, where I grew up, called the Rex Theater, that showed all the nudist camp movies-which was..." (more)
Key Phrases: porn cases, porn people, porn business, Los Angeles, New York, Traci Lords (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From the nudie cuties of the 1950s to celebrity porn in the late 1990s, The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry offers an insider's view of the adult film industry's transition from a shady, backroom business to a $10-billion-per-year money machine and mainstream acceptance. The story is told through interviews with hundreds of actors, directors, law enforcement officials, and other participants, all edited together with expert skill and pacing.

The industry exploded in the early 1970s with the success of the Mafia-backed Deep Throat, which reportedly grossed $100 million after an initial $22,000 investment. Featured at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973, the film ushered in the rise of "porno chic," making it fashionable, for a time, to take a date to a porn film. One industry insider described Deep Throat as "the Blair Witch Project of its time." Filled with sleazy intrigue, vivid details, and many heartbreaking--and even touching--stories, The Other Hollywood covers the actors, the numerous legal challenges to the industry, FBI sting operations, the Mafia connection, rampant drug use, rock stars, celebrities, the opposition by religious and political groups, the emergence of AIDS (that claimed the lives of porn superstars such as the famously endowed John Holmes), and the explosion of the video market and its overnight fortunes. Even at 600 pages, this is a quick and engrossing read that is hard to put down. --Shawn Carkonen

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This compulsively readable book perfectly captures the pop culture zeitgeist. It doesn't hurt that the history of American pornography is inextricably intertwined with all the subjects that captivate us: sex, drugs, beauty, fame, money, the Mafia, law enforcement and violence. McNeil (Please Kill Me) focuses on the industry's dark underbelly: suicide (Savannah), fratricide (the Mitchell brothers), Mafia hits (John Gotti whacked Robert DiBernardo, the mob's point man in the porn business) and gangland slayings (John Holmes). But beyond the scintillating subject, it's McNeil's skillful technique that elevates this oral history, coauthored by journalists Osborne and Pavia, above the tedium of a courtroom transcript. Most chapters contain multiple story lines, which McNeil cleverly weaves together by the end. And the book's two most fascinating stories—about the making of Deep Throat and the Traci Lords child pornography case—involve unreliable narrators, which gives them a Rashomon-like quality. In the case of Deep Throat, the movie that catapulted hardcore pornography into the mainstream, its star, Linda Lovelace, claims she was forced to perform in the movie, though everyone else connected to the film contradicts her. As for Lords, her detractors make a compelling argument that far from being the victim she portrays herself to be in her book, she deceived the industry about her age so she could make a fortune and leverage her sob story into a mainstream Hollywood career. Whether recounting high-profile scandals or answering trivia about the origins of porn films and lap dancing, this is a relentlessly gripping read. B&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: It Books (February 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060096594
• ISBN-13: 978-0060096595
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,631 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Drugs, Rock n' Roll and Porn, March 14, 2005

By	prisrob "pris," (New EnglandUSA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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This novel is 620 pages of sex, drugs, rock and roll, the mafia, fame, finances, the law, greed, use and abuse of women and the every day world of porn. The author Legs McNeil has told the entire story of porn from the early talkies to the late 1990's. Nothing is left untold and the stories are told in interview form. At first this format was distracting, but after a while it became very easy to read and all of the characters seemed to flow well with each other. Of note, the book is dedicated to Mr. McNeil's late girlfriend who died an excruciating death from heroin that had been infected with flesh eating bacteria. It took Legs McNeil 7 years to write this book with his co-authors and to find a publisher. He produced a special on Court TV about "The Other Hollywood" and caught the attention of Judith Reagan and procured a book contract. These stories are told straight from the lips of those involved in the world of porn, no moralizing. As Legs McNeil so eloquently states, "This book captures the birth and first few decades of porn. The people spoke, the actors and actresses, cops and mobsters, producers and directors, photographers and writers, hustlers and suitcase pimps, and everyone else in between" That about sums up the entire world.

The book is separated into chapters and each chapter flows into the next one. The chapters are well named and draw your attention, "Don't Count The Money, Weigh It", "Size Matters", "Memphis Backlash Blues", "Deep Cover", "The Godfather of Hollywood", "Think This Will F### Up My 4th of July Weekend", "Pimping and Pandering" and "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead". The stories run the gamut from the making of "Deep Throat" and the story of Linda Lovelace and her husband. She complained that she was forced to make the movie, but those who were there say differently. A $22,000 venture ultimately made a million dollars, and Linda Lovelace became a household name. The story of John Holmes, a porn star who was probably insane and the people he took down with him. Savannah, the young porn star who tragically committed suicide. Traci Lord, the underage porn star who fooled everyone and then caused a legal entanglement because of her age. Those who knew her say she knew what she was doing and she loved doing it. There are love stories between porn stars and there is much of drugs and alcohol. Most porn stars it seems get by with drugs and alcohol. It is really a dirty business with all involved in it for the money. Fame and fortune are what most stars set out to obtain, but misery and ill health are what many are left with. The saga of HIV in the porn business, and how Sharon Mitchell came to formulate the porn health care side of things. She is one of a few who really care what happens to the people in the business, and she makes it her business to help them.

This is a fascinating book Legs McNeil has put together; the encyclopedia of porn. Everyone and anyone from the kings of Mafia to the celebrities who loved porn are mentioned. There are few stories left untold. The voices of those who were there, and those who are still struggling in the business give credence to the history of porn. Heard a while ago that Columbia House- the place where we used to obtain our records is now partnering with Playboy to produce porn- many legit businesses are buying into porn for the money that is to be had. So, many of our top companies if you dig down deep enough are supported by porn. How did this come to happen? I have been reading and the history is fascinating. What is left out in this book is the emergence of big business behind the scenes in porn. There is much more to learn and much more about the porn business to be unfurled. Legs McNeil has made a fascinating subject more fascinating by the telling of the story. Recommended. prisrob

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and very addictive read., March 8, 2005

By	Michael A. LeBlanc (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Legs McNeil has done it again. I must also mention Jennifer Osbourne as well.
I could not put this book down once I started reading it. I managed to make it last four days although, I could have devoured it in a day. I just hate finishing a good book. I wanted to keep reading.
I enjoyed the book very much.
I have a few minor complaints though...The 90's were raced through (as mentioned by others). It should have been up to present day. I mean there was another pretty major AIDS outbreak in the adult industry last year and it's not even mentioned. And I agree the online and pay-per-view adult industry should have been written about as well. This is an important part of the history of the modern Porn biz. And finally, Jenna Jameson should have at least been mentioned (her photo is in the book though). She is one of the biggest female adult stars ever.
Oh well, maybe a follow volume up will clear this up. I can only dream of a second volume with more cool stories and info.
All in all though, I highly recommend this book.
Very well done!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex or no sex . . . This is a fascinating read!, December 5, 2005

By	Angel Orona Rodriguez "Broken Halo" (Alhambra, Ca.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The irony here is that this expansive exploration on the porn industry -- from inception (The Nudie Cuties) to a current billion-dollar industry -- isn't nearly as titillating as you would expect. It is . . . intriguing, amusing, enraging and often heartbreaking. Yet it concludes on a particularly life-affirming note involving a "rebirth", both the literal and figurative sense. You hear it from the mouths all those involved in the porn industry -- Everyone from porn stars to undercover feds to a guy who helped build peep show booths. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough . . . Not just for those interested in behind-the-scenes glimpes of the porn biz . . . But for those just as interested in observing people's alternate attempts at obtaining the ever elusive American Dream. If I had one qualm about this book . . . Its that it had to end . . . Even though (as previously mentioned) it does so on a particularly touching note.