Pornology

A Timeline on Pornography in the United States (continued)

Oct. 17, 1973 - OPEC begins its oil embargo against the West

Oct. 18, 1973 - Judge Wolf declares mistrial in the Deep Throat case in Beverly Hills trial after jury deliberates for four full days. The jury says it is "hopelessly deadlocked"

Oct. 19, 1973 - In Beverly Hills, Judge Wolf refuses to dismiss the case and sets a new trial date of Jan. 21.  In Newport, Ky, a jury in a US District Court in Covington convicted all five defendants in Deep Throat obscenity trial

Oct. 29, 1973 - After three hours of deliberation, a Denver jury finds Deep Throat obscene. The movie had played since February 1973 when an estimated 80,000 people saw it

November 1973 - Deep Throat opens in Lincoln, Neb. Erica Jong's book, Fear of Flying, sells more than six million copies

Nov. 14, 1973 - Linda scheduled to testify as a government witness in the Tucson trial, but she is doing her hair and the judge would not wait 

Damiano testifies there are about 100,000 copies of the film and calls it the "most bootlegged film in the world."  An attorney argued that in its seven-month run it had been seen by 54,000 people in Tucson, a statistic very indicative of the community standards in Tucson

Nov. 15, 1973 - Tucson jury finds John Jacobs guilty of transporting an obscene film.  Jacobs faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5K fine 

December 1973 - In Riverside, Calif, theater employees plead guilty to conspiracy to commit an act injurious to public morals by showing the film

Dec. 6, 1973 - Gerard Ford becomes the first unelected vice president of the United States

Dec. 17, 1973 - National General Pictures and 20th Century Fox executive, Ira Teller, named vice president of advertising/publicity of Bryanston Pictures

Dec. 21, 1973 - Linda puts her hands in cement outside the Pussycat Theater on Santa Monica Blvd

Dec. 26, 1973 - The National Tour of Pajama Tops, starring Linda Lovelace, debuts in Philalelphia

1974 - Emmanuelle, the first soft-core "free love" European film, is banned. Bryanston Pictures releases The Last Porno Flick. Joe Semas starts the Harry Reems Athletic Club. He, along with three friends, have been passing out membership cards ever since. The club has more than 40,000 members

The book, Open Marriage, by Nena and George O'Neil, explores the idea that there are alternatives to traditional marriage

January 1974 - Carl Bernstein testifies before the grand jury

Jan. 15, 1974 - During the on-going Watergate hearings, court-appointed experts announce that the 18.5 minutes of missing audio on the Watergate tapes was erased

Jan. 31, 1974 - Linda Lovelace and her boyfriend, David Winters, are arrested at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas and charged with two counts of possessing cocaine

Feb. 22, 1974 - Linda Susan Boreman slips into LA Superior Court to change her name officially to Linda Lovelace

Feb. 28, 1974 - Deep Throat opens at the Studio One Theater in Sioux Falls, SD

March 18, 1974 - The OPEC oil embargo against the United States ends

April 15, 1974 - The Patty Hearst bank robbery

May 1974 - Deep Throat opens in Sacramento

May 22, 1974 - Linda Lovelace and David Winters arrive at Heathrow Airport as part of a European tour

June 11, 1974 - Linda and David attend the Royal Ascot races

July 7, 1974 - Harry Reems arrested in New York when FBI agents wake him with a warrant requiring his presence in Memphis, Tenn. He is indicted (with 116 others named as unindicted co-conspirators) by a federal jury

July 16, 1974 - Gerard Damiano and Georgina Spelvin arrested by the FBI

July 25, 1974 - Drug charges against Linda Lovelace are thrown out as a result of the search warrant not being invalid. Frank Sinatra's lawyer helps prove it was a set-up

July 29, 1974 - A judge upholds the banning of an edited version of Deep Throat

Aug. 14, 1974 - Deep Throat seized from a downtown theater in Los Angeles

Sept. 5, 1974  - Harry Reems and Gerard Damiano report to Memphis for booking

October 1974 - Deep Throat opens at the Strand Theatre in Akron, Ohio

Oct. 30, 1974 - Variety lists six Bryanston projects: Deep Throat Part II with rentals of 500K, Chinese Hercules with rentals of $640K.  Upcoming releases are: Andy Warhol's Dracula, Devil's Rain (financed by Bryanston), Sidney Beckerman's Tomb (co-produced by Bryanston), The Last Castle (which turned into Echoes of Summer)

November 1974 - Deep Throat opens in Baltimore

Dec. 24, 1974 - Variety reports the following films are in production for Peregrine Film Productions, a LA unit of Bryanston: The Devil's Rain, The Human Factor, and Lord Shango

1974 - Top TV shows of 73-74 season were All in the Family, The Waltons, Sanford and Son, M*A*S*H, Hawaii Five-O, and Kung Fu

Jan. 1, 1975 - Nixon henchmen HR Halderman, John Erlichman, John Mitchel,l and Roger Mardian are convicted in the Watergate conspiracy

Jan. 6, 1975 -  Additional project being sought by Peregrine Productions is the praised festival film, Dark Star, which was produced and directed by John Carpenter.

Jan. 8, 1975 - Watergate figures John Dean, Herbert Kalmbach, and Jeb Magruder released from prison

Jan. 16, 1975 - Women's Wear Daily reports that the Peraino family, tired of questionable patron counting, develops a prototype turnstile, complete with computer interface to keep track of the number of people that pass into movie houses.  Ticket Security Systems is a company Joseph Peraino lists as owning

Jan. 31, 1975 - Linda introduces Kiss at a concert at Nassau Coliseum

March 1975 - A Concord NH trial ends in acquittal for mother-and-son theater operators. The film opens in Bethlehem, N.H. at the Colonial Theatre.

March 10, 1975 - Bryanston has breakfast at ShowWest '75 and announces its projects: A Man Called Horse, Echoes of Summer, Power (produced by Sidney Beckerman), Tilt (with Jeff Bridges and MacKenzie Phillips), and The Great Scout and Cat House Thursday (with Lee Martin and Racquel Welch)

March 27, 1975 - Linda introduces Led Zeppelin at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif

May 30, 1975 -Bryanston hosts huge bash at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel

June 13,1975 - Indictment filed in Deep Throat Memphis trial. Twelve individuals and four corporations are charged with the conspiracy to transport an obscene film

July 31, 1975 - Jimmy Hoffa, former president of the Teamsters, is reported missing in Detroit

(To be continued)