The Rialto Report

On this episode of The Rialto Report, Jeffrey Hurst speaks about his career in adult films in the 1970s. This episode running time is 60 minutes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ One of The Rialto Report’s favorite actors of the 1970s adult film scene is Jeffrey Hurst. From his acting ability to his comedic prowess and his trademark vintage porn mustache, he was an underrated and always enjoyable star. And what makes his career even more interesting is that throughout his XXX film career, he was also appearing in off-Broadway plays, commercials (with Sylvester Stallone..), short films (with Glenn Close..) and went on to make appearances in television shows such as Charlie’s Angels and Fantasy Island. And yet – there he was, for most for the 1970s, appearing alongside the acknowledged stars – such as John Holmes, John Leslie, Terri Hall, and C.J. Laing – in a whole string of hard core adult films. He was in big budget productions, quick and dirty one day wonders – and a bunch of 8mm loops too. All the time, he was living a double life – doing his best to hide his involvement in adult film. He hoped no one would actually notice him in porn – just as as he hoped that someone would notice him in his legit work. Jeffrey Hurst was a reluctant porn star. This is his story.   Jeffrey Hurst photographs:         The post Jeffrey Hurst: The Reluctant Porn Star – Podcast 04 appeared first on The Rialto Report.

On this episode of The Rialto Report, Jennifer Welles breaks a 35 year silence to speak publicly about her life and career in films. This episode running time is 51 minutes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Whatever happened to” is a question that is often asked in relation to the stars of the golden age. But seriously: whatever happened to Jennifer Welles? One moment she was appearing in a string of highly successful films that culminated in the box office smash Inside Jennifer Welles, and then suddenly she was gone. Formerly close friends and colleagues, and even her ex-husband all told a similar story of how her disappearance was as complete as it was sudden. The story circulated that she had made it clear that no one should attempt to find her. How could someone whose image had been so prominently splashed across billboards and the pages of magazines have vanished into thin air? Where has she been for the last four decades? The answers are revealed in this episode of The Rialto Report.   From Jennifer Welles Wikipedia page: Jennifer Welles (born c. 1933) is an American former pornographic actress in films of the 1970s, although she began her acting career in the late 1960s in the softcore sexploitation genre and “roughie” grindhouse films produced in New York. Some of these include: Sex by Advertisement (1967), Career Bed, Submission, and This Sporting House, by pornographic film director Henri Pachard (all from 1969). Career Welles was also a fetish magazine model for such magazines as Bizarre while using the stage name “Liza Duran”. Welles appeared in many films, the best known being Inside Jennifer Welles (1977), which she is also credited with having directed (although the film was actually anonymously directed by sex-exploitation veteran Joseph W. Sarno). She also appeared in some mainstream films, most notably The Groove Tube opposite Chevy Chase. Awards Welles won the Erotica Award for Best Actress in 1977 for the film Little Orphan Sammy, and she was the editor of Eros, The Magazine of Decadent Sophistication in that same year. She became a member of the AVN Hall of Fame in 1996. Personal life Welles left the industry abruptly in 1978 after she married a wealthy fan.   Jennifer Welles photographs and articles: The post Jennifer Welles: The Lady Vanishes – Podcast 03 appeared first on The Rialto Report.

George Payne, star of films such as The Taming of Rebecca, The Story of Prunella and The Back Row joins The Rialto Report for a conversation about his life and career in adult film. George Payne is also a firm favorite of the Rialto Report. He appeared in many New York films – both straight and gay – and straddled the film and video era too. And he could really act; his performances seethe with a nervous, unpredictable energy. He acted for many of the great directors of the era, including Radley Metzger, Joe Sarno, Chuck Vincent, and Phil Prince, and with many of the most famous golden age porn stars such as Annie Sprinkle, Joanna Storm, Lee Carroll, and Lisa De Leeuw. He dated Vanessa Del Rio, and was a fixture on the New York theater and party scene. He was a regular on the pages of adult magazine – both straight and gay – and acted with Jack Wrangler in films by the likes of John Amero. He rarely gave interviews, and has remained an enigma and a mystery. Until now. So who is George Payne? Nowadays he lives quietly with his wife Diane, a former acting agent, in New York, and works occasionally as security or in the bars of Manhattan night clubs. He also still looks great. He works out regularly and takes immaculate care of his appearance. We went to his gym and helped him film a short exercise video. He was keen to show how senior citizens can work out and be as fit as possible. After we finished recording the podcast, we took a few pictures of him. Then he asked if we’d photograph him stripped to the waist. Who were we to disagree? This episode running time is 57 minutes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Here’s the fully clothed George Payne:   The post George Payne: Wild Man of Porn – Podcast 02 appeared first on The Rialto Report.

John Amero joins the Rialto Report to tell the story behind the making of his first film, Body of a Female (1964), which he co-directed with his friend Michael Findlay. This episode running time is 65 minutes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ It seems only right that the Rialto Report visited John Amero for our inaugural podcast. He symbolizes much about the golden age of the New York adult film industry. John started his career by working with Michael Findlay, a co-worker in the editing department of ABC, on Body of a Female, before forming a partnership with his brother Lem that spanned 1960s sexploitation films such as Diary of a Swinger and 1970s hard core films Blonde Ambition and Every Inch A Lady. John also made a series of gay films under the name ‘Francis Ellie’, and in the 1980s he worked regularly with Chuck Vincent and Larry Revene, and continued to make his own films under a variety of pseudonyms. We recorded the podcast in the same front room that appears in many of John’s films, from The Corporate Queen through to Dynamite – and in most of the Francis Ellis films too. We were even privileged to sit on a chair that was used for many sexual encounters across John’s filmography. John is close to completing his autobiography that covers his whole film career in detail, and features a cast of characters including the likes of fellow filmmakers Michael and Roberta Findlay, Chuck Vincent and Jack Bravman; actors such as as Harry Reems, Jamie Gillis, Ute Erickson and Linda Boyce; New York film distributors Stan Borden, Sam Lake and Bobby Sumner; mobsters Mickey Zafferano and Norm Arno; and not to forget notables such as Anthony Perkins, Montgomery Clift and Joan Crawford too. The Rialto Report will be returning to John’s front room for another conversation soon. But next time we’re interviewing the chair.   Pictures of ‘Body of a Female’ from John Amero’s collection Roberta Findlay in a still from ‘Body of a Female’ Roberta Findlay in a still from ‘Body of a Female’ Michael and Roberta Findlay in ‘Body of a Female’ ‘Body of a Female’ opens at the State Theater in Boston Press ad for ‘Body of a Female’ John Amero today The post John Amero and ‘Body of a Female’ – Podcast 01 appeared first on The Rialto Report.

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