by Ashley West
Audio, photo, and documentary archives from the golden age of adult film in New York, and beyond. Established 2013.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/17/2013
Email Addresses
1 available
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April 27, 2025
Who was the original actor cast in the lead role of the golden age blockbuster, <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2015/09/19/devil-in-miss-jones/">The Devil in Miss Jones</a> (1973)?<br /> Not <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2013/05/19/georgina-spelvin/">Georgina Spelvin</a>, the talented doyenne of adult films who starred in many pre-video era features, first in New York then in California, and who was the eventual star of the film as ‘Miss Jones.’<br /> No, Gerard Damiano first chose another actress, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280936/">Sue Flaken</a>, to fill the role, only to change his mind at the last minute. The movie went on to become one of the biggest hits of the era, making Spelvin one of the most famous of the first generation of porn stars.<br /> The sliding doors moment changed Georgina Spelvin’s life forever. But what of Sue Flaken, who was instead relegated to a minor, non-speaking part in the film? Who was she, why did she miss out on the life-changing role, and what happened to her afterwards?<br /> The answer includes supporting involvement for Allen Ginsberg, Tommy Lee Jones, Georgina Spelvin, Harry Everett Smith, Al Gore, the Chelsea Hotel, Joe Sarno, Terry Southern, industrial quantities of hallucinogenic drugs, and much more.<br /> This is the untold story of ‘Sue Flaken.’<br /> This podcast is 35 minutes long.<br /> ——————————————————————————————————————————-<br /> sliding doors<br /> /ˈslīdiNG dôrs/<br /> plural noun<br /> definition: a seemingly insignificant moment that has a profound and lasting impact on a person’s life or the trajectory of a relationship. These moments, while often unnoticed, can dramatically alter the course of events and significantly affect future outcomes.<br /> *<br /> What if Franz Ferdinand hadn’t been shot, and the event that triggered World War I hadn’t happened?<br /> What if young Adolf Hitler hadn’t been rejected twice from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, and instead had gone on to became an artist instead of pursuing politics?<br /> Butterfly-effect inflection points which, if they had turned out differently, might have caused a different world.<br /> Or another example, only less consequential perhaps: what if <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2022/01/16/gerard-damiano/">Gerard Damiano</a> hadn’t decided at the last moment to promote <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2013/05/19/georgina-spelvin/">Georgina Spelvin</a> from her role as the cook for the cast and crew on <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2015/09/19/devil-in-miss-jones/">The Devil in Miss Jones</a> (1973) and instead given her the starring role?<br /> The story is oft-told: Damiano was shooting the follow-up to <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/deep-throat-50/">Deep Throat</a> (1972) in a converted apple-packing plant in Milanville, Pennsylvania, and needed someone to provide craft services for the long-weekend location shoot. He offered the job to Chele Graham, an ex-Broadway chorus girl who’d featured in stage productions such as ‘Cabaret’, ‘Guys and Dolls’, and ‘Sweet Charity’ before being timed-out by her age – she was a near-ancient 36 by the time of ‘Miss Jones’. Chele accepted the catering job, needing the money for a film collective that she and her lover were setting up in lower Manhattan.<br /> Damiano had already hired someone for the all-important lead role of Miss Jones – a newcomer named Ronnie, an actress he was raving about – but by the time production started, Chele had become Georgina Spelvin and assumed the role of Miss Jones, instantly creating one of the more memorable characters in adult film history – as was borne out by the contemporary critics....
March 16, 2025
In the first part of our interview with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366539/">Susan Hart</a>, we heard about Sue’s early years in 1970s Los Angeles, growing up in a strict Catholic family, running away from home when she was 15, and becoming involved in a bad relationship. She escaped – into the army of all places, before finding a different kind of home, of sorts, as a prolific performer in the early adult video industry.<br /> But what is unusual and remarkable about her story is that Susan is willing to tell it at all. As you will hear in this concluding episode, Susan left Los Angeles in the late 1980s and pursued a professional career, living in constant fear of being confronted by her past. When we contacted her, we had no idea that it would bring out many of her worst fears.<br /> This is Sue’s story.<br /> You can hear the first part of <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2025/03/09/susan-hart/">our interview with Susan Hart here</a>.<br /> This podcast is 60 minutes long.<br /> —————————————————————————————————————————————-<br /> Susan Hart: Adult Industry Photos<br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-77.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-70.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-68.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-60.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-55.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-57.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-53.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-54.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-51-1.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-46.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-38.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-37.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-31.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-22.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR-Susan-Hart-14.jpg"></a><br /> *<br />
March 9, 2025
Perhaps one of the less obvious aspects of The Rialto Report is that it may lead to the impression that people involved in the adult industry forty or fifty years ago are all pretty comfortable talking about their pasts and have led serene lives, free of incident, since they stopped making sex films. After all, our podcasts and interviews are filled with people talking pretty openly about their experiences.<br /> In fact, quite the opposite is normally the case. You see, the truth is that the majority of people we approach – actors, directors, producers – are usually rather keen to not go public with their memories. And that’s understandable: despite the length of time that’s passed since their images and names were splashed across posters and theater screens, the reality is there is still a very real stigma in current day America for something they did all those years ago. The result is that, sadly, these voices are largely absent from the selection of oral histories that we present in The Rialto Report.<br /> So all that begs the question: why on earth did <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366539/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Susan Hart</a> agree to an interview?<br /> You see, Susan was a prolific actress in the California video explosion of the mid 1980s. She appeared in a hundred or so movies and countless spreads in men’s magazines. She had an interesting backstory too: a Latina from Los Angeles, the product of a Catholic upbringing, she joined the Army to break free. Then, she became an adult film performer and later was approached to take part in a sting operation against the sex film business. She was pretty, happy-looking, popular, and I always wondered about her.<br /> So I sent her a letter. Little did I realize that she’d spent the last 40 years terrified that her past would catch up with her, and that her biggest nightmare was someone like me contacting her and asking her to reveal who she was, and is.<br /> But we spoke, and Sue agreed to tell all – including exploring how she feels about it today.<br /> She still can’t quite understand why she did adult films, but I hope she’s happy about this interview.<br /> This is April Hall – and this is Sue Hart’s story.<br /> This podcast is 60 minutes long.<br /> —————————————————————————————————————————————-<br /> Susan Hart: Personal Photos<br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Girl-6.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Girl-2.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Kid-Baseball.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Pre-Teen-Bikili.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-5.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Army-2.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-4.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-Lakeside-3.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-Lakeside-2.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-Bike.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/RR_Sue-Young-Woman-Beach.jpg"></a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.therialtoreport.
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