Golden Age of Porn
The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American pornography, which spread internationally, in which sexually explicit films experienced positive attention from mainstream cinemas, movie critics, and the general public. It began with release of the 1969 film "Blue Movie" directed by Andy Warhol, and the 1970 film "Mona" produced by Bill Osco. These films were the first adult erotic films depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States. Both influenced the making of films such as 1972's "Deep Throat" starring Linda Lovelace and directed by Gerard Damiano, "Behind the Green Door" starring Marilyn Chambers and directed by the Mitchell brothers, 1973's "The Devil in Miss Jones" also by Damiano, and 1976's "The Opening of Misty Beethoven" by Radley Metzger. According to Warhol, "Blue Movie" was a major influence in the making of "Last Tango in Paris", an internationally controversial erotic drama film, starring Marlon Brando, and released a few years after "Blue Movie" was made.

Following mentions by Johnny Carson on his popular "Tonight Show" and Bob Hope on TV as well, "Deep Throat" achieved major box-office success, despite being rudimentary by mainstream standards. In 1973, the more accomplished, but still low-budget, film "The Devil in Miss Jones" was the seventh most successful film of the year, and was well received by major media, including a favorable review by film critic Roger Ebert. The phenomenon of porn being publicly discussed by celebrities, and taken seriously by critics, a development referred to, by Ralph Blumenthal of "The New York Times", as "porno chic", began for the first time in modern American culture. It became obvious that box-office returns of very low-budget adult erotic films could fund further advances in the technical and production values of porn, making it extremely competitive with Hollywood films. There was concern that, left unchecked, the vast profitability of such films would lead to Hollywood being influenced by pornography.

Prior to this, thousands of U.S. state and municipal anti-obscenity laws and ordinances held that participating in the creation, distribution, or consumption of obscene films constituted criminal action. Multi-jurisdictional interpretations of obscenity made such films susceptible to prosecution and criminal liability for obscenity, thereby restricting their distribution and profit potential. However, the US Supreme Court's 1973 decision in "Miller v. California", narrowing and simplifying the definition of obscenity, resulted in dramatically fewer prosecutions nationwide. Freedom in creative license, higher movie budgets and payouts, and a "Hollywood mindset" all contributed to this period.

However, with the increasing availability of videocassette recorders for private viewing in the 1980s, video supplanted film as the preferred distribution medium for pornography, which quickly reverted to being low-budget and openly gratuitous, ending this "Golden Age".
Q7230229
commercial American pornography
UNK
Q45102217
release
LOC
Q885812
Blue Movie
MEDIA
Q5603
Andy Warhol
PER
Q6897745
Mona
MEDIA
Q16733873
Bill Osco
PER
Q291
adult erotic films
Concept
Q5873
sex
Concept
Q30
United States
LOC
Q506013
Deep Throat
MEDIA
Q407
Linda Lovelace
PER
Q380715
Gerard Damiano
PER
Q814490
Behind the Green Door
MEDIA
Q220693
Marilyn Chambers
PER
Q351284
Mitchell brothers
MEDIA
Q248051
The Devil in Miss Jones
MEDIA
Q1554545
The Opening of Misty Beethoven
MEDIA
Q343888
Radley Metzger
PER
Q570567
Last Tango in Paris
MEDIA
Q34012
Marlon Brando
PER
Q310819
Johnny Carson
PER
Q1338655
Tonight Show
MEDIA
Q94081
Bob Hope
PER
Q506013
Deep Throat
MEDIA
Q248051
The Devil in Miss Jones
MEDIA
Q212173
Roger Ebert
PER
Q9684
The New York Times
MEDIA
Q11201
US Supreme Court
Concept
Q3314318
Miller v. California
EVE
Q380616
videocassette recorder
Concept
Q1476435
Golden Age of Porn
TIME
1969-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1969
DATE
1970-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1970
DATE
1972-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1972
DATE
1973-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1973
DATE
1976-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1976
DATE
1973-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1973
DATE
1973-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1973
DATE
1980-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1980
DATE
+15^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
15
NUMBER
+1969^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1969
NUMBER
+1984^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1984
NUMBER
inception
director
publication date
producer
publication date
use
cast member
director
publication date
notable work
cast member
director
director
publication date
director
publication date
cast member
notable work
publication date
court