If you were talking about the devil back in 1973, chances
are you’d be referring to a notorious Christmas present that Warner Brothers
was about to unleash: The Exorcist.
In fact, 1973 was chock-full of presents from Hollywood. The
Sting had dominated most of the box-office that year and would go on to
steal most of the Academy Awards including best picture. A new up -and-coming
director named George Lucas had left a lasting impression with American Graffiti. Clint Eastwood was riding
high both as the High Plains Drifter
and the cop with the big gun in Magnum
Force, whilst legendary director Fred Zinnemann hit his target artistically
(if not at the box-office) with his classic thriller The Day of the Jackal.
Then you have that “other†devil that everyone was
talking about, The Devil in Miss Jones. Now -to give the devil his due, The Exorcist did go on to gross over
$400 million, but dollar for dollar, with a much, much lower budget and the
star herself cooking the meals for the whole cast and crew, The Devil in Miss Jones was the film
that was the real blockbuster. Director
Gerard Damiano’s follow-up to his previous smash Deep Throat, retains its status as an adult film classic. In porn
terms, Damiano was one of a dozen or so auteur filmmakers who at least
attempted to interject an artistic approach to what were, up until that time,
basic “stag†films. The buzzword of the day was “porn-chicâ€, everyone was
talking about the “dirty†movies that were cleaning-up at the box-office. From Richard Nixon to Johnny Carson, the
spotlight was focused on the rapidly emerging skin-flick business, which was
primarily dominated by organized crime from the very start. Not that -Hollywood, didn’t have its mob
connections, but   in porn the goal was to use films to launder
money rather than actually make it. Vast
drug, gambling and prostitution profits had to be washed through the
neighborhood adult bookstores and theaters in order to re-invest it in “cleanerâ€
enterprises. Damiano, a streetwise guy
who once ran a New York beauty salon, knew that when the mob bankers offered to
buy out his stake in the Deep Throat cash
cow for a mere $25,000, he had little choice but to – well, swallow it and
smile.
Double bills of Deep Throat and The Devil in Miss Jones played in the same theaters for years - and the protesters only increased box-office revenues.
Meanwhile –out of stage left, a self-described
“ultra-liberal, Broadway gypsy-cum-flower child†was about to enter the
picture. Living in a commune or work co-operative, hungry and seeking a job,
Chele Graham, who once was the understudy to Shirley MacLaine in The Pajama Game, had gone
underground. She was now using a
theatrical pseudonym, Georgina Spelvin. In the porn world, no one used their
real name. Having just made an X-rated
underground movie with a porn star known as Marc “Mr. Ten and a Half-Inches†Stevens,
Georgina was encouraged to audition for Gerard Damiano for a new film he was
casting. On calling the number, she spoke
on the phone to the co-star of Deep
Throat Harry Reems, who would go on to become a male legend in the porn
business. On the basis of that conversation, she was referred to Gerard
Damiano, who strangely seemed more interested in her abilities in the kitchen
than the boudoir. Upon being hired, Spelvin found she was not only expected to
be “cooking†in the scenes onscreen, but was literally obligated to do the
cooking for the crew during breaks!
Spelvin found herself cast in the lead role of Justine
Jones, the suicidal spinster who believes death is the only way out of her
dull, boring life. The film was titled The
Devil in Miss Jones, a clever spin on the squeaky clean 1941 RKO comedy The Devil “and†Miss Jones. Damiano’s version has the distraught spinster
Miss Jones allowing her sexual deprivation and virginity to inspire her to
commit suicide in the bathtub. In death, she comes face to face with an agent
of the devil (Harry Reems) who informs her that she has been barred from heaven
due to the fact that she took her own life. Now in limbo, the once prim and
proper Miss Jones is determined to make up for lost time by delving into sexual
depravity. She strikes a deal with the Devil to enjoy an unending series of
sexual experiences – on the proviso that in one year’s time, her soul belongs
to him. This plot device allowed a “sting-in-the-tail†ending that was right
out of The Twilight Zone and elevated
The Devil in Miss Jones to the type
of acclaim never experienced by a porn film. Along the way, a star was born, as
Georgina Spelvin was now “porn-chicâ€.Â
From 1972 through 1982, she’d go on to make 70 porn films, but none would
ever eclipse the impact of  The Devil in Miss Jones, which most
memorably featured Spelvin having an erotic encounter with a live snake. Six
sequels followed, but they were pale imitations and Spelvin’s only association
was a brief cameo the 2005 film The New
Devil in Miss Jones.
On the Great White Way in The Pajama Game. Georgina's professional acting experience set her apart from her colleagues in the adult film world.
When I met 72 year-old Georgina Spelvin last November,
I hadn’t seen any of her movies, though it wasn’t due to being a prude. I certainly
knew of her, as The Devil in Miss Jones hadÂ
played on a double-bill with Deep Throat, for over nine solid years in theaters like the
infamous Pussycat in Hollywood. If you’ll recall the first Lethal Weapon movie, it’s featured prominently in the shoot-out
scene on Hollywood Boulevard. Ultimately,
I read her autobiography, The Devil Made
Me Do It and felt it would be interesting, to eventually meet her. When I
finally did, I never suspected we would become close friends. Â Georgina is an extremely vibrant and well
tuned-in lady. She’s had an eclectic life
for sure, sexually, socially, politically – and suffered from alcoholism and
depression during the lean years before finding happiness with her husband
John. Â Literally living within the shadow
of the legendary Hollywood sign itself, their small and cozy hillside home is a
sanctuary of serenity. The well-tended
garden is therapy for Georgina, who spends her time corresponding on the
computer, working out at the gym and attending various functions. She looks back at her life with  no regrets.Â
Loyal to friends, she recently mourned the loss of her director/mentor
Gerard Damiano and later, porn legend Marilyn Chambers.
Looking back on her own career in the porn industry,
Georgina finds humor as well as eroticism. Â Her training as an actress and dancer gave her
advantage that overcame her less-than-exotic physical appearance. She learned
to use those skills to exude a sense of sexuality that the more glamorous women
in the industry could not approach. Like many porn superstars, however,
Georgina never saw much money from the films she appeared in. Ironically,
Marilyn Chambers asked for and received $25,000 for her first picture Behind the Green Door whilst Georgina
literally only got rent money for The
Devil in Miss Jones. Like all porn
performers, she was really “screwed†by the distributors and the ever-changing
number of new owners of her work. DVD
sales and internet downloads of films from porn’s “golden era†have exceeded
what their creators ever dreamed of. However, none of that money has trickled
down to the people who created them. With no residuals, health or pension
plans, it’s no wonder the “adult†business far exceeds the profits made by
Hollywood movies and TV shows. Still, Georgina has no regrets. She enjoyed the
ride as it were, faring a lot better than others who either died of AIDS or
substance abuse, suicide or murder. However, she did hit rock bottom in terms
of suffering from alcohol abuse, which she vividly details in her book. This
was a time when she played strip joints (complete with snake), parodying her
earlier fame – a sad time when she really did feel dirty in front of the
audience. Â
Despite the down periods, Georgina has always loved
performing. Born in Texas in 1936, she excelled at dancing, despite suffering
an attack of polio as a child. Through
her mother’s encouragement, she took dance lessons that ultimately saw her
performing on Broadway. When I asked her
what her Broadway experiences were like and who influenced her the most, she
replied, “Bob Fosse taught me how to dance. George Abbott taught me how to say,
make that shout, a line. Fred Herbert, the stage manager of my first musical Pajama Game, taught me how to get a job.
And Hal Prince taught me how to be nice to rich people who might just put money
in a showâ€. It’s that great sense of
humor, combined with intelligence and charm that helps define the feisty 5ft.
4in. icon. She’s worked on numerous
stage productions even whilst appearing in the odd porn movie.  She’s no stranger to “legitimate†movies, either.
She had cameo roles in Police Academy and, Police Academy 2 among others.  In Bob Fosse’s 1968 directorial movie debut, Sweet Charity, Georgina was dance double
and stand-in for her old friend Shirley MacLaine, for the New York location
scenes. Georgina credits classes with
veteran character actor William Hickey for giving her the skills and the
confidence to take on demanding roles.Â
From a porn perspective, she speaks highly of those she has worked with.
 Among them is Marc Stevens, another good
friend and fellow adult film veteran (as well as the owner of “Herman†the sexy
snake that The Devil in Miss Jones
made a star.)Â It would be Marc who
literally lifted Georgina out of the gutter and into rehab later on. Sadly, his own life went into decline and he
died from AIDS in 1989. “He was the
funniest man I ever met and a complete weirdo†recalls Georgina.
What makes Georgina so special and delightful to my
mind, is that she is indeed a free spirit and very human. For a long time she kind of downplayed her
porn past, but now she embraces it and sees it in the proper context of her
life. Again, compared to what is on
offer from today’s adult movie scene, she’s the Katherine Hepburn of porn’s
golden era. If Hepburn benefited from the guiding hand of George Cukor,
Georgina had Gerard Damiano to help separate her from the rest of the pack in
the adult movie industry. Surprisingly, they didn’t make more than a handful of
films together. In her book The Devil
Made Me Do It, Georgina chronicles in detail what it was like working on a
typical 70’s porn shoot. t’s anything but erotic with grips and electricians
rigging the cables and lights, arranging furniture, and constantly keeping an
eye out for the law.Â
Ultimately, Georgina found herself in violation of
obscenity laws, which vary widely from state to state. Although Georgina was never
prosecuted, law enforcement officials liked to involve big name porn stars to
make their efforts more high-profile. Georgina was arrested, but ultimately
released. During the “Golden Eraâ€, San Francisco - with its more moderate degree
of scrutiny from the law- saw a huge amount of adult film shoots in the Bay
area. Film labs that processed the skin flicks usually did it after hours and
on a pay-as-you-go cash basis. The “Golden Era†ironically benefitted from
better production values than the home video age would afford the porn medium.
When the films were still shown in theaters, certain production standards had
to be maintained and the budgets were often generous compared with those shot
directly on video. There was also more emphasis on plot and narrative,
especially in the feature-length films.Â
There was a sense of adventure and enjoyment that prevailed back
then. Despite the abundance of films
made during this era, there were only about 50 or so “name†performers, and
they were all well acquainted. Â In that
environment, Georgina flourished and developed lasting friendships that
continue to this day. As she notes “with
my tiny breasts…†she’d be out of place in the silicone dominated, tattooed,
shaved and pierced visionary landscape of adult women stars today. With over 10,000 titles released annually,
there is a total glut of product.Â
Careers are few and far between, you’d be very hard pressed (pardon the
pun) to find any actress even remotely possessing her skills in the areas of
dramatic and comedic acting.
Georgina today- sober, content and happy. (Photo copyright Graham Hill)
In the short time that I have known her, I can only say
that Georgina is a joy to be around.Â
It’s not surprising she has so many friends from all walks of life. As far as technology is concerned, her big
concession is her laptop PC. She responds
to numerous e-mails from friends and fans alike. Her book signing events are always well
attended and she enjoys them just as much as her audience does. For a number of women, she has become a role
model –and why not? She’s achieved much in the years since she first found
notoriety in adult films. She’s been clean and sober since November 11, 1981.
She has a prospering career in desktop publishing and graphic design. She
married her husband John in 1983 and they have been enjoying their life together
in the small Hollywood hills they virtually rebuilt themselves. Georgina’s
story does indeed have a happy ending – a devilishly happy ending. (To find out
more about her, you can visit her site- georginasworld.com
)
Click here to order Georgina Spelvin's autobiography from Amazon
(Hollywood historian Graham Hill can be reached at grahamhill007@sbcglobal.net)Â Â Â Â Â