Hello, fellow streakers and Pepsi Light drinkers! How was your holiday? I hope it was dandy. Here’s a trio of 1970s-related stories you may wish to explore on this fine post-Independence Day…day.
Deliverance– 40th Anniversary
Burt Reynold’s first (and finest?) big film – Deliverance, 1972
The cast of Deliverance (released to theaters in July, 1972) gathered together on the Warner Brother’s lot last week to chat about old times and promote a new 40th Anniversary Blu-ray release of the classic film. You can read more about the gathering here and read a review of the Deliverance Blu-ray here.
Home Media Magazine Quote:
“‘We’ve got 6,700 films in our library, and about 500 of those have made it to Blu-ray,’ said Jeff Baker, EVP and GM of theatrical catalog for Warner Home Video. ‘We’re very selective, based not just on consumer demand, but also the quality of the content. Deliverance is special. It was old-style film-making, and they just don’t make films like it anymore.’
No they don’t. Director John Boorman (Excalibur, Hope and Glory) shot the entire film in linear sequence, a rarity in 1972, much less in 2012. All four actors did their own stunts, and paid the price during filming: Reynolds busted his tailbone. Beatty almost drowned. Voight came within a foot or two of having his head split open on a rock while climbing a cliff.”
Deep Throat & Culture Change 40 Years On
Linda Lovelace in ‘Deep Throat’, 1972
Gary Susman at Moviefone writes about the 40th anniversary of the hugely successful and game-changing pornographic film Deep Throat (released to theaters in June of 1972). Seems that writer/director Gerard Damiano aspired to turn porn films into a “couples’ date-night experience” and maybe even raise the genre into the realm of “art”. Read it.
Moviefone Quote:
“Four decades after the pornographic film ‘Deep Throat,’ we need not one, but two biopics on the star of the movie, Linda Lovelace. (The first stars Amanda Seyfried. The other which may never happen — stars Malin Akerman.) These dueling projects are just one measure of how big a deal ‘Deep Throat’ remains 40 years after it went into wide release, on June 30, 1972.
Other measures include the multi-billions in profits earned each year by a porn-film production industry that scarcely existed before ‘Deep Throat,’ the level of household-name fame the film’s title earned amid the Watergate scandal, the countless courtroom challenges over whether porn merits First Amendment protections, and the still-ongoing debate over whether porn is good or bad for women — a debate embodied by the life story of Lovelace herself, still the most famous/infamous porn star who ever lived. And then there’s the snickering or prickly reaction you had upon reading the phrase ‘Deep Throat’ a few moments ago. Yes, the movie is still a controversial topic about which no one feels indifferent.”
Ginsu Knives Pioneer Dies
‘But wait…there’s more…’
Barry Becher, the infomercial pioneer who brought you Ginsu Knives, the Miracle Slicer, Armourcote Cookware and many more products, has passed away at the age of 71. The Huffington Post has the story behind the man and advertising sensation that took root in 1978. Read the obit and watch the original ’78 Ginsu spot below.
HuffPost Quote:
“In the course of a decade, the men said they amassed more than $500 million in sales. Armourcote was the most profitable, but Ginsu remains the most widely known, a household name across the U.S., and fodder for countless comedians.
Millions were sold from the commercial’s debut in 1978 into the early 1980s, with audiences mesmerized by images of an exotic-sounding knife that seemed able to cut through anything. The infomercial promised a 50-year guarantee and ‘much, much more.'”