Previously on Chasing Butterflies – Stories of Cubans in Exploitation-Era Florida: After Dolores Carlos’ retirement from acting in South Florida nudie films in the late 1960s, she still remained close to her circle of Cuban filmmaker friends, and none more so than José Prieto, Greg Sandor, and Rafael Remy. They would still meet regularly, and all t…

Previously on Chasing Butterflies – Stories of Cubans in Exploitation-Era Florida: You may remember Marcy Bichette’s start in life from our earlier episodes: she was born Marcelle Denise Bichette in St Petersburg, Florida in August 1950 to a young married couple who had distinctly different ambitions in life. Her father, Maurice Bichette, had marri…

Previously on Chasing Butterflies – Stories of Cubans in Exploitation-Era Florida: Manuel Conde had lived several lives even before he moved to Miami, Florida. He’d been born José Conde Samaniego in 1917 in Galicia, in northern Spain, though his family fled to Cuba after General Franco’s fascist coup d’état in the 1930s. And then, in 1959, Castro o…

Previously on Chasing Butterflies – Stories of Cubans in Exploitation-Era Florida: Dolores Carlos was from a fiercely Cuban family, even though she was born in Tampa, Florida in October 1930, and never visited her country of origin. Her Cuban heritage and good looks, not to mention her patriotism, came from her father, Gus, and grandfather, Carlos,…

Cuba may only be 90 miles from the southern tip of the United States – a leisurely boat trip on a calm day – but since the 1950s, the island has seemed part of a distant world, too many communist miles away. It wasn’t always the case. For years, Cuba was almost an extension of America, almost another star on its star-spangled banner. Links between …

A few years ago, I was researching an article for The Rialto Report when I came across a 1980 radio program from WBAI, a popular New York City station that specialized in progressive and alternative voices at the time. This particular show featured a prostitute named Iris De La Cruz. Iris wasn’t directly connected to the adult film scene in New Yor…

Howard Ziehm, the pioneering adult film director, theater owner, author, polymath, and friend of The Rialto Report died last week in California. Over the years, I visited Howard on several occasions at his beautiful hill-top house in Malibu in California – “It’s the home that porn built”, he would joke. And he was right: Howard had enjoyed a long c…

By the mid 1990s, Dian Hanson could’ve been forgiven for thinking that she’d finally made it – and that nothing was going to derail her career in magazine publishing that had started two decades earlier. She’d had an improbable and volatile journey, from a troubled upbringing and difficult marriage, to working as a nurse in rural Pennsylvania, befo…

In the first part of ‘Dian Hanson, Chronicles,’ Dian spoke of her upbringing in the northwest United States, an often shocking family life with a difficult and frightening father – who just happened to be the supreme grand master of a sex-magic cult. It was a difficult childhood that included bullying, sexual assault, and running away from home, cu…

Dian Hanson is a unique figure from the world of men’s magazines in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, a world that overlapped strongly with the adult film business. Last time, in the first episode of this podcast series, we heard about her surprising, and often shocking, upbringing: a hippie and high school dropout from Seattle, her father was supre…

If the name Dian Hanson rings a bell for you nowadays, it may be because she’s a senior editor and writer for Taschen, the gold-standard, high-end book publishing company, where she has over 50 books to her credit. In fact, she’s also the so-called head of the company’s Sexy Book division where she’s overseen impressive and weighty tomes that inclu…

Whatever happened to Geri Miller? The post NYC Starlets – Part 3: An Afternoon with Geri Miller, Warhol Super-Groupie and Sexploitation Actress – Podcast 138 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Rare and unpublished on-set photographs of Pat Barrington. The post Pat Barrington in ‘Orgy of the Dead’ (1965) – Unpublished Photographs and Podcast (reprise) appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

David Cronenberg's 'Rabid', Linda Lovelace and Marilyn Chambers, the Nicaraguan Contra rebels and more.. The post Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 7, Endgame, Podcast 137 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

How Chuck Traynor, ex-husband of 'Deep Throat's Linda Lovelace moved on to Marilyn Chambers. The post Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 6, The Marilyn Chambers Years, Podcast 136 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

F.M Bradley died last month just a few weeks shy of his 70th birthday. We remember our 2021 interview with the pioneering 1980s adult star. The post F.M. Bradley: Hiding in Plain Sight – Podcast 113 – Reprise appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Michael Findlay's films were so single-minded - so how much did his own life influence his work? The post Flesh! The Untold Origin of the Findlays and the ‘Flesh Trilogy’, Part 2 – Michael’s story appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Michael and Roberta Findlay's film's were more shocking that their peers. So who were they? The post Flesh! The Untold Origin of the Findlays and the ‘Flesh Trilogy’, Part 1 – Roberta’s story appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

The dramatic second part of Lisa Cintrice's life story, covering her time in the adult film business and reveals what happens next. The post Lisa Cintrice: Not Being Afraid, Part 2 – Podcast 133 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Lisa Cintrice talks about her life inside and out of the adult film business in this candid and personal interview. The post Lisa Cintrice: Not Being Afraid, Part 1 – Podcast 132 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Herschel Savage passed away this week: Ashley West remembers him and revisits the 2013 interview with him. The post R.I.P. Herschel Savage (1952 – 2023) appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

The NYPD break with code - and make an X-rated in an attempt to break into the adult film business. The post Cop Porn: When the NYPD made a Porn Film – Part 2 – Podcast 131 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

In 1977, the Public Morals Squad in New York set up an undercover porn production company. The post Cop Porn: When the NYPD made a Porn Film – Part 1 – Podcast 130 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Legendary 1960s roadie, Neville Chesters, talks about The Who, Jimi Hendrix... and his adult films. The post Neville Chesters R.I.P: How Jimi Hendrix’s Roadie became a Porn Producer – Podcast 77 (reprise) appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

After 'Deep Throat' is released, Linda Lovelace is suddenly famous. The post Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 5, Deep Throat Explodes (and so does Sammy Davis Jr.) appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

What really happened behind the scenes of 'Deep Throat' (1972)? The post Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 4, The Making of Deep Throat… What Really Happened? appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Debbie Revenge had two adult film careers - but her life was much more dramatic that anything on screen. The post Punk and Porn in New York City – Part 2: Debbie Revenge, The Punk in the Photograph appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Part 2 of our Rialto Report interview with Sue Nero, a golden age adult performer in film, on stage, and in men's magazines. The post Sue Nero: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More (Part 2) – Podcast 126 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Sue Nero was a larger than life, super-hero of a porn star - she talks about her eventful life in this Rialto Report interview. The post Sue Nero: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More (Part 1) – Podcast 125 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Jamie Gillis went on a life-changing visit to Europe in 1977, and kept audio diaries of his experiences. The post Jamie Gillis in Europe, 1977 – His Audio Diaries: “Life Is Easy When You Don’t Know How” appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Adult film icon, Kay Parker, passed away this week. In our podcast interview, she talks about becoming a star in the XXX film industry. The post R.I.P. Kay Parker (1944 – 2022) – The Rialto Report interview appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Kitten Natividad died in Los Angeles this last week. She was a genuine cult pop culture figure. The post R.I.P. Kitten Natividad – La Reina, Her Last Interview – Podcast 123 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Chesty Morgan makes ‘Deadly Weapons’ and ‘Double Agent 73’, and acts with Donald Sutherland. The post The Trials of Chesty Morgan – Doris Wishman, Fellini, The Law and Me, Part 2 – Podcast 122 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Bionca was a striking performer, appearing in over 350 films and countless magazine spreads from 1984 through the early 2000s. The post Bionca: The Daredevil Amazon – Podcast 121 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Chuck and Linda go to New York to find work in the adult film scene, and make some of the most notorious loops in adult film history. The post Deep Throat @ 50: Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 3 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

How did Linda Lovelace first meet Chuck Traynor - and what was the nature of their relationship before 'Deep Throat' (1972)? The post Deep Throat @ 50: Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 2 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Where did Chuck Traynor come from, and what did he do before he met Linda Lovelace and before 'Deep Throat' (1972)? The post Deep Throat @ 50: Svengali – The Chuck Traynor Story: Part 1 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

Harry Reems speaks for the only time about his early adult film career, 'Deep Throat,' and more. The post Deep Throat @ 50: Searching for the Real Harry Reems – Podcast 117 appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West

The film director Alfred Sole passed away this past Tuesday. This is our short film about the making of his movie 'Deep Sleep'. The post RIP Alfred Sole: ‘Deep Sleep’ (1972) – The Short Film appeared first on The Rialto Report.By Ashley West