Deep Throat Movie

Having come of age in the '70s, I am certainly familiar with "Deep Throat" as a cultural phenomenon: its status as the epitome of "porno chic," the way it made Linda Lovelace a household name, Bob Woodward's appropriation of the title as the code name for his secret Watergate source. With "Deep Throat" the prodigious profit-making machine, however, I was unfamiliar until recently.

Last week came word that a musical was being developed based on the slash-fest "American Psycho." This week brings news about a new rock musical revolving around "Deep Throat" -- and we're not talking Watergate here. For those too young -- or too pure -- to remember, "Deep Throat" was a 1972 film that, depending on whom you talk to, may or may not have been the most financially successful porn movie of all time. But it definitely turned its star, Linda Lovelace, into a household name.

His hands flying above his spiked hair, Brian Grazer is flinging metaphors, connecting dots across three decades, trying to explain why for years he's been obsessed with the cultural significance of the 1972 porn classic "Deep Throat."

As readers of the letters to the editor in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times Business section may have noticed, the producers of a new documentary about the X-rated movie "Deep Throat" have thrown a tantrum over my recent column challenging their key contention about the movie's success. Their assertion is that "Deep Throat" has grossed $600 million, and therefore ranks as the most profitable movie in history. The technical term I employed was "baloney."

As readers of the letters to the editor in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times Business section may have noticed, the producers of a new documentary about the X-rated movie "Deep Throat" have thrown a tantrum over my recent column challenging their key contention about the movie's success. Their assertion is that "Deep Throat" has grossed $600 million, and therefore ranks as the most profitable movie in history. The technical term I employed was "baloney."

"Deep Throat," the infamous 1972 film that led to a government crackdown on pornography, is being rereleased in theaters, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. The release of the Linda Lovelace film, which was banned at the time in 23 states, coincides with the premiere of the documentary "Inside Deep Throat," which explores the cultural effect of the film and hits theaters in L.A., New York, San Francisco and Boston on Friday.

Last week came word that a musical was being developed based on the slash-fest "American Psycho." This week brings news about a new rock musical revolving around "Deep Throat" -- and we're not talking Watergate here. For those too young -- or too pure -- to remember, "Deep Throat" was a 1972 film that, depending on whom you talk to, may or may not have been the most financially successful porn movie of all time. But it definitely turned its star, Linda Lovelace, into a household name.

Having come of age in the '70s, I am certainly familiar with "Deep Throat" as a cultural phenomenon: its status as the epitome of "porno chic," the way it made Linda Lovelace a household name, Bob Woodward's appropriation of the title as the code name for his secret Watergate source. With "Deep Throat" the prodigious profit-making machine, however, I was unfamiliar until recently.

"Deep Throat," the infamous 1972 film that led to a government crackdown on pornography, is being rereleased in theaters, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. The release of the Linda Lovelace film, which was banned at the time in 23 states, coincides with the premiere of the documentary "Inside Deep Throat," which explores the cultural effect of the film and hits theaters in L.A., New York, San Francisco and Boston on Friday.

His hands flying above his spiked hair, Brian Grazer is flinging metaphors, connecting dots across three decades, trying to explain why for years he's been obsessed with the cultural significance of the 1972 porn classic "Deep Throat."