Porn and publicity

Re Bob Baker’s “Pushing Porn to the Fore” [Nov. 23], the so-called cultural 1972 porn class became “an aberration” and drew “mass audiences” across the country because of a clever publicity stunt that was pulled at the New Mature World Theater in New York. A judge yanked this “obscene film” during its American premiere, which made the front page of the New York Times.

“Hard-core filmmakers that I knew never suggested that “Deep Throat” ever “set the tone.” It was in no way “positively glossy by contrast” to other films. There were many prior feature-length porn films that were creative and better written and produced. “Deep Throat” had something other hard-core films didn’t have -- that sensational breaking story in the New York Times.

It was the slew of numerous well-made hard-core films much before and after “Deep Throat” that brought about turning “upside-down” a “sexually dysfunctional culture.” It was not “by one movie.” How can we forget “The Devil in Ms. Jones” and “Behind the Green Door”?

Barney Sackett

West Hollywood