days of my life—six before the cameras, another six waiting around for the sun to come out. Probably the most important thing to happen to me was a rechristening.
Gerard Damiano came up with the name Linda Lovelace for the character in his movie. There had been a BB, for Brigitte Bardot, and an MM, for Marilyn Monroe, and now he wanted an LL. In time, I came to dislike the name because of what it stood for. But the truth is this: Linda Boreman and Linda Traynor never managed to get away from Chuck. It took a Linda Lovelace to escape.
CHUCK TRAYNOR : There never was a Linda Lovelace. I’m Linda Lovelace. Linda Lovelace got where she got because of my brain, not because of her throat.
SCREW-ed
NEW YORK CITY
1972–1973
BILL KELLY : I turned out to be the dummy in the Deep Throat case because I didn’t know it was going on originally. I’ll take the hit on that one.
I didn’t get criticized by the FBI, but after Deep Throat became a cause célèbre, some of the bad guys—the other pornographers—kept trying to embarrass me. “Yeah, if you’re such a great FBI agent, Kelly, how come you didn’t even know the biggest porn film in history was being made within walking distance of your house?”
DAVE FRIEDMAN : Deep Throat was like The Blair Witch Project of its time.
BILL KELLY : In 1971, an element of the Colombo family of the Mafia named the Perainos came down here to South Florida to make—for less than twenty-five thousand dollars—the first “porno chic” movie, Deep Throat . Their eventual gross exceeded 100 million dollars, of which they got to keep at least half.
CHUCK TRAYNOR : I never paid any attention to what the Perainos were working on around the office. So I never knew what else they were involved in. I mean, I just did what I was supposed to do, and that was it. Was I a good soldier? Yeah, ha, ha, ha. I guess so. But I don’t ever recall them going, “Shhhhhhh!”
LINDA LOVELACE : Chuck never told me that the Peraino family were members of organized crime. I don’t really think Chuck was too aware of it in the beginning. You know, they were just somebody who wanted to do a movie, and he had the product.
I was aware that they were a tightly knit family, ha, ha, ha. I kind ofliked the fact that they took care of each other. And I thought Mr. Anthony Peraino, Sr.—Butchie’s father—was a wonderful person.
LOS ANGELES TIMES , JUNE 13, 1982: FAMILY BUSINESS : “Anthony Peraino, Sr., a reputed ‘made man’ (officially initiated) in the Mafia, allegedly a member of the Joseph Colombo crime family. A record of six arrests in New York—including gambling, tax evasion and homicide by auto—but no convictions. In the late 1960s, Anthony Peraino became involved in the burgeoning pornography business. He got in on the ground floor of what turned out to be organized crime’s most profitable new business venture since it got into narcotics in the 1950s.”
CHUCK TRAYNOR : See, I’m Italian, and my grandfather is Sicilian. He came from Mount Vernon, New York. He used to sell artichokes, and he was sort of involved with the boys. So, to me, the Perainos weren’t anything out of the ordinary. I mean, in Vegas, probably half the people you talk to are involved, you know? So I never thought of it as organized crime.
BUTCHIE PERAINO : By the time we finished Deep Throat we spent $40,000. I was very worried. How would it be accepted? Before we released it we had a screening. Personal friends, exhibitors, sub-distributors.
Well, I’ve been to many X-rated movie screenings, but this picture, when she first gives throat, four or five of the men in the audience said, “HURRAY!” and by the end of the sequence there were fifteen guys standing, and they went into a very big applause.
AL GOLDSTEIN (PUBLISHER OF SCREW MAGAZINE) : The people who owned the World Theater in New York City told me they had a great fuck film they wanted me to see. At first, they
Gerard Damiano came up with the name Linda Lovelace for the character in his movie. There had been a BB, for Brigitte Bardot, and an MM, for Marilyn Monroe, and now he wanted an LL. In time, I came to dislike the name because of what it stood for. But the truth is this: Linda Boreman and Linda Traynor never managed to get away from Chuck. It took a Linda Lovelace to escape.
CHUCK TRAYNOR : There never was a Linda Lovelace. I’m Linda Lovelace. Linda Lovelace got where she got because of my brain, not because of her throat.
SCREW-ed
NEW YORK CITY
1972–1973
BILL KELLY : I turned out to be the dummy in the Deep Throat case because I didn’t know it was going on originally. I’ll take the hit on that one.
I didn’t get criticized by the FBI, but after Deep Throat became a cause célèbre, some of the bad guys—the other pornographers—kept trying to embarrass me. “Yeah, if you’re such a great FBI agent, Kelly, how come you didn’t even know the biggest porn film in history was being made within walking distance of your house?”
DAVE FRIEDMAN : Deep Throat was like The Blair Witch Project of its time.
BILL KELLY : In 1971, an element of the Colombo family of the Mafia named the Perainos came down here to South Florida to make—for less than twenty-five thousand dollars—the first “porno chic” movie, Deep Throat . Their eventual gross exceeded 100 million dollars, of which they got to keep at least half.
CHUCK TRAYNOR : I never paid any attention to what the Perainos were working on around the office. So I never knew what else they were involved in. I mean, I just did what I was supposed to do, and that was it. Was I a good soldier? Yeah, ha, ha, ha. I guess so. But I don’t ever recall them going, “Shhhhhhh!”
LINDA LOVELACE : Chuck never told me that the Peraino family were members of organized crime. I don’t really think Chuck was too aware of it in the beginning. You know, they were just somebody who wanted to do a movie, and he had the product.
I was aware that they were a tightly knit family, ha, ha, ha. I kind ofliked the fact that they took care of each other. And I thought Mr. Anthony Peraino, Sr.—Butchie’s father—was a wonderful person.
LOS ANGELES TIMES , JUNE 13, 1982: FAMILY BUSINESS : “Anthony Peraino, Sr., a reputed ‘made man’ (officially initiated) in the Mafia, allegedly a member of the Joseph Colombo crime family. A record of six arrests in New York—including gambling, tax evasion and homicide by auto—but no convictions. In the late 1960s, Anthony Peraino became involved in the burgeoning pornography business. He got in on the ground floor of what turned out to be organized crime’s most profitable new business venture since it got into narcotics in the 1950s.”
CHUCK TRAYNOR : See, I’m Italian, and my grandfather is Sicilian. He came from Mount Vernon, New York. He used to sell artichokes, and he was sort of involved with the boys. So, to me, the Perainos weren’t anything out of the ordinary. I mean, in Vegas, probably half the people you talk to are involved, you know? So I never thought of it as organized crime.
BUTCHIE PERAINO : By the time we finished Deep Throat we spent $40,000. I was very worried. How would it be accepted? Before we released it we had a screening. Personal friends, exhibitors, sub-distributors.
Well, I’ve been to many X-rated movie screenings, but this picture, when she first gives throat, four or five of the men in the audience said, “HURRAY!” and by the end of the sequence there were fifteen guys standing, and they went into a very big applause.
AL GOLDSTEIN (PUBLISHER OF SCREW MAGAZINE) : The people who owned the World Theater in New York City told me they had a great fuck film they wanted me to see. At first, they
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