Film Detectives: Serious, Mature Adults Only

[Deeky]

Apr 27, 2018 13:18:48 GMT -5 Billy A. Anderson said:

I'm already late, but thanks for the replies and for liking my posts.

You're welcome.

[Deeky]

Did a little more digging and here are the reports on file for the last decade of the board's existence:

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1970-1971

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1971-1972

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1972-1973

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1973-1974

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1974-1975

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1975-1976

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1976-1977

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1977-1978

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1978-1979

Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Censors 1979-1980

"Under the provisions of the Regulatory Programs Evaluation Act of 1978, this Board will terminate July 1, 1981." No further reports on file.

[Deeky]

Apr 27, 2018 13:18:48 GMT -5 Billy A. Anderson said:

Or, maybe the Maryland censors never approved it, although after the board closed, HIM would not have needed any censor approval to be shown in Maryland.

According to Freedman v. Maryland, 380 U.S. 51 (1965), a rating board could only approve a film and had no power to ban a film. However, it was illegal to show a film in Maryland that was not approved by the board. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Deeky]

Apr 27, 2018 15:16:04 GMT -5 Deeky said:

Did a little more digging and here are the reports on file for the last decade of the board's existence:

This is fascinating reading.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Deeky, many thanks for finishing some hard work that I started, as DoubleU did with that search I started with the Kinsey Institute.

I will definitely read all of those years for Maryland you have posted, even if HIM was never submitted to the censor board.

One film, Summer Heat, which was not approved (at least on its first submission, I have noticed that some films were approved on their second submission).

I'm pretty sure that Summer Heat was a dubbed Euro film, and I saw it after seeing the trailer on the previous weeks show at a local adult house.

It was about this clean shaven but five o'clock shadowy faced young guy, shown in the trailer, as he dripped with sweat looking at his pin up photos of nude women.

I forget all the details, but it ended with him tearing all of the pin up photos off of the walls, and then having sex with a woman.

The sex scene was very tame, and looked like it had been cut, although I doubt it was porno, and didn't want it to be porno.

I have wanted to see a version with that final scene more complete, tho, and found the film in a local video club back in the 1980s but the final scene was no more complete than the one I saw at the theater.

I'll do some net searching on this film.

I don't see why the Maryland censors would have not passed the version I saw of the film. I think I saw it in the spring of 1975 in the theater.

[Billy A. Anderson]

With some help from Deeky, I can now say that HIM was not submitted to the Maryland Censor board.

After the board folded, I would think that there would have been a big Porno Explosion in Maryland, altho by 1980, VHS was beginning to put the porno houses out of business.

So, there is a possibility that HIM could have been shown in Maryland before the porno houses closed, and even an unlikely possibility that it could have been shown without censor board approval, and somehow escaped discovery by the board's undercover agents. Highly unlikely, tho.

If and when I begin my search for HIM's tour of the USA, I will not look for showings in Maryland before 1980.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I did also check out Summer Heat, on IMDB, and sorry to say it had only one review. I wouldn't be surprised if the print I saw in South Carolina, was one that had been approved by the Maryland censor board,altho there was no title stating so before the film's beginning.

On print of Russ Meyer's Fanny Hill that I saw on VHS began with a Maryland censor board approval notice.

I also saw a print of 2000 Maniacs that had quite a bit of censoring in the horror scenes, which from my readings, was probably the work of the Kansas State censor board. (How long did that censor board stay in business?)

But, again no censor board appproval notice in that print.

Back to Summer Heat, I would like to know more about that film if anyone can find out more than I can.

I remember back in the old VHS days, some guy who specialized in European films, and he would have been the one to ask about Summer Heat.

I wonder if he is still in business?

Anyone here remember him?

Well, he sent me a BW, letterboxed, but still BW Euro version of the early 1960s Hellfire Club with Peter Cushing in a minor role, and some nudity not in the US version was included.

While this thread is about Ed D Louie's HIM, I suppose it's no big sin to metnion my interest in Summer Heat.

[Jack Holman]

Back to Summer Heat, I would like to know more about that film if anyone can find out more than I can.

Given that the Maryland censors closed in 1981, the only film under the name 'Summer Heat' I could turn up made before then would be the 1971 French film 'Chaleurs'. Released as 'S for Sex' and 'Summer Heat' in the US. I couldn't tell you much about the film itself, but I did manage to find a copy under its Italian title 'Amami Dolce Zia'. No subtitles for the Italian dubbed dialogue. The print is faded and scratched, but watchable.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Thanks for the post, Jack. Summer Heat was approved by the Maryland Censor board the second time it was submitted.

I noticed quite a few films that were first rejected, then approved on the second submission.

John Waters, in his biography, Shock Value says his film Pink Flamingos was approved by the Maryland censors with only one very brief cut, which didn't bother him, and noted the audience reaction on seeing the censor board approval at the beginning of the film.

I must have missed it in my reading of those yearly links that Deeky posted, but Pink Flamingos was listed as not approved in one yearly list, and I did not notice it listed as approved later that year or in the following year, although it apparently was approved from what Mr. Waters says in his biography.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Apr 27, 2018 20:29:54 GMT -5 Billy A. Anderson said:

Hit some wrong buttons on this one.  I've started a special thread on Summer heat so the Film Detectives thread won't get off topic.

[Choconado]

Did you seriously ask if we all remembered "some guy" that was your hookup for vhs eurosleaze decades ago??

[Billy A. Anderson]

Apr 29, 2018 14:17:36 GMT -5 Choconado said:

Did you seriously ask if we all remembered "some guy" that was your hookup for vhs eurosleaze decades ago??

Yes, I did Choco, because in the 1990s, a number of people that I traded videos with, did business with the Euro guy.

I just don't offhand remember his name, or the name of his company, but maybe it will come back tome.

Dr. Kobb, do you remember him?

He specialized, and limited his film business exclusively to European films.

And, I am serious about this.

I think that Rick Partridge might have done some business with the Euro guy and his company.

I have, sad to say, had to destory a lot of my records of he past two years, simply because I don't have the means to rent storage space.

I haven't been in touch with Rick since his friend Steve Fiorilla died some years back.

And, I haven't been able to find Rick online, either.

Did Dan Czirkay know about, or have dealings with the Euro guy?

How about Dave Kosanke of Liiquid Cheese?  He is active on the net thru Facebook, and I have thought a bout contacting  him, not necessarily about the Euro film guy, but just to communicate with him in general, altnough I don't really like Facebook, and try to limit my use of that website.

If I think about it long enough, the details of the Euro guy and his company might come back to me.

Did I trade that copy of The Hellfire Club Euro version to someone else (it could have been in French language, with or without English subtitles, or maybe just the restored scenes were in French?).  

Memory does get hazy and mixed up, over the years.

And, just for the record, that early 1960s Hellfire club was from the same outfit who produced Circus of Horrors, Jack the Ripper, and, what other films of that era?

[Billy A. Anderson]

Back to Ed D Louie's HIM.  Below is a link to an article on Henry Daunt, an Australian film detective who believes that Him could have been written about and or shown in Australia.

I think it if had been shown there, it would have been at a private film screening club, because I don't think it could have gotten past the Australian censors.

I'm not up to date on film censorship in Australia or any other country outside of the USA, but in determining where the film was shown outside of the USA after its 1974 release, a study of film censorship in other countries might aid in the search for this film.


www.starobserver.com.au/artsentertainment/seen-legendary-long-lost-70s-porno-jesus-christ/156094

[Billy A. Anderson]

Here's another link to a video of a film detective discussing HIM.

[Jack Holman]

Back to Ed D Louie's HIM.  Below is a link to an article on Henry Daunt, an Australian film detective who believes that Him could have been written about and or shown in Australia.

I think it if had been shown there, it would have been at a private film screening club, because I don't think it could have gotten past the Australian censors.

I'm not up to date on film censorship in Australia or any other country outside of the USA, but in determining where the film was shown outside of the USA after its 1974 release, a study of film censorship in other countries might aid in the search for this film.


www.starobserver.com.au/artsentertainment/seen-legendary-long-lost-70s-porno-jesus-christ/156094

I've emailed him in case he's not up to date with our findings. I've also requested that he should share any interesting findings he should happen to make. I suppose we shouldn't rule out international screenings, but I'm afraid I'll always be a *bit* skeptical of such claims until we can find evidence of one. Unfortunately, so far it's more or less all been hearsay.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Thanks for the reply DoubleU. Hope you do learn something of interest from emailing Mr. Daunt.

I did a net search on him as a lost film researcher and didn't get any results, other than the one related to HIM.

There are quite a number of web pages about HIM in languages other than English, but lately, they seem to be very brief.

Back in about 2010 or so, I do remember one, in whatever non-English language, I now don't remember, and this one was somewhat lengthy, and it might have had a translation button, and I could have saved it.

But, I did loose a considerable amount of data in computer crashes I have had over the years, and a fair amount of it was things I had saved, related to the search for him.

That is why I am now being very careful not to ovreload my desktop computer with too many files, and am archiving things I need to save to CD.

Maybe USB with its greater storage capacity, would be a wiser choice, but USBs are rather expensive, compared to CDs.

I probably should do some calculations of how much more or less storage space I would get from a package of 10 CDs as compared to one USB device, and which would give me more for my money.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Here's another link that may have been online for awhile, but it's only recently that I have discovered it.  For those you who have not seen this link recently, I think you'll find it of interest.

Us film detectives want to keep the knowledge of old forgotten films alive, and find films that are lost.

There are posters to this message board, who say that HIM should not be remembered, and should remain lost.

And,  some people even seem to think that those who are trying to find HIM could go to hell for doing so.

I could elaborate on that but if I do, not in this particular post.

I did find one item of new interest to me.

In saying that HIM should stay lost, one poster compares HIM to the Columbine Killers' unreleased basement tapes.

That is a new one to me, and the reason I haven't heard of those tapes is probably because I gave up reading true crime stories many years ago.

Anybody here know anything about the Columbine Killers' unreleased basement tapes?

I do not want to get the Film Detectives thread off topic, as I have noted in previous threads, so possibly a special thread needs to be started on the 
Columbine Killers' unreleased basement tapes.

Here's the link:

lostmediaarchive.wikia.com/wiki/Him_(1974_Gay_Pornographic_Jesus_Film)

It should be easy to find the reference to the Columbine Killers' unreleased basement tapes, although the main reason for my posting this is of course, in relation to
Ed D Louie's HIM, and the idea that those who are searching for the film might be in danger of going to Hell for doing so.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I remember quite a few years back, probably on the old Mesmerize board, someone said that Butt magazine had an article on Ed D Louie's HIM.

I had about forgotten about it but recently saw a mention that Butt did have some kind of mention of, or coverage of,  HIM.

I did a Net search, and got a URL for Butt Magazine:


www.buttmagazine.com/

I clicked on the entrance button that I was over 18 years old, and did searches on Ed D Louie's Him, and HIM, 1974 movie, and got "no results."

This Butt magazine was started in 2001 according to the webpage.

Did Butt at one time have both hard copy and Net versions?

I do seem to remember somene saying that the asking prices for Butt magazine (I suppose hard copy) were very high, as were those for Bitch, edited by Marcia Bronstein, who went with Al Goldstein to see the premiere showing of HIM.

Choco, did you mention either Bitch, or Butt, or both as being high priced back on the Mez board?

Or, was it someone else?

It seemed like one net poster who had seen the piece in Butt called it "fascinating," or is that a case of false memory on my part.

If the site i linked to is the Butt magazine that had coverage of Ed D Louie's HIM, and that aricle could be found I think any film detective interested in the search for HIM would want to see what Butt Magazine had to say about HIM.

I've also mentioned a college library that had one copy of Bitch magazine in it's collection, and I did contact that library with a response on my first email enquiry, but no resply to my second email, asking if they could send me a duplicate of the film reviews in their copy of Bitch, if it had any film reviews.

[Billy A. Anderson]

PS to last one: Could there have been more than one magazine named Butt, and possibly the one started in 2001, and at the URL in my last posts, was not the one that had the coverage of, or mention of, HIM?

[Deeky]

I've a friend who has a copy of this on his coffee table.