(SD Tribune 20 April 1977)
Got an idea now?
He directed Deep Throat.
And The Devil in Miss Jones.
And a sloppy mess of others. And oddly, there're very few taking time to mourn his passing outside the adult film world (and only a few inside that knew or even know of him). So, fans of sleaze and slime, take a few minutes to think well of a guy that really got lucky and made a gigantic contribution to the cultural landscape. Try not to think of the borderline criminal nature of the circumstances behind Deep Throat. Or the fate of Linda Lovelace after the 1970s. Or the largely artless nature of porn today.
Just think of a guy that did a lot with not a lot.
(For more information on the rise of Pornography in the 1970s, check out The Other Hollywood by Legs McNeil and Inside Deep Throat. Both are works of depth and humor about a medium not known for either.)
San Diego Tribune B-6. Monday 18 July 1977.
And while he didn't direct it...
San Diego Tribune C-12. 19 July 1978.
I've included a couple of ads for films not directed by Damiano- but they do advertise the PussyCat Theatres chain which wouldn't have existed without the success of Deep Throat and its successors. For more information on the PussyCats and Downtown San Diego in the 1970s, check out Before it was the Gaslamp [it was called Stingaree] by Jay Allen Sanford.
Very cool, great post! Note that two Pussycats were operating downtown at the same time, 3rd and F and 4th and F. The locale on 4th was the original/main downtown 'Cat, while the second was formerly run by the same company as a "legit" theatre. Later, after both these locales were shut down, the Aztec on 5th and the Savoy on 5th were also converted to temporary 'Cats. The full Pussycat history is on a different page that the Reader's pre-Gaslamp history:
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/07/pussycat-theater-history-when-cathouses-ruled-ca-n/ (updated this week with new chapters and photos)