Porn Stars of the '70s

le-access show Midnight Blue was notorious. Since it went off the air in 2002, it's become legendary, as much for its commercials as for the porn star interviews. At heart, what Goldstein did with the show was document the shifting mores, sexual and otherwise, of America (and specifically New York). He also talked about pussy a lot.

But the world that made Midnight Blue possible is gone now, both as the result of AIDS and the despairing uptightness which has gripped so much of the nation. Our paper may be full of hooker ads, but a show like Midnight Blue simply couldn't exist anymore-I mean, who would buy commercial time on the show, now that all the swingers clubs and porno theaters are gone?

Vol. 1 of the DVD series, which gathered together all the Deep Throat-related episodes, is kind of a disappointment. Apart from its time capsule value, and unless you are a real Deep Throat completist, it is awfully dull.

But things pick up considerably on vols. 2 & 3. They're more varied, for one. In the Porn Stars edition, for instance, Annie Sprinkle discusses masturbation with household products, Marilyn Chambers does a trippy nude dance with a black guy, Devil in Miss Jones star Georgina Spelvin tap dances (yes, tap dances) and does nasty things with a snake, and Veri Knotty, well?it's best you find out for yourself. And Al, as always, is charming and lovable.

A new addition to these discs is the option of having small "trivia track" windows pop up onscreen during each segment, either to provide a little background, dish a little dirt, or just make a snotty observation. While they can be distracting at times, the trivia track is often a lot more entertaining than the shows themselves.

Of the two new discs, I must say I found the Celebrities disc much more entertaining, if only for the (intentional or unintentional) ironic social commentary. There's a 1978 interview with O.J. Simpson at the Hookers Ball in San Francisco. Arnold Schwarzenegger stops by the studio for a sit-down in '76. The interviews run the gamut, at least a gamut of a certain kind: Russ Meyer, Al Lewis, R. Crumb, Penn & Teller, Blondie, Gilbert Gottfried. The Rob Lowe tape is here, some drunken Go-Gos, and a Garret Morris sketch.

In any other context, a collection of interviews with these same people would be no big deal, but when you put them on Midnight Blue, and separate them with high-class ads for Plato's Retreat, dildo stores and assorted escort services, the dynamic changes completely. By agreeing to be on the show, celebrities are essentially agreeing to talk about oral sex and their masturbatory habits. You never saw that on Merv. One thing's for sure-you'll feel like taking a bath when it's all over.

In a way, I guess you could consider the Midnight Blue Collection a socially aware variety show for the depraved. And what could be better than that?