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Tales from ‘The Exploiter’: ‘Help Wanted Orgy Inspector, Apply Inside…’

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If John Waters ever dreamt up a scandal mag full of sex, celebrity and murder, then it might look something like The Exploiter.

Not known for its subtly, The Exploiter was a no-rent tabloid sold in supermarkets that guaranteed interest with such sensational headlines as:

SON CHOPS, CLUBS, STRANGLES AND STABS HIS FAMILY!

(Well, you can never be too careful…)

Or:

Story of Papillon “I ESCAPED FROM DEVIL’S ISLAND!”

And:

Raquel Welch Sells Sex Thrills!

But of course.

Actually, the story on Ms. Welch was a late report on her appearance in the 1967 French comedy Les plus vieux métier du monde, aka The Oldest Profession. But you get the idea…

Also in The Exploiter for 31 January, 1971, was this intriguing job opportunity:

HELP WANTED: ORGY INSPECTOR APPLY INSIDE…

This turned out to be a behind-the-scenes report on various hi-jinks taking place on the set of Ken Russell‘s latest work-of-genius, The Devils.

Interestingly, this story had come across the wires, and was originally posted in The Free-Lance-Star 30 November, 1970. It then appeared amongst the entertainment section of the St. Petersburg Times, for December 2, 1970, next to an advert for “The Sensational, Fascinating T-A-N-T-A-L-I-Z-N-G BUNDLE OF SEX MELINA” at the Twilight Lounge, 2235 Central Ave., and “Stay Young—Go Dancing” with Bob Burklew’s Dixians, at St. Pet Coliseum.

Help Wanted: Orgy Inspector

LONDON (AP) - Equity, the British actors’ union, is appointing an orgy inspector to keep watch on mass sex scenes in movies. His job will be to insure that the male actors stick to the script.

Five actresses complained during the shooting of a scene from “The Devils,” they were sexually assaulted in a crowd of 50 naked male extras, all amateurs. The movie, about sex-mad nuns in the 17th century, stars Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed, who were not involved.

In John Baxter’s long-interview-cum-biography, An Appalling Talent Ken Russell (1973), the great director gave some background to the story, as Mr. Russell explained:

The extras on The Devils were a particularly bad bunch. They weren’t all the same but you only need one bad apple for the rot to set in and we had a whole barrel-load. Casual work like this attracts bad characters and when they learn a bit about how films are made they can hold you to ransom by demanding more money…

...On The Devils they were even worse. They not only tried to get ‘money for breathing’; they were very bad at exterior shots and in some of the cathedral scenes they manhandled the naked nuns more than was called for and one poor girl was even sexually assaulted. I think the union knows what some of its members are like. and after the fuss on The Devils they made an effort to correct things…

So, now we know, there was a serious incident, but there was no job for an orgy inspector.

Still, who knows, maybe one day John Waters will consider editing a scandal mag?
 

 
H/T Pulp International
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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04.20.2013
07:45 pm
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