The Devil in Miss Jones

Not to be confused with the 1941 comedy film The Devil and Miss Jones.

The Devil in Miss Jones
The theatrical release poster.
Directed byGerard Damiano
Written byGerard Damiano
Produced by
StarringGeorgina Spelvin
CinematographyHarry Flecks[1]
Edited byGerard Damiano
Music byAlden Shuman
Distributed by
  • VCX Ltd.
  • MB Productions
Release date
  • March 28, 1973 (1973-03-28)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$15 million
(US theatrical gross rental)

The Devil in Miss Jones is a 1973 pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano, inspired by the 1944 play No Exit by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.[2] Starring Georgina Spelvin and Harry Reems,[3] it is widely regarded as a classic adult film,[4] released during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984).[5] After his 1972 success with Deep Throat, Damiano shot the film in a converted apple-packing plant in Milanville, Pennsylvania.[6][7][8]

Alongside Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, The Devil in Miss Jones is associated with a time in American culture known as "porno chic",[8][9][10] in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope)[11] and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).[12][13] The film went on to spawn numerous remakes and sequels.

As with many films of the Golden Age of Porn, the copyright status of The Devil in Miss Jones is unresolved. VCX claims a copyright; rival distributor Arrow Productions distributed unauthorized copies for a time before 2009, when (as part of a mutual truce between the companies) Arrow agreed to accept VCX's claim in exchange for not challenging Arrow's claim on Deep Throat.[14][15]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lewis11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ McNeil, p. 268
  3. ^ Lewis, p. 210
  4. ^ Williams, Linda (2004). Porn studies. Duke University Press. p. 173. ISBN 0-8223-3312-0. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  5. ^ Shimizu, Celine Parreñas (2007). The hypersexuality of race: performing Asian/American women on screen and scene. Duke University Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-8223-4033-1. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Devil in Miss Jones". September 19, 2015. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Devil in Miss Jones". Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Pennington was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (January 21, 1973). "Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  10. ^ "Porno Chic (Jahsonic.com)". Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Corliss, Richard (March 29, 2005). "That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic". Time. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference RE-19730613 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 24, 1976). "Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  14. ^ "How a Nasty Legal Fight Over 'Deep Throat', 'Debbie Does Dallas' Was Settled". The Hollywood Reporter. October 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  15. ^ Green, Steve (May 1, 2009). "'Porn nostalgia' industry heats up in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.