The 2022 Academy Awards ceremony takes place this evening, with the event being broadcast live on television all over the world.
But rather than tune in to see ‘West Side Story’ compete with ‘The Power of the Dog’, we prefer to travel back 38 years and watch the 1984 Adult Film Association of America (AFAA) awards – when films like The Devil in Miss Jones Part II, Little Girls Lost, Naughty Girls Need Love Too, Reel People, and Suzie Superstar battled it out.
It was the eighth annual ceremony, and was just as glitzy as its mainstream counterpart, featuring a full orchestra, musical numbers, live performances of the nominated songs, comedy segments, and clips of the nominees. Attendees included all the XXX stars of the time – from John Leslie, Seka, Richard Pacheco, Kay Parker, Jamie Gillis, Eric Edwards, Fred Lincoln and Tiffany Clark… plus Francis Ford Coppola, who Henri Pachard called out during the Best Director award.
The event itself was billed as ‘Adult Movies Have Come of Age’. With hindsight, the title is bittersweet: the evening now feels like the last gasp of the golden age, the eleventh hour before the takeover of the shot-on-video productions that would dominate from the following year. The 1984 awards make little reference to the next generation’s new breed of star, such as Ginger Lynn, Christy Canyon, and Traci Lords, who would take over proceedings in future years (though video-porn starlet Angel can be seen handing out each of the awards.)
A note of melancholy is provided by the performer Shauna Grant, who features prominently with three nominations and a presenting role. She committed suicide weeks later.
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1. AFAA Preview
Kay Parker introduces the evening’s celebrations.
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2. Red Carpet
The stars arrive for the big AFAA night out – including Hyapatia Lee with husband Bud, John Leslie, Kelly Nichols and partner Tim Connolly, Eric Edwards, Juliet Anderson, Luis ‘Short Stud’ De Jesus, Anthony Spinelli, and Al Goldstein.
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3. Opening Musical Number
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4. Opening Remarks
David Friedman, Chairman of the Board of the Adult Film Association of America (AFAA) opens the ceremony, and introduces his co-host, Seka.
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5. Best Song Nominee – 1
‘Sexy Faces’ from Flesh and Laces, Part I and II, sung by Carolyn Gardner.
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6. Best Supporting Actress
Presented by Harry Reems.
Nominees:
Vanessa del Rio – Aphrodesia’s Diary
Kay Parker – Sweet Young Foxes
Georgina Spelvin – Between Lovers
Samantha Fox – The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
Shauna Grant – Flesh and Laces, Part I and II
Anna Ventura – That’s Outrageous
And the winner is…
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7. Best Song Nominee – 2
‘It’s Just The Devil In Miss Jones’ from The Devil in Miss Jones Part II, sung by Reggie Leon – actor, choreographer and member of throwback rock ‘n’ roll group Sha Na Na for more than two decades.
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8. Best Supporting Actor
Presented by Richard Pacheco and Lee Carroll.
Nominees:
Eric Edwards – Bodies in Heat
R. Bolla – The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
Ron Jeremy – Suzie Superstar
John Leslie – Naughty Girls Need Love Too
Bill Margold – Sweet Alice
Billy Dee – Virginia
And the winner is…
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9. Best Song Nominee – 3
‘If I Love You Tonight’ from Suzie Superstar, sung by Julie Christensen.
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10. Best Song
Presented by Hyapatia Lee and Ron Sullivan.
Nominees:
‘If I Love You Tonight’ from Suzie Superstar
‘Sexy Faces’ from Flesh and Laces, Part I and II
‘It’s Just The Devil In Miss Jones’ from The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
‘Little Girls Lost’ from Little Girls Lost
‘That First Love’ from In Love
‘A Woman In Love’ from Between Lovers
‘The Young Like It Hot’ from The Young Like It Hot
‘Outrageous’ from That’s Outrageous
And the winner is…
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11. Best Actor
Presented by Kay Parker and Eric Edwards
Nominees:
Paul Thomas – Virginia
Jack Wrangler – The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
Jamie Gillis – Flesh and Laces, Part I and II
Richard Pacheco – Naughty Girls Need Love Too
John Leslie – Suzie Superstar
And the winner is…
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12. Comedy Interlude
Performed by Jackie Gayle – ex Frank Sinatra warm-up man and Dean Martin Celebrity Roast comedian, whose acting credits include Barry Levinson’s Tin Men (1987) and Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose (1984).
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13. Best Actress
Presented by Jamie Gillis.
Nominees:
Arlene Manhattan – Aphrodesia’s Diary
Jessie St. James – Between Lovers
Kelly Nichols – In Love
Georgina Spelvin – The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
Veronica Hart – Little Girls Lost
Shauna Grant – Virginia
Shauna Grant – Suzie Superstar
And the winner is…
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14. Best Director
Presented by Sidney Niekirk, Cal Vista Films.
Henri Pachard – The Devil in Miss Jones Part II
Troy Benny – Flesh and Laces, Part I and II
Ted Roter – Little Girls Lost
Anthony Spinelli – Reel People
Cecil Howard – Scoundrels
F. J. Lincoln – That’s Outrageous
Vinnie Rossi – Too Much Too Soon
John Seeman – Virginia
And the winner is…
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15. Best Erotic Scene
Presented by Fred Lincoln and Tiffany Clark.
Virginia – John Seeman
Aphrodesia’s Diary – Serge Lincoln
Flesh and Laces, Part I and II – Hollywood International
Hot Dreams – Warren Evans
Reel People – Richard Frazzini
Sexcapades – David Stone
Suzie Superstar – Cal Vista International
And the winner is…
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16. Dance Interlude
‘Ladies of the 80s’ performed by the Michael Darrin Dancers – choreographed by Michael Darrin, veteran of more than 50 Broadway and stock musicals, who worked with Cyd Charisse, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, Diana Ross, Cher, Paula Abdul, and Lucille Ball, among others.
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17. Best Art Direction
Presented by John Leslie and Shauna Grant.
The Devil in Miss Jones Part II – Eddie Heath
Scoundrels – Lynn Jefferies
…In The Pink – Andre Nichipolodas
Suzie Superstar – Robert McCallum
Virginia – Karen Fields
And the winner is…
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18. Award of Merit
Presented by Jimmie Johnson, President of the AFAA.
Awarded to Dr. Lois Lee, founder of Children of the Night, a privately funded non-profit organization established in 1979 with the specific purpose of rescuing children and young people from prostitution and sexual exploitation.
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19. Best Picture
Presented by Georgina Spelvin and Jimmie Johnson.
Nominees:
Flesh and Laces, Part I and II – Hollywood International
The Devil in Miss Jones Part II – James George
Little Girls Lost – Ted Roter
Naughty Girls Need Love Too – Essex
Reel People – Richard Frazzini
Suzie Superstar – Cal Vista International
That’s Outrageous – P.R.P. Inc.
And the winner is…
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20. Closing Remarks
Dave Friedman brings the AFAA ceremony to a close.
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Thank you SO much, Rialto Report, for bringing back such fond memories! Not only did I receive a nomination, but also was a presenter along with my favorite Leading Lady–Kay Parker. Those certainly were the Glory Days of our Industry!
Nice Tux!
Ah yes. Lady Kay Parker. Class personified and who wouldn’t want to be a young Kevin James calling on her after work?
You can take the girl out of Brum, but never the Brum out of the girl. God bless you Kay if you’re reading this! X
Great trip back in time. Classy time in porn history . Love to know what happened to Angel?
Nice having you guys back. We all got worried. Hopefully everything’s okay in this crazy world.
Awesome Article Keep Up Good Work
Amazing found footage there! Thanks to The Rialto Report for sharing this!
Was this particular awards ceremony televised anywhere? Probably not on broadcast network TV, but perhaps on an adult pay-per-view, such as The Playboy Channel?
it might have been on VHS/Beta… The First Annual XRCO Awards came out on home video in 1985 from AVC.
Dave Friedman’s closing remarks: “See an adult movie in an adult theater!”
I guess he had no idea that adult theaters would be a thing of the past a lot sooner than he thought!
Or maybe he did. He knew what would become of the industry if films were not supported in theatres. They would become the awful looking shot on video stuff it became. Perhaps, he added it with the hope the consumer would help keep a few movies on film.
This beats the Oscars by any measure. Thank you so much for getting this together! Great work as always!
So weird to see Ron Jeremy without a moustache! Check out how tan and thin (minus the puffy cheeks) he was.
He claims he just got back from a shoot in Hawaii that required him to shave it. I wonder if that was one of the Svetlana movies shot over there.
This show also looks like the last go around for the golden age male talent. It was time for a new breed of soldiers to take over. Tom Byron and Marc Wallace had been in the business 2 years at this point perfecting their game and would dominate for years to come. Peter North and Steve Drake got in the biz around 1984 and would do the same.
Guys like R.Bolla, E. Edwards, Marigold, Leslie, etc all but disappeared from the screen for various reasons. Most had been in the business 10 years at this point. Randy West managed to soldier on and get massive amounts of work the next 15 years or so. I believe staying in shape and off drugs helped him do this plus he admits he is a pervert and loves his job.
Ive heard Lee Carroll likes to drink. I believe Jerry Butler mentioned it in his book. So I was surprised when she presented an award and appeared sober.
Superb!!! I felt transported back in time, and it was wonderful.
Everyone looks to young and happy.
The optimism they all have brings a certain melancholy to it.
Amazing.
The Rialto Report kills it time after time. Impressive.
Truly insane. I love it, RR!
There’s a mention above about Jerry Butler’s “book”. I think this deserves an article itself?
I recall him saying that going down on Bunny Bleu was “like licking the bottom of a birdcage”. Ouch! 🙂
I used to have Butler’s book. Made the mistake of loaning it to an acquaintance who was totally into Butler’s work.
Never saw the book — or the guy — again. :\
Sorry that happened, but not an issue for me…my local library has it!
He really had it in for Bunny. He also claimed doing her was like “f**king Bozo The Clown”. I’ve no idea what that means, but it’s hysterical.
As well, he revealed Nikki Randall’s true name (Carol). He seemed bent on ending his ‘career’?
You just show excerpts, but I am assuming nobody got slapped on stage.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m impressed with the production values and professionalism.
No one got smacked? I was just thinking of Francis Ford Coppola today while driving home. During his commentary for the Godfather he tells young people not to delay starting a family due to financial insecurity. It’s the family that will inspire and motivate a person to work hard and provide. I was thinking he was such a wholesome family man. Then I check out this page and find out he’s at the porn awards! Ha ha. Love it.
So much classier than the 2022 Oscars. This is some serious perspective.
That was an impressive show. It was clearly modeled on the OSCAR ceremony, but the AFAA awards looked like more fun to be at. Watching the movie clips, it is clear that anyone with a prudish nature would have been uncomfortable there. Some personal favorites (Sweet Young Foxes, Naughty Girls Need Love Too) were featured among the nominees. I am surprised that the theme song to Sweet Young Foxes was not nominated in the song category.
It was interesting to see David Friedman at the head of the proceedings. I have long been a fan of his sexploitation films. Reading and hearing interviews with him later in his life, he expressed ambivalence about hardcore films in general and his own involvement with them.
Many softcore ‘auteurs’ claimed they wouldn’t shoot (horrors!) hardcore. I reckon they knew their market was over, but couldn’t face it.
What those crazy films have, though, are a great sense of humor. That’s something sorely lacking in adult (?) entertainment today.
So much fun! I love that it’s held at the Cocoanut Grove, which was the place to see and be seen among the Hollywood studio elite of the 30’s and 40’s. It had a faded elegance which is oddly perfect for this show. And everyone looks terrific! And the fact that there’s a bunch of musical numbers and a comedian—it’s a real awards show, down to the patter in between awards.
I think my dad had most of these movies on beta—whenever they’d go somewhere for the night I’d raid his secret stash. I definitely remember Devil in Miss Jones and Suzie Superstar. I used to think Jack Wrangler was super cute—busted gaydar!
I got to meet David Friedman at a Chiller con in the mid/late nineties, and we talked for a while about his career with HGL and after I felt a bit less shy, I asked about both Ilsa and Love Camp Seven, which he was happy to chat about. I don’t think I realized that he had done hardcore at that point, he told me lots of little tidbits about his films that I hadn’t known, but didn’t offer up anything about his days in XXX. I talked to him longer than anyone else there. Really stupid, I should have asked for a picture.
He was super charismatic, you could see how he went from carny to producer; all he had to do was start laying down some patter and you were hooked! Just a funny, interesting, charming, great story-teller kind of guy. I wish people like him were still around. Their kind is sadly missed.
Thanks for a great Monday, RR!
Friedman’s book is a must-read and offers his cheesy entertaining witticisms. My understanding is that he at least started the follow up that was to cover his years in the business as it transitioned to hardcore. I think his mind started slipping so it’s never been verified how much of the sequel he actually completed. Sounds like an investigative job for RR!