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Memory is a tricky thing. Small details can burn brighter than some of life’s defining events. The act of recall and the power of suggestion can fundamentally alter the content of our recollections. Experiences that seem like they should be tattooed onto our psyches can be lost to time.
And memory can be selective. Whether that’s by conscious choice, subconscious bias, or pure forgetfulness varies based on a lot of potential factors. But memory’s selective nature is undeniable.
Take the adult film star Beth Anna. A striking beauty, she started out go-go dancing out on Long Island in the mid 1970s before being named one of the best strippers in New York. She wasn’t in the adult film industry long, making just a handful of films in the late 1970s. But in that short period Beth Anna made an impact. She was the lead in the first adult film she ever made, Chuck Vincent’s Dirty Lily (1978). She starred in Ann Perry’s Sweet Savage (1979) as Shy Dove, a Native American who falls in love with a cowboy. And she dated fellow adult actor Pepe Valentine, the pair briefly becoming the ‘it’ couple of porn.
So what does Beth Anna remember about her time in the industry? Well…it’s selective. Some of it’s on the tip of her tongue, as if it’s been waiting to be asked. Other experiences are more elusive – and whether they’re hiding or just neglected isn’t obvious.
In this episode of the Rialto Report, Beth Anna shares what she remembers about her time in the adult industry. And what she doesn’t is just as much a part of her story. When music critics laud Eric Clapton as one of the best rock guitarists of all time, he always says the same thing: listen for the space between the notes.
This podcast episode is 60 minutes long.
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WOWOWOWOWOW!!!! Beth Anna is one of my all-time screen queens and I’ve been infatuated with her since the early days…. such a beauty. I can’t thank you enough!
I can’t wait for her book.
You are remembered with such happiness BethAnna. Thank you.
Awesome Article And Podcast Keep Up Good Work
I’ve waited for a Rialto article on Bethanna for a long time. She was breathtakingly beautiful. I only wish there was a picture of her as she looks today. Undoubtedly the same even in winter. Again thank u kindly
Watch Sweet Savage at least two times a year. Thank you Beth Anne for years of sweet entertainment and thank you Rialto Report you have knocked another one outta the park!!!!
Great interview – was expecting her memory to be worse and it didn’t feel unreasonable that she couldn’t remember certain things that happened 50 years ago.
Wow…50 years. We’re slinging big numbers around with these Golden Age folks!
Not a Shaun Costello fan.
Having adopted our son later in life, I will be 60 in June while he turns 11, her story of adopting her son later in life really touched me. It takes a special person to adopt especially as a single mother. God bless Beth Anna!!
Have to admit I didn’t know who she was but do now..Looked up and viewed a few of her scenes and yeah, wow.
Sounds like she made the right move at the right time. Would definitely read her book if she put pen to paper.
I do love a happy ending. love this site.
Yeah, I remember her from Sweet Savage too. Probably her most well-known film.
She also reminds me a lot of Hyapatia Lee, and that’s not a bad thing, either.
Thanks so much for the podcast!
All of your podcasts are interesting, but this was one of the best. She’s an intelligent woman, and one of the survivors of her trade. I can’t think of any other actress who successfully transitioned out of that life. So many sad stories for so many women. Educated. Successful in her teaching career. Became a parent. An uplifting story.
Fantastic work! I had been hoping for two interviews on Rialto – Beth Anna and Kim Alexis. Hard to believe she only worked about a year in hard core but left such a legacy. You finally put to rest her ethnicity as well. I knew she had to be Sicilian, not Native American. I grew up in NYC area with southern Italian girls everywhere. You can spot them by the chin, tan, dark eyes and dark hair. She does mention some Latino on mom’s side. She also may have been the hairiest in porn which is saying a lot. You literally could set a golf ball on her rug without it rolling off. Genetically, the jet black Italian bush is superior to any other, growing the thickest on mons and all way up the crack. I found it funny that she remembered Jennifer Welles only because “she made me shave it off down there and it was never the same”. Not sure what she meant? That is grew back even wilder than before?
Thank you for sharing Beth Anna ! Great job once again Rialto . Ps a man should’ve swept Beth of her feet and loved her big time 🤬
Dirty Lily is a hoot. Beth Anna is a favorite! I’m excited for this
Another amazing interview. So gripping. I was definitely familiar with Beth Anna from her work in Night Bird and Skin Flicks. She has lead such a fascinating life and I love how she found God. Thank you April and Beth Anna for this. Great job.
Love it. Love to you, Beth Anna.
Love you RR.