A great man is gone.  John Damiano, the director of Deep Throat, the most mainstream porno of all time, died today in a Miami hospital after suffering a stroke last month.  He was 80.

Titanic, the number one box office movie in history, has a return on its budget of around 10 to 1. Deep Throat, on the other hand, boasts a return somewhere along the lines of 25,000 to 1. And that’s a guess – because the film came from Mafia money, nobody was exactly reporting profits to the IRS. At any rate it’s the single most financially successful film in the history of the medium. [CHUD]

Deep Throat was re-released three years ago to coincide with the release of the documentary Inside Deep Throat.  Just how big a deal was the original?

The film quickly became a phenomenon. It was unprecedented. The FBI later estimated that Deep Throat had probably grossed at least $600 million. It was distributed by the Mob. They leaned on the theater owners, burning down a few cinemas here and there whenever somebody refused to give them their cut (50%). Not surprisingly, the gangsters kept a tight rein on the prints.

Then Frank Sinatra got ahold of a print somehow (cough, cough) and screened it in his home for party guests. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew saw it at one of Frank’s parties. Sammy Davis, Jr. too. In fact, Sammy got so turned on that later he and his wife got together for a four-way with Linda and her husband.

Other celebrities were also taking in the film, including Warren Beatty, Jackie Onassis, Truman Capote, and Jack Nicholson.

According to the manager of the New Mature World Theater, Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon was particularly enthusiastic. “He came with six guys and a case of Budweiser and stood out front afterward, chatting about the movie to passersby for half an hour.” [Rotten Library]

Many credit Deep Throat for taking porn mainstream.  Is that a good thing?  The short answer is: yes.  So thanks, John Damiano.  May you meet Linda Lovelace in heaven, and may she not claim you forced her to make porn this time.

In related news, Director of Deep Throat was also the rank I held in the Boy Scouts organization.  What, poor taste?