American adult movies from 1973 that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
All in the Sex Family
Directed by Jack Bravman – Robert Ruttenberg / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In March 1981, 671.50-meter (61:11) 16mm print of ALL IN THE SEX FAMILY was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A 285.22-meter (25:59) ‘reconstructed version’ was cut by a further 3.70-meter (00:21), before being awarded an R-rating in July 1981. This was done to tone down the sex, which was now found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
In the R-rated version, the sex was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin, the applicant, released it on their King of Video label.
All the Loving Neighbours
Produced by Tudor Taylor / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In December 1981, a 555.00-meter (50:34) 16mm ‘pre-censor cut version’ of ALL THE LOVING NEIGHBOURS was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A 471.70-meter (42:59) 16mm ‘reconstructed pre-censor cut version’ was passed with an R-rating in March 1982. The sex was now:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
In both cases, 14th Mandolin was the applicant.
It is unclear if they released it on their King of Video label.
This played at Melbourne’s Club Cinema in June 1982.
The All-American Girl
Directed by Mark Haggard / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In June 1978, a 2139.00-meter (77:58) print of THE ALL-AMERICAN GIRL was censored by 39.00-meters (01:25) for an R-rating. The reason for the cuts was ‘indecency’.
Mutual Film Distributors were the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 17 July 1978, the censored R-rated version of THE ALL-AMERICAN GIRL was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Mutual Films.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird Video (us) – DVD – 80:17
Debbie’s (Peggy Church) boyfriend is going to Guatemala for three months. She vows to remain virginal until they’re married, although this doesn’t seem to preclude some mutual masturbation on the night before his departure. While he is away she is anything but chaste and manages to have sex with every member of the family next door – mother (Tracy Handfuss), father (Andy Mitchell) and their teenage son (played by a clearly over-18 actor).
Most of the sex in THE ALL-AMERICAN GIRL is tame, merely implied, or happens just out of shot. The strongest sex scene, and the one the Film Censorship Board would have had problems with, occurs towards the end. The father, who has a side hustle as a writer of erotic bestsellers, invites Peggy to a hotel to celebrate the completion of his latest novel. This encounter takes the form of a consensual master-slave scenario in which he first handcuffs her and then ties her to the bed with ropes. He tickles her all over with a feather and then pours wine over her and licks it off. Eliminating the parts of the scene in which the restraints are in view would mean cuts of 80-90 seconds.
The Best of New York Erotic Film Festival
Directed by Robert Shaye / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In April 1975, a 2350.00-meter (85:39) print of THE BEST OF NEW YORK EROTIC FILM FESTIVAL was censored by 23.00-meters (00:50) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
MGM/BEF Film Distributors were the applicant.
Banned on video
A 105-minute tape was Refused Registration in September 1981 due to sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
This submission from Video Classics was likely to have been an import of the American Wizard Video release.
Theatrical rerelease
A 2482.00-meter (90:28) version was censored by 23:00-meters (00:50) in December 1981. The cuts were made to remove sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The R-rated sex was now described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Justified
Valhalla Film was the applicant.
Video release
In December 1984, a 110-minute video of THE BEST OF THE NEW YORK EROTIC FILM FESTIVAL passed with an R-rating. It was given for sex, which was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Roadshow Home Video released it on tape.
Brother and Sister
Directed by Roland Miller / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In July 1977, a 1974.00-meter (71:57) print of BROTHER AND SISTER was censored by 100.20-meters (03:39) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Lestrig Trading (aka Lestrig Films) was the applicant.
The Cocktail Hostesses
Directed by Stephen C. Apostolof / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In April 1975, a 2117.00-meter (77:10) print of THE COCKTAIL HOSTESSES was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Roadshow Distributors censored the print down to 1533.50-meters (55:54), but in September 1975, this too was refused because of ‘indecency’.
An appeal was made then to the Films Board of Review. They confirmed the banning of the ‘reconstructed version’ in November 1975.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – 1998 VHS – 76:03
Toni (Rene Bond) is a secretary who has sex with her boss every payday. He pays her extra for this. But she decides that this isn’t enough and takes a job as a cocktail waitress where she can have sex with the rich patrons and increase her earnings.
The film is largely a succession of sex scenes which are as graphic as softcore gets, most of which are between the waitresses and the customers. They’re generally lengthy and feature quite explicit sexual language.
There is also a rape scene which occurs when one of the patrons follows a waitress home after her shift and violently sexually assaults her in the car park, and an anal sex scene later which doesn’t seem especially consensual. The rape is barely spoken of again, except when one of the victim’s male co-workers tells us that it wasn’t a big deal and that she will be fine in a few days.
The last 30 minutes of the film appears to forget about the plot entirely and the sex completely takes over. We see an orgy which goes on for over ten minutes in which couples occasionally leave and have sex on their own in other rooms. At one stage there are three sex scenes going on simultaneously which are intercut with each other. It was shot in the same room and with the same participants as the corresponding orgy in the also banned SWINGING BOTH WAYS aka DROP OUT WIFE (1972).
When Roadshow tried to unsuccessfully salvage the film by cutting it by over twenty minutes, I assume they deleted the rape and drastically shortened the sex. But the sex scenes were almost certainly still too strong, and no amount of editing would change the fact that it’s a fairly sleazy soft porn film about women who have sex for money.
Video release
In August 1983, a 76-minute video of THE COCKTAIL HOSTESSES passed with the Special Condition ‘that this film/tape will not be exhibited in any State in contravention of State’s law relating to the exhibition of films’.
It was submitted on the Video Box Office label. It appears to be different to late 1980s label of the same name.
Danish Modern
Produced by R. Mansfield / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In September 1980, a 1431.20-meter (52:10) print of DANISH MODERN was banned because of sex and violence. They were both described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Despite the ban, advertisements list it as being released on 14th Mandolin’s King of Video label.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird (us) – VHS – Trailer only
Part of BUCKY’S ’70S TRIPLE XXX MOVIE HOUSE TRAILERS VOL. 13
DANISH MODERN may be lost unless the reports of a King of Video release are true. The brief trailer shows an unnamed young Danish woman having sex with various men who we are told are her teachers. The sex is pretty graphic and hardcore, but there is no sign of the violence mentioned by the Film Censorship Board.
The Female Response
Directed by Tim Kincaid / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In November 1972, a 2502.00-meter (91:12) print of THE FEMALE RESPONSE was banned because of ‘indecency and incitement to drug abuse’.
Roadshow Distributors made an unsuccessful appeal to the Filmd Board of Review in January 1973.
In December 1973, a censored 2366.00-meter (86:14) print had a further 15.84-meters (00:34) removed for an R-rating. These extra cuts were made to remove ‘incitement to drug abuse’.
Roadshow Distributors released it theatrically.
Further reading
For more censored Tim Kincaid (AKA Joe Gage), see the Adult Film Censorship Database entries for HOME INVASION (2000), TRUCK STOP ON I-95 (2004) and JOE GAGE SEX FILES VOLUMES 2, 3 & 4.