GOLDEN GODDESSES: 25 LEGENDARY WOMEN OF CLASSIC EROTIC CINEMA, 1968-1985

by Nelson, Jill C.

  Yesterday and Today

  I think that my career has influenced my life in a positive way. I don’t have any problem with my friends knowing or my neighbors knowing. Either they accept me for who I am, or we’re not friends because I don’t have time for that kind of narrow-mindedness. What I did does not change the kind of person I am or the kind of human being I am. Either you like me because of the kind of person that I am, or you don’t. You don’t like or dislike me because of what my career choice was.

  My family had all known my plans before I did the first film. I told them what I was going to do, and I wanted to be the one to tell them so they didn’t have to find out from a neighbor or a friend and be in shock. I wanted to let them know ahead of time what I was going to do and their reaction was, “If you think it’s going to make you happy, go ahead.” They were very supportive and still are to this day. I’m lucky that way.

  I think of myself as a very independent thinking, very self-assured woman who is comfortable in her own skin. I know what I want and I know what I like, and I know what I don’t like. If I’ve helped pave the way for any women, I hope it’s because they’ve seen that it’s okay to be a woman and not because they have to fight to be a woman. I don’t think we should have to fight to be a woman or a human being. I think it’s our right.

  Like many other women with her past employment record, Seka discovered it wasn’t easy to modulate from adult entertainment to regular work, but she accepted her lumps and was patient. Seka wisely advised the younger generation of sex performers about how to be smart when considering work in the adult business.

  Own your own name. Do your own register. Do your trademark. Do your copyrights. Own your own product. Own your name so that people can’t rip you off. If you have photographs done, own them. Take control of your life. Don’t let somebody else control your life. If you’re thinking about getting into the business, get an education first. Go to school. Go to college and think about what you’re going to do after this is all over. What are you going to do when you’re fifty-five years old and you’re not in front of the camera anymore? How are you going to support yourself because what you did in your past is never going to go away — trust me, it’s hard to find a job. Society is not as forgiving as we are to one another. It is like, “Oh yeah, you’d make a great receptionist at a hotel or whatever,” but once they find out that you’ve done adult movies you’re gone. Society today might be accepting of sex, but I don’t think they are accepting of sex performers.

  I’ve bartended off and on for thirty years. Trying to find a bartending job at times was very difficult but it was great. They liked me because I was pretty and I had big boobs so I would draw lots of customers in, but a lot of places once they had found out that I had done adult films, I was gone. “We don’t want that element around us.” It was okay if I was a customer, but I couldn’t work for them. That stigma remains today. Still, I wouldn’t change anything because to me if you want to change anything about your life or your career, then you have regrets and I don’t have any regrets. If you change anything about your past, you’re not going to be the person you are now. I like who I am so I wouldn’t change anything — except the color of my hair. It would be naturally blonde.

  To her credit, the entertainment industry warmly remembered Seka years after she’d stopped performing in movies. In 1997, she was hired to host a Chicago radio program called Let’s Talk about Sex on 97.9 FM that enjoyed a three-year run every Saturday evening from ten pm until two am. During her time in Chicago, Seka kept tabs on her two favorite sports teams: the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs.

  The reason I got the radio show in Chicago was because of my name, but even when I worked as a bartender and was let go I looked at that as someone else’s stupidity. It was all about them. It wasn’t about me because I was still the same person. I was a great bartender. It didn’t change my ability to do something. It was their perception.

  I think the filmmakers and performers are lazy in today’s movies. There’s no story. Not that ours were so great. They were trite but there was a reason to have sex. There was a beginning, and middle, and an end. Instead of the scene opening and everybody’s naked and everybody starts screwing. It’s like “Oh wow. That’s exciting.” What’s sex without foreplay? You might as well not do it as far as I’m concerned! It’s like taking a pitcher out of the bullpen and throwing him right into the game before he warms up. It’s no good.

  I don’t think there is any individuality in the way they look. They all look the same and they just seem so robotic. Everybody has big blonde hair, and big, pumped up lips, and big, pumped up boobs. When I was doing films, there were red heads and brunettes and blondes. The guys all looked different when I worked. Now they all look like they’re pumped up on steroids with all these muscles which I don’t particularly like myself. I like a guy to be fit, but all these ripping muscles? I can’t grab a hold of anything. It’s like trying to grab a cement wall. I want to grab a hold of some meat and hang onto it! I’m sure they’re all very nice people, but as far as films go, it’s just not exciting. It’s so violent. To me, violence and sex don’t go together. If you like a little S&M, if you like a little B&D, okay, no big deal. Climaxing in some girl’s eye to give her pink eye or choking her with your cock until she pukes or passes out? That’s sexy? I don’t think so. What is sexy about that? It’s violence. If anybody should feel violated, it’s the people of today. I think we’ve just become so desensitized to everything that there’s no passion anymore. I don’t watch porn because it’s so disgusting to watch.

  Again, the difference between when I was working in movies and the girls and guys who are working now is there were only a handful of us. We didn’t have a different sexual partner in every movie we did. You got to become familiar with the other person so there was some sort of camaraderie and communication, and you could see that you were comfortable touching that person, or being in that person’s presence. It made it more realistic, whereas now, I don’t know if anybody works together more than once or twice. For ten years or so, there were about eight or ten-twelve guys and eight or ten-twelve girls and you worked together so it was like you were going to visit an old friend.

  Golden Moments

  In 2002, Seka’s international fame inspired two Swedish filmmakers, Christian Hallman and Magnus Paulsson, to create a unique documentary that set about to track down the star in a flattering exposé which also contained several career highlights. Desperately Seeking Seka culminated in a final interview with Seka unpredictably revealing her excellent culinary skills and affable, fun-loving nature. After playing at various movie festivals the DVD was released in 2004, and includes many bonus tracks. To date, Seka is one of a few female icons in adult entertainment to have been made the sole subject of a documentary. In 2012, she was interviewed for another documentary, After Porn Ends, which examines the careers and post adult lives of some of the biggest names in the industry.

  I think the women of the golden age of porn have definitely left a legacy. We helped open the doors for the ones that came behind us in the same way the ones who were in front of us did. We made it easier for them to work and to get more money, to get paid better and to own their own names, to own their own businesses within the industry. We paved the way for that. I feel that we were able to let young women know that it was okay to be an adult entertainer and to feel overwhelmingly proud, classy, and good about themselves rather than saying, “Someone forced me”. I’ve seen a lot of girls who do that, when, in actuality, they weren’t forced to do anything, but it was easier for them because that was their way out. It was, “Oh, I was forced to do this, and now I can get out.”

  You have to remember that nobody’s going to take care of you, but you. My motto with people is, “Sweetheart, it’s you first — after me. It’s always, me, me, me, and then maybe you.” Once I’ve taken care of myself I can help you, but I can’t help you unless I have taken care of myself. It’s a lot like loving yo
urself — if you don’t love yourself than how can you love anyone else? Damn, I love me a lot! I think that’s why I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of friends. I have a tremendous amount of friends and I don’t mean friends that you can toss out a name, but very good friends that I’ve had for twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five years. I think it’s because if you can’t like yourself, you can’t like anybody else. You can’t take any shit from anybody. There’s no time in life. Life’s too short. Smile and have a good time. You don’t have to be rich to be happy.

  I met with Seka in Montreal in September 2009 when she traveled there on a business trip with her husband. We went out for champagne and crêpe breakfast at one of her favorite little nooks in the picturesque French Canadian city before heading back to her luxury hotel room to chat. At fifty-five years old, sprawled out on the plush, king-sized bed in her spacious room, Seka is as glamorous (and at times wily and bombastic) as one might expect as she punctuated her entertaining tales with boisterous laughter. Since relocating to Kansas City, Missouri, Seka continues to root for her favorite sports franchises and when time allows, she books time to make special appearances at Adult Shows and the occasional Horror Conventions. Seka is also busy polishing her autobiography. Towards the end of our morning together, her twinkling eyes danced when I asked about her life today.

  Life is good. My love is my husband and my cat, Jake. She’s a female named Jake. She’s sexually challenged but that’s okay. She’s an old girl, so it doesn’t matter!

  Unfortunately, Seka’s beloved Jake passed away in 2011 but she has since adopted a new kitty, Miss Tippy, to fill the void.

  I like to dig in the dirt and play with bugs and grow my garden and cook, and do a little travelling. I have girlfriends in the neighborhood and we have our little girl’s night once a week. We go out and have drinks or a light dinner. I live in Kansas City right now. I don’t plan on living there forever. I’d like to eventually be in Costa Rica or Panama City. I want to be somewhere where it’s warm all the time. I’m tired of the cold.

  One of the most memorable days in my life is when I got married to my current husband. It was on August 23, 2006. I got married in the Grand Caymans on a little island on the beach, without any shoes. It was beautiful. It was a nice breezy day and we were right on the ocean. Friends and family came down. I’m going back there in November because my nephew, who was my husband’s best man, is getting married on the same beach in the Grand Caymans where we got married. My husband has no kids which worked out well because neither one of us wanted children — little ankle-nippers! I’m in the process of writing a book which I’m pretty much done with — I just haven’t closed it up. It’s going to be called Inside Seka and it will have the cover of the movie, Inside Seka, because it’s the most recognizable movie that I did. I hope it will be out in a year, but I’ve been saying that for two years. I’m finished, but I just have to finish putting it completely in order. Everything’s written and the pictures need to be put together, but I know exactly where everything is going to go. I’ve just been lazy. As you know, or anybody who writes or does a book, there are certain times when something hits you and you just stop. It’s not that it is writer’s block it’s just that it’s not right yet. It’s just not the right time. I’m also very involved with my website — so people can come and visit me there.

  As someone who is pleased to be a part of this book and of the legacy of golden age women that I feel were special, I’d like to say thanks to everybody who was there and was supportive. I couldn’t have done it without everybody who was supportive of me. I truly and gratefully mean it. Thank you.

  COURTESY OF SEKA.COM

  Seka and John Holmes.

  COURTESY OF SEKA.COM

  Sam Kinison.

  Careful, He May be Watching. VIDEO-X-PIX. COURTESY OF SEKA.COM

  17.

  Kelly Nichols

  Kiss and Make-Up

  “I’ve let them know that their mother was in naked pictures early on and that I was in naked movies, but you don’t give your kids valium, you don’t give them alcohol, and you don’t give them porno. You take it as it comes.”

  — Kelly Nichols

  The most spellbinding feature when observing Kelly Nichols (born Marianne Walter) face-to-face are her amazingly luminous eyes. With Susan Sarandon-esque charm and a voice that echoes comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, the auburn-haired Nichols is an intricate mosaic of personas. Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, the only girl in a family with five brothers steeped in the Catholic faith by parents with good intentions, Kelly made a secret pact to herself that she would remain a virgin until she was eighteen. She kept that pledge. As a young woman conflicted by her religious beliefs, Nichols converted to fundamentalism in her sophomore year where she discovered a sense of belonging in a leadership role and achieved a kind of hierarchy within the group. One year later, Kelly received a partial scholarship to study commercial art, but dropped out and moved in with a boyfriend. While contemplating her next move, Nichols strode into the offices of Sunset International Agency and signed an agreement to do nude layouts for Hustler, Penthouse and Swank magazines before ultimately moonlighting as a make-up artist. The modeling work not only brought Kelly steady income and stability, but it instilled within her a newfound confidence within the presence of men. Encouraged to obtain her SAG card by an agent who recognized her unique acting talent, Nichols soon received offers for small roles in legitimate films. She was cast as Jessica Lange’s stunt double in the $80 million grossing film King Kong (1976), and made waves in low-budget softcore horror flicks namely The Toolbox Murders (1978) where she is billed as herself, Marianne Walter.

  A string of appearances as a stage performer at Sex World in New York City enabled Kelly to transition to hardcore films in 1979 where she turned out compelling performances in Roommates (1981) along with co-stars Veronica Hart and Samantha Fox, and In Love (1983) in which she won Best Actress Award from the Adult Film Association of America (AFAA). Nichols also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Free Speech Coalition and she was inducted into “Legends of Erotica” in 1996. Although her career as an X-rated actor officially closed in 1984, Kelly reunited with former co-star Tom Byron in 2009 to prove to herself she still “had it,” and passed with flying colors.

  As she works to maintain control over her sobriety, Nichols’ immediate plans include reaching out to faithful fans and admirers via the internet as her continuity in make-up artistry for adult productions keeps her active and connected to old friends in the business. When she’s not pre-occupied with future projects or working her matchless magic for actors on movie sets, Kelly retains a deep and liberal connection with her two grown daughters.

  I spoke with Kelly Nichols via Skype late fall, 2010.

  One Love

  I grew up in a large Catholic family in the suburbs of L.A. in the other Valley called San Gabriel Valley. I was the oldest and the only girl with five brothers. My mother was very Catholic, my father was Lutheran and then he converted. They moved to San Gabriel Valley after they met at the University of Chicago. They’re both intelligent people. My father worked two jobs while my mother raised the first three of us, and then finally, he was able to make enough money working for an insurance company in his one job to quit his second job.

  I went to a parochial school. My mom did everything she could to make sure that I could go to parochial school and become a real good little Catholic girl. I attended Catholic school up until my freshman year and then they couldn’t afford it anymore and they put me into public school. It was the best thing my mother could have done because going to Catholic school was like living in a bubble. You’re not really getting any real information. Living in suburbia was a bubble, so I was put into a bubble within a bubble within a Catholic bubble.

  My parents were happy. My dad was overworked and my mom was pretty much Catholic and had all of these kids and took care of them. She was raised with the “spare the rod, spoil the child,” philosophy s
o the three of us who were the oldest, were pretty much disciplined by corporal punishment, literally. When my father quit his other job, he kind of came down on her and made her stop doing it so much. She was from the Midwest and had kind of a staunch attitude towards things. It was “spare the rod, spoil the child,” but at the same time when it came to sexuality, my mom never really discussed it with me. I think she wanted me to be married before I did anything is what I kind of got a sense of, but she never said anything. She never actually put sex down to me so I never had any words in my head that indicated sex was wrong or bad. Even when I was in the Catholic Church, the nuns didn’t talk about sex. Nobody talked about sex. I assumed it was something that was a bad thing to do until you got married, but no one ever said that. I didn’t have to feel guilty to enjoy myself!

  I liked art and used to draw all of the time and I played guitar. I was either drawing, playing guitar or reading. I played with my brothers, or babysat my brothers, more likely. That was kind of it. I didn’t know that I was a loner. I wouldn’t call myself a loner at the time, but looking back, I can see that I was pretty much a loner. I was considered a freak in elementary school. I was the one the kids teased. I was the tallest one in class and I had size ten feet in grade eight. I was the proverbial ugly duckling. I had a wicked sense of humor, but nobody shared it, so I bonded with guys more than I did with girls because my mom kind of raised me as one of the boys. I played asphalt football with them and had very few girlfriends.