Thursday, Mar 21, 2013    Text size: 

LOS ANGELES — A memorial gathering to celebrate the life of industry pioneer Harry Reems, who died on March 19, has been scheduled for this Saturday after "The Deep Throat Sex Scandal" play at the Zephyr Theatre on Melrose Avenue.

Several adult film stars and personalities are expected to attend, including Veronica Hart, Herschel Savage, Ron Jeremy, Bill Margold, Hyapatia Lee, Tom Byron, and Nina Hartley, all of whom knew or worked with Reems, as well as David Bertolino and the cast members of "The Deep Throat Sex Scandal," a play about Reems' life that has an ongoing engagement at the Zephyr.

Reems, who started his XXX career in 1970 and starred in the iconic films "Deep Throat" and "The Devil in Miss Jones," passed away Tuesday in Salt Lake City at the age of 65.

Saturday's performance of "The Deep Throat Sex Scandal" begins at 8 p.m., and the service will immediately follow at 10 in the lobby of The Zephyr Theatre, located at 7456 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles.

Those who wish to only attend the memorial may arrive by 10 p.m. No ticket will be required for entry. The "Dr. Susan Block Show" will be broadcasting live from the Zephyr.

"The Deep Throat Sex Scandal" play is the true story of Herb Streicher — who became Harry Reems — and his legendary co-star Linda Lovelace, following the strange and bizarre journey of the creation of the movie, its impact on audiences and on films and American culture. The subsequent raids, arrests and banning of the film are also explored in the play.

It then becomes Reems’ story, about how the actor himself was put on trial for obscenity and not the director, producer, or distributor. The trial stands as one of the great battles against censorship in modern American history — taken up by Alan Dershowitz, helping to expand the career of one of America’s best-known attorneys. At the time, Hollywood stars, such as Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, rallied against the censorship of “Deep Throat” and came to Reems’ defense, fearing that the U.S. government would censor mainstream films next — once it got a taste of banning films for their content. 

Visit deepthroattheplay.com for more information about the performance.