NEW YORK — Damiano Films, the producers of the 50th anniversary re-release of “Deep Throat,” have announced a “Vote Throat” campaign to nominate the 1972 “porno chic” classic for a slot in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
“We urge you to ‘Vote Throat’ by Aug. 15,” said a rep. “Simply click on this link to the nomination form and type in ‘Deep Throat’. All U.S. citizens are eligible to vote for up to 50 films, and it’s free."
Each year, the Library of Congress, which oversees the National Film Registry, selects 25 films for preservation based solely on suggestions from the public. To be eligible a film must be over 10 years old and be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
The Registry's website strongly encourages the nomination of "'the full range of American filmmaking.' Yet, despite this claim, in the Registry's 34-year history no adult film has ever been selected for induction," the rep said.
Damiano Films offered a number of reasons for supporting the choice of "Deep Throat" for a slot in the Registry.
“‘Deep Throat’ premiered at the World Theater in Times Square on June 12, 1972 and played there on-and-off for more than 20 years,” the rep explained. “The public was enthralled, depositing $1 million dollars in the theater's coffers in just the first seven weeks after it opened. By the end of six months, it had made another $2 million dollars. Since then, between theatrical and videotape/DVD sales, the film has earned at least $100 million, according to the FBI, though other knowledgeable sources put the figure as high as $600 million (more than $3.8 billion dollars today)."
The cultural impact of "Deep Throat" on American history, the rep added, is "indisputable."
Celebrities who acknowledge having seen the film include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Carson, Truman Capote, Barbara Walters, Doris Day, Warren Beatty, Richard Dreyfuss, Spiro Agnew, Nora Ephron, John Waters, Hugh Hefner, Gore Vidal, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Erica Jong, Dick Cavett, Helen Gurley Brown, Norman Mailer, Bill Maher, Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra, among others.
Moreover, the rep continued, “let’s not forget that the title was chosen as the name for the undercover FBI informant who broke the Watergate scandal."
For more information, visit VoteThroat.org.
