Back in the “Golden Age of Adult Films” many of the stars would travel the country making personal appearances in strip clubs and theaters. As a rule, they would come on stage between features, strip, perhaps answer a few questions, then head to the lobby where they would pose with you for a Polaroid picture (remember those?) for $5 or so. I had the privilege of seeing a number of the ladies of porn in those years. Some were more memorable than others.
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Though it's difficult to believe, the building that used
to be Cinema Blue 2 still stands in Charlotte |
For reasons which shall soon be obvious, I’ll withhold the name of this particular actress whom I first met at the Cinema Blue in Charlotte, NC. It was the around the time the 70’s were sliding into the 80’s and I was in the last of my summers in the Carolinas. Once I found out about the seedier side of the Queen City I made my way there as frequently as possible, checking out the strip clubs, “modeling studios” and, of course, the adult theaters. Cinema Blue was an old twin theater that had been remade into a porn palace, complete with bookstore, game room (with some classic pinball machines) and arcade. The main theater had been outfitted with a good-sized stage to provide performance space. Unlike a theatrical stage, this one formed a large peninsula that reached deep into the seating area, allowing patrons to line both sides to get a better look – and occasional touch.
The young lady, whom I’ll just call the starlet, was a middling dancer, at best, but she was attractive and fun. She had a great personality and enjoyed interacting with the guys as she performed. I caught her first performance of the day, fairly early in the afternoon. After her show, she hung out in the lobby chatting comfortably with an eager audience. There was no stiffness (other than that which had formed in our pants), and no pressure to buy anything. Just a pretty girl in a tiny outfit spending time with attentive men. She was transparent about her life, her background and her plans. She was, in every sense, the girl next door.
