Discussion- Shauna Grant

[dogme77]

Shauna Grant content thread

Originally Posted by ramolino530

The all of us Dream´s Girl, Shauna Grant in Knave magazine Vol.15 Nº02 - 1983.


We must thanks restoration member and his amazing Creamcheesex site for this!

So sorry if it´s a repost!



Mirrored files.

Thank you very much.

[Crazy4theBrat]

Shauna was one of the most beautiful pornstars of all time. Definitely one of my Top 2 or 3.

[Quackerson]

She definitely (and literally) was a beautiful, corn fed girl from the farm belt who just got off the bus in Hollywood. Certainly back in the early 1980s, she stood out simply because she looked so much more wholesome than the average girls who were doing hardcore (as opposed to Playboy Playmates or Penthouse Pets Of The Month - basically softcore) back then. Prettier than most young girls in hardcore back then in a wholesome girl next door way.

[Angular Banjo]

Yes, but do remember that Shauna was born in California, and only moved to Minnesota with her family when she was around 10.


I agree that she was one of the most beautiful porn stars ever (the most beautiful, in my opinion). When I first saw her on the cover of a magazine, I thought "surely she's not inside the magazine too", because at that time, pretty girls often appeared on the cover to rope in the buyer, but didn't appear inside. Imagine my delight when I saw that she was also inside the magazine, and in a very explicit set too. (I think it was her first "Velvet Talks" appearance as "Creamy Carla".)


Imagine my further excitement when I heard that she was in hardcore as well. She quickly became my favourite hardcore star ever, and remains so to this day.


I was devastated when I heard of her death. Rest in peace, Colleen.

[Quackerson]

To be sure, she was born in California. Her formative years, however, were spent in Minnesota.

She had some fairly serious emotional and psychological issues that had developed during her 8-odd years in Minnesota. In retrospect, it seems fairly easy to conclude that becoming involved in the adult film industry wasn't the best thing she could have done. I say it's easy to reach that conclusion because, really, does anyone honestly think becoming a porn actress is a wise choice? Outside of the money, there's not a whole lot of upside (or, put it this way, would anyone here feel a sense of happiness if they found out their little sister decided to make fuck films?).

It would take a woman who was really street smart and a survivor to make it through that environment and emerge fairly unscathed. Sadly, Shauna Grant wasn't too street smart, or self-aware. As well as was to be expected, because her upbringing wasn't such that it lent itself to giving her street smarts, and how many teenagers are self-aware? She made a tremendous amount of money for an unskilled girl in her late teens in a short time period, proceeded to snort virtually all of it away, quit porn and moved in with a coke dealer, and when that relationship ended she really didn't have many options left other than to return to the Minnesota community she came from (who, outside of her parents, wanted nothing to do with her) or go back to porn. I'm certainly not saying she did the right thing by killing herself, and nobody can say what the future would have held for her had she remained in the industry, but she obviously hit rock bottom. Think of all the other young girls doing porn during that same era who remained in the business: not many of them learned how to use the business to their advantage. For every one actress who did, thousands of others didn't. The odds were too long, and Grant couldn't beat them.

She WAS a beauty, though. However, if you watch footage of her at the 1984 adult film awards about a week before her death, she didn't look well.

[genesim]

Can someone help me with a complete filmography of Shauna Grant that sorts out what are original titles vs footage that was just thrown in.

For instance, I am confused. Bad Girls IV was released several years after she died. Is this footage in this movie elsewhere?

Bad Girls III has Tracy Lords, but Shauna died before Tracy started performing. I would really rather have all footage in its original release.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

If I have polluted this fantastic thread I apologize, I just want to get an idea on where is best to get the information.

IMDB seems to be a good starting point, but the titles after she died are confusing.

[genesim]

Originally Posted by Quackerson

To be sure, she was born in California. Her formative years, however, were spent in Minnesota.

She had some fairly serious emotional and psychological issues that had developed during her 8-odd years in Minnesota. In retrospect, it seems fairly easy to conclude that becoming involved in the adult film industry wasn't the best thing she could have done. I say it's easy to reach that conclusion because, really, does anyone honestly think becoming a porn actress is a wise choice? Outside of the money, there's not a whole lot of upside (or, put it this way, would anyone here feel a sense of happiness if they found out their little sister decided to make fuck films?).

It would take a woman who was really street smart and a survivor to make it through that environment and emerge fairly unscathed. Sadly, Shauna Grant wasn't too street smart, or self-aware. As well as was to be expected, because her upbringing wasn't such that it lent itself to giving her street smarts, and how many teenagers are self-aware? She made a tremendous amount of money for an unskilled girl in her late teens in a short time period, proceeded to snort virtually all of it away, quit porn and moved in with a coke dealer, and when that relationship ended she really didn't have many options left other than to return to the Minnesota community she came from (who, outside of her parents, wanted nothing to do with her) or go back to porn. I'm certainly not saying she did the right thing by killing herself, and nobody can say what the future would have held for her had she remained in the industry, but she obviously hot rock bottom. Think of all the other young girls doing porn during that same era who remained in the business: not many of them learned how to use the business to their advantage. For every one actress who did, thousands of others didn't. The odds were too long, and Grant couldn't beat them.

She WAS a beauty, though. However, if you watch footage of her at the 1984 adult film awards about a week before her death, she didn't look well.

Where can one find the footage of the 8th Annual Awards? All I can see is what is on Death of a Porn Queen. She doesn't look bad to me, but the footage looks bad on my copy so it is hard to tell.

Also, can someone help me with a complete filmography of Shauna Grant that sorts out what are original titles vs footage that was just thrown in.

For instance, I am confused. Bad Girls IV was released several years after she died. Is this footage in this movie elsewhere?

Bad Girls III has Tracy Lords, but Shauna died before Tracy started performing. I would really rather have all footage in its original release.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

If I have polluted this fantastic thread I apologize, I just want to get an idea on where is best to get the information.

IMDB seems to be a good starting point, but the titles after she died are confusing.

I posted this elsewhere only to fish more effectively for information.

As for Shauna herself, her death had a profound impact on me and she remains my favorite porn star ever. Her story is a sad one, but I do enjoy her films a great deal. I remember in her first interview on film that she said it was the point to get excited watching her. In my mind it is important that what she did be recognized for the great work that it is. What is more futile, her short life, or that what she accomplished be for nothing? To enjoy her beauty and the great sex on film is a tribute. I appreciate what she was as a person and that includes everything she was.

Her parents seemed really cold to me, especially her mom. It is just a fact and it is sad that her denial was very obvious. Matter of fact, I would go further and say that it was completely oblivious.

[Quackerson]

Originally Posted by genesim

All I can see is what is on Death of a Porn Queen.

As for Shauna herself, her death had a profound impact on me and she remains my favorite porn star ever. Her story is a sad one, but I do enjoy her films a great deal. I remember in her first interview on film that she said it was the point to get excited watching her. In my mind it is important that what she did be recognized for the great work that it is. What is more futile, her short life, or that what she accomplished be for nothing? To enjoy her beauty and the great sex on film is a tribute. I appreciate what she was as a person and that includes everything she was.

Her parents seemed really cold to me, especially her mom. It is just a fact and it is sad that her denial was very obvious. Matter of fact, I would go further and say that it was completely oblivious.

I mean, all I really "know" of her is what I saw on the PBS Frontline Death Of A Porn Queen program and the few accounts published in newspapers at the time of her death. And how much are you really going to know about someone in terms of what was going on in their head from that limited amount of material? You make an impression based upon what they did.

I'm not inferring that she was necessarily a bad person because of what she did or how she died. I am saying it seems fairly obvious that she was overwhelmed by the lifestyle she chose, and clearly didn't have either the grit, savvy, street smarts, confidence to see her way out of where she found herself when she ended her life. In retrospect, it seems all too easy to state that she made a lot of bad choices in terms of where those decisions ended up. Then again, I suppose it's possible she would have opted for suicide even if she hadn't done porn.

Obviously, I'm not anti-porn. That being said, I'm not sure considering the totality of her life that appearing in porn films and porn mags quite constitutes an accomplishment - seemingly none of that mattered much to her in the final analysis - and I don't consider jacking off to her image a tribute. Then again, who knows what she thought of herself when all was said and done: it has been said that every suicide is the archetypal mystery inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma in terms of the why.

Not to be harsh or appear contrarian to how you view her, but when I ask myself how she viewed her brief stint in porn, and when I take into account that she had made a choice to stop making films in the year before her suicide while shacking up with her coke dealer boyfriend, and after he was arrested and told her she had to move out of his house and the only thing she had left to turn to was resuming her career in porn and she killed herself just days before she was to do her first porn scene since having left the industry, does that sound like a person who was proud of what she had done in terms of appearing in porn flicks and mags?

[genesim]

Originally Posted by Quackerson

I mean, all I really "know" of her is what I saw on the PBS Frontline Death Of A Porn Queen program and the few accounts published in newspapers at the time of her death. And how much are you really going to know about someone in terms of what was going on in their head from that limited amount of material? You make an impression based upon what they did.

I am not claiming I know the totality of what she is, but there you do get something from what is seen. I think you can get a lot from a person from a mere few sentences. I hear a lot of intelligence in her recordings.

Then again, I suppose it's possible she would have opted for suicide even if she hadn't done porn.

I think with those parents, suicide was very evident. You can hear it the moment they rejected her one achievement which is the pictures she brought back to show her mom, and her mom refusing. That is unbelievable.

Obviously, I'm not anti-porn. That being said, I'm not sure considering the totality of her life that appearing in porn films and porn mags quite constitutes an accomplishment - seemingly none of that mattered much to her in the final analysis - and I don't consider jacking off to her image a tribute.

It is a tribute to what she achieved. Why not celebrate the art that she gave? She was a beautiful woman that did some pretty decent scenes. I actually argue that her acting wasn't too bad at all either.

Who is anyone to judge what an accomplishment is and what isn't? I think her main issue was not being cared about, not the fact that she did porn.

Not to be harsh or appear contrarian to how you view her, but when I ask myself how she viewed her brief stint in porn, and when I take into account that she had made a choice to stop making films in the year before her suicide while shacking up with her coke dealer boyfriend, and after he was arrested and told her she had to move out of his house and the only thing she had left to turn to was resuming her career in porn and she killed herself just days before she was to do her first porn scene since having left the industry, does that sound like a person who was proud of what she had done in terms of appearing in porn flicks and mags?

When did I ever say she was proud of what she did? Am I to judge what an 18 year old is proud of as indicative of how they would feel about their work later had they lived?

There are lots of actors that are not proud of their work. Some even hate their best art. However, if there is an artist that truly cares about their fans and wants to feel good about what they did...success at that art sure eases the blow. I think a lot of porn stars duck and change names because of what society judges them, not what they actually did.

While she was temporarily peeved at the same way she was judged, would she have perhaps changed her mind if she would have somehow gotten cleaned up and got out of her funk? There are some artists that look back at what they did and actually embrace it.

I think in the words of someone I know, I think more depressing would be that what she did accomplish would be for nothing. I think her story is very compelling to anyone that has felt lost, and in the end her art should be a big part of the story. I can identify with both. Feeling lost and prostituted is one thing, but knowing you have company, and the what you sold still has merit is something else.

What is wrong with feeling pleasure from her work? You really think that would bother her? While she may not have always enjoyed it, she also knew what it was for. Matter of fact in her early interview she says in an explicit way that it is the point of what she does. I can think of no better tribute myself. Should I put up her videos and cry? Should I just forget that she existed because she died?

She died a large part because she didn't have a great support group with her family. She died because she was addicted to drugs. She died most of all because she was young and did not experience enough with life.

I blame the people that judged her just as much as the society that allows this sick idea that filming sex is somehow terrible while wall to wall violence is just all good.

So is it a tribute to get glee from watching Bruce Willis cut someone's throat in a movie? Is it a tribute to get glee from from Black Sabbath playing an A chord? What about getting a rush from watching some skater land a triple axle.

I don't see much difference. Fucking is a natural act and being good at it is very exciting to watch. I guess one finds pleasure in a million different ways. I see it as absolutely a tribute.

But I will leave you with this. Can you imagine if you hated a job, hated going to it, maybe even wish you never did it, then years later people still appreciate your work. It ballooned into how many tributes, you had so many people say you were one of the most beautiful people they ever saw. You had an impact even after 30+ years of being gone. You awesome body still transports them back to a time, the sexual release you show still gets one through those days, and most of all you still feel sad that person is gone.

To quote a song:

"Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'"

I knew her art before she died, and I thought she was one of the most beautiful women in Penthouse. When she died it hit me like a hammer. Though not so much that I would forget all the things that gave me pleasure.

I gotta tell you, the only thing I can think about is where she was in the moment she died, what she said in those last recordings. I cannot imagine her no doubt thinking "I will show them", and then having people just show more and more pity as opposed to seeing her for what she gave?

She was fucking amazing looking and I for one am happy she did what she did. When her boyfriend said he didn't give a shit, or the parents still believing it was only for attention, there is such a severe disconnect, I think most people raised like that would at least feel lost and want to get the fuck away from that shit!

[Quackerson]

Originally Posted by genesim

I am not claiming I know the totality of what she is, but there you do get something from what is seen. I think you can get a lot from a person from a mere few sentences. I hear a lot of intelligence in her recordings.



I think with those parents, suicide was very evident. You can hear it the moment they rejected her one achievement which is the pictures she brought back to show her mom, and her mom refusing. That is unbelievable.



It is a tribute to what she achieved. Why not celebrate the art that she gave? She was a beautiful woman that did some pretty decent scenes. I actually argue that her acting wasn't too bad at all either.

Who is anyone to judge what an accomplishment is and what isn't? I think her main issue was not being cared about, not the fact that she did porn.



When did I ever say she was proud of what she did? Am I to judge what an 18 year old is proud of as indicative of how they would feel about their work later had they lived?

There are lots of actors that are not proud of their work. Some even hate their best art. However, if there is an artist that truly cares about their fans and wants to feel good about what they did...success at that art sure eases the blow. I think a lot of porn stars duck and change names because of what society judges them, not what they actually did.

While she was temporarily peeved at the same way she was judged, would she have perhaps changed her mind if she would have somehow gotten cleaned up and got out of her funk? There are some artists that look back at what they did and actually embrace it.

I think in the words of someone I know, I think more depressing would be that what she did accomplish would be for nothing. I think her story is very compelling to anyone that has felt lost, and in the end her art should be a big part of the story. I can identify with both. Feeling lost and prostituted is one thing, but knowing you have company, and the what you sold still has merit is something else.

What is wrong with feeling pleasure from her work? You really think that would bother her? While she may not have always enjoyed it, she also knew what it was for. Matter of fact in her early interview she says in an explicit way that it is the point of what she does. I can think of no better tribute myself. Should I put up her videos and cry? Should I just forget that she existed because she died?

She died a large part because she didn't have a great support group with her family. She died because she was addicted to drugs. She died most of all because she was young and did not experience enough with life.

I blame the people that judged her just as much as the society that allows this sick idea that filming sex is somehow terrible while wall to wall violence is just all good.

So is it a tribute to get glee from watching Bruce Willis cut someone's throat in a movie? Is it a tribute to get glee from from Black Sabbath playing an A chord? What about getting a rush from watching some skater land a triple axle.

I don't see much difference. Fucking is a natural act and being good at it is very exciting to watch. I guess one finds pleasure in a million different ways. I see it as absolutely a tribute.

But I will leave you with this. Can you imagine if you hated a job, hated going to it, maybe even wish you never did it, then years later people still appreciate your work. It ballooned into how many tributes, you had so many people say you were one of the most beautiful people they ever saw. You had an impact even after 30+ years of being gone. You awesome body still transports them back to a time, the sexual release you show still gets one through those days, and most of all you still feel sad that person is gone.

To quote a song:

"Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'"

I knew her art before she died, and I thought she was one of the most beautiful women in Penthouse. When she died it hit me like a hammer. Though not so much that I would forget all the things that gave me pleasure.

I gotta tell you, the only thing I can think about is where she was in the moment she died, what she said in those last recordings. I cannot imagine her no doubt thinking "I will show them", and then having people just show more and more pity as opposed to seeing her for what she gave?

She was fucking amazing looking and I for one am happy she did what she did. When her boyfriend said he didn't give a shit, or the parents still believing it was only for attention, there is such a severe disconnect, I think most people raised like that would at least feel lost and want to get the fuck away from that shit!

I mean, I'm not trying to intentionally provoke an acrimonious response from you, or change your mind about her.

Clearly, I enjoy watching people fuck (on film, in pictures, simulated, penetration, whatever), so I'm not personally harsh toward those who perform in the medium simply because they are in the medium.

That being said, these images come at a price. They are sold for a price. The majority of the people who actually do fucking don't (or at least didn't back in Grant's day) reap the majority of the profits. Grant/Applegate struck me as a teenaged girl with a lot of problems before she went out to California. She ended up entering porn via a feeder agency for "models": that she willingly sought out the agency and willingly posed/performed didn't change the nature of the business model, which in the end is based on exploitation. Exploiting those who perform and exploiting the desires of the purchasers. To be sure, everybody has free will. Everybody has a choice to say no.

It could well be that Grant/Applegate was for a time proud of what she was doing, but it doesn't strike me that way. I could be wrong. It doesn't even appear that she had any long term plan other than living for the moment, since she blew through all the money she made. I think she stumbled into the business, was told by those who were exploiting her that she was "great" and "a star" and perhaps for the first time in her life felt that she was good at something. She brought her porn portfolio home to show her mother, who was understandably not thrilled at what her daughter was doing. She was subsequently shunned by her hometown. Doubtless there is a level of hypocrisy in the public attitudes toward pornography - in that the public shunning doesn't reflect the billions of dollars the industry generates - but for a farm belt small town 40 years ago, what Grant/Applegate was doing in California wasn't something a typical parent would encourage or celebrate. Her family did go out to California to try and extricate Colleen from the world she had plunged into, but legally there was little to nothing they could do since she was legally an adult. The only recourse they had was to let her know they didn't approve.

It is telling after Grant shot herself that it was her parents who were left standing by her hospital bed picking up the pieces. Not Bobby Hollander. Not her coke dealing boyfriend. Not the adult film studios who made the lion's share of the money for the films Grant appeared in (in point of fact, those studios went into overdrive churning out "tribute" films to Grant and making even MORE money in the wake of her death: Q. how much money do you think the Applegate family saw from that? A. Not even enough to pay for her hospital bills and funeral expenses). Those studios went on to the next new thing. Such is the nature of the business.

It was just a sad story. I can understand the desire to want to find some meaning out of all of it. Grant was a pretty girl. Had a pleasant demeanor on camera. Seemed like a nice albeit confused person. I don't see much meaning in her life or death beyond illustrating the old axiom regarding the life you live and the choices you make being tied to your fate. She wasn't capable of coping with the long term consequences of the capricious short term decisions she made, and I tend to doubt being involved in pornography was a net positive in her life.