The Naked Truth About Harrison Marks (1967)

[argoman]

Spotted on E-Bay


Shot in 1979, probably back to back with “Arabian Knights”

[Brondskybeard]

Looks like front to front to me

lol BskyB

[argoman]

Spotted on Ebay

[bygoneguy]

Originally Posted by argoman

So with these films seemingly in unloved and forgotten limbo, and with no equivalent of Something Weird Video or Alpha Blue Archives existing in the UK, it seems its left to the die-hard aficionados to personally save the likes of Sex is My Business and Dolly Mixture from the jaws of extinction and get them known about again

I agree and hopefully can make some contributions myself. Excellent write-up argoman, a really great effort much appreciated by many here at this forum!

I agree it is hard to source original 8mm versions of these films released in the UK back in the 70s. The Harrison Marks and John Lindsay films are not easy to locate. Films that had limited distribution through mail order and under the counter are the hardest to find, but this is not limited to UK films.

There were plenty of whitebox 8mm films released and sold exclusively through magazines in the US like GENT/JUGGS/CHERI for example. I have been looking for original 8mm versions of some of these films for more than 10 years and there are several I have still never seen surface anywhere. There are some that I have seen only once and missed out on getting, and haven't seen again. These films I am talking about were released late 70s and early 80s.

Many films in the late 60s through early to mid 70s were still being distributed covertly in the US also. The US was more liberal (in certain places) in allowing more risky films to be screened in cinemas, but the home market in this period (say 1966-1974) was still mainly mail order and under the counter as well.

For example there is quite a bit of missing Uschi Digard material from the 1969-1973 window. I saw an Uschi film on eBay not so long ago that I know for sure hasn't surfaced before, and I picked up one myself recently that I know has never been released anywhere either. Whenever I come across films lots from this era I climb all over them, in hope as much as anything. I recently picked 400 or so films in a lot from this period, can't wait to go through them and hoping for some lost gems!

Anyway, in my recent efforts I have managed to find a few of the Maximus Films (Worker's Playtime, The Danish Maid, Ellie-Bob & Elizabeth) and I will post over in the GHM thread soon!

[bygoneguy]

Originally Posted by argoman

Spotted on Ebay

I picked up these 2 from eBay. I also posted 3 Harrison Marks (Maximus Films) loops over in the HM thread that are original 8mm transfers:

Harrison Marks - Maximus Films - Ellie-Bob & Elizabeth

Harrison Marks - Maximus Films - The Danish Maid

Harrison Marks - Maximus Films - Worker's Playtime

-bg

[bygoneguy]

Originally Posted by argoman

Spotted on Ebay

Along with 'Life Study' and 'The Amorous Masseur' I also managed to pickup 'The Girl Upstairs' and 'The Ecstasy of Oral Love' -bg

[bygoneguy]

Originally Posted by argoman

Spotted on Ebay

Box snaps for Oral Love and The Girl Upstairs

[argoman]

According to the "members only" section of the Harrison Marks website, they have pictorial evidence of there being around 77 Maximus films, although they only have 16 titles for sale, which would seem to suggest GHM sold the rights to most of these films over the years. However that number doesn’t take into account that GHM also shot hardcore versions of many of the Maximus shorts for overseas release.

[argoman]

Harrison Marks “I Am Offered a Fortune to Make Blue Films” in Titbits in August 1968, though I suspect this article may have actually been written a few years earlier, possibly in 1965, since he and Vivienne Warren appear to have split prior to the making of “The Naked World of Harrison Marks”, she was certainly long gone by 1968. Marks’ claim to have turned down a fortune to make blue films seems somewhat questionable these days as well, given that his official website now claims he first accepted offers to direct more explicit material in the Summer of 1967.

[bygoneguy]

Originally Posted by argoman

According to the "members only" section of the Harrison Marks website, they have pictorial evidence of there being around 77 Maximus films, although they only have 16 titles for sale, which would seem to suggest GHM sold the rights to most of these films over the years. However that number doesn’t take into account that GHM also shot hardcore versions of many of the Maximus shorts for overseas release.

The site (http://www.harrison-marks.com/) states "George Harrison-Marks Enterprises Ltd., holds the world-wide, exclusive copyright to all of George Harrison Marks' photographic work, which is owned by his Estate. Any commercial infringement of the copyright is liable to legal action for damages."

It explicitly states photographic and not film - does the photographic work include films made by Maximus Films? I reckon they only have 16 for sale because that is all they have dug up. I'm not convinced it has anything to do with their rights to various films. They have all the Kamera mags for sale, but don't have all the Kamera cine films either.

I know GHM 'gave written permission' for some people to use various films, but did he actually 'transfer all rights' to some of his films to someone else? As the original creator of the works, transferring all rights to someone else would be a big deal, where as giving someone else permission to use them not such a big deal.

This company Harrison Marks Enterprises Limited is private and only has 3 shareholders so it would be difficult determine if GHM's film rights are also somehow involved with it. It was formed a few years before he died, and he may have transferred his rights to it.

By law GHM's estate and whoever controls it has rights (the photographic appearing to be exclusive rights) to use all his works for about 50-70 years after his death.

I wonder if the Maximus Films are in fact public domain, being originally owned by a now defunct company like many US films of the same era.

-bg