Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers Book Release
ft. Author Jared Stearns in conversation with McKenna Taylor
Thursday May 9, 2024 | Doors/Pre-Show at 6:30pm / Program 7-8:30pm
At the Tenderloin Museum | 398 Eddy St. SF, CA 94102
Free, Suggested Donation ($10), or with a signed copy ($25) | Register via Eventbrite
TLM hosts the book release for a new biography about Marilyn Chambers, whose X-rated breakthrough Behind the Green Door was made in the TL and completely reconfigured the pornography industry as well as public sentiment for smut. In Pure, author Jared Stearns chronicles the pioneering entertainer’s untold life story.
Marilyn Chambers is a legend here in the Tenderloin. Her breakthrough to fame–the starring role in the groundbreaking X-rated film Behind the Green Door–was filmed in part and premiered at the Mitchell Brothers’ O’Farrell Theater. That flick’s followup, Resurrection of Eve, featured an orgy scene shot next door at the historic Great American Music Hall (itself a boundary pushing site during its time as burlesque pioneer Sally Rand’s Music Box). Chambers’ name practically lived on the marquee of the Mitchell Brothers’ infamous TL establishment (and others across the country) during the 1970s era of “porno-chic.” In 1985, she was booked by an SF vice-squad for committing a lewd act in a public place and soliciting prostitution, part of Mayor Feinstein’s anti-porn crusades.
Chambers looms large in local lore, emblematic of a time when the grindhouses and peep shows dominated the landscape of the TL, yet her cultural impact resounded through mainstream pop culture and cinema. The history of the TL’s economy and culture is indelibly intertwined with in-person cinema, so it is fitting that the contention around Chambers’ x-rated interventions into mainstream theater spaces fixate on representing an in-person act on the big screen. Chambers, however, was no denizen of the Tenderloin. Her role in local history is often told in conjunction with the Mitchell Brothers, who were forever in the weeds of the neighborhood’s adult business dramas, and whose names still figure prominently in the TL’s built environment, emblazoned on the long-vacant O’Farrell Theater’s neglected marquee.
With Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers (Headpress, 2024), Jared Stearns has assembled the important and long-overdue account of Chambers’ life story, depicting a complex and hard working entertainer who navigated a new type of celebrity all while striving to find her true self. She was the embodiment of the free-spirited Seventies, the world’s most famous X-rated star, and an unappreciated talent whose work in adult films hindered her dreams of becoming a serious actress. Nevertheless, Marilyn was the first woman known primarily for her work in adult films to cross over to mainstream entertainment. She sustained a versatile three-decade career in entertainment, including roles in dramatic plays, a Broadway musical revue, her own television show, and the lead role in David Cronenberg’s film Rabid. But her success in adult films also proved to be her undoing. Marred by a violent relationship with her abusive husband-manager, Chuck Traynor, she developed the persona of a twenty-four-hour-a-day sex star. In the process, she lost her sense of self and spent much of her life searching for her true identity. With recollections from family and friends, many of whom have never spoken publicly, along with Marilyn’s own words, and never-before-published photos, Jared Stearns vividly captures the revolutionary career of one of the twentieth century’s most misunderstood icons.
To celebrate the release of Pure, Jared Stearns will give a presentation on his book and research, followed by a conversation with Chambers’ daughter, McKenna Taylor, to discuss her life and legacy. Join us at the Tenderloin Museum on Thursday May 9, 2024. Register to attend via Eventbrite, tickets are free or by suggested donation ($10).