The goddess of porn makes her classy comeback
by Fred Robbins
In the last few months we’ve witnessed some amazing comebacks. John Lennon finally cut an album and Gay Talese finally published his book. But the most triumphant comeback of all was choreographed by the lissome porn superstar, Marilyn Chambers.
Marilyn’s fans have been stampeding through the turnstiles to see her comeback flick, Insatiable, as if it really were The Last (X-Rated) Picture Show. Chambers’ box office bankability is even more astounding in light of the fact that Insatiable is only her third movie. She starred in two early-Seventies classics (Behind The Green Door and Resurrection of Eve), then she dropped out of the public eye.
For nearly half a decade Chuck Traynor, Marilyn’s manager, brilliantly guided her into untested waters. He turned a theatrical novice into the toast of the London stage. Traynor implicitly knew that the goddesses of X-rated cinema burn out like comets unless they make the leap to R-rated films and network television.
Traynor’s strategy took time, but now Marilyn is established as a major star in legit theatre, “legit” movies and TV—without undermining her work in X-rated movies. Chambers’ career is now hotter than a pepper sprout dildo, and the best is yet to come! Swank interviewed Marilyn and Chuck in their suite at New York’s elegant St. Regis Hotel. This is their account of what transpired along the comeback trail:
Robbins: When it comes to promoting Insatiable, you’re obviously not just going through the motions. You’re genuinely excited. How come?
Chambers: First of all, it had a half-million dollar budget. For an X-rated film this is really the highest budget I have ever heard of. There are Ferraris, helicopters, yachts. It was shot in London and northern California. So it has a classy international flair to it.
Robbins: What makes it appeal to both sexes?
Chambers: The thing that appeals to women is that the sex scenes are not as embarrassing as things in the past. For example, there is a scene with Serena and myself where it gets to the point where a fist is about to plunge into my pussy. Then the film cuts. You know that it happened. I am not one who’s known to fake things. The audience knows. We had to cut that scene a little bit because the attorneys felt that it would be too hot.
Robbins: Is the sight of a fist going in just too much for most people?
Chambers: Yeah, sure. This really turns couples off. A wife doesn’t want to have to prove that she can do something like this at home. I mean, this is not a normal activity. Insatiable wasn’t filmed from a gynecologist’s point of view. Your Joe Blow middle-class people who like porn films are not into whips and chains and they don’t want to see actresses fucked in the butt. I think the approach now: is to make it less raunchy and more beautiful. But please don’t misunderstand—Insatiable is very hot. It is still very hardcore. Theater owners always want to know how many cum shots are in a movie before they book it.
Robbins: But aren’t cum shots almost mandatory?
Chambers: Yes, unless you have an X-ray machine to see inside the vagina!
Robbins: I mean the patrons want to see cum shots, don’t they?
Chambers: Women really don’t want to see it. They would be much happier if they didn’t have to see it. But seeing the semen fly is a “proof of the pudding” kind of thing.
Robbins: Doesn’t that turn a woman on?
Chambers: Not in every scene, no. I’m speaking about female viewers in general Personally, I think coming all over the face is fantastic.
Robbins: Is it true that cum stings when it gets in your eyes?
Chambers: Yes, but it’s easy to keep it out of your eyes. It’s the best facial a woman can use. Just have your man come all over your face, leave it on for a half hour, walk around and do your housework, and wash it off. It contains the best protein, minerals, and vitamins in the world.
Robbins: How do male porn stars keep from shooting their load in the presence of someone as alluring as yourself?
Chambers: Well, you’ve got to remember that these guys can practically come on cue. I have heard some gossip, however, that I make it very difficult for a lot of them. They shoot their wad faster because I always gel into the role. I prefer working horny.
Marilyn Chambers as Sandra Chase in Insatiable, directed by Stu Segall (1980). Cinematography by James R. Bagdonas, director of photography
Robbins: So the word “insatiable” might have an autobiographical meaning?
Chambers: No, I don’t play myself in this film. I play a character called Sandra Chase. Her parents have just died and left her millions of dollars, so she jet-sets around in fancy cars with the international elite. Her sex life doesn’t really fit the dictionary definition of “insatiable.” She wants more and more sex because it’s enjoyable, not because she’s compulsive.
Robbins: When you completely lose yourself in a role, doesn’t that increase the odds of falling in love with your leading man?
Chambers: Absolutely not! If you have any professionalism at all in this business you observe one cardinal rule and that is, “Never fall in love with a co-star.”
Robbins: Insatiable has a celebrated pool table scene. Do you get banged in the comer pocket or in the side pocket? Or in the middle of the table?
Chambers: All I remember is that I got a big carpet burn on my butt!
Robbins: How did you manage to deep-throat John Holmes? I have heard that you employ some kind of self-hypnosis to do it…
Chambers: The mental concentration was comparable to a sword swallower’s technique. Obviously you don’t breathe when John’s “sword” is in. It’s like getting fucked in the throat. After a while you lose all conception of whether he’s pounding your pussy or your throat. Gagging is actually a pleasant sensation. It becomes very much of a turn-on. You don’t gag. Your throat can open up very wide. I did have a sore throat afterward, though.
Robbins: How long did it take to shoot the deep-throat scenes in Insatiable?
Chambers: Two days. My throat was sore because John’s cock is very thick. The length is not the problem-it’s the thickness. It’s a good thing I had my tonsils out!
Robbins: This is your first film in a long time. Why did it take so long to choose a project?
Chambers: If you make too many movies you become literally overexposed. People are not interested in you anymore. When I met Chuck he took me down a whole different road. He helped guide my career so as not to overdo one thing. Insatiable was two years in the planning. We worked with a script writer and conferred with the producers so that the film was tailored to me. I even got a piece of the boxoffice receipts! It was the right time for our society and the right time for my career.
Robbins: And you even sang the title song.
Chambers: Yes, the producers came to London with the basic tracks. All I had to do was lay my vocal down. The studios in London were a big thrill because that is where Mick Jagger gets cooking.
Robbins: Are you as well-known in Europe as you are here?
Chambers: No, because my films haven’t played there. They have a peculiar double standard concerning sexuality. They have nudity on television and the freedom to say “shit” and “fuck” and all that. But they don’t have X-rated theaters. Their hardcore is shown in private clubs but not to the public. I find that kind of amusing.
Robbins: It’s ironic that Insatiable is banned, but your stage show was a smash over there. This was the same show you did in Vegas.
Chambers: Right. It was called Sex Surrogate. It was o one-woman one-act play. It was the first show ever to present total nudity on the Vegas Strip. The show was very well-received In its London run.
Robbins: Do the British get off on different things than American audiences do?
Chambers: They don’t like mistress jokes. It hits too close to home. Bestiality—terrific. They love to hear about that.
Robbins: The British would shit if they knew about the ring that Sammy Davis gave you
Chambers: Yes. It’s lovely. Twenty diamonds. A ring that I wear in a very special place—one of my lips.
Robbins: Labia?
Chambers: Yeah. And one of the inner lips.
Robbins: How do you get it on there?
Chambers: They’re pierced. There is a hole through my pussy lips. People go “Ooh, ah, did it hurt?” Not at all. And it’s a terrific conversation piece.
Robbins: When do you wear it?
Chambers: I wear it in my shows. It sparkles real nice. This part of my body has earned me a lol of money and fame. I deserved o present.
Robbins: Your pussy is truly diamond worthy. How do you keep it illness-free?
Chambers: You have to make sure that your co-stars are thoroughly clean. In my films, everyone has to get a VD test immediately. I don’t want any kind of germ. Jamie Gillis was supposed to be in Insatiable, but he had pinkeye. That was the end of Jamie Gillis. He did not come on the set.
Robbins: How kinky are you?
Chambers: Pretty kinky. I mean, I enjoy doing wild things. But things like child pornography and bestiality are of limits. There is a certain line that I draw. Anything goes in the privacy of your own bedroom, your own home with the door locked. You aren’t hurting anyone else. There is no way you should feel guilty about it. You can dress up in your wife’s clothes. You can pee on yourself or shit on a glass table. You can do anything you want and you should never be made to feel guilty about it the next day.
Robbins: Have you always been curious about sexual matters?
Chambers: Oh, of course. When I was a kid, my sister and I were forever trying to pick the lock on my father’s briefcase so we could look at the latest issue of Playboy. And my mother read the book Peyton Place and then ripped it up, but my sister and I glued it all back together! There’s nothing wrong with innocent sexual curiosity. There’s a playfulness to it.
Robbins: It seems like your sexuality never stops evolving.
Chambers: Well, I love to experiment. I use my vibrators all the time. I practice having orgasms. I play with myself at least once a day.
Robbins: Are great cocksuckers born, not made?
Chambers: No, they are made. Suck is the key word here. A man enjoys getting the head of his cock sucked. It shouldn’t be called a “blow job” —it is essentially a suck job. You don’t even have to use your hands. You just do it with a whole section of your mouth.
Robbins: If yo u were lo use those mouth muscles on any celebrity in the world, who would be the lucky man?
Chambers: Clint Eastwood. I wrote a whole fantasy about him in Globe. magazine. He loved it.
Robbins: Do you feel that your career will soon transcend the porn genre?
Chambers: Absolutely: I’ve appeared on Speak Up America!, the Tomorrow show and several network specials. I’ve shared the set with people like Barbara Feldon, Geraldo Rivera and Tom Snyder. I’m starring in an R-rated horror film called Rabbit, which has just opened. And there’s another R-rated movie in the works.
Robbins: Will the major studios take you seriously?
Chambers: Inevitably. I don’t want to film something like? Caligula because that was simulated sex. It was bullshit. If the guy isn’t really screwing the girl, then why do it?
Robbins: How do you feel about the business of prostitution?
Chambers: I don’t put these women down. My only comment is that if a man wants to pay for sex, he’d better get what he paid for. A hooker either has to be very good in bed or a good enough actress to fake it.
Robbins: Have you ever turned tricks?
Chambers: No. I don’t think I could take money for something so pleasurable!
Robbins: Do yo u want children someday?
Chambers: No, I can’t see it. I don’t particularly need them. I like my privacy.
Robbins: What is your ultimate ambition in life?
Chambers: I want to be world-famous. But more than that, I want to remain as happy as I am now. I don’t smoke or drink. I think I’ve got an excellent chance of achieving both goals.
Chuck Traynor: invisible genius
by Lisa Hoffman
Hoffman: Chuck, you’ve been able to maintain a love relationship with the person you manage. Marilyn feels that her success is due to your influence.
Traynor: You can only polish if the silver is good, you know. I’m around to remind Marilyn, “Never believe your own hype.” If you get too swellheaded then you get impossible to handle. I would never handle anyone who refused to sign autographs. You simply can’t be an entertainer if you’re the only person who thinks you’re great. And that’s the kind of person I look for—someone who can handle that aspect of fame.
Hoffman: Was Marilyn hard to handle in the beginning?
Traynor: She was a very fast learner. If you explain to her why something works, she’ll listen to you.
Hoffman: Where does her career go from here?
Traynor: Marilyn is going on 27. Her career has no built-in limits. There are limits in the X-rated business, and that’s why our next movie is going to be R-rated. We’ll continue to focus on the theatre also because Marilyn has been very successful on stage.
Hoffman: Does it ever bother you that the woman you love has sex with other men?
Traynor: No, because I don’t equate physical pleasure with emotional togetherness. I would get very upset if some man were holding her hand and whispering in her ear.
Hoffman: How about somebody making love to her off the movie set?
Traynor: That doesn’t bother me either. Sex is really a form of enjoyment. Our society has made it a no-no and placed it in a closet. I really don’t think it belongs there.
Hoffman: Your former wife, Linda Lovelace, made some nasty accusations about you in her book, Ordeal. What was your reaction?
Traypor: Frankly, I was very surprised. Despite her claims to the contrary, Linda enjoyed the business. She was very into being a big star. In fact , she started believing her own hype. She went off on her own and did some straight movies and plays that went nowhere. Right now I doubt if she could get on a stage with a mop.
Hoffman: Did you ever consider suing Linda’s publisher?
Traynor: Yes, but litigation would have meant that they could deposition people like Sammy Davis, Hugh Hefner and myself. Any lawsuit would have just sold more copies of her book. I’ll say this: I have proof that she was a full partner from the very beginning. She was never forced into anything.
Hoffman: On to a happier topic. What sort of social life do you and Marilyn have?
Traynor: I’m a mountain man, actually. I live 8,000 feet up in the Sierra Nevada mountains about 65 miles north of Las Vegas. I’m a loner. I mean, I have plenty of friends and business associates, but my social life ideally consists of mountains and woods. It’s hard to find that kind of retreat amidst the discos and night clubs of London, though. We just got back from an
eight-month run in England.
Hoffman: What are your personal feelings about Marilyn?
Traynor: As her manager, my feelings are governed by business. Personally, of course, I’m very fond of her. We’ve been together a long time. Marilyn is a sex symbol and I like to stay invisible. If Bo Derek wants to remain a superstar, John Derek will have to be invisible.
Hoffman: So you’re sort of like the Rex Harrison character in My Fair Lady—the man who knows how to spot raw talent and is therefore able to bring forth the beauty.
Traynor: Exactly. I’d get very depressed if other males quit looking at Marilyn. I’d feel as if I were failing. As long as they keep looking, I’m thrilled!
The Forbidden Book of Beauty 
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