RIP: MARILYN CHAMBERS

Marilyn Chambers, whose work ranged from a photograph on a laundry soap (Ivory Snow) package to pornographic films, was found dead in her home on Sunday in Santa Clarita, California. Chambers starred in the 1972 Behind the Green Door, which The New York Times describes as “a pornographic film about a woman who is abducted to a theater and ravished in front of an audience, ultimately to her great satisfaction, by both men and women.” Released the same year as Deep Throat, it “is generally credited with helping establish a mainstream market for pornography.” Chambers tried to cross over into mainstream acting with a small part in The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) and a role in David Kronenberg’s Rabid (1977), but remained in sex films. “I thought there would be a chance to cross over,” she once said. “Boy, was I wrong.” Chambers was 56.

And as you can see, she was one of the truly pretty of the early porn stars, most who seemed to be picked for their talents rather than their beauty. Remember, she actually was the model holding the baby on the Ivory Snow box when I was a teenager.