Deep Throat: Everett Collection

Deep Throat

THE CONTROVERSY At the time of its release, this X-rated film, in which Linda Lovelace (left) portrayed an anatomically unique woman who found sexual pleasure only in administering oral sex, was the most notorious hardcore film yet to receive mainstream attention.

THE FIRESTORM Deep Throat faced more legal challenges than any movie since Birth of a Nation. Costar Harry Reems (right) was convicted on federal conspiracy charges, though his conviction was later tossed. Courts across America tried to ban the film on the grounds of obscenity, which only raised the movie's hipness quotient, leading celebrities and suburbanites to stand in line to see it.

THE AFTERMATH The film grossed untold millions, made a star of sorts of Lovelace (who later renounced her porn career and claimed she'd been coerced into making the film), and inspired the nickname by which reporter Bob Woodward referred to W. Mark Felt, his secret Watergate source.