John Jesnor Lindsay
Encyclopedia
John Jesnor Lindsay is a Scottish former photographer who turned to the more lucrative trade of making blue movies during the late 60s and all the way through the 70s. A former student of the Glasgow School of Art
, Lindsay had begun his career as a photojournalist with limited financial success. In a hint of what was to come later, by the late sixties Lindsay had turned to photographing nudes for magazines like Penthouse
and Mayfair
.
Lindsay filmed his short films on 16 mm film
for distribution on 8 mm film
as that was the major market. Hardcore pornography was just around the corner and, by 1974, Lindsay had shot around 100 blue films for the 8mm market. Ultimately, Lindsay would become as synonymous with blue films in the 1970s as Harrison Marks
had with glamour photography in the 1960s.
themed films included Sex After School, Schoolgirl Joyride and most famously Jolly Hockey Sticks.
While the "schoolgirls" who appeared in Lindsay’s films were clearly nothing of the sort, on at least one occasion the settings were accurate. During his 1977 trial it emerged that at least eleven of Lindsay’s films had been filmed at Aston Manor
, a secondary school in Birmingham. Classroom Lover starred 19 year old David Freeman, a former head boy, and Colin Richards who was a school caretaker. Upon being found not guilty Lindsay announced his intention to produce Britain’s first feature length hardcore film and fight the British censor to have it released. Although the film never materialized Lindsay was dubbed "the blue movie freedom fighter" by the press, an image he endorsed in adverts for his films which claim "I risked my freedom to give YOU the right to buy them." Several of his post 1977 films also open with a written notice that mention his trials and his not guilty verdicts.
Most of Lindsay’s blue films—it is sometimes claimed that he made in the region of 400—have basic, straight to the point plots and titles. Sex Ahoy features sex on a yacht, Convent of Sin finds two motorists falling foul of sex crazed nuns and Oh Nurse features sex between nurses and patients. A more eccentric title Gipsies Curse (sic) sees a female gypsy attempting to sell flowers to a housewife who then bashes the gypsy over the head with the flowers. They get into a catfight that eventually ends in a threesome
when the gypsy’s husband (Timothy Blackstone) shows up. Sexangle and Health Farm (both 1975) are two of Lindsay’s more ambitious efforts, running at over twenty minutes each, and the only Lindsay titles with any continuity between films as both feature the same lead character—the buxom Lady Samantha.
in at least nine different roles—Woolf is only credited with playing one part, but played several others under heavy make-up. Lindsay also hired the famous "page three" Model Flanagan
to play a bit part in the film, although most of the women who appear in small nude roles in the film were in fact strippers recruited from a nightclub in Dean Street
—the nightclub was also a setting for a scene in the film. The Pornbrokers, a documentary style look at Lindsay’s work in pornography, was banned by the British censor but passed as X by the Greater London Council for a limited release in the capital. The Pornbrokers received an unlikely plug in the 1974 comedy Vampira
in a scene where Dracula (David Niven
) and Teresa Graves
go to see the film at the Jacey cinema in Trafalgar square
.
Apart from in The Pornbrokers Lindsay speaks about his career in Naughty (1971) directed by Stanley Long
, Mary Millington’s True Blue Confessions (1980), Sex and Fame: the Mary Millington Story (1996), and The History of Hardcore (2001).
He was also the stills photographer for Derek Ford
’s The Wife Swappers
(1969), and can be seen in the film taking stills during the second version of the scene in which a woman is kidnapped on Westminster Bridge.
After the not guilty verdict Lindsay began openly selling his 8 mm films in the UK anyway, he also discovered a legal loophole in which hardcore films could be screened in British cinemas if they were run on a "Membership Only" club basis. Membership Only cinemas worked on the principle that the premises had to be privately owned, and that customers had to sign a form which instantly made them members. Such cinemas had been using this loophole to show soft core sex films since 1960, when Tony Tenser
opened the Compton Cinema Club in London’s Soho. On account of this legal loophole these cinemas were free to show material without it first being passed by the British censor, and would also be immune to prosecution under the obscene publications act.
By the early 70’s the staple diet of such cinemas were soft American films, albeit often with a violent S&M bent e.g. Love Camp 7, Mondo Fruedo, The Smut Peddler. Lindsay would be the first to introduce hardcore films to the membership only cinemas when he opened the London Blue Movie Centre in Berwick Street and the Taboo Club in Great Newport Street, the latter promising its customers "good uncensored porn in all its intricate cock raising forms." Other rival cinemas followed suit, notably the Cineclub 24 in Tottenham Court Road
, the aforementioned Compton Cinema, and the Exxon cinema club run by David Waterfield in Danbury Street, Islington.
+ -indicates films cited at Lindsay’s obscenity trials.
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
, Lindsay had begun his career as a photojournalist with limited financial success. In a hint of what was to come later, by the late sixties Lindsay had turned to photographing nudes for magazines like Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
and Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
.
Lindsay filmed his short films on 16 mm film
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
for distribution on 8 mm film
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
as that was the major market. Hardcore pornography was just around the corner and, by 1974, Lindsay had shot around 100 blue films for the 8mm market. Ultimately, Lindsay would become as synonymous with blue films in the 1970s as Harrison Marks
Harrison Marks
George Harrison Marks was a British glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films who was active in the fields for several decades.-Kamera and Pamela Green:...
had with glamour photography in the 1960s.
Works
Lindsay’s most notorious productions were his so-called "Teenage" or "Lolita" series of films, in which adult actresses portrayed British schoolgirls in a variety of pornographic scenarios—although it seems the same two school uniforms were recycled from film to film. The titles of these jailbaitJailbait
Jailbait is American English slang for a person who is younger than the legal age of consent for sexual activity, but physically mature enough to be mistaken for an adult and be considered sexually desirable...
themed films included Sex After School, Schoolgirl Joyride and most famously Jolly Hockey Sticks.
While the "schoolgirls" who appeared in Lindsay’s films were clearly nothing of the sort, on at least one occasion the settings were accurate. During his 1977 trial it emerged that at least eleven of Lindsay’s films had been filmed at Aston Manor
Aston Manor
Aston Manor was a local government district in what is now northern Birmingham, from the 19th century to 1911, when it was added to Birmingham.The Aston Manor Local Board of Health was formed in 1869, from part of the ancient parish of Aston...
, a secondary school in Birmingham. Classroom Lover starred 19 year old David Freeman, a former head boy, and Colin Richards who was a school caretaker. Upon being found not guilty Lindsay announced his intention to produce Britain’s first feature length hardcore film and fight the British censor to have it released. Although the film never materialized Lindsay was dubbed "the blue movie freedom fighter" by the press, an image he endorsed in adverts for his films which claim "I risked my freedom to give YOU the right to buy them." Several of his post 1977 films also open with a written notice that mention his trials and his not guilty verdicts.
Most of Lindsay’s blue films—it is sometimes claimed that he made in the region of 400—have basic, straight to the point plots and titles. Sex Ahoy features sex on a yacht, Convent of Sin finds two motorists falling foul of sex crazed nuns and Oh Nurse features sex between nurses and patients. A more eccentric title Gipsies Curse (sic) sees a female gypsy attempting to sell flowers to a housewife who then bashes the gypsy over the head with the flowers. They get into a catfight that eventually ends in a threesome
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
when the gypsy’s husband (Timothy Blackstone) shows up. Sexangle and Health Farm (both 1975) are two of Lindsay’s more ambitious efforts, running at over twenty minutes each, and the only Lindsay titles with any continuity between films as both feature the same lead character—the buxom Lady Samantha.
Other works
Lindsay also produced the feature films The Love Pill (1971), The Pornbrokers (1973), The Hot Girls (1974) and I’m Not Feeling Myself Tonight (1975). At least two of these were also filmed in hardcore versions for export. The Love Pill is notable for starring comic actor Henry WoolfHenry Woolf
Henry Woolf ,is a British actor, theatre director, and teacher of acting, drama, and theatre who lives in Canada, and a longtime friend and collaborator of 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, having stimulated Pinter to write his first play, The Room in 1956...
in at least nine different roles—Woolf is only credited with playing one part, but played several others under heavy make-up. Lindsay also hired the famous "page three" Model Flanagan
Flanagan (model)
Maureen Flanagan, best known by her stage name Flanagan, was an early tabloid model.She had an acting career in the late sixties/early seventies, mainly in bit parts on The Benny Hill Show, Monty Python and several British sex comedies. She also played the lead role in the Danish film The Loves of...
to play a bit part in the film, although most of the women who appear in small nude roles in the film were in fact strippers recruited from a nightclub in Dean Street
Dean Street
Dean Street is a street in Soho, London, England, running between Oxford Street to the north and Shaftesbury Avenue to the south.-Historical figures:The street has a rich history. In 1764 a young Mozart gave a recital at 21 Dean Street...
—the nightclub was also a setting for a scene in the film. The Pornbrokers, a documentary style look at Lindsay’s work in pornography, was banned by the British censor but passed as X by the Greater London Council for a limited release in the capital. The Pornbrokers received an unlikely plug in the 1974 comedy Vampira
Vampira (film)
Vampira is a 1974 comedy/horror film spoofing the vampire genre. It stars David Niven and Teresa Graves. Following the success of Young Frankenstein, Vampira was renamed Old Dracula for release in the United States in an attempt to cash in on Young Frankenstein's success.-Plot:Count Dracula is an...
in a scene where Dracula (David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
) and Teresa Graves
Teresa Graves
Teresa Graves was an American actress and singer. As the star of Get Christie Love!, Graves is credited as being the first African American woman to star in her own hour long drama television series....
go to see the film at the Jacey cinema in Trafalgar square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
.
Apart from in The Pornbrokers Lindsay speaks about his career in Naughty (1971) directed by Stanley Long
Stanley Long
Stanley Long , often known as Stanley A. Long, is a British Exploitation cinema and sexploitation filmmaker. He is a writer, cinematographer, editor, and eventually, producer/director of low-budget exploitation movies....
, Mary Millington’s True Blue Confessions (1980), Sex and Fame: the Mary Millington Story (1996), and The History of Hardcore (2001).
He was also the stills photographer for Derek Ford
Derek Ford
Derek Ford was an English film director and writer, most famous for sexploitation films such as The Wife Swappers Keep it Up Jack! Sex Express , and What's up Superdoc! .Ford began as a writer in collaboration with his brother Donald Ford , originally...
’s The Wife Swappers
The Wife Swappers
The Wife Swappers is a 1970 drama film by British sexploitation director Derek Ford. The film was directed and written by Derek Ford, and stars James Donnelly, Larry Taylor, and Valerie St...
(1969), and can be seen in the film taking stills during the second version of the scene in which a woman is kidnapped on Westminster Bridge.
Legality
Lindsay had numerous confrontations with the law and obscenity charges made against him, most notably October 1974 (jury unable to reach a majority verdict), 20 November 1974 (retrial: found not guilty) and July 1977 (found not guilty).First trials
Lindsay’s 1974 defence claimed he was shooting pornography for export only and that, prior to shooting such material, Lindsay had visited Scotland Yard and been told he would not be acting illegally if he was shooting porn for release outside of the UK. However the prosecution’s case argued that Lindsay's films were being offered for sale within the UK and that a homegrown distribution network for his films did exist.After the not guilty verdict Lindsay began openly selling his 8 mm films in the UK anyway, he also discovered a legal loophole in which hardcore films could be screened in British cinemas if they were run on a "Membership Only" club basis. Membership Only cinemas worked on the principle that the premises had to be privately owned, and that customers had to sign a form which instantly made them members. Such cinemas had been using this loophole to show soft core sex films since 1960, when Tony Tenser
Tony Tenser
Tony Tenser was an English-born film producer of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He specialised in producing Exploitation film movies and founded his own production company Tigon British Film Productions in 1966, which also made more mainstream films such as Witchfinder General and other horror films...
opened the Compton Cinema Club in London’s Soho. On account of this legal loophole these cinemas were free to show material without it first being passed by the British censor, and would also be immune to prosecution under the obscene publications act.
By the early 70’s the staple diet of such cinemas were soft American films, albeit often with a violent S&M bent e.g. Love Camp 7, Mondo Fruedo, The Smut Peddler. Lindsay would be the first to introduce hardcore films to the membership only cinemas when he opened the London Blue Movie Centre in Berwick Street and the Taboo Club in Great Newport Street, the latter promising its customers "good uncensored porn in all its intricate cock raising forms." Other rival cinemas followed suit, notably the Cineclub 24 in Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
, the aforementioned Compton Cinema, and the Exxon cinema club run by David Waterfield in Danbury Street, Islington.
Further legal issues
Police interest in Lindsay’s activities intensified towards the end of the seventies, his premises were raided several times and attempts were made to close Lindsay’s cinemas on charges of "running a disorderly house". Undercover police officers had become members of Lindsay’s cinema to gain evidence of this, in the hope of catching audience members masturbating. Lindsay alleges that an insider at Scotland Yard informed him that the police had been given orders to close his business down by all means necessary. In the early eighties Lindsay had also began selling compilations of his films on video, taking advantage of the then unregulated state of the British video industry, and selling them at £45 per tape through mail order (the tapes generally contained two or three films and rather uniquely professionally made trailers for other Lindsay titles). Lindsay’s Taboo video releases have since become collectors items and because of their scarcity are known to command high prices (a 1982 video of Betrayed and several other shorts recently sold for over 120 pounds on ebay). In 1983 Lindsay’s premises were again raided and he was sent to trial, this time he was found guilty of obscenity and served 12 months in prison. Lindsay alleges that the four videotapes seized that helped convict him were planted by the police. Upon his release he retired from pornography and opened a marine broking company in Kent. It is believed he may have recently moved back to his native Scotland.Notable discoveries
The following began their careers in Lindsay’s blue films and would later move on to more mainstream work, usually in the form of roles in British sex comedies or walk on parts in sitcoms.- Mary MillingtonMary MillingtonMary Millington was a British model and pornographic actress. She has been described as one of the "two hottest British sex film stars of the seventies", the other being Fiona Richmond....
appeared in several Lindsay titles and most notably the lead role in Miss Bohrloch before becoming the British sex symbol of the 1970s, thanks to appearances in magazines like Playbirds and Whitehouse.
- Pat AstleyPat AstleyPat Astley is a British actress best known for appearing in blue films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She also appeared as a regular, albeit uncredited, character in the comedy television series Are You Being Served? in 1976 and 1977. In 1984 she had a starring role in the horror film Don't Open...
played the maid in Lindsay’s End of Term before several years later appearing as Young Mr. Grace’s nurse in the 1977 season of Are You Being Served, as well as roles in British sex comedies and the low budget horror Don't Open Till ChristmasDon't Open Till Christmas-Plot:A murderer is running loose through the streets of London, hunting down men dressed as Santa and killing them all in different, and extremely violent, fashions. Inspector Harris has decided to take on the unenviable task of tracking down the psychopath, but he's going to have his work cut out...
.
- Timothy Blackstone was a blue movie leading man in several Lindsay shorts. He occasionally had minor roles in soft core feature films and was an extra in the Doctor Who story Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
. The brother of Baroness Blackstone, he was convicted of insider tradingInsider tradingInsider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
in 2003.
- Maureen O’Malley modelled and performed in blue films for Lindsay circa 1973. She is seen being interviewed and auditioning for Lindsay in his 1973 film The Pornbrokers. The authenticity of these scenes is questionable, but at the very least the film provides a reasonably believable reconstruction of O’Malley meeting Lindsay. O’Malley later went on to model for David Sullivan’s magazines under the name "Miss Mary Whitehouse".
- Lisa Taylor appeared in the infamous Lindsay short Jolly Hockey Sticks and later acted in several British sex comedies such as Under the Bed and Let’s Get Laid.
Partial filmography
- Miss Bohrloch (1970)
- Betrayed
- Oral Connection (1971)
- Wet Nymph
- Sex Angle
- Sex Ahoy
- Oh Nurse
- Desire
- Health Farm
- Jolly Hockey Sticks
- White Hunter +
- Convent of Sin +
- Triangle of Lust
- Boarding School
- End of Term
- Amanda at Night
- Fruits of Sin
- Hot Sensations
- Kiki and Lil
- Misadventure
- Sexational
- Sex kitten
- Untamed
+ -indicates films cited at Lindsay’s obscenity trials.
