Here’s A Fascinating And Disturbing “True Hollywood Story!”
Traci Lords was Hollywood’s “Golden Girl” and why not? She looked every bit the Hollywood Star!
Today is her 54th birthday – happy happy day to her!
However, if you don’t know the Traci Lords story, you are missing one of the most disturbing tales of Hollywood excess. Now, thanks to an incredible new podcast, the whole story is being told!
“Once Upon A Time In The Valley!”
This “valley” is San Fernando Valley, which in the 1980’s because the epicenter of the world’s adult film industry. It was there that Traci Lords became a star – and then upended the business.
Her troubling story is being told in a compelling podcast that just premiered! Here’s how the Producers describe it:
“Before there were sex tapes, there were sex tapes. Before there were stars who became bigger stars when their private porn went public, there were porn stars. Traci Lords. The first, the best, the O.G. Hardcore since ’84.”
This new podcast is from the Peabody-nominated C13Originals studios and Vanity Fair’s Lili Anolik, featuring the great “Rialto Report” Creator Ashley West.
As they describe their show:
“In the roaring 1980s X world, Traci Lords reigned supreme. No one questioned her right to sovereignty. Only, it turned out, the biggest star in Adult, wasn’t one. As America would discover in July 1986, when the FBI busted down her door. Traci Lords was really Nora Kuzma, who entered the industry as a 15-year-old high school sophomore.”
Yes, she was an underaged porn star!
They go on to tease their show this way:
“Traci, the victim, was saved. And the industry, the villain, was very nearly destroyed. But what if the victim here was also the villain; the villain, also the victim? Once Upon a Time… in the Valley is the world’s first real-life psychological thriller and porno-noir mystery. Just think Boogie Nights—if Boogie Nights had a three-way with Gone Girl and A Star is Born.”
I was hooked!
This is a shot of Traci after she was of legal age, and all of the underage material is rightly off the commercial market – but there will always be “underground” ways to find it – and Lords herself did many photo shoots afterwards to take advantage of the notoriety:
The podcast documentary tells Traci’s story – in her own words:
Lords wrote her autobiography, which went into all aspects of her life, and the podcast quotes from that book to let Traci tell the story of her descent into porn:
However, Anolik and West then give the adult film industry to tell THEIR SIDE of events as well – and wow, talk about two sides to every story!
Lords went on to have a successful career in cult films and mainstream TV since her time in the “XXX” world, but this is the first time an exhaustive look at her story – from all sides – has been done.
Ashley West is part of the show, and is a foremost expert on the golden age of adult filmmaking and the performers who stars, produced and directed them.
He also runs this terrific website and podcast:
The Rialto Report is a great website, filled with profiles of some of adult film’s greatest stars.
He has great features and interviews with some of the great adult film stars of all time. West did a great interview with this performer:
Sharon Kelly was a great cult film Actress in the 70’s, who was also “Adult” star Colleen Brennan – and she gave a really fun interview to the Rialto Report podcast that is terrific – you can see more of her story by clicking here:
Kelly’s terrific interview with Lesley forms a terrific biography of her, in her own words…check out all of Ashley West’s great stuff by clicking on his website here!
https://www.therialtoreport.com
West also has a fascinating “True Hollywood Story” podcast about the legendary Pat Harrington:
She starred in films, was an exotic dancer, and had a personal life you have to hear to believe! See more of that story here:
Sadly, many of the adult stars of the 70’s and 80’s have died tragically – here is another one:
Rene Bond starred in cult films of all ratings, and her death was a tragic loss as well…you can see more of her work by clicking on my story here:
If you like these stories, go to my website’s front page and sign on to follow me – there are NO ads at all, just lots of stories to come about the wild world of exploitation and cult films!
Click here and see the “follow” button on the upper right!
Let me know if you’ve listened to any of this terrific new podcast, and if you like this story please share on social media with friends!
Categories: Books / Media, Cult Classics, Exploitation Films, Extreme Cinema, JRsploitation, Nudity, sex kittens, Sexploitation Films, Talent / Celebrites
JR-Sploitation! 
Traci certainly was a huge name in the XXX industry at one time. I even heard of her in England.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, this story is a perfect example of the adage: “there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the whole darn truth!”
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I don’t think you have to know any of the players to find this extremely entertaining. Thanks for the post!
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Yes, a fascinating story with lots of points of view to be sure – thanks for reading!
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There was so many facts and contradictions that make it very compelling from each point of view, did she do it or not is only for her to know. I am sure there is some in the FBI that also know but for us to know is not in the cards or we would already know. She will deny her past but for us who are old enough to know better we will know of her squeals and moans that made her a legend even if she was older than her age.
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Don’t know if you listened to the podcast but there are a lot of people featured who question how this all came down and who was behind it with Traci…fascinating story but troubling of course as well…thanks for the comment and insight!
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Oh yes, I listened to it and have a friend listening to it now so we can have a discussion about it, she has no idea who Traci is, so it will more certainly be an interesting conversation. The old audios of Traci in her own words from when you did interviews, she did while in the business to what she says now is dramatically different.
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