Georgina Spelvin

Shelley Bob Graham<ref name="morningrecord"/><ref name="glaws.org">Template:Cite web</ref> (born March 1, 1936), known professionally as Georgina Spelvin, is an American former actress and pornographic performer, best known as the star of the classic 1973 pornographic film The Devil in Miss Jones, released during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984).

Life and career

Early life

Spelvin was born in Houston, Texas, at 2:24 pm<ref name="glaws.org"/> on March 1, 1936, as Shelley Bob Graham.<ref name=Texas>Template:Cite book</ref> Her father was a geophysicist, and the family moved frequently.<ref name="glaws.org"/> She often took dancing lessons during childhood.<ref name="glaws.org"/> She graduated from high school in 1954.<ref name="glaws.org"/>

New York City

Graham began her professional career as dancer and later as a chorus girl<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Pajama Game, and was featured in the Broadway productions of Cabaret,<ref name="auto"/> Guys and Dolls, and Sweet Charity.<ref name="Georgina">'Georgina Spelvin: The Devil, Miss Jones, and the New York Years', The Rialto Report: Audio interview with Georgina Spelvin</ref><ref name="TM-20050329">Template:Cite magazine</ref> During that time, she changed the spelling of her name to "Chele Graham", but kept the pronunciation the same.<ref name=people /><ref name=Herald /><ref name="auto" /> When performance offers dwindled, she worked in theater production as a choreographer, director, and lighting technician in a number of musicals,<ref name=lewiston1>Template:Cite news</ref> which led to the underground film scene.

Pornography

The stage name she adopted is a variation on George Spelvin, traditionally used as a pseudonym by stage actors for the second billing, when playing two roles.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

She made her first movie, The Twilight Girls, a softcore film, in 1957,<ref name=Georgina /> and appeared in a few sexploitation features during the late 1960s.

Graham moved into porn when her friend, actor Marc Stevens, introduced her to adult film director Gerard Damiano.<ref name=Georgina /> She became one of the best-known figures in hardcore pornography for her starring role in The Devil in Miss Jones in 1973.

In 1973, Robert Berkvist, writing in The New York Times, commented that "'Miss Jones' is as familiar in [the respectable and well-to-do New York suburb of] Scarsdale as she is on Broadway."Template:Citation needed

In 1974, she appeared in the low-budget exploitation film Girls For Rent (aka I Spit on Your Corpse), for which she also served as costume designer.

In 1974, while living in Maine, she was charged with transporting obscene materials across state lines for her film Devil in Miss Jones in Tennessee.<ref name="people">Template:Cite web</ref> The charges were eventually dropped in 1977.<ref name=Herald>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1975, she moved to El Cajon, California, with Claire Lumiere (aka Judith Hamilton), met Vince Miranda and appeared in Take It Off at his theatre, the Off-Broadway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Spelvin appeared in more than 70 adult films, such as Desires Within Young Girls (1977), Sensual Encounters of Every Kind (1978), Honky Tonk Nights (1978), The Ecstasy Girls (1979), Ring of Desire (1981), and Center Spread Girls (1982), before retiring from the industry in 1982.<ref name=Texas/>

Later life

Spelvin made cameo appearances in Police Academy (1984)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986). She later had film roles in Bad Blood (1989), in which she was credited as "Ruth Raymond", Return to Justice (1990), and Next Year in Jerusalem (1997), as well as guest-starring roles on the television shows Dream On and The Lost World.

Spelvin learned desktop publishing and worked for the Los Angeles Times<ref name=Texas/> until retiring from its staff in 2004.<ref name="glaws.org"/>

In 2004, she made a cameo appearance in Vivid Video's remake of The Devil in Miss Jones, titled The New Devil in Miss Jones.<ref name="georgierocks">Template:Cite news</ref> Her role did not involve any sex acts. In 2005, she was interviewed for the documentary film Inside Deep Throat. In 2006, she was interviewed for the documentary film Devil in Miss Spelvin, a special feature intended for inclusion with Devil in Miss Jones: The Definitive Collector's Edition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2009, she appeared as herself in the video for Massive Attack's song "Paradise Circus."<ref name="paradise">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2011, Spelvin was a guest on an episode (season 1, episode 5) of the Showtime series Dave's Old Porn, in which she viewed and discussed clips from a number of her films (including The Devil in Miss Jones) with host Dave Attell and guest Adam Carolla. In 2017, Spelvin was interviewed in the documentary After Porn Ends 2, about her career in porn.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Spelvin met her future husband, actor John Welsh,<ref name="imdb.com"/> in 1983.

Autobiography

In May 2008, she published her autobiography, The Devil Made Me Do It,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and appeared on camera in a short web clip announcing its release; a self-published work, the book is available through her official website.<ref name="devilmade">Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

Wins

• 1976: AFAA Best Supporting Actress for Ping Pong <ref name="rame">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1977: AFAA Best Actress for Desires Within Young Girls<ref name="rame"/>
• 1977: Golden Age of Porn Walk of Fame<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1978: AFAA Best Supporting Actress for Take Off<ref name="rame"/>
• 1979: AFAA Best Supporting Actress for Ecstasy Girls<ref name="rame"/>
• 1980: AFAA Best Supporting Actress for Urban Cowgirls<ref name="rame"/>
• 1981: AFAA Best Actress for Dancers<ref name="rame"/>
• 1991: XRCO Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name="XRCO1991">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1991: Free Speech Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• AVN Hall of Fame<ref name="AVN HOF">Template:Cite news</ref>
• XRCO Hall of Fame<ref name="XRCO">Template:Cite news</ref>

Nominations

• 2006: AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for The New Devil in Miss Jones<ref name="AVN2006">Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:IMDb name
• Template:IAFD name
• Template:Afdb name
• Georgina Spelvin Template:Webarchive at The Greater Los Angeles Writers Society
• Georgina Spelvin: The Devil, Miss Jones, and the New York Years (Audio interview Podcast), The Rialto Report
• Template:Cite book