> Hank Rose writes John T. Bone on www.johntbone.com: Dear Mr. T Bone:

Happy Holidays. Forgive my anonymity. I’m Hank Rose, a former B performer and producer. Been away from the biz going on 9 years. After I lost my dad I was lucky to find a good wife to take care of me in my retirement.

But lately, even though she is less than 3 years away from her retirement, my wife’s income is barely enough to support us and I find myself drawn back to porn to help make ends meet in a 40 something comeback bid.

I have been reading some highly entertaining copy at your website. There are many witty blog writers in this industry who shine without the benefit of trade publication bylines. Ron Sullivan is one. And you are another.

(I didn’t know Ron had a blog , could somebody send me the url please?)

So I thought I’d write you for some advice on an old project. I once produced a campy feature called The Raunchy Porno Picture Show back in the early 90s. It was originally sold to and released by John Arnone and Filmco with two box covers, one of which I designed myself.

Lately I noticed that the title was among the top 50 most popular at IAFD and so I set out to promote it online on a lark. As a result, the title which was long lost has suddenly been re-released by Filmco after more than 15 years.

I was hoping its datedness would make it exempt from the latest draconian record keeping laws. I was the Associate Producer listed under the name Sid Benini and did a cameo under the stage name Vince Del Rio. Why? My partner is long gone. And it’s a long story.

Back in the day after it was in the can, I gave a copy to our cameraman, Randy Detroit, who unpaid in full by my partner, promptly sold it to the late Mickey Blank. Another screener I never got back from Raw Talent’s Stan Brundt, from whose possession it also mysteriously disappeared.

Yet despite having been through the ringer so to speak in terms of crooks and scumbags through the years, I managed to do ok with domestic and foreign rights. Although its sale being was compromised by unscrupulous elements at the time, it has survived somewhat intact.

It symbolized my unrealized production potential, and I still have many original ideas for new age product that would stand out too well to be ripped off. Be that as it may, I was always a hapless victim of the sharks in the biz.

I know porn rules have changed and old video black hats have been replaced by new cyber media pimps. But how should I go about doing a sequel to this cute old school porn show? And could you help me find a backer and distributor?

Season’s Greetings,

Hank Rose, East Porn Valley, CA