C. Davis Smith

Somebody asked me to write a book about my experiences I was gonna title it Twenty Years in the Porn Business and I Never Got Laid Sadly its a true story Exploitation movie jackofalltrades Charles Davis Smith was born on June 18 1930 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania Following a tour of duty in the US Air Force Smith began his cinematic career in the industrial film business in the 1950s He went on to shoot edit direct write and even act in numerous lowbudget softcore sexploitation features made throughout the 1960s After a stint working in mainstream television Smith returned to his trash film roots and shot a handful of hardcore porn movies made in and around New York City in the 1970s He is perhaps best known for his work as a cinematographer on a string of films for legendary DoItYourself maverick schlock cinema auteur Doris Wishman among them Bad Girls Go to Hell 1965 Another Day Another Man 1966 Deadly Weapons 1974 Double Agent 73 1974 Satan Was a Lady 1975 and A Night to Dismember 1983 In addition he also shot movies for such directors as Victor Milt Cecil Howard and Zebedy Colt Moreover Smith edited music videos for The Manhattans Stevie Ray Vaughan and RunDMC He provided lively entertaining and illuminating commentaries on DVD reissues of assorted enjoyably downndirty grindhouse features that he worked on in various capacities during his colorful and impressive East Coast underground cinema career Smith died at age 87 on September 20 2017