meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Rialto Report

Nina Hartley: The Importance Of Being (With) Earnest – Podcast 47

The Rialto Report

Ashley West

Arts, Performing Arts, Tv & Film

4.8531 Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2015

⏱️ 106 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For the first time on The Rialto Report, we feature a current day adult film performer. But the twist is that Nina Hartley is also one of the true stars of the golden age, having appeared scores of films since her start in 1984.

By any standards, Nina is a unique person.

The daughter of a socialist blacklisted writer, she was raised in Berkeley, CA and became a registered nurse whilst dancing at the Mitchell Brothers’ O’Farrell theater.

For many years she was married in a troubled menage-a-trois arrangement, having both a husband and a wife.

And since 1984 she has acted, directed and produced over 400 films, covering many types of sexuality, and even had a role in the hit mainstream film, ‘Boogie Nights’.

Today Nina is widely respected as a pro-sexuality feminist, and one of most outspoken supporters of the adult industry and free speech issues. Her fights have taken her to speaking to state legislatures, and national TV shows as Oprah.

She is married to Ira Levine, also known as Ernest Greene, legendary BDSM and fetish filmmaker and editor of Hustler’s Taboo Magazine.

And she is still going strong, still speaking out, even appearing as Hillary Clinton in a recent lesbian film.

So how does she remember starting out? How has the industry changed since those early years? And has she really been having a long-running affair with a school friend she first met in high school?

This episode also features Carol Queen, author, editor, and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement, and Nina’s close friend for many years.

(The above image is from the Suze Randall archives).

This episode running time is 101 minutes.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________This

Nina Hartley

Find more of Nina’s photos, videos and writings on her website.

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

Nina HartleyNina Hartley & Sharon Mitchell

Nina HartleyNina Hartley & Ernest Greene

Nina Hartley

 

The post Nina Hartley: The Importance Of Being (With) Earnest – Podcast 47 appeared first on The Rialto Report.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If they have feminist-induced guilt over liking to look at naked ladies, it's like, I'm here to say, dudes, you're heterosexual.

0:07.2

Of course you like to look at naked ladies.

0:09.3

That's part of the deal.

0:10.9

Stop feeling guilty about that.

0:13.1

And make sure that these circumstances under which you look at naked ladies is one that you can philosophically and politically support, i.e., you pay for legal porn.

0:22.1

We are tested. We are of aid. We were paid. And we gave consent. So you can watch us guilt-free.

0:28.4

Even if we're doing weird shit, you can rest assured that we're fine. Thank you very much. Please watch again.

0:34.3

Now, if you're blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fashion sits?

0:41.7

For the first time on the Rialto report, we feature a current day adult performer.

0:50.5

But the twist is that Nina Hartley is also one of the true stars of the Golden Age, having appeared in scores of films since her starred in 1984.

0:58.0

By any standards, Nina is a unique person.

1:02.0

The daughter of a socialist blacklisted writer, she was raised in Berkeley, California, and became a registered nurse while dancing at the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater.

1:12.7

For many years, she was married in a troubled menagerie-twa arrangement, having both a husband

1:17.9

and a wife, and since 1984, she's acted, directed, and produced over 400 films, covering

1:25.1

many types of sexuality. She even had a role in the hit mainstream film Boogie Nights.

1:30.7

To get a sense of who Nina is, I called Carol Queen, author, editor, and sexologist,

1:36.7

active in the sex-positive feminist movement, and Nina's close friend for many years.

1:42.8

Like everyone else in the universe, I met Nina on the screen.

1:46.8

When I met her in person, I was a little bit in that space, I think, about who she was on

1:52.3

screen, but I found her extremely personable and essentially the same person that she was on

1:59.5

screen.

2:00.5

She was such a source of nature. She was so natural and really

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ashley West, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ashley West and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.