David Denby was once an acolyte of legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael. "At the time of 'Deep Throat' [in 1972]," Denby recalled, "she wanted to know what the porn craze was about, and demanded that I take her to a theatre on the then lewdly outfitted Seventh Avenue. She was the only woman in the room. Onscreen, one of the studs melted for an instant [lost his erection] and Pauline let out a loud, disappointed 'Awww.' Men in black raincoats sitting nearby rustled in their seats. After a few minutes, two rounded bottoms appeared, juxtaposed one on top of the other, and Pauline said, 'That's sort of sweet.' The raincoats turned and glared angrily in our direction; some of them stalked out..."

["In 1970, I sat with her in the rear of a theatre showing the prissy costume epic 'Cromwell,'" Denby also recalled. "Richard Harris, dressed in barrel bloomers as Cromwell, stamped his foot angrily, and Pauline, in mock sympathy, cried, 'Oh, drat!' convulsing the back third of the house."]