The Auteurs of 'Inside Deep Throat'

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross

Published March 10, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

Filmmakers Fenton Bailey (left) and Randy Barbato.

Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato are the team behind Inside Deep Throat, a documentary about the porn classic Deep Throat. We talk with them about their movie -- and the original, which went from obscurity to popular fame. It also became immensely successful, earning more than $500 million over the years after an initial cost of $25,000.

The 1972 Deep Throat got nationwide attention, transformed the pornography industry, turned Linda Lovelace into a porn star -- and led to a crackdown on obscenity. Bailey and Barbato are also the team behind the documentaries The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Monica in Black and White.

Terry Gross

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.