# Sherpix

Sherpix, Inc. was an American independent film distribution company that operated in the US and Canada between 1965 and 1974. Louis K. Sher founded the distributor as a subsidiary of his arthouse cinema chain Art Theatre Guild (ATG), which owned dozens of theaters throughout the United States. Sherpix specialized in art films, foreign films, erotica, and later pornographic films. The company's porn releases challenged the prevailing obscenity laws in the United States. Sherpix oriented its marketing to open-minded middle-class audiences, including young couples, rather than the "dirty old men" typically associated with adult movie theaters.

## History

Sherpix formally opened for business on April 15, 1965. In 1968 Sherpix distributed Flesh and Lonesome Cowboys, both directed by Andy Warhol. The company achieved a box-office success with its release of the 1969 softcore feature The Stewardesses. In 1970, the company made two major breakthroughs for pornography in the United States. First, it brought the American documentary Pornography in Denmark: A New Approach to cities beyond its premiere in San Francisco. Pornography in Denmark became the first feature-length hardcore porn film legally screened in the United States. The same year, Sherpix distributed Mona, a porn film structured around a fictional plot, which broke ground as the first non-documentary hardcore feature screened at American theaters.
Though Sherpix's early successes generated significant profits, providing the company with a major financial windfall, it was ultimately unable to capitalize on the ensuing peak years of the Golden Age of Porn. The company funded production of the surreal gay erotic film Pink Narcissus, which Sherpix released in 1971. James Bidgood, the director of Pink Narcissus, chose to remain anonymous in the film's credits due to his dissatisfaction with Sherpix's final cut, which he felt had compromised his artistic control. As a prime target for anti-obscenity prosecutors, the company faced numerous legal challenges, significantly constraining its financial resources. In 1973 Sher was convicted in Washington, D.C. of obscenity charges. Unable to sustain the company under the legal scrutiny and financial strain, in January 1974 Sher announced the company's imminent dissolution. The company disincorporated on March 1, 1974, and the following year the charges against Sher were dismissed on appeal.

## List of films distributed by Sherpix

For films initially released outside the United States, the listed release dates indicates the American premiere.
| Release date | Title | Notes |
| June 30, 1965 | Crazy Paradise | Originally released in Denmark as Det tossede paradis. Sherpix's first release. Re-released in the US in 1966 by Allied Artists under the title Once Upon an Island. |
| July 2, 1965 | 00-2 Most Secret Agents | Originally released in Italy as 00-2 agenti segretissimi. Re-released in the US in 1966 by Allied Artists under the title Oh! Those Most Secret Agents! |
| July 5, 1967 | Eros | Originally released in Brazil as Noite Vazia; also known in English as Men and Women. |
| September 26, 1968 | Flesh | |
| December 20, 1968 | Lonesome Cowboys | |
| July 25, 1969 | The Stewardesses | |
| November 16, 1969 | Popcorn: An Audio/Visual Rock Thing | |
| November 26, 1969 | Naked Zodiac | |
| December 24, 1969 | Without a Stitch | |
| February 24, 1970 | Pornography in Denmark: A New Approach | |
| March 4, 1970 | Satanis: The Devil's Mass | |
| April 1970 | Meat Rack | |
| August 1970 | Sesso | Originally released in Italy as Nel labirinto. |
| August 6, 1970 | Mona the Virgin Nymph | |
| August 19, 1970 | The Love Doll | |
| September 21, 1970 | Not So Quiet Days | Originally released in Denmark as Stille dage i Clichy. The original English title is Quiet Days in Clichy. Grove Press distributed its original theatrical release in the United States; it was later re-released by Sherpix under the alternate title Not So Quiet Days. |
| October 6, 1970 | A History of the Blue Movie | |
| October 15, 1970 | The Story of F | |
| October 30, 1970 | Sexual Encounter Group | |
| November 1970 | Hollywood Blue | |
| December 17, 1970 | The Coming Thing | |
| May 24, 1971 | Pink Narcissus | |
| October 11, 1971 | Punishment Park | |
| April 3, 1972 | Weed | |