Jerry Gross

Jerry Gross was a semi-legendary exploitation movie producer/distributor, but--unlike his more notorious colleagues in the exploitation business such as Kroger Babb, David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney--very little is actually known about the man himself. He started in the film industry in the 1960s as a director, but found his forte in distribution--or, rather, outrageous film promotions. Sensationalized come-ons, titillating taglines, wildly suggestive posters and titles scored Gross hit after hit on the grindhouse/drive-in circuit throughout the 1970s. His company, Cinemation, released titles like I Drink Your Blood (1971), Teenage Mother (1967), The Seducers (1962) and I Eat Your Skin (1971). In the mid-'70s he was quoted as saying, "I guarantee that all these are selling titles. The public just cannot resist a film if the title drags them in. Stars don't matter. Titles do!". Gross didn't limit himself to just exploitation pictures, though. He also distributed important movies like Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) (although in a slightly re-cut version) but he is chiefly remembered for the sort of promotions that would have done P.T. Barnum proud (as would his name). When he released the first two "Mondo Cane" films--A Dog's Life (1962) and Mondo Cane 2 (1963)--on a double bill, he hired actors to dress up as native tribesmen and dance around cinemas to emphasize the films' subject matter of primitive rites. Gross' finest hour unfortunately spelled the beginning of the end. "I Eat Your Skin", I Spit on Your Grave (1978) and The Boogey Man (1980), all released by The Jerry Gross Origination, are fondly remembered and were big hits. By this time, however, major studios were securing a monopoly over America's screens and the smaller companies were quickly going bankrupt, which is eventually what happened to The Jerry Gross Origination. Gross' post-bankruptcy company Ambassador Pictures quickly went out of business. That was around 1983, and since then Jerry Gross seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.