Cinemation Industries was a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

-based film studio and distributor owned, run and founded by

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

producer Jerry Gross.

History

Gross released ''Girl on a Chain Gang'' (1966) and achieved success with Cinemation's release of

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit se ...

s such as ''

Inga ''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" ''The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. ''Inga''s l ...

'' and ''

Fanny Hill ''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'' – popularly known as ''Fanny Hill'' – is an erotic novel by the English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748 and 1749. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagne ...

'' (both 1968). Among other films, the company has distributed

s such as ''Shanty Tramp'' (1967), '' Teenage Mother'' (1967), and ''

The Cheerleaders ''The Cheerleaders'' is a 1973 erotic comedy film directed by Paul Glickler, starring Stephanie Fondue and Denise Dillaway. Plot Jeannie, a spirited student at Amarosa High School, found herself at a crossroads. Encouraged by her friends Bonn ...

'' (1973) as well as two

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

films '' The Black Six'' (1974), and ''

The Black Godfather ''The Black Godfather'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon. The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black ...

'' (1974). The company, however, also distributed unexpected smash hit independent films like

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the early 2020s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pa ...

' ''

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'' is a 1971 American independent blaxploitation action thriller film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small ro ...

'' (1971) and

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (; born October 29, 1938) is a Mandatory Palestine-born American retired animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent anim ...

's ''

Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a tabby cat who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began drawing ...

'' (1972). Other films released by the distributor include

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his a ...

's ''

Idaho Transfer ''Idaho Transfer'' is a 1973 science fiction film directed by Peter Fonda. It stars Kelley Bohanon, The IMDb lists her first name with the spelling "Kelly". It is spelled "Kelley" in the credits of the film. Kevin Hearst, Dale Hopkins, and K ...

'' (1973),

Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director whose filmmaking career spanned over 60 years, from the late 1930s until the late 2000s. One of the most celebrated British cinemato ...

' '' Son of Dracula'' (1974),

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct short films including '' Night and Fog ...

' ''

Stavisky ''Stavisky...'' is a 1974 French biographical drama film based on the life of the financier and embezzler Alexandre Stavisky and the circumstances leading to his mysterious death in 1934. This gave rise to a political scandal known as the Stavis ...

'' (1975), and the film version of ''

Oh! Calcutta! ''Oh! Calcutta!'' is an avant-garde, risqué theatrical revue created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in the West End in 1970. It ran in ...

'' (1972). It handled the American rights for the Italian animated feature ''

The Magic Bird ''The Magic Bird'' () is a 1968 Italian animated film. It is also known as ''Perils of Problemina''. See also * List of animated feature films: 1960s References External links * 1968 animated films 1968 films Italian animated feature films ...

'', originally titled ''Putiferio va alla guerra''. The company went bankrupt in late 1975, and all of its films in its catalog have been distributed by other companies. Jerry Gross resurfaced (after reportedly working as a clerk at a

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...

store) a few years later with a new company, the Jerry Gross Organization.

References

Mass media companies established in 1965 Mass media companies disestablished in 1976 Defunct American film studios Film distributors of the United States Film production companies of the United States Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1975 1965 establishments in New York City 1976 disestablishments in New York (state) {{film-studio-stub