Al Goldstein

Al Goldstein was a man who made magazines. His most famous magazine was called Screw. He wanted to write about adult topics.

He also made a show on TV. The show was called Midnight Blue. It ran for a very long time. He used the show to talk to many people.

Some people did not like his work. They said his magazines were not allowed. Al fought many cases in court. He wanted to keep his right to write.

He won a big case in court. This helped him keep making his work. He was a very busy man. He even drove a taxi.

Al Goldstein lived a long life. He was known for being a rebel. He wanted people to be left alone.

Al Goldstein was a man who made many things. He is most famous for his magazine called Screw. He and a partner started it in 1968. They each put in $175 to start the paper. At its best, the magazine sold 140,000 copies every week. It wrote about adult films and adult shows. Al wanted to write about topics that other books did not cover. He believed his work helped people understand sex better.

Al was a very busy man. He worked as a photographer in the Army. He also drove a taxi for many years. He even tried to run for sheriff in Florida. He wanted a world where people were left alone.

Some people did not like his magazines. They said his work was not allowed. Al was arrested 19 times for this. He spent millions of dollars on legal fights. He fought for his right to speak. In 1974, a judge dismissed a big case against him. This was a major win for Al. He also made a TV show called Midnight Blue. It ran on cable TV for nearly 30 years.

Alvin Goldstein was a man who spent his life making things that people found very controversial. He is most famous for starting a weekly magazine called Screw in New York City. In November 1968, he and his partner Jim Buckley each invested $175 to start the publication. The magazine was a tabloid that looked at the adult entertainment industry. It featured reviews of adult movies and local adult shows. It also included news about sexual topics and reviews of books. Goldstein wanted to create something that reflected his own interests. He believed his work helped people understand sexuality better by removing mysteries. At its most popular, Screw sold 140,000 copies every single week.

Goldstein had many different jobs throughout his life. Before he was a publisher, he served in the Army as a photographer. He worked as a photojournalist and even took pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy. He also had many odd jobs to make a living. He sold insurance, encyclopedias, and even rugs. He once drove a taxi and kept his license for a long time. He even worked as an industrial spy to learn about labor unions. These many experiences helped him become a very colorful person in New York.

His career was often marked by hard legal battles. Because of the content in his magazines, he was arrested 19 times on obscenity charges. These charges were about whether his work was allowed by law. Goldstein spent millions of dollars fighting these cases in court. He used the First Amendment, which protects free speech, to defend himself. In 1974, he won a major victory when a federal judge dismissed a case. This happened after he published an article about J. Edgar Hoover. He even flew a jury from New York to a party to celebrate. His legal fights helped change how people thought about free speech.

Goldstein did not just make magazines; he also made movies and television shows. He helped produce an adult movie called It Happened in Hollywood in 1973. This film won several awards at an erotic film festival. He also started a public access television program called Midnight Blue. This show ran on Manhattan cable television for nearly 30 years. In the show, he interviewed many people from the adult industry. He used the rules of cable TV to make sure his show stayed on the air. He even had a segment where he would yell at people he disliked.

In his later years, Goldstein lived in Florida and had many different ideas. He owned a large house in Pompano Beach that had a famous statue on the lawn. He even thought about running for sheriff in Florida. He wanted to run on a platform that focused on leaving people alone. He was also a member of the Libertarian Party. Goldstein was an atheist and lived a life that was always pushing against rules. He died in December 2013 at the age of 77. His life was full of many different stories and many different jobs.

Alvin Goldstein was an American publisher who became a central figure in the adult entertainment industry. He is best known for founding the weekly New York City tabloid, Screw, in November 1968. Alongside his partner Jim Buckley, Goldstein invested $175 each to launch the publication. Screw served as a guide to the adult world, offering reviews of erotic films, massage parlors, and brothels. It also included news regarding sexual topics and critical reviews of sexual literature. Goldstein believed his work served a purpose by demystifying sexuality. At its height, the magazine reached a massive audience, selling 140,000 copies every week.

Before entering publishing, Goldstein led a diverse and often unusual life. He served in the Army Signal Corps as a photographer. His career as a photojournalist included photographing Jacqueline Kennedy during a 1962 state trip to Pakistan. He also faced danger when he spent several days in a Cuban jail for taking unauthorized photos of Raúl Castro. His work history was vast and varied. He sold insurance, encyclopedias, and rugs. He even worked as an industrial spy to infiltrate a labor union. This specific experience was so impactful that he wrote an exposé about it for the New York Free Press. He also drove a taxi and maintained his license until his death.

Goldstein's career was defined by constant legal conflict regarding the First Amendment. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and the press in the United States. Because of the nature of his content, Goldstein was arrested 19 times on obscenity charges. He spent millions of dollars defending his right to publish. One major victory occurred in 1974 when a federal judge dismissed an obscenity case. This case was linked to a Screw article concerning the sexuality of J. Edgar Hoover. Prosecutors had chosen Wichita, Kansas, as a venue to prosecute him. After being found not guilty, Goldstein flew the jury to New York for a celebration at a swing club.

Beyond magazines, Goldstein expanded into various other media formats. In 1973, he helped produce the adult movie It Happened in Hollywood. This film won awards for Best Picture and Best Female Performance at the 2nd Annual New York Erotic Film Festival. He also entered the world of television through Midnight Blue. This was an adult-oriented public access program on Manhattan Cable Television's Channel J. It ran for nearly 30 years. Goldstein used federal regulations regarding public access to ensure the show could not be refused by the cable system. The program featured interviews with industry figures and even included a segment where Goldstein attacked his critics.

Goldstein's publishing ventures included several distinct titles and experiments. In 1974, he advertised a new magazine called Bitch, which focused on women's sexuality. During the same period, he promoted Smut, a magazine that focused on images and words without news articles. He also published National Screw between 1976 and 1977, which featured work by notable figures like William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. He even experimented with a publication called Death magazine in 1979. His company, Milky Way Productions, also published Screw West to cover the Pacific Coast. These various projects showed his desire to reach different audiences and niches.

His business interests extended to physical locations and retail products. He operated the Screw Store, which sold various adult products like vibrating eggs and rings. Selling these items led to one of his many arrests. He also opened Al Goldstein's Cinema near Times Square, which charged 99 cents for admission. In 2001, he attempted to open a chain of bordellos called Rabbit Ranch on the island of Saint Martin. However, the project never opened because authorities refused to grant him a license. He noted that he had not bribed the right people to make it happen.

In his later years, Goldstein was a notable figure in both New York and Florida. He owned a large mansion in Pompano Beach, Florida, which featured a famous statue of a raised middle finger. He was politically active as a delegate to the Libertarian Party's 1992 presidential nominating convention. He also expressed interest in running for sheriff in Florida on a platform of "leaving folks the hell alone." Goldstein was an atheist and a man who consistently pushed against social and legal boundaries. He passed away in December 2013 at the age of 77.