In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted.
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason took over the bookstore, Circle of Books, in West Hollywood when the previous owner couldn’t afford to pay the rent. Having many years of experience distributing adult magazines for Larry Flint, they developed a high clientele and became one of the only shops where gay men could openly purchase magazines, pornography and other items pertaining to gay sexual fantasies. They did so well they opened a second location in Silver Lake that would become their number one store.
In the ’60s, pornography and any gay publications were seen as disgusting, dirty and a sin by most conservatives. It was illegal for gays to show open affection towards each other and many were arrested frequently at gay bars and pubs. The bookstore was described by many gay males as a safe haven for them to comfortably purchase their sexual needs. It was also a place where they could meet other men and hook up. They nicknamed the alley in the back Vaseline Alley because of all the action that went on.
After much success, the couple stared a production company that made gay pornography. The videos had the best porn stars and did exceptionally well. The twist in the documentary is that Karen and Barry’s children never knew what kind of store their parents owned. If they were ever there, they were told to always look at the ground. Rachel Mason, their daughter and the director of this documentary, describes how she found out what kind of bookstore it was. Having a very eccentric scene in High School which included tons of artists, gays, and others, she had many gay male friends. One day her friend asked the name of her parents’ store. When she said Circle of Books, of course, he knew what it was and told her that is was a shop with gay porn; family secret exposed! Another twist is the big shocker that the couple’s son Josh finally came out as gay. Being a conservative Jewish woman, it is surprising that Karen would run a bookstore that sold gay pornography but claimed to have never looked at the material or even saw the movies produced by her company.
Struggling with the fact that her son was gay forced her to look at her faith and decide on a way to still practice Judaism and accept her son. I loved this documentary, I thought it was clever, racy and ended with a topic about acceptance that needs to be discussed. Beautifully done.
“Circus of Books” recently premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
