The Silent Lessons of George Harrison-Marks

According to the information that I have been able to collect, Janus produced a total of 15 movies between 1977 and 1980.  Many of these were directed by George Harrison-Marks and several of his movies, including 'The Gym Lesson', have the word ‘Lesson’ in the title.  The full list includes:

1.       The Gym Lesson (1977, GHM);

2.       Bottoms Up (1977, GHM);

3.       Hot Ass (or maybe Hot Arse, 1977);

4.       Flagellation (1977);

5.       Late for School (1977);

6.       Whiplash (1977);

7.       The Riding Lesson (1978, GHM);

8.       Victorian Derriere (1978);

9.       Spanking for Two (1978);

10.   The School Lesson (1979, GHM);

11.   The Nurse’s Lesson (1980, GHM);

12.   The Art of Caning, Part 1 (1980);

13.   The Art of Caning, Part 2 (1980);

14.   Home Late from School (date unknown); and

15.   The Perils of Penny (date unknown).

Over the years I have managed to track down 7 of these 15 silent movies and I recently received a tip on an eighth.  All of them were filmed in Kodak Super-8 format which allows for a soundtrack recorded on a magnetic strip but (to the best of my knowledge) all of the Janus films were silent movies.  These movies are all short.  A 5-inch reel of Soper-8 film (100 feet) would run 13 minutes while a 6-inch reel (200 feet) would run 20 minutes and none of the Janus silent movies are more than 20 minutes long.

The Riding Lesson

‘The Riding Lesson’ is 6 and ½ minutes long.  It opens with a young blonde woman returning to the stable after her rising lesson where she finds a brunette having a cigarette and a beer.  She starts to admonish the brunette but the brunette makes move on her and some girl-on-girl action ensues (this is a George Harrison-Marks movie after all). 

The stable owner comes in and catches them in the act and he starts to give the brunette an OTK spanking with the blonde gleefully watching.  Eventually he realizes what is happening and both girls bend over a hay bale for a vigorous thrashing with his riding crop.  Afterward he departs leaving the two girls alone in the barn.

The School Lesson

‘The School Lesson’ is 5 and ½ minutes long.  The Headmaster is siting in his office when two schoolgirls arrive.  They give him their lesson books and then they leave.  He starts reading through the lesson books while the girls wait outside, looking at some photographs which leads to some very naughty activity between them (again, this is a GHM film). 

The Headmaster leaves his office to return their corrected lessons and catches them in the act.  Of course, he is outraged.  He picks up his trusty cane and has the first girl bend over a nearby table for a sound caning.

Eventually the second girl takes her place and she is also caned but her caning lasts longer.  Throughout it all the Headmaster has an exaggerated maniacal grin on his face so he is obviously enjoying his work.  The move ends abruptly with the second girl still bent over the table.

The Nurse’s Lesson

‘The Nurse’s Lesson’ is 8 and ½ minutes long.  It begins with a pock-marked patient examining something under the covers on his bed.  The object proves to be a bottle of wine and a nurse comes in and catches him drinking.  She takes the bottle away and gives the patient a stern warning.  She starts to straighten the covers on his bend and he tries to grab her when she leans over him.

The scene cuts to another nurse studying an anatomy text.  The first nurse comes in and tells her about the patient’s drinking and other behavior.  The decide to substitute a flower for an anal thermometer and you can guess what follows.  Obviously, the patient is not amused and he pulls when he finds out what the nurse has done and he pulls her across his knee for a spanking.

Her friend hears the commotion and comes to help.  The second nurse restores order and sends the first nurse out of the room but she soon finds herself in the same position as her friend only her spanking lasts much longer.  Eventually, both the patient and the nurse are exhausted; they collapse onto the bed and the movie ends.

All three of these movies are rather simple and silly by current standards and I’m certain that no one would pay the prices that were charged for them today.  However, they do have a certain charm and they are well worth seeing if you’re interested in the history of spanking films. GHM's next movie for Janus. 'The Prefect's Lesson' would mark the switch from film to VHS tape and the arrival of sound.