January 31, 2006Luke I am stunned, shocked and horrified to hear that my favorite porn star in the whole damn world Anna Malle died so tragically yesterday. But like the beautiful, unique and glamorous people in the leagues of James Dean and Jayne Mansfield, she went out in a blaze of glory. What is it with these car crashes? Honestly I care loads more about this than Princess Di’s car crash.
I met Anna and Hank during my time at Fox Magazine when she was hired as their Stripper Editor. Technically I met her at AVN ’99 when we were contemplating hiring her. I loved her immediately, she wore her hair scraped back and wore a lovely evening gown. She struck me as a young Joan Collins with her gorgeous high cheekbones. And her personality knocked me out. Anna had confidence, humor, class and most of all honesty. We hired her right away and I believe she stayed with Fox for the next 6 years.
I got to hang out quite a bit with Anna and Hank. I loved them as a couple to me it was the must successful romance in porno history. Sure they could fight like mad and more than once Anna would ask me to keep him away from her, especially when he watered-down her Sky Vodka bottle. I liked Hank very much, he too was smart, dynamic, laid back the total ying to her yang. When I went out with Anna and Hank it was a sheer pleasure. They were real people who enjoyed travel, movies, good food, good wine, music and just enjoying life to the fullest. I didn’t hang out with them for business, I hung out with them because genuinely I regarded them as friends.
A lot of people can say Anna was a cartoon character or a bit of a joke. Truth is she was smarter than most of the people I’ve met in this business. She didn’t sugar coat it, she didn’t pretend it was something more than it was, but she loved it thoroughly. I could relate to her, because we both loved porn most of all because it gave us the freedom to be individuals. And Anna Malle was a most wonderful and unique individual. She had a heart of gold and even though I’ve not seen her in about four years I can assure you that I will never ever forget her, and she will always be a big part of my adult industry memories. THE BEST PART.
Luke when I did a reading at the Virgin Megastore late last year to promote Naked Ambition, I chose to read the beginning of the book about a party I threw with Anna Malle. It went over very well, everyone laughed, and not because I’m such a great reader or writer but because of Anna Malle and how hilarious, wonderful and electric she was. Anna in one word to me is just that ELECTRIC. I love her dearly.
Here is my chapter in the book, I think it would be a loving tribute to print a portion of it, the Anna Malle portion on your site.
Now I have to take a walk and smoke a cigarette and let this sink in.
Lainie Speiser writes in Naked Ambition:
Sephardic Porn Peddler
It was truly a scene out of the film Boogie Nights, complete with its supporting actress and real-life porn star Nina Hartely. It was my promotional party for the hardcore rag Fox Magazine, a closing party for the East Coast Video Show. I was proud of myself because all the greats were there -- Ron Jeremy, Jill Kelly, Jewel De'Nyle, Gina Lynn -- and hosted by my all-time favorite porn couple, Anna Malle and Hank Armstrong. At Fox magazine we had our own special schtick: the actual porn personalities were also the editors and publishers. It was a great tool for a publicist, an easy way to keep the media machine going because the girls were in the magazine every month. Anna Malle was the Stripper Editor, a sexy, outrageous, horny and happy woman who adored being the naughty center of attention. One of the reasons I loved Anna so much that it was immediately obvious to all those who met her that she truly was a fun-loving, crazy nympho who was lucky enough to find a forum that would allow her to behave like this and get paid at the same time. For a promoter like me, it is these women whom you most want to work with because they loved what they did as much as I did.
Anna and Hank made the perfect swinging sex couple. She looked so different than the other women in this business. In a sea of blondes, she was dark and exotic with an American Indian lineage. Her high cheekbones, dark hair, caramel-colored skin and wiry, rubberband of body that screamed high energy set her apart from the rest. She loved to fuck. She loved men and women, and even in our off-time she always managed to make every occasion a celebration. Hank was the yin to her yang. He looked like a retired football player, big and blond, mellow and likeable. Of course, he also had a humongous cock and whenever anyone in the office happened to have a big banana we would take a pen and write "Hank's Crank" across it. When they came to town we would all be excited and giddy because they were so much fun to be around. "The Malles are coming!" we would jokingly cry, "The Malles are coming!"
My party with "The Malles" was held at a duplex suite in the Sands Hotel and Casino, outfitted with booze, food, a bartender and a big pool table. By midnight the place was in full effect and I could tell even the publisher, Russell Orenstein, was pleased then again what Italian-Jewish heterosexual wouldn't be. The soiree was dripping with tanned, tight bodies which were topped off with big fake tits, their nipples out and proud in their flimsy dresses and halters, standing at attention like a cherry on top of a frosted cupcake. Anna glowed in a Bebe's number, which was really just a very fancy, silky, gold robe with two buttons fastened at the waist, a matching gold g-string and spiky f----me heels. She ran around the place like a squirrel on amphetamines, laughing and talking and charming the s--- out of everyone. At one point, she was hopping about with an empty champagne bucket, begging tips for the bartender who was swarmed by heavy drinkers like flies to a giant turd. "Everyone! Everyone! I just want you all to know that RON JEREMY just put FIVE DOLLARS in the bucket!" She waved the fiver high over her sleek dark head. "FIVE DOLLARS! RON JEREMY!" And of course we all laughed and cheered because everyone in the business knows The Hedgehog is one cheap mofo.
My boyfriend Tom was there, too, taking photos of it all and looking like Jimmy Olsen turned rock star with his black leather pants and ribbed black turtleneck offsetting his shiny blond hair and teenybopper angel face. He took a photo of me and Nina Hartley, whom I gushed at in admiration. The well-preserved, middle aged sex-pot purred and ran her hand inside of the blouse that exposed my midriff. "Ummm…" she said in my ear. "You're soft and smooth like a woman should be." Nina ran her tongue along the outline of my ear and Tom happily clicked away while my face turned hot and red. "Awww, you're so sweet." I said, "Thank you." Anna jumped to join us for a pose, grabbed Tom's leather clad package for a tight squeeze and shouted, "DAMN, HE'S HOT!" Then she turned quickly to me. "I hope that's okay, Miss Lainie. I'm just goofing around." I was touched by her good manners and I elbowed her narrow torso. "Oh, Anna. You know you're the only one I would allow a free grope." Tom and I had met on the job. He worked as a copy editor and our big romance, we suspected, was an object of scorn among some of the higher ups on staff. It was one thing to have a fling, but this was an exclusive relationship and we were in love. Tom and I were quiet and discreet about it, but he was coincidentally fired soon after we were spotted by the office manager cuddling on the #6 train at 8:00am. His presence at this party made my boss Russell Orenstein quite uneasy, but I just decided to ignore it. Yeshiva schooling had taught me a few things. The biggest was never to act guilty about anything you're doing, whether it's wrong or right. Besides, there were plenty of provocative nubiles around, treating him like an emperor.
By 2am it was time to break it up. Anna and Hank were going to use the suite to shoot "Swinger Party" footage for their website and possibly to sell it as a DVD. She had her heels off at that point and stood on the glass coffee table. "I want to thank you all for coming! I want to thank Fox magazine! I want to thank Russell Orenstein! I want to thank Miss Lainie for throwing this wonderful party!!" There were claps and hoots among the guests. Then Anna clapped her hands together and said, "Now for those of you who are here to fuck, please stay! And for those who aren't, please collect your coats in the upstairs bedroom!" Tom looked hopefully at me, but I quickly dashed that. "Okay Bud, lets go," I said. In the upstairs bedroom Anna and I hugged and I thanked her for being her wonderful, sweet self. Anna, thin and small boned somehow managed to catch me off guard and knocked me over, landing me on the bed, where she promptly jumped on top of me, straddled me, pinned me down and yelled, "YOU WILL LIKE GIRLS!" Of course, she was joking and we laughed and rolled around like kids. Tom took photos and said, "That's what I keep telling her Anna, but she does not listen."
Luke, please for me just give Hank this message. It is with a very heavy heart that i write this I just want him to know that Annas passing to all of us who were ever graced to know her is nothing short of a tradgity. She is the stuff that legends are about not just in this business but in life as a whole. She was what most women can only dream of being.from here first movie till this day and forevermore i have and will consider her and Hank not only friends but two of the good people on this earth and my main regret is that i didnt spend more time with them and that is my loss.