Svetlana Marsh directed her first porno 800 Fantasy Lane before she'd even seen a hardcore flick. (Adam 12/81)

She studied acting at such schools as Lee Strasberg. Svetlana debuted in Myra Breckinridge with a small role and then appeared in numerous horror-exploitation movies.

Svetlana came to the United States at age twelve with her parents from the Ukraine. She's an outspoken woman, willing to criticize her peers by name. Since her first film, Svetlana has collaborated with her husband, writer-producer David Frasier.

They controlled their films totally from concept to distribution and even ran their own video mail-order company.

Svetlana entered porn because she felt discouraged with mainstream entertainment. "Every time I went to a casting director or a producer, I was always getting hit on. A guy at MGM chased me around the table one time. He pulled his pants down and was running after with his dick hanging out."

It took Svetlana two and a half years to find funding for 800 Fantasy Lane after she initially wrote the script for the $100,000 movie.

800 Fantasy Lane is a solid first film from Svetlana with superb cinematography from Robert McCallum. Jamie Gillis and Bud Wise play two dolts who pump gas until they hit on an idea of a cheap way to take a vacation. They pose as wealthy oil barons and get entertained by the gorgeous girls of Hollywood Star Realty who use their charms to lure customers. The S&M scene in the cellar has Gillis watching Chris Anderson torment Serena and Hillary Summers while Desiree masturbates. In the hot tub, Jamie takes on five girls - Chris Anderson, Nancy Suiter, Hillary Summers, Serena and Aubrey Nichols. The fisting scene with Desiree and Serena has long since been edited from the videotape version.

"Working with someone like Seka was really a pain in the as," remembers Svetlana. She's a "star."

"If you're working with a "star," you have a problem, but once they're into the scene, they do well. The trick is to get them into it. You have to treat them carefully. Annette Haven is also difficult, but she's a much better actress than Seka."

David Frasier, Svetlana's husband, adds. "The name performers have learned through making 20, 30 films a basic technique of acting. But for most of the newcomers, it's difficult. They don't know the basics of filmmaking. The simple things like standing in the same place for every take when you're doing retakes.

Svetlana: "During the filming of F, the whole thing fell apart because John Leslie asked Rhonda Jo Petty to suck his cock before a scene started. She said, "How dare you talk like that to me. I'm a star. I'm not going to suck your cock. f--- you. Why don't you suck me?"

"The whole thing exploded. Seka took Rhonda's side, and they walked off the set. I had to go back and calm them down. If you see that scene in F, you'll notice tension between them.

"The trouble with first timers is that they're nervous. They have never done this before and sometimes they have last minute doubts. Sometimes they'll get cold feet and won't do it at all."

Svetlana remembers directing her first film 800 Fantasy Lane. "I shot the dungeon scene in San Francisco for six hours. For six hours Jamie Gillis worked with an erection. When we got halfway though, I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't stand it. I'm not into S&M. They were doing so much screaming I was afraid the police were going to come.

"There was this crazy guy, a sort of Hare Krishna with a pony tail, standing outside holding this long shotgun and smoking pot. We were afraid that he was going to blow someone away at any minute.

"The actors were getting into it and improvising. They were hypnotized and there was no way to tear them apart. I told Jamie to continue like he was and I left.

"When I got back, Jamie was urinating all over Heather. Serena had yelled that she had to go to the bathroom and Jamie said, "Save it, honey." Then he started peeing all over the girls.

"The second cameraman started running off the set, screaming, 'I'm never going to work for these f---ing people anymore. They're sick, sick, sick.'

"The guy with a shotgun must have though that that was his cue, because he started cocking the shotgun and pointing at everyone."

Svetlana and her husband proceeded to make R-rated horror films during the 1980s with little success. Svetlana's abrasive personality holds her back from connecting with people.

David and Svetlana Marsh made the 1993 R-rated feature Stormswept. Bob Gallagher (moviebob@earthlink.net) writes:

"Svetlana had almost nothing to do with it. The only thing she produced was utter chaos on set. She is a nightmare to work for. David directed the film and I produced it. I was happy with the look of the film but felt let down with the story and direction. Svetlana had the local police (film was shot in Louisiana) arrest our art director when a local bank was robbed-he spent 5 or 6 months in jail. She had me locked up in the local jail for a week (grits for breakfast, Baloney sandwiches for lunch and dinner) for cursing. Since I did it in front on her brat kid Michelle, I was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She tried to have our grip arrested for stealing license plates. …The woman is nuts. I am owed many thousands of dollars. While in jail, she entered my hotel and stole my contract with them. I have yet to be paid. I have not heard or seen then since the bank evicted them from their Nichols Canyon home. They filed bankruptcy and f---ed over a lot of people..."