Jerry Gross was a semi-legendary figure in the exploitation movie industry, but unlike his more notorious colleagues, very little is known about the man himself. He started his career in the 1960s as a director, but found his true calling in film distribution and outrageous promotions.
Gross' company, Cinemation, released a string of successful titles on the grindhouse and drive-in circuit throughout the 1970s. These films included I Drink Your Blood, Teenage Mother, The Seducers, and I Eat Your Skin. He was quoted as saying, "I guarantee that all these are selling titles. The public just cannot resist a film if the title drags them in. Stars don't matter. Titles do!"
Gross didn't limit himself to exploitation films, and also distributed important movies like Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. However, he is primarily remembered for his sensationalized come-ons, titillating taglines, and wildly suggestive posters.
One of his most notable promotions was the double bill release of the "Mondo Cane" films, A Dog's Life and Mondo Cane 2. To emphasize the films' subject matter of primitive rites, he hired actors to dress up as native tribesmen and dance around cinemas.
Gross' greatest success was also his downfall. The release of films like I Eat Your Skin, I Spit on Your Grave, and The Boogey Man were big hits, but by this time, major studios were securing a monopoly over America's screens, and smaller companies like The Jerry Gross Origination were quickly going bankrupt.
Gross' post-bankruptcy company, Ambassador Pictures, also went out of business around 1983, and since then, Jerry Gross seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.
