LBO Founder Bob Genova Passes Away

Susan Genova, Bob's daughter, conveyed the news of her father's passing as follows: It is with love, sadness and a heavy heart that I must say that my dad, Bob "Bobby G" Genova, peacefully passed last night just shy of his 80th birthday, after an extended illness that culminated with a diagnosis on December 29 of prostate cancer, stage 4 with metastasis to the bone and lung. He then got a diagnosis last Thursday of pneumonia on top of everything else, and while the doctors were concentrating on treating the pneumonia these last couple of days, the cancer slipped out of control and became terminal. He was put on a morphine drip on Sunday to maintain his comfort. With family surrounding him, the morphine was increased as needed throughout the following days. He slipped into a coma yesterday and was peaceful until he passed at 1:40 a.m., February 5, 2013 in the arms of his wife of over 50 years, Freddie Genova. Bob Genova was born on February 24, 1932 in Brooklyn, NY. Truly a pioneer in the business, his porn career began during the 1950s. Back then it was still photography for magazines. Later there were bookstores and peep shows on Times Square in NYC in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The porn business brought him to Los Angeles in the late ‘70s where the many evolutions of his companies included Mark !V Productions, Mark V Productions, Mark VI Productions, VCR and LBO Entertainment Group. The people that will remember my dad will remember how large he lived life. My dad was always reaching out for that shiny brass ring and always doing everything to the fullest. There was always a deal to be made, a plane to fly, a lobster fra diavolo to be eaten at an amazing Italian restaurant, a million bucks to be made by next year, a stock to be purchased on margin, a joint to be rolled and smoked right now. As a little girl growing up, my dad was truly a legendary figure! Notorious, scandalous, the first "bad boy" I ever knew. For the rest of my life, in the bad boy department, no one could hold a candle to him! His multi-AVN award-winning, Mr. Peepers Amateur Home Video series started the "reality porn" genre of shooting porn back in 1990. Based on the concept of the hit show America’s Funniest Home Videos, each video contained three scenes that were supposedly submitted by amateurs who were at home filming their own sex lives on the new toy of the moment of that time, the video camera. The original boxcovers of the early editions even had the address where people could submit their tapes for review, and quite a few submissions were included in some of the volumes. The concept was wildly successful, redefining how porn was done. Within the space of a couple of years, the "reality porn" genre of porn became the definition of the concept of how porn was shot. Back in those days, my dad could put a porn video together for a total budget of less than $3,000 and release two a week, as he would have said, "like clockwork." With standing orders for at least 3,000 of a number and a pickup of 2,000–3,000 more, a price to distributors of at least $20 and each volume having long legs, it was the flavor of the moment and carpe diem ("Seize the day") was the plan. Quickly came several other versions specializing in specific niches: Bra Busters, Breast Worx and Breast Wishes for big boob fantasizers; Analvision, Bubble Butts and Bun Busters for anal aficionados—most of the scenes in these two series were the earliest works of Max Hardcore, aka Paul Little, so early the "Max" persona did not appear until Volume 19—to mention just a few. Virtually every new girl entering porn during this period of time appeared in one or another of the different series, many doing their first performances. The list of girls who went on to become huge porn names is enormous, including Amber Lynn, Sunset Thomas, Misty Rain, Tiffany Million, Rebecca Bardoux, Debi Diamond, Houston, and literally thousands more. The list of shooters who got their start in the porn business is also impressive including Bobby Hollander, John Stagliano, Max Hardcore, Ron Hightower, Sean Michaels, Rodney Moore and many others. Of course every niche was covered. There were bondage titles, transvestite movies, and the requisite foray into mainstream movie production. The library is vast, extensive and impressive (and now, for sale; email here). In recent years he had been concentrating on his online ventures and DVD sales on his direct-to-the-consumer website, while "keeping a low profile" and enjoying semi-retirement with his wife, Freddie; two dogs, Max and Mollie; cat, Rufus; parrot, Rosie; two daughters, Susan and Madelyn, two son-in-laws, Don and Mark, four grandchildren, Robert, Andrew, Jenna and Lisa and one brand new great grandson, Chase. We all love you and miss you already, Daddy. It is hard to imagine how big the hole you have left in our lives and in our hearts will be in the years to come.