Athletic Model Guild: Gay Erotic Video Index

The Athletic Model Guild was the child of budding photographer Bob Mizer and founded in 1945. It first posed men in non-nude to near nude situations. Later it progressed to fully nude but always 'limp' photography, posing films and wrestling films. AMG eventually did photograph erections but resisted it for a long time. In 1965 Wyngate & Bevins was selling "nudist" films some of which were posing films from AMG but Mizer never publicized nudes in his catalogs until 1969. Presumably this was because Mizer was being cautious but Mizer seems to have made a habit of building a large library of films that he would mention and then release to the public several years later.
AMG progressed from physique photography to story line films to street toughs to just posing/wrestling films with no story. The first use of color photography roughly coincided with the release of frontal nudity.
When Mizer did motion picture filming he used 16mm and would sell both 16mm and 8mm prints. Since creating an 8mm negative from a 16mm negative was an added expense, some low quality films would remain in 16mm negative only and 8mm reduction prints could be requested as a special order at a higher price and a longer delivery time.
Published Physique Pictoral starting in 1951. The photographs were staged in classical or manly situations and pictured the beauty of men but did have a sub current of eroticism and suggestiveness. Describing Joe Dallesandro it said " (Joe)... has also done hard construction work laying pipe."
AMG had a set of 7 studios which was still in operation thru 1993. Many films were assembled into video compilations in the 90's.
Timeline:
1945, beginning photography with an emphasis on large muscular men
1951, first issue Physique Pictorial
1958, first movies, usually a story line
c1960, muscle men no longer predominate
c1963, story line movies fewer with more plain wrestling
1963, first use of the secret "personality symbols" in Physique Pictorial
1967 (early), first 'natural' AMG movies but sold by Wyngate Beavins & Trojan Book Service
1967 (late), first 'natural' movie sold by AMG
1969, first frontal nudity in Physique Pictorial
1970, color films predominate
1971, romantic films with kissing, after so many years of pretending to be straight
1972, first use of slick paper in Physique Pictorial
1972, first mention in Physique Pictorial of theatrical releases of his films
1986, last use of secret "personality symbols" in Physique Pictorial
1990, last issue of Physique Pictorial

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Gay Erotic Video Index

Athletic Model Guild