In the history of gay porn, soft or hardcore, one name stands above all others when it comes to defining how the genre would be shaped: Bob Mizer, who founded Athletic Model Guild in 1945 and compiled more than a million color and black-and-white photos of over 10,000 male models in various stages of dress, and undress. As time went on, he became more adventurous, proceeding to the famous G-string and pouch photos, and then to softcore photo sets and films featuring model wannabees and guys picked up off the street acting out their own fantasies, or their actual lives.
"Story Films Classics: The Wild Ones!" (1957-1973) is a compilation of some of the best softcore movies and solo posing shoots in the AMG files. As a child of the 1950s and 1960s, I can tell you that I remember every one of these as still shoots, and I could hardly breathe while watching so many of them come to life. No, there is no nudity -- but the "innocence of suggestion" in the way these ordinary, but beautiful and well-built men, look at and touch each other, how they wear their clothes, will bring memories cascading back to those who grew up during these times, and may even turn on some whose only knowledge of gay porn begins with the condoms-only era.
The way the cops look at the street tough while they frisk him and eventually strip in "Booking of the Hood" (1962), will tease you into erection, though, oddly, the hectic pace and darkness of the alley compromises an enjoyment of "Strip Poker" (1962). The massage and wrestling sequences in the 1961 "Cellmates," will leave you wondering how long the actual sex between these two guys lasted after the camera went off. Angel Lopez plays a hitchhiking sailor in a revealing uniform in the 1958 "Motorcycle Thief" with biker Neon Koper, a gorgeous hunk, catching him in the act of trying to steal it. Their fight, complete with knife and subtle crotch-grab, ends with Angel rides off with the bike. The 1965 "Travelers and Thieves" may be the most exciting for those who know which ones went on to early porn careers, because it features Monte Hanson, one of the real stunners who made his way into early porn with ease. He and Bob Jackson, both brunet beauties, play Mexican road thieves who help blond gods Ernie Mathews and Everett Lee Jackson change a flat tire in the desert. As a reward they get a trip to the beach where they strip to their posing straps and frolic. It's all innocent, even after Monte and Bob try to steal their hosts' money while they are in the ocean, only to suffer a nasty defeat in the sand.
A highlight among the solos is John Davidson, a marine who developed a cult following in the late 1960s with some posing stills and this innocent video. He's brush cut, cute as a button, and hot as hell.
This is one of the more pleasurable experiences I've had in the reviewing game -- it's worth a look from anyone interested in the genre, and a must-see for anyone who has even the vaguest memory of how things used to be.
DVD features: Chapters (divided into easy-to-navigate chapters for each story and solo, complete with bios, written by Mizer, and other fascinating information on the models and the life and times of Bob Mizer); galleries; and no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Bo Champion
