Gay Liberator Pat Rocco

Pat Rocco is not always given his due as a figure in the Gay Liberation movement.  Before Pride Month is over, I really have to do a teeny bit to correct that.  Best known for SPREE Magazine and for churning out a steady stream of movies and photos, he was also a strong advocate for Gay Lib.  

Here we see him with Leonard Matlovich, another ground breaking figure from those days.

 

Drama

As you will see as you go through today's images, producing shows of all sorts was an obsession with Pat Rocco.  Other than the fact that it is a stage play, I have no idea what this is about.

Nudity featured large in nearly all of Mr. Rocco's entertainment endeavors.

 

Billy the Bartender

Pat Rocco happily used SPREE as a venue for advertising gay business, and he would provide photographic services as part of a package deal.  Billy Monroe looks pleased to pose.

 

Mountain Men

The mountains outside Los Angeles provide Pat Rocco with some photo shoot settings that contrasted with his usual urban style.  I found this one in a group labeled "SPREE layouts and advertising."

 

Voldemar and Greg

This is a promotional still from the Rocco film "Blue Prelude."  The two men 

are Voldemar and Greg Lion, and I don't know which is which.

 

David 1973

This is one of Pat Rocco's more artistic photos.  As you will see in the following

post, he was all about covering a huge range of media endeavors.

 

Entertainment

There was an almost endless array of entertainment provided by Mr. Rocco through SPREE.  

This is one of several photos in my collection of male nude dancers.  Mr. Rocco also produced 

films, records, stage plays, beauty contests, holiday festivals, musical reviews, physique style 

photos, and coffee table books of more artistic photos.  And I'm probably leaving some out.

 

Ralph

Ralph Shaffer was the house manager at the Pat Rocco sponsored several LA group residences for young gay men called Liberation Houses.  The news releases and magazine articles for the houses all pointed out that there were rules and that it was not a flop house.  Men had to pay $1.50 per day after the first five days which were free.  Those rules did not forbid nudity or sexual activity.

 

Promo

Pat Rocco was quite active in promoting his various enterprises, but this one doesn't say exactly what sort of production it was.  The notes at right suggest it was a collection of photos.

 

SPREE Cover

Pat Rocco's in-house publication always featured photos from his films and dramatic

 productions. This is from the stage play "The Love Thief" with Kelle (aka Micah Kelley) 

holding Steve Fleming.  Kelle appears in a number of Rocco productions, but I've had trouble 

finding any information about what became of him later in life.  Steve was Rocco's 

assistant for a time and did some good photography of his own.

 

Men and Boats

Today's theme is men and boats.  Our first photo is part of a series I have, and although 

we can't really tell for sure he's one a boat here, he is in the other pictures.  I chose this one 

because it shows off a certain attribute better than the others.

 

Blonde

I know nothing about this photo except that I really like it.  He looks like a guy I know.

 

I can't tell if this gang of Japanese men is getting the boat in or out of the water.

 

Trunks

Yes, he has trunks on, but I'm sure some of you will find him appealing anyway.

 

Happy Young Nudist

I found this happy young man on a nudist magazine website.

 

Walker Evans

Walker Evans (1903-1975) is best known for his Depression era photos of farmers and workers.

Perhaps this is a from a project he did on fishermen or boatmen.

Kindly provided by Larry K., whose blog is:

https://unashamedmale.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Larry!

 

FKK?

I've had this photo since my tumblr days, and I think it's German/FKK,

but I'm not at all certain about that.

 

Looks impossible

I don't know how this guy is holding up those oars.  Must be some kind of trick.

 

ABCs by Bryan B - A is for Acme

Bryan B. has recently been quite generous in sharing his collection of less well known physique photographers and models.  He very helpfully sent them to me in alphabetical order, and I will be sharing them with you the same way, one letter at a time.  So today is the letter A day, and we start with a photo by Acme of Mike Riley.  I expect Wile E. Coyote to show up any minute.

My deep thanks go to Bryan B. for his remarkable generosity.

 

Adam Studio

Adam Studio produced this photo of a sultry greaser named Hank.

Some of the oil seems to have spread from his hair onto his body.

 

Aguillar

 

This promotional piece for Aguillar Studios of Cleveland features good photography 

of good models.  Some such ads were on the slapdash side, but not this one.  And I have to 

wonder if Aguillar was a derivative of David of Cleveland.  I mean, how many physique 

photography studios could there have been in Cleveland in the 1950s?

Apollo

Apollo Studio took this photo of Don Monroe sunbathing.

 

Art Modern

 

Paul McGarret posed for Art Modern in the reeds by a lake in the late 1950s.

Disclosure:  I used a clarity filter to reduce the "washed out" look of the scan.

Arts Unlimited

 

I've featured photos from Butch magazine in the past, but Bryan managed to find 

several more that I had somehow missed.  Imagine that.  Anyway, this unidentified 

young man basking in the sun on a log was photographed by Arts Unlimited.

Avery Willard

Ending our A List from Bryan B. with Larry Perreir photographed by the Avery Willard Studio.

Mr. Willard (1921-1999) was a photographer, publisher, film maker, and gay activist best known 

for his photographic chronicling of the mid-20th C. Broadway and Off-Broadway theatrical scene.

He also delved into physique photography well before the late 60s liberalization.

Many thanks to Bryan B. for these and the many other photos he contributed.

 

Army Shower Day

It's time to hit the showers with some World War II Allied troops.  We start with a photo donated by my pal and fellow former New Orleans resident, Dee.  I don't know if the guy at left is trying to signal something, or if he just happened to be caught in that position by chance.

 

Small rig

That looks like a really small shower area for such a large camp.

Maybe they had more than one.

 

Wet

They're all wet, but it's hard to see where the water is coming from.

 

Charming

I find the looks some of these guys are giving the cameraman to be charming.

 

Good time

A good time seems to be under way in this photo that looks like it was made at the same location as the one I posted earlier which was donated by Dee.  I acquired it separately, though.

 

Aussies

These Australians have left the shower and are drying off at World War II Services Canteen.

 

Not bothered

This group doesn't seem to be at all bothered by having their photo made while showering.

 

Look closely

Look closely, and you'll see some showing off and interesting clowning around.

 

Canadians

This World War II photo of Canadian troops seems to focus on the industrial gear.

 

70s Porn Stars - Al Parker Day

Although Al Parker's career as a porn star peaked in the 1980s, his meteoric rise to fame started in the 70s.  Born Drew Okum in Natick, Massachusetts, his first media appearance was on the poster for the documentary movie Woodstock from 1969.  His parents, thinking Woodstock was a classical music event, lent the 17 year old their car so he could attend the festival.  Jim French of Colt "discovered" Drew in the mid-70s and suggested he change his name to Al Parker, which was also the name of an accomplished magazine illustrator.  The rest, as they say, is history.

 

Memorial

This happy photo of Al Parker and a pooch is from his page on the National AIDS Memorial website.  

Sadly, we lost him on August 17, 1992.  To his great credit, he did not hide his diagnosis.  In fact, he became a crusader for safe sex, and in so doing, undoubtedly saved the lives of others.

 

With gear

A lawn mower handle and a steel cock ring provide 

some hardware accents for this photo of Al Parker.

 

Al and Friend

This photo of Al Parker with an unnamed model is a personal favorite.  

I'm betting that someone out there will give us his name.

 

Levis in the shade

While putting this series together, I noticed that Al Parker was frequently photographed with Levis in various states of undress, and he always looked good.  The photographer's use of the shade in this picture made in a California vineyard is quite interesting.

 

Centerfold worthy

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Clone wardrobe

Was there a gay man anywhere in the Western world in the late 70s and early 80s who didn't 

have a pair of shorts like those?  The logo might have been different or missing, but they 

were definitely part of the required period wardrobe.  Al Parker looks great in his. 

 

In jeans . . . again

Here's another G-rated, but sexy, shot of Mr. Parker in Levis. 

 

Pioneer

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Classic

Closing the Al Parker series with a classic pose by an all-time classic model.

RIP, Mr. Parker.  You were a class act in a crass industry.

 

Juneteenth

June 19, 1865 was the day that the last slaves in the USA were officially liberated when Texas, 

the last holdout Confederate state, turned over its government to Federal troops.  Celebrated ever

 since as Juneteenth, it has gained national prominence.  So today I will join in by posting 10 unidentified photos of African-American men sent to me by a kind donor who prefers to remain anonymous.  We start with a very masculine man making use of a strip of gold lame' cloth.  

It's something of a juxtaposition, but really quite nice.

 

Proud

This model looks quite proud, and why not?

 

Waterfall or fountain

I think this amazing model appears in another of today's posts.

I can't tell if that's a waterfall or a naturalistic fountain.

 

Sierra Domino?

I'm getting a Sierra Domino Studio vibe from this photo.

 

Familiar

This one looks familiar, but I can't place him.

 

Dangerously handsome

This partially aroused fellow is what my old pal 

Donnie used to call "dangerously" good looking.