Above:
Johnny by William Eicholtz
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Sunday, September 8, 2019
Back Issues: Playgirl, The Beginning
Featuring the very first issue of Playgirl was on my list the moment I began my Back Issues series. Problem is, there wasn't just one 'first' issue. The magazine went through at least 2, maybe three preview and 'trial' issues before regular publication began. From the letter to editor of the magazine's second preview, the first wasn't exactly well received by readers.
What did appear to remain in each of those preview issues were a pair of country music twins who took it all off (in a coy sexy shot that although showed nothing, was still hot) for the magazine. Check them out, and a little more from that fist issue on PAGE 2 HERE:
John Bolger: Sponge Worthy?
Ok, actor John Bolger wasn't on Seinfeld, but it was the Sponge Worthy series that sparked this piece. While searching for images for the series, I came upon the image below. I was wondering who the hunk in the tight jeans and hard hat that was posing next to the full head of haired Jason Alexander.
Turns out the square jawed hottie was John Bolger, and actor I actually seen in several projects before. I thought at first maybe they were promo shots for a gay themed movie I hadn't heard about but turns out they're promo images for the short lived sit-com All Is Relative.
The short lived (10 episode) 1987 sit-com also featured Anne Jackson on John and Jason's mother in the series. The little I could find out, (most of which can be seen in the images) is that the Beeby brothers, who share a loft apartment in lower Manhattan, are complete opposites. Julian (Alexander) is a hard working businessman while his brother Scott (Bolger) is a womanizing construction worker. The show focused on their differences and the friction they caused between them.
Parting Glaces (1986)
One of John's projects that I forgot I had seen was the 1986 film Parting Glances. I don't remember much about the film except renting it years ago. The film is considered an important milestone in the history of gay cinema due to being one of the fist American films to address the AIDS pandemic. I found a copy to cap, but will have to re-watch in full very soon.
Sex & The City (2001)
'I wuv your tittie witties'
Samantha wasn't having it when Warren (Bolger) was calling her breasts 'tittie witties'. Although Samantha got a great view of Bolger's ass, viewers of the series got a dark, blurry and incredibly brief shot. Although there were rumors John was naked in early cuts of Parting Glances, this quick flash on Sex and the City is as close to 'nudity' as it gets. Maybe if SATS ever gets an HD release, we might get a better view.
Four Seasons Follies by William Eicholtz
'Johnny always enjoys the creative process and his contribution is invaluable to the artist.'
The images in this series assemble so many of the themes I'm passionate about and love to explore on FH. A talented artist and a hot naked model, (Johnny) are just the beginning. Many regular readers know how much I love to cover the changing visuals of each season. I try when I'm able, to chose shoots that follow the weather, the degree and intensity of heat , the colors and locations associated with the season in which I'm posting in.
I also love both story and process, and artist William Eicholtz (dishboydreaming) provides both in his new series, Four Seasons Follies. Some of you may remember William's work from previous pieces on the site, most notably his Courage sculpture and exhibition from 2014. (HERE: & HERE:) Some viewers may also remember Johnny, who was one of several models William used in the creation of Courage.
Winter
William's new project, Four Seasons Follies are architectural decorative wall vents. They contain figures that William wanted to romp and tumble with coquettish abandon over rococo furniture and play with typically European symbols of the passing seasons. Each suggestively fingers his accompanying furniture, completely oblivious that their sole purpose is to regulate airflow and prevent mildew. Quite the feat and dual purpose for an art piece!
Spring
'Johnny always enjoys the creative process and his contribution is invaluable to the artist. After the major achievement of the COURAGE sculpture, Johnny and I started working on works of a smaller scale. Although the classical life model is always working diligently to perfect a pose, this series was much more like a standard life drawing session, with rapid change of pose about a theme… some useful, some altered to fit the format, some falling into place perfectly.'
'The follies are cast plaster and at 8 X 10 inches each, may be used for ventilation purposes. As the initial concept was to make standard sized architectural plaster wall vents into a campy and baroque fantasy, the standard size was an immediate consideration. Although Johnny pushed creative boundaries by nature, we played within a strictly confined tableau. This is roughly sketched within the subsequent working photos, and show something of the structure and thought process in the final works.'
Summer
I love the beautifully subtle ways that William used to distinguish the four different season. Given they are meant as a series, it was important not to have drastic changes in color from one to another, instead have them blend seamlessly together. William did this through pose and the antique chair which appears in each piece. There are also subtle color changes, and most beautifully through the small additions of flowers and fruit associated with the season they're reflecting.
Autumn
The Baroque Four Season follies that ornament a ceiling with homoerotic joy, and are currently on show Maunsell Wickes gallery in Sydney, Australia through September 15th. If you're in the area and want to check them out, check out more HERE:
FaVorite FiVe: Henry Golding
I'm sure I wasn't the only 'googling' actor Henry Golding after seeing Crazy Rich Asians. The film was Henry's first film role, first of many.
Crazy Rich Asians
Back Issues: Playgirl, Inaugural Edition
'We must admit that some of the letters we received regarding the initial issue tended to be a little negative, but we feel that persons who are so quick to judge a new publication on it's first issue are, for the most part, the type of person who stands on a soap-box and tells all what is wrong with the world today, but never offers any solution.'
Publisher: Playgirl
Whoa, snap back from Willard and G.R, the two male publishers of the first issue of Playgirl. I always thought a 'first' issue was all about judging, sampling, and checking it out to see if you may want to invest in more. Seems ole Willard and G.R were a little offended with the feedback they received. They never could have handled publishing today with the Internet barking back on every decision made.
Strip Chess:
The Hager Twins
Sons of a Methodist minister, the brothers grew up in a Chicago suburb displaying an interest in music that had Jim picking out rhythms on a toy ukulele at the unlikely age of four.
I had never heard of the Hager Twins until a blog reader recently sent me on a shot from their centerfold in Playgirl's first issue. Although they had a few records, Jim and Jon Hager were never blessed with a hit. Their claim to fame was there regular appearances on the popular country music show Hee Haw. I don't think I ever watched Hee Haw, but I sort of remember it being on early Saturday nights when I was a kid.
I was hoping to find some 'alternate' shots, or 'extra's from their Playgirl centerfold shoot below, but sadly, the published image was all I could find. There is something quite hot about the two country music brothers in the image, and it made me wonder what went into their decision to appear in this new 'nudie' magazine coming out for women. I guess with the audience being women, it would be considered a natural fit. Many other country hunks went on to appear in the magazine over it's run, as long as the magazine was for 'women' and they didn't actually show the goods, it would be accepted, even by the more conservative audience tuning in for Hee Haw.
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