Richard Egan: Putting the 'B' in Beefcake

Some FH readers may remember that I was well into my thirties before I gained an appreciation for classic films.  I avoided them, especially anything in black and white.  Thanks in part to working on the site, and in large part thanks to TCM, I've now taken a deep dive into classic films and the many hot actors who starred in them. 

Last month, TCM had another day and night devoted to actress Joan Crawford.  I'd seen a couple of the films on the schedule, but was intrigued by the write up and title of 'The Damned Don't Cry.'  I liked the film, but was more interested in the beginning, than the middle and end.  The 1950 film began with Crawford's Ethel, living in a rural community with her uncaring husband and his family.  

Tragedy strikes and Ethel changes her name, leaves her husband and his family and heads to the big city.  I was really drawn to the family briefly showed in the films opening scenes, especially the rugged handsome face of her husband played by actor Richard Egan.  I went out a hunt to find more of Richard's roles.

I'd actually seen the handsome actor before, but didn't connect him with the 1959 film,  A Summer Place.  Today, most actors do one or two films every few years, but during the fifties, Egan churned out over thirty films during the decade.   His roles slowed down in the 60's, but he still worked steadily in both film and on television.  Egan continued to work into the late 1980's with his last role being on the soap opera Capital. 

Searching for images of Egan quickly demonstrated he was promoted as quite the piece of beefcake at the time.  There are dozens of shots of his great chest and torso, and I'm guessing he was desired by many at the time.   Many of the shots I found appeared to promotional shots for Egan's role in 1955's Underwater.  The film seemed a great excuse to get actress Jane Russell wet and in a swimsuit, but there were also many hot shots of Egan underwater in his tight swimsuit.

I found a copy of Underwater, planning only to use it to get a few caps for this piece.  I quickly got into the film and ended up watching and enjoying the entire film.  Jane Russell does go in an out of an unfortunate accent for the film, but otherwise, it's a visually beautiful film to escape into.

With Gilbert Roland in Underwater (1955)

Two scuba divers find a shipwreck which may contain undiscovered treasure. However, their attempt to salvage it is threatened by scavengers.