Favorite Pic of the Day for September 8th

Above:

Zack by TR Pics

 

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Seasonal Sightings:

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Cheerio!

This past weekend, I celebrated the Labor (Labour) Day weekend by spotlighting the work of Male Beauty by bengie.  In part two of the feature, I wrote about being a bit worried about Bengie..  The UK  based photographer had not replied to my last couple of messages, and was not 'seen' on his portfolio sites in close to a year.

I knew from Bengie of his health struggles, in particular, he noted his eye sight was failing.  I worried he may have died, which sadly was confirmed.  Although I had searched for an obituary using his real name, several readers, wrote and messaged that they had found the news and tribute on-line. (HERE:) I don't know why I didn't search for Bengie, other than assuming that a obituary wouldn't be found using his professional pseudonym.  Thanks to those who shared the news.

I should maybe have guessed something was up.  When I first contacted Bengie about featuring his work over a decade ago, he was instantly on board.  He didn't however, like to share much commentary.  He usually kept it to a few words, and nothing really personal or about himself.  He chose to have the work speak for itself.   

Then, about two years ago, Bengie asked me to share some of his story, especially about his home. Given Bengie shot primarily in his Chester based home, I loved hearing more about it, especially it's history,  Bengie sent on pages of info about his childhood, his family and the highs, lows and losses he experienced within the walls of the home he'd lived in his entire life.  I began incorporating his stories into my posts, beginning with Homebodies back in 2023. (HERE:)  Cheerio Bengie!  I hope his beloved home will end up with someone who will love it as much as you did.

Zak by Male Beauty by bengie

My Best Friend's Butt

'In a world of fronts, be a great behind....'

I'm not sure why I didn't notice it sooner, but I had dozens of shots saved of guys showing off their buddies buttocks.  Some of the guys are yanking down the breeches of their bestie, while others are just ensuring it's seen, and properly spotlighted. 

I have no idea if these guys are gay or straight, not that it really matters.  I'm just guessing most are straight, as I've never been around a group of gay guys who yank down their pals pants. Well.. maybe I have, but it's when they're at a club or playing some sort of game.  Spontaneous pants pulling seems to be more for straight guys who maybe had a little too much to drink.  Regardless, I find the trend incredibly hot. 

A Look Back: Ilan Mitchell-Smith in Weird Science

I first posted this piece back in 2019.  This past week, I noticed that actor  Ilan Mitchell-Smith was all over social media.  The scene, the memorable moment of Ilan in his blue undies and crop top from 1985's Weird Science.  It's not odd the scene got traction, but given the actor was only about 16 at the time, there was also something a bit odd at it going viral.  I was a few years younger than Ilan when I first saw the scene, and crushed over him at the time.  Now, I'm more into Bill Paxton's butt scene, which was not included in the recent clip on-line. 

Anyone growing up in the eighties, and even for many the nineties, knows the power of those memorable moments on screen.  Today, anyone can see any scene, any body, any body part anytime they want.  When I was a kid, those moments weren't as easily accessible, and mainstream movies provided not only the most powerful, but also the safest way to explore sexuality.

I think many FH readers have the shared memory of being a kid and catching a memorable moment on VHS.  It was usually when watching with a group of friends or with family.  After the initial moments of shock and titillation, my emotion usually moved to fear, tensing up and hoping nobody in the room noticed how much I was noticing.  Being 12 and in the closet meant constant moments of suppressing my natural reaction to things.

My pattern was most likely much like yours.  When the movie was over, I'd move on, to dinner, to bed, to whatever followed.  The movie memory however, would be stuck in my head, often for days.  They were too infrequent to be easily forgotten. If the movie was rented at my home, I'd sneak down to the rec room whenever I thought it was safe, and re-watch the scene for as long as I could.  If I saw the movie at a friends, I'd then try to ensure the film was the next one rented by my family.

We applaud the importance of gay cinema, and we should.  For so many of us, especially those us who grew up in rural areas or far from any cultural hubs, mainstream movies were it. It was those movies, was those scenes within mainstream films that became our introduction to the male form on film, and the visual confirmation of our sexuality and budding sexual awakening.

I was about 12 or 13 when I saw Weird Science on VHS.  I'd not heard or it when it was in the theatres a few years earlier, nor did I have any real interest in seeing it now.  I knew little about it other than that my younger brother chose it during our trip to the video store.  I remember kind of liking it, but not especially loving it, but I remember vividly Ilan Mitchell-Smith in his blue undies.

The scene was memorable for many reasons, the least of which was director John Hughes;s direction of the scene.  It was both fairly lengthy, and included a  close-up of Mitchell-Smith's crotch.  Although it perfect made sense, for comedic reason, to get a good gander, given the actor was just 16, it was still rather rare for an teen oriented American comedy.

For many, the icing was on the cake was Bill Paxton's beautiful backside at the end of the scene.  Not for me.  I hated Paxton's character Chet, and identified more with Mitchell-Smith's Wyatt.  Paxton seemed so old to me at the time and don't remember really even reacting to his nude scene until I saw the movie again when I was older. At the time, my focus was on the adorable Wyatt in the tight blue panties he woke up wearing.

I know I'm not the only one who has this particular scene as one of those memorable moments.  It certainly was a memorable moment for actor Ilan Mitchell-Smith.  Although he'd gotten his start the previous year playing a young Timothy Hutton in Daniel, and co-starred in The Wild Life with Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz, Weird Science became his most famous role, then, and even today.  Mitchell-Smith continued to work, mostly on TV for a few years, but except for a few guest shots, (including on a Weird Science themed episode of The Goldbergs) the actor left show business in the early 90's.

Mitchell-Smith turned his focus to academia, receiving his BA in Medieval Studies from the University of California, and his MA in Medieval Studies from Fordham University. Mitchell-Smith went to to receive a doctoral degree from Texas A&M University in 2005, and became an associate professor in the English department at California State University.

In addition to his teaching, Mitchell-Smith also writes about medieval culture in many mediums, including writing about chivalry in the later Middle Ages.  With all those accomplishments, I'm sure there are many who have memories which don't include Mitchell-Smith in his undies, but for many of us, that onscreen memory will continue to be memorable.