Zoinks! Shaggy by RetroBeefcake

Artwork by Randy

'Hold on, Man. We don't go anywhere with 'scary', 'spooky', 'haunted', or 'forbidden' in the title.'

Shaggy

When it comes to Scooby Doo, most consider Fred Jones the beefcake. I've even featured some hot depictions of the beefy blonde on the site before. (HERE:)  Thanks to photographer James Laws (retrobeefcake) however,, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers is finally getting his due. 

I've been featuring James' holiday themed work since first discovering his Flickr page last Autumn. I love James' retro-themed holiday images, he always manages to get the 'feel' through his creativity and attention to detail.  Assisting James is his cosplay loving friend Billy who is always up for morphing into a variety of different characters.  For this series, it was Billy who inspired the shoot and theme.

'Billy has just always loved Scooby Doo and loves dressing up as Shaggy. One time when he was dressing up as Shaggy I figured I would take a few shots of him showing his "Scooby snack".'

James Laws

If you checked out my previous pieces featured James' work, (HERE:) you might notice that this series is a little different than the previous ones I've featured.  Although his work is always erotic, James doesn't shoot a lot of full frontal images. Usually Billy's Scooby snack is usually kept under wraps, under a costume or stuffed into a G-string or posing pouch.  For this set, Shaggy lets it all hang out.

Artwork of Fred and Shaggy by Randy

retrobeefcake on Flickr

Retrobeefcake: Silver Bells

'Ring-a-ling, hear them ring'

I think we all had a relative who had a fake silver tree.  In my family, it was my great aunt Gwen.  We weren't really close with Gwen or her family, but my father took us to visit her every Christmas.  I still remember her gaudy silver artificial tree.  It was on a table in her living room.  There were no lights on it, just a few red ornaments. 

I used to hate that tree, but as I get older, I look back on it's shiny silver limbs with fondness.  Whenever I see a silver tree I'm instantly taken back to my childhood and those Christmas visits. Now don't get me wrong, I can't see myself ever having a silver tree, well... not for a few decades, when I become a great uncle.  I do love the retro feel of silver tree's in imagery, especially when they're accompanied by a hot holiday hunk. 

I first featured the work of James Laws (Retrobeefcake) this past Halloween.  Since then, his 'retro' styled images have been a regular part of holiday celebrations on FH.  I love the images that James and his model friend create and the retro vibe so detailed in every shot. Pouches do make the most tempting wrapping for the most delicate of packages.

James Laws on Flickr 

Retro Beefcake

'One should never be the oldest thing in one's house.'

Patsy Stone

Every year, early in October, I begin the search.  Naked witches, nude devils, homoerotic Halloween and sexy ghosts are just a few of the terms my Google search engine has become far too familiar with. My goal is to find both sexy and unique Halloween themed imager, but most of all, I'm looking for images I've not seen before.

The first few years I worked on FH, the only holiday images that I could find were the same two or three that came up ever year.  That edited image of Billy Herrington (HERE:) with a pumpkin face drawn on his back seemed to be everywhere on Halloween.  It's one of the reasons I work with several artists to create new holiday imagery for the site.  I love both the creative process, and showcasing images seen before.

My favorite holiday images however, incorporate both the old and new.  New visuals, with vintage symbols and decorations from holidays gone by weaved in.  I wrote recently when featuring the work of PhotoRSH , (HERE:)how I look for images that capture a spirit, the feel I remember from holidays when I was a kid.   

My mother hated to waste money, especially on decorations.  Our Christmas decorations consisted of hand-me-downs from relatives and whatever my  mother could find in the bargain bin during Boxing Day sales.  This meant our house always felt about 10, or 20 years behind everyone else's.  A mix-match of ornaments, huge glass balls, small glass balls with the color mostly faded off and those God-awful thread balls we had long after everyone else had moved on.

I hated those decorations, yet now that I'm older, really wish tucked a few away and kept them.  Whenever I see an image with vintage decorations, they take me right back to being a kid.  The visuals and colors evoke the feel, the smell of past holidays and the excitement that surrounded them. I still get excited about holidays, but once you hit your late teens or twenties, it takes a bit more work to evoke the magic that was so effortless when you were a kid.

This year, my early October search took me to artist Flickr, and the page of photographer James Laws and his collection of Retro Beefcake. I quickly sent James off a message asking if I could feature some of his imagery on the site. James was on board, welcoming me to pick my favorites from his vast portfolio of new, but vintage themed holiday images.

James mostly shoots his friends, and the model featured in most of these shots is Billy, one of James friends from school.  Billy loves cosplay and morphing into various different characters.  Some of his favorites are the beefcake and pin-up themed shots from the 50's and 60's.  These were also some of my favorites!  Thanks to James, and to Billy, for sharing their work together.

James Laws on Flickr

Gatherings of Gratitude

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

& Gatherings of Gratitude to All!!!

Wishing all those celebrating a peaceful and pleasant Thanksgiving day!  

Special thanks to photographer James Laws for providing a particularly perky Pilgrim! 

Actors & SKIN: Supplementary:

James Duval 

in Without Ward

'Set in a future where lawyers with guns are the heads of the government. Strict house arrest laws are enforced and one man saves the world by standing naked in his window.'

Back in 2021, I did an Actors & Skin piece featuring actor James Duval. (HERE:) When I put together the piece, Without Ward had not yet been released. Since I want all of my Actors & Skin pieces to a comprehensive archive of a actor's on-screen nudity, a supplementary was required. 

Some may have noticed that Duval looks quite young  in the piece, and the 2022 release, is about five years after the death of Martin Landau, one of the films stars. Shooting for film actually wrapped in 2012, but it sat in limbo owing to several factors, including health issues of its director Cory Cataldo. Cataldo worked in finance in Miami for several years while the cast and crew pushed him to get the film finished.

Actors & SKIN: Ryan O'Neal (Part 2)

It was 1982's Partners that helped inspired this post.  As stereotypical as many of the scenes and dialogue is, writer Francis Veber and director James Burrows keep it from being too offensive, even looking back through today's lens.  Burrows many know directed some of televisions biggest comedies, including; Cheers, Frasier, Friends and Mike & Molly.  Watching Partners, I couldn't help thinking there were more groanworthy and offensive gay jokes on Friends, which was made over 20 years later.

Partners (1982)

'A heterosexual police detective is unnerved when ordered to go undercover with a homosexual police clerk, as a couple, to solve a series of murders in the gay community.'

Before I actually watched Partners, I thought O'Neal's cop partner was played by Roddy McDowell.  although they look a little similar, the role was actually played by actor John Hurt.  The British actor was considered one of industries best actors.  O'Neal and Hurt were not the producers first choices.  Originally, they wanted Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen to play the roles.  Eastwood wanted to work with Allen, and pulled out when Allen didn't take the role.  Other actors once in contention were Alan Arkin, Sam Elliott, James Caan and Nick Nolte. 

Oliver's Story (1978)

'A grieving Oliver is being pressured by his in-laws to move on and take part in the family business. He meets a pretty heiress and they start dating, but memories of Jennie come rushing back.'