Just for Mike - Straight Trade, Jeff Dillon. . .

[Ambivalent]

Hey, Mike,

IN case it escaped your notice, on the "bonus site", HSBoys, there's a great bit of video deliciousness from cute Southern straight (but probably bi- or conflicted-boy) on the "oldschool" videos link. It's Jeff Dillon, and he was the hottest little bit of trade there was, back in the day. The guy had a big head (in all three senses) and an odd little nose, and a bit of a receding chin, but - GOSH - he had a PERFECTLY beautiful body. ( I could come all day long, just looking at his perfect HANDS and FEET ~ and wow, those PECS. And WOW, that tan!)

Jeff got some bad press, back in the '90's, for making some super homophobic statements. He NEVER bottomed, so far as I know. And word had it, he got drunk once, and took a baseball bat to someone who made a pass at him in a gay bar. (I'm not condoning that, or liking it - but he was prototypical straight trade, and he sure seemed to love it, when he got a guy's tongue in his mouth.) And he sure was cute.

He's up on the bonus site, now. I'm gonna try and send you the link: http://oldschool.hsboys.com/flash-p...ie/130931/scene/624408&hostname=integration01

"A" XOXOXOXOXO

 

[mikeyank]

Thank you Ambi, for thinking of me, and for the actual link, (which worked fine), as I do not usually go to High School Boys, unless prompted by a member to check out a specific video. And I often need a "road map" to find the actual video in question.

That scene was a "blast from the past", (with several "blasts" in the scene). I remember that style of films from that period in time, when I would go to the gay movie theaters in Manhattan, (The Park Miller, The Jewel, The Gayety) and The Adonis which was a mega sized gay movie house right on Eighth Avenue which often attracted nervous straight businessmen, married suburbanites looking for a taste of "forbidden fruit", and even some hustlers looking to earn a few shekels. To use the old Bob Hope theme reference, Thanks for the memories.

 

[mikeyank]

As Ambi started this thread for me, I feel comfortable going into a bit more of my memories of The Adonis as I found this very descriptive and accurate article speaking of that iconic NYC gay porn house.

Forgotten Gay History – The Infamous Adonis Movie Theater NYC, NY (1975 – 1988)
Posted by Will Kohler on February 26, 2013

The 1,433-seat Adonis Theatre, was originally built as the Tivoli Theatre in 1921 was one of a kind. A grandly opulent movie theatre on Eighth Avenue and 51st Street which in its declining year was revamped for stud romping, porn and anonymous sex. It was a cinema palace that survived by giving Doris Day and Rock Hudson (oh the irony of it all) the pink slip and brought in Jack Wrangler, Kip Knoll, Richard Locke and the in Falcon Video-Pak guys to survive and became one of New York’s most popular and infamous adult all male theatres in the 1870′s and early 80′s.

Not much history remains of the Adonis in books or on the internet just a few fading memories of those who who wandered its dark interior in days and nights gone by.

The Adonis came complete with a grand lobby and a balcony flanked by solid two-story Ionic columns. Even as men prowled th asles looking for sex the the grandness of the vast grandness of the theatre could not be overlooked. Even Variety, even went so far to peg it as the largest and most lavish gay porn theatre in NYC.

In the late 70′s the Adonis was a sexual amusement part. While the images of Jack Wrangler and Movies by Joe Gage Owens flickered on the screen men in the aisles, the seats, the balcony and anywhere they could would act out their own sexual fantasies. Sundays were so crowded that it was hard to find a seat in Adonis but that was all that was hard to find. Men would literally avoid the seats under the balcony’s edge at busy times for fear of being showered with semen from above.

The Adonis was crowded at most times of the day, and night. Sleazy, and dark, it attracted a fun, fast crowd. Instead of popcorn you could buy small tubs of lube, cockrings and poppers at the concession stand. If one didn’t have the $7 admission you could easily meet someone in front of the theater for a quick rendezvous at some other location or for someone to pay your entrance fee,

The Adonis’ house manager had a stake in the career of iconic (and short)porn star Jack Wrangler, and in 1977 he was brought in to shoot a film called A Night at the Adonis in the theater, after-hours when it was closed. Theatre employees such as Bertha the cashier acted in bit roles, and as soon as a print was readied it was shown at The Adonis.

A net posting by Oliver Penn recalls the movie. . . “it was rather odd to be in the exact theatre that was being depicted on the screen, sort of a movie coming to life all around you. What was happening on the screen was also happening in real life as you were watching the film.”

But the theatres size, age, and the outbreak of AIDS epidemic took its toll on the theater. There were also serious structural problems, and sometime in the mid-’80s the balcony collapsed. Luckily no one was hurt

In the meantime real estate developers that had a stake in the neighboorhood and Mayor Ed Koch who was using the AIDS epidemic to clean up Times Square were trying to get the theatre closed down to tidy it up for the building of the monolith Worldwide Plaza. One prospective tenant, a a homophobic law firm law firm Cravath, Swain & Moore, stipulated that the theatre, which stood on the adjoining block, had to close. The plaza’s developer, William Zeckendorf, subsequently bought up the site, and that was the beginning of the end of the Tivoli/Adonis.

Later a bizarre postscript to this story surfaced when a partner in said law firm David Schwartz—instrumental in shuttering the Adonis—was murdered by an 18-year-old male whom he’d spent the day with at his Connecticut summer home and then taken to a sleazy Bronx motel. Schwartz had been stabbed 27 times. It turned out that this moral pillar of the community liked to engage in rough gay sex and had been living a double life for years.

But The Adonis did lived on for a bit and transferred its name to another theatre owned by Wilson further south on Eighth Avenue, almost to 44th Street which was quickly outfitted with campy Greek statues but it wasn’t the same. But the city of New York was using it to best close down every gay sex establisment that it could the “new” Adonis was eventually closed in 1994 by the City’s health department after a raid revealed high-risk sexual activities taking place among patrons.

The grand old Adonis would stand like a grey ghost until the spring of 1995 on its corner of 8th Avenue and 51st Street until it was demolished as a ghostly reminder of the heyday of gay sexual freedon in a now scared and scary post-AIDs world.

You can watch the X-RATED trailer for “A Night At The Adonis” by CLICKING HERE (Sorry but the link does not work).

 

[louis33705]

Wow, Mike. Now that does bring back memories for me too. I remember going into the Adonis theatre once. I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the place. I had never had such a large exposure to forbidden fruit. I was so nervous I don't think I stayed there more than half an hour before I rushed out.

Another "WOW" A Night At The Adonis I have that movie on VHS tape. Have watched it numerous times and always brought back memories of my visit there.

 

[louis33705]

I just realized I've been promoted to "Senior Member" Woo Hoo!

 

[Beth]

I just realized I've been promoted to "Senior Member" Woo Hoo!

Congratulations, must be a nod to your "oral abilities."

 

[joeychuck2]

what was the name of the theatre on 8th avenue at 40 or 41 St opposite the fire house. It had 3 floors with different motifs. You went in by taking the elevator.

 

[tampa24]

The 1,433-seat Adonis Theatre, was originally built as the Tivoli Theatre...was one of a kind. A grandly opulent movie theatre on Eighth Avenue and 51st Street which in its declining year was revamped for stud romping, porn and anonymous sex. It was a cinema palace that survived by giving Doris Day and Rock Hudson (oh the irony of it all) the pink slip and brought in Jack Wrangler, Kip Knoll, Richard Locke and the in Falcon Video-Pak guys to survive and became one of New York’s most popular and infamous adult all male theatres in the 1870′s and early 80′s.

Gosh Mikey,

I had no idea that you were that old that you'd been going there for over 110 years. haha Did you ever see Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in there getting it on in the audience after the Civil War? I always wondered if Interview with the Vampire was autobiographical and they've been lovers for centuries who only pretended to age.

Seriously though I did enjoy the little bit of unknown (to me) NYC history. Thanks!

 

[mikeyank]

Gosh Mikey,

I had no idea that you were that old that you'd been going there for over 110 years. haha Did you ever see Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in there getting it on in the audience after the Civil War? I always wondered if Interview with the Vampire was autobiographical and they've been lovers for centuries who only pretended to age.

Seriously though I did enjoy the little bit of unknown (to me) NYC history. Thanks!

You are a good reader Tampa. When I copied and pasted that picture and article on the old Adonis Theater, I also noticed it said that it became an all male theatre in the "1870's". I thought of correcting it, but decided to leave it as it was originally posted, but old "Eagle Eye Tampa" picked up on it.

But the 1970's was rather eye opening for me in my 20's discovering all the underground sex palaces that New York City had to offer. My summer vacations from college involved a lot of "exploring" for me, including the old majestic movie houses then showing gay porn on the big screen.

 

[peterh6308]

But the 1970's was rather eye opening for me in my 20's discovering all the underground sex palaces that New York City had to offer. My summer vacations from college involved a lot of "exploring" for me, including the old majestic movie houses then showing gay porn on the big screen.

Slut!!!

 

[mikeyank]

Slut!!!

That is actually one of the nicer things that you've said to me Peter.

Guilty as charged. Thank you!!!

 

[peterh6308]

That is actually one of the nicer things that you've said to me Peter.

Guilty as charged. Thank you!!!

The days not over Mikeyank!!! lol

 

[mikeyank]

The days not over Mikeyank!!! lol

You have corrected your nice ways on the sports thread. I can always count on you to keep Mikeyank in check!!! lol

 

[IggyPop]

I wonder if they got nervous with the original title of that movie 'The Young and the Hung' or did Mr Higgins have another one with Strong instead of Hung? It's been so many years since I went to the Bijou in Chicago. They had everything back in the day but I'm not sure they still have a theater now. People either download from sites or buy online instead of paying up the nose at the stores.

Magazines? What are they asked my teenaged son!

Memories from the old days when you made special trips to the city to buy your gay porn and made some fake excuse about it to cover your tracks. In some ways it was fun because of the 'danger' of getting caught by someone you know.

It did happen to me once when I was in the military. I never did say anything about why the married man was in the same section too. I should have but just denied the whole thing.

 

[lpdude86]

I just realized I've been promoted to "Senior Member" Woo Hoo!

Welcome to the club!