Vintage

March 11, 2016

Edited July 20, 2021 by Steve

March 11, 2016

A few more to brighten you up!

March 11, 2016

And the last for the present!!

May 6, 2016

On March 10, 2016 at 3:13 PM, Demon said:

A few more to brighten you up!

@Demon : What a fantastic collection of classic beefcake. Some years ago, I saw the cutie on the left in this photo identified as John Davidson, who later became a fairly famous entertainer as a dimpled, baby-faced, pretty-boy singer, movie and TV actor, and game show host. The twink on the right was identified as Blackie Preston. Here are two more shots of them, plus two of Davidson alone. Maybe they were showering to remove the body oil that was used to shoot their beefcake photos?

The codpiece Preston appears to be wearing in the second photo looks very crude, and it doesn’t seem to have any “visible means of support,” not even strings like those used to hold up the posing strap shown in the first photo that were typical of American Athletic Guild photos of that era. The codpiece may have been added to the photo later to censor it for distribution.

According to Davidson's Wikipedia page, he appeared as an underwear model in a Sears catalog in 1959, at age 17. 1959 would be consistent with the time period when AAG and others were still producing beefcake photos like these, as well as with his youthful appearance. (He would probably have needed to be over 18 to legally appear as a model for these shots, though.

However, the “USMC” tattoo on his right shoulder casts doubt about whether that is Davidson, or at least the same Davidson who later became the popular entertainer. Davidson’s Wikipedia entry doesn’t mention anything about his serving in the Marine Corps, although that’s not conclusive. The author(s) of the article may just have overlooked that point. But in the only two other photos I could find of Davidson with a bare right arm (below) show no “USMC” tattoo. That’s not conclusive either, though. (After all, although Wikipedia has its uses, it's hardly authoritative.) The tattoo in the photos above could be temporary fakes added for just the purpose of those photos. (It’s the crudest “USMC” tattoo I’ve ever seen.) Also, the source of the first shot below clearly states that it’s been digitally altered, in this case apparently to add the brushstroke effect to make it look like a painting instead of a photo. The source could have removed the tattoo in the process, if that’s even the same Davidson. But Davidson clearly doesn’t have the Marine tattoo in the second shot below, although he does appear to have a much smaller one.

So in the end, I don’t know if the photos above are the same “John Davidson” or not. But it’s entertaining to think that Davidson, who had a G-rated, “traditional family values” image, might’ve had a slightly racy past.