Roy Blakey - Variety

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Roy Blakey expanded his horizons beyond dancers and stage actors.  

His work began to feature more masculine models and he pushed his style boundaries somewhat, 

even going so far as to do photo sets for Honcho, Mandate, and After Dark.  Today I will feature 

a mix of both his newer and previous styles with emphasis on the new.  The picture 

above appeard in a 1980 French magazine called.Des Hommes Des Reves

 

Lynes Influence?

The cropping here reminds me of George Platt Lynes, and it marks 

something of a departure from Roy Blakey's usual style.

 

Hands and Chest

The hands and hairy chest really stand out on this Roy Blakey model.

 

Honcho I

This Honcho centerfold from the early 1980s showed a shift in Roy Blakey's style.

 

Darryl Robinson

I find this 1971 photo of dancer Darryl Robinson to be quite striking.

 

Gigolos

Roy Blakey published a somewhat edgy coffee table book called Gigolos in 1981.

I was not able to find a name for this bearded model.

 

1981

This 1981 photo shows a return to Roy Blakey's early style,

but the double peekaboo is a new element.

 

Honcho II

Joe Porcelli posed for the second photo from Honcho in today's set.

 

Surly

Eric Ryan appeared in a Mandate photo spread in 1980 called "Surly."

 

Greg

Closing with this 1975 photo of a model listed only as "Greg" which was attached 

to one of Roy Blakey's many obituaries and tributes.  Mr. Blakey's beloved niece 

Keri Pickett made a point to mention his male nude photography in her own

 memorial, and she asked the mainstream press to follow suit.

 

Name That Photographer

We play the "Name the Model" game fairly often around here, but today will be Name That Photographer.  Some of today's models are quite well know, and we even know some of the photographers they worked for.  Today's images, however, are not known to have firm attributions, although one has a possible, and I have hunches about a few more.  Anyway, let's get started with Bob Edna posed in front of a screen that ought to be a clue.

 

Bob Rome

Spartan, Bob Delmonteque, and Russ Warner all worked with Bob Rome,

but I don't know which, if any, of them took this picture.

 

George O'Mara

George O'Mara was known to have worked for Chuck Renslow at Kris Studio,

and I have a hunch that this is an example.  Several well-curated

websites, however, say photographer unknown.

 

Dale Curry

I've probably posted a couple of dozen pictures of Dale Curry, but not this one.  At least one online auction house said their print of it  had "Lynch-Patrick" stamped on the back, but freely admitted to knowing nothing about them or even if they actually took the photo.  Anyone know?

 

Tony Corona . . . or is it Tom?

I've seen this model named as both Tony and Tom Corona,

but neither name had a photographer's name attached.

 

Bill Grant

This is the other Bill Grant, and yes, I remember promising a series on him.

 

Dewey Wallace

Dewey Wallace appeared on page 23 of some publication,

but whoever posted this online didn't name the photographer.

 

Tabby Anderson

We're not used to seeing Tabby Anderson from this direction,

but whoever took this did a good job.

 

Tom Mathews

Kovert of Hollywood, Bruce of LA, AMG. and Denny Denfield all photographed Tom Mathews, but several well curated websites have no attribution for this picture.  If I had to guess, I'd say it is probably by Kovert, but perhaps someone has something more definite than a guess.

 

Keith Stephan

Our last model is the amazing Keith Stephan who was known to have worked for both Bruce of LA 

and AMG.  No one, however, seems to know who took this outdoor photo.

 

Professor Edmond Desbonnet Day

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Castanets again

Here's one of those bodybuilders who looks like he's playing castanets.  I would say that Edmond Desbonnet pioneered that pose, but I think I have some going all the way back to the 1870s.

 

Ernest Cadine

Prof. Desbonnet took several photos of French champion weightlifter Ernest Cadine, two of which are frontal nudes.  I've already posted one and will get the other into the next Desbonnet set.

I think they were trying to impress us with all those heavy weights.

 

Album Scan

I think this one was actually scanned from its album.

 

Joseph Rosmand

This well-proportioned fellow is Joseph Rosmand.

 

The Gang's All Here

Group photos at Prof. Desbonnet's various gyms were made often and always interesting.  

Look at the close-ups below and try to tell me with a straight face that the guys in the first 

one at right aren't gay.  The two men in suits look like they're thinking, 

"They'll have their hands in each other's pants any minute now."  

And then there's these two with serious goo-goos going on.

Boys will be boys.

 

Big Mustache

This handsome fellow with a big mustache doesn't look too athletic,

but perhaps this was a "before" photograph.

 

With John Grimek

Witnesses reported that American bodybuilding great John Grimek was blushing when this photo 

was taken with Edmond Desbonnet.  The reason?  The Frenchman kissed him goodbye.  

The photo below is from Prof. Desbonnet's collection, and some say he actually took it.  

While it doesn't look like any of his work, I'm not qualified to say whether it is or not.

 

Gunslinger pose

This pose looks like a Wild West gunslinger from behind.

 

Side view

 

Ending the set with a side view of a gentleman I think appeared earlier today.