Jumbled selfie

I think the last photo in the series is jumbled attempt at a mirror selfie.

The permed hair is pure 1976.

 

Tex Murdock

It's Tex Murdock day, and we start with our model alongside a large boat.

 

Jockstrap

The jockstrap will appeal to several of you, I'm sure.

 

Pool

Mr. Murdock looks good perched on a pool ladder.

 

Cropped

The robe reminds me of some Playgirl photo sets, but I don't think this appeared there.

And why somebody cropped out the top of Tex's head is beyond me.

 

Rock

The pose here is not very original, but it works.

 

Biker Tex

Despite the lack of a money shot, this is my favorite photo of the day.

 

Numbers

This one is from a publication called Numbers.

 

Thigh deep

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Sleepy cowboy

Here we see Tex Murdock using a saddle as a pillow and a hat rack.  Despite making a convincing cowboy model, he admitted at one point that he had never been south of Connecticut.

 

Early On

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Bruce's Ranchito

Bruce Bellas, aka Bruce of LA, once owned a small rural property northeast of Los Angeles that some chroniclers of the golden age of physique photography refer to as the "ranchito."  Based on the models used in the photos made there and the fact that many of them appeared in trunks or posing straps, I'm fairly certain that most of them are from the late 1950s to mid 60s.  He probably sold the place at some point because none of his later models appear there, and it is not mentioned in reference to the sizeable estate Bruce left Scotty Cunningham.  Today we will see ten pictures I believe were made at the ranchito, beginning with Louis Phillips.

 

Keith Stephan

This color slide of Keith Stephan is a bit washed out, but he always impresses.

 

Bob Freeman

Bruce posed Bob Freeman in a spiffy checked swimsuit for this one.

My little juvenile self had one like it in 1959.

 

Sam Stall

We get some swagger from Sam Stall in a photo I first posted several years ago.

 

Bob Collier

I initially didn't know if Bruce Bellas was dabbling with 3D photography, or if some collector or editor 

thought it would be cute to splice two copies of this color slide together.  If you look very closely, however, you will see subtle differences, so it might be 3D after all.  Who knew?

 

Dick Spero

More than one model posed with this rail fence, and this time it's Dick Spero.  It was Mr. Spero's 

recent appearance on the blog in a ranchito photo that inspired today's series,

but he went full frontal nude for that one.

 

Joe Leitel

Here we see Joe Leitel in the window of a barn or shed.

 

Kim Fox

Kim Fox is another of Bruce's ranchito models who appears

 both frontally nude and in posing straps.

 

John Manning

Although he's hard to recognize, this is John Manning.  He was one of the notorious

 Manning brothers who were in and out of jail so much that pictures 

of the three of them together are considered rare.

 

Hugh Pendleton

Closing with Hugh Pendleton posed against what looks like a barn wall.