Merry Christmas

For all of you who celebrate Christmas, please accept my best wishes for a Happy Holiday.

A triple feature follows with two intermissions.

Christmas '25, Part 1 - Bob Mizer/AMG Productions

Part one of our Christmas special features some Bob Mizer/AMG Christmas material.

The two guys above are Butch Umbenhauer, left, and Marty Vogelsberg, right.

 

Casey Parker, Front and Back

This is Casey Parker, a model who appeared with Blackie Preston in a 1975 Christmas themed film with the unlikely name of Goat on the Roof, a board game seen under the tree.

 

The Cut-Up Present

This is from The Cut-UpPresent a production with DocJohnson(l), JimmyLloyd(c), and Johnny Fore(r).  The key to Bob Mizer's squiggle codes is below.

 

Johnnie Stumps, Back and Front

Here we see Johnnie Stumps from both directions.

 

Trio

 

Closing out the Bob Mizer/AMG section, we have a trio in front of the tree.

Unfortunately, I don't have names for them.

First Intermission - Greeting Cards

As some else said, "Ho, Ho, Homosexual."

 

Christmas '25, Part 2 - When Christmas Goes Wrong

In part two, we see what happens when Christmas goes wrong.

Santa was already on his last nerve when Rudolph decided to give 

it a go with a bull elk in a Colorado parking lot.  He had to pull 

out his trusty .38 Special to get the sleigh back in the air.

 

Had to be gay

I think we can safely assume this guy is gay.  The Chihuahua is saying,

"Please!  Somebody rescue me from this clueless dork!"

 

Naughty

Whoever lived in this house must have been very, very naughty.

Shortly afterwards Santa was arrested by the Air National Guard 

for operating a sleigh under the influence.

 

Grandma loses it

Grandma had already had quite a few drinks before she found out that she didn't get the 

Mary Kay Rejuvenation Kit that she wanted for Christmas.  This is what happened next.

 

Admonition

Based on the some of the comments that appear on this blog,

the above message might be an admonition for some of you.

 

Second Intermission, More Greeting Cards

This would make a perfect Christmas card (and gift) for a certain Belgian we know.

And below, "Watch out, boys.  The Christmas Fairy just arrived."

 

Christmas '25, Part 3 - Mixed Items

Part three of our Christmas extravaganza is a mixed lot of themed items, some probably

 not vintage. We start with a guy who should put us in a festive mood.

 

Ornaments

 

I'd love to know where they sold these ornaments.

Santa in the Shower

This looks a lot like a guy I know who lives in Hazel Green, Alabama.

He's in high demand on both the Santa Claus and Papa Bear circuits.

 

No date

The oil makes me think this one might be color vintage.

Several searches produced no provenance.

 

And finally . . .

And finally, we close with a real vintage guy in his socks and BVDs.

I wonder if they were all he got in the only gift box under the tree.

If so, he doesn't look unhappy.  Some people don't need a lot.

Herbert Tobias, Part 1 - Attic Series

Today I am posting a two part series featuring the work of German photographer Herbert Tobias.  Part one is photos that are supposed to be part of a series from the mid-1970s called The Attic.  I say "supposed" because I've seen some of these with both different dates and titles on various websites.  In any case, I think they are some of Herr Tobias' best.  We start with a coquettish over the shoulder look from a model whom I've seen in other works by this artist. 

 

Attic II

I've see that expression on men in cruise bars before,

and finding it an attic seems strange.

 

Attic III

I like the use of the bare light bulb in this one.

 

Attic IV

I'm not certain that this image was meant to be included in the attic 

series as it doesn't really look like it was taken there.

It is, however, an attractive photograph.

 

Attic V

I can't tell if our model in the final attic photo is reaching

 for the light or hanging from a rafter.

 

Herbert Tobias, Part 2 - Assorted

Part two of our Herbert Tobias series is comprised of assorted works,

and we begin with Hamburg, 1972.

Joseph with Cannabis

This is Joseph with Cannabis from 1975.

 

Siegfried 1981

The hazy look in Siegfried 1981 is said to have been intentional on Herr Tobias' part.

 

Marlene Chansons

Herbert Tobias called this 1975 image Marlene Chansons mit Kerlen, which translates 

from German slang as Marlene Dietrich Songs with Guys.

 

Lazy Afternoon

Closing the set with Lazy Afternoon from 1980.

 

Bruce for Sale Day

As many of you know, I frequently visit vintage photo online auctions and resale websites.  Recently, hundreds of photos by Bruce of Los Angeles have been turning up, many of which I had not previously seen.  One site in particular was selling as many as 40 prints in a single lot without bothering to name a single model, and some of those guys are quite well known in hobbyist circles.  The part that surprises me most is that I've referred to this site in the past as well curated.  Not any more.  In any case, I'm posting ten of these that are new to me, six of which I have been able to identify.  We start with an unknown black model on a black background.  Wish I knew his name.

 

Bart Horne

Bart Horne is best known for a series of photos in which he posed 

with a bicycle, but I really like this different style photo.

 

Robert Weitknecht

I wish I could find some full frontals of Robert Weitknecht, but so far I've had no luck.

 

Bobby Kennedy

This 1964 photo shows Bobby Kennedy looking like he's holding the moon.

 

Skinny Sword

There's probably a name for that long skinny sword, but I don't know it.

I don't know the name of the model, either.

 

Mike Kevin

This 1971 photo shows Mike Kevin, a model who went on to work for Colt.

 

Statue

The model here looks like one of those black marble statues 

that I saw in Rome a couple of years ago.

 

Mark Nixon

Mark Nixon and his profound tan lines appears with a bamboo staff in this one.

 

Ball and Grass Mat

Two of Bruce Bellas' favorite props, a ball and his checkerboard grass mat, 

appear in this photo of a model whose identity I wasn't able to figure out.

 

Frank Affrunti

I'm not completely sure that out last Bruce for Sale model is by Bruce.  A search brought up the name Frank Affrunti, and this looks like him.  The problem?  All the other photos of Mr. Affrunti that I've been able to find are by Lon of New York.  This does, however, look like Bruce Bellas' work, and several models were known to have moved from New York to California in the 1950s.