Boys in the Sand
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| Boys in the Sand | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wakefield Poole |
| Written by | Wakefield Poole |
| Starring | Casey Donovan Peter Fisk Danny Di Cioccio Tommy Moore |
| Distributed by | Poolemar |
| Release date(s) | December 29, 1971 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12,000 USD (estimated) |
| Followed by | Boys in the Sand II |
| IMDb profile | |
Boys in the Sand is a landmark 1971 gay pornographic film. The film, directed by Wakefield Poole and starring Casey Donovan, was the first gay porn film to achieve mainstream crossover success and one of the earliest such films of any stripe to gain mainstream credibility, preceding Deep Throat by nearly a year. The title is drawn from that of the Mart Crowley play and film The Boys in the Band but the two are otherwise unrelated.
Poole was inspired to make the film after some friends and he went to see Highway Hustler, a film which Poole considered very poorly done. Convinced he could do better, Poole enlisted his lover, Peter Fisk, and another man and shot a ten-minute segment entitled "Bayside." The success of that initial shoot convinced Poole to plan two more segments and seek theatrical distribution for the completed work. Poole hired Tommy Moore and Casey Donovan for the third segment, "Inside." When Fisk's scene partner from "Bayside" heard about the potential distribution deal, he refused to sign release forms until he was guaranteed 20% of the profits. Instead, Poole decided to scrap the segment and re-shoot with Fisk and Donovan. The resulting footage was so good that Poole decided to use Donovan for the second segment as well, entitled "Poolside," and construct the loose storyline around him. The three segments were filmed over three successive weekends in August of 1971.
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[edit] Summary
Boys in the Sand is composed of three segments set in the gay resort beach area of Fire Island.
In the first segment, "Bayside," the dark, bearded Peter Fisk walks along the wooded paths of the island until reaching a beach. He strips and sunbathes on a blanket. Suddenly, out in the water, in a filmic moment that would become iconic in gay porn, the blond naked Donovan appears and runs up onto the beach to Fisk. Fisk performs oral sex on Donovan, who then leads Fisk into the woods. Fisk grabs the blanket and follows, catching up to Donovan in a clearing. They kiss and touch each other, then Donovan takes a studded leather strap from Fisk's wrist and attaches it around Fisk's genitalia. They continue the scene, with each performing oral sex on the other and Donovan penetrating Fisk. Following Donovan's climax he returns to servicing Fisk orally and, as Fisk is climaxing, momentary flashes of previous scenes are intercut. The scene ends with Fisk taking the strap from his genitals and attaching it around Donovan's wrist. Fisk runs into the ocean and vanishes, mirroring Donovan's entrance. Donovan dons Fisk's abandoned clothes and heads off down the beach.
"Poolside," the second segment, opens with Donovan on a pier, holding a newspaper. He returns to his house, strips by the pool and begins reading. Intrigued by an ad in the back of the paper, Donovan writes a letter in response. After a number of days pass (marked by the stereotypical device of fluttering calendar pages), he receives a reply in the form of a package. Inside is a tablet, which he throws into the pool. The water starts to churn and a dark-haired man, played by Danny Di Cioccio, emerges to Donovan's delight. The two couple by the pool, with each performing oral sex on the other and Donovan penetrating Di Cioccio in a variety of positions. Di Cioccio turns the tables and tops Donovan until Donovan's climax. The scene closes with the two engaged in horseplay in the pool and then walking off together down a boardwalk.
The third segment, "Inside," was the most controversial of the three, involving as it did interracial sex at a time when such on-screen pairings were still uncommon in or outside of pornography. After the opening shots of Donovan showering, toweling off and wandering around his room idly intercut with shots of African-American telephone repairman Tommy Moore checking various poles and lines outside, Donovan spots Moore from his balcony. Moore sees Donovan as well. The remainder of the segment consists of Donovan's fantasized sexual encounters with Moore throughout the house intercut with shots of Donovan sniffing poppers and penetrating himself with a large black dildo. The segment ends following Donovan's climax with the dildo, with the real Moore coming inside the house and closing the door behind them.
[edit] Popular and critical reception
Boys in the Sand had its theatrical debut on December 29, 1971, at the 55th Street Playhouse in New York City. Poole engaged in an unprecedented pre-release publicity campaign, including screening parties and full-page ads in The New York Times and Variety.
The film made back its production and promotions budget within a week of opening. Positive word of mouth spread and the film was favorably reviewed in Variety ("There are no more closets!"), The Advocate ("Everyone will fall in love with this philandering fellator.") and other outlets, which previously had completely ignored the genre. Boys in the Sand remains the only pornographic film ever reviewed by The New York Times. While some critics were less impressed, others saw the film as akin to the avant-garde work of directors like Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol. Within six months the film had grossed $140,000 and was continuing to open in theatres across the United States and around the world.
With the success of Boys in the Sand, Casey Donovan became an underground celebrity. While he never achieved a successful mainstream film career, he continued his career in pornography and was able to translate his fame into appearances in some plays. His fame also allowed him success as a high-priced escort. He remained a bankable commodity in the adult industry until a couple of years prior to his death in 1987.
[edit] Sequel
Poole and Donovan had long wanted to make a sequel to Boys in the Sand. In 1984 they finally shot Boys in the Sand II. Also lensed on Fire Island, Donovan was the only cast member from the original to return. The original opening sequence, "Bayside," was recreated for the sequel, with Pat Allen performing the iconic run from the water. Litigation tied up the release of Boys in the Sand II until 1986 and with the advent of the home video market, there was a glut of gay porn titles available. Boys in the Sand II did not distinguish itself from the competition and was not particularly successful.
[edit] The Wakefield Poole Collection
In 2002, TLA Releasing released The Wakefield Poole Collection. The two-DVD set included a digitally remastered Boys in the Sand and Boys in the Sand II along with a third Poole/Donovan collaboration, Bijou, and various other shorts and material shot by Poole.
[edit] Sources
- Edmonson, Roger. Boy in the Sand: Casey Donovan, All-American Sex Star. 1998, Alyson Publications.
- Wakefield Poole interview, [s]Explorations episode 5. 2005.
