Rick Cassidy

Rick Cassidy
Born Richard E. Ciezniak, Jr.
July 22, 1943
Died December 23, 2013 (aged 70)
Moscow, Pennsylvania, United States
Resting place
 Saint Catherine's Cemetery
Residence Moscow, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names Jim Cassidy, Mark Hawkins, Jesse Ames, Jerry Grimes, Stefan Roman, Rick Jackson
Occupation
  • Pornographic actor
  • model
  • bodybuilder
Years active 1969–1985
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
No. of adult films 112

Richard E. Ciezniak, Jr. (July 22, 1943 – December 23, 2013), known by his stage name Rick Cassidy, was an American pornographic actor, model and bodybuilder. He appeared in both straight and gay porn films, using the name Jim Cassidy for the latter, during the early 1970s. Cassidy returned to porn in the mid 1980s but stopped making more films after appearing in the movie New Wave Hookers (1985) in a scene with then underage Traci Lords.[1]

Career

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, after spending two years in the navy, he moved to New York City and modeled for physique photographer Jim French, the founder of Colt Studio - posing in leather and motorcycle gear. In 1969, he moved to Los Angeles and entered the Groovy Guy contest the following year. Though he came in third, he was approached by Pat Rocco to pose for a number of local gay publications and was given the stage name Jim Cassidy, borrowed from Butch Cassidy.[2] He made his first male nude film for Rocco with Brian Reynolds. Shot as a screen test, the scene was featured in the film Mondo Rocco.[3] At the same time, Monroe Beehler approached him to appear as the host and narrator of the faux documentary, The AMG Story. When Beehler left in the middle of filming, Tom DeSimone took over and completed it. Around the same time, Cassidy appeared in a short bisexual-themed film Drilled Deep, produced by Scott Masters. The 8mm loop, originally to be called Wrong Number, was about a telephone repair man fixing a phone. Cassidy thought the story was a bit clichéd and the night before the shoot, he wrote a short script. The cast consisted of three people: Dakota, another rising gay porn star, Judy Coleman and Cassidy himself.[4] Dakota (real name Ken Spreague) was the owner of the original Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles. Cassidy claimed him as an old friend whose gym he worked out in and this was how Dakota got the part in the film. They would later appear together in two more films and do pictorials for various magazines.[5] They became known as the "Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald of gay porn".[6]

I haven't made that much from gay porn. I made a lot more in straight porn. I got paid more in gay porn because they wanted my name and I held out for more. But there was more straight porn going on. When I was living up in Hollywood I would often be working five or six days a week at it. In gay porn I might do a film every few months. I didn't want to do everything, because I might easily get overexposed.... I have made only ten gay films, but they have been played and played and replayed and replayed. Already from then films I am overexposed. Straight porn is a different matter. You aren't the famous Jim Cassidy, you are just there. The chicks are the stars.
—Cassidy on his career in gay porn industry[7]

Cassidy kept on making more films and appearing in magazines. He constantly worked for the SPREE magazine and performed in their stage play Casting Couch.[8] By the end of 1973, he was asked by the editor of the gay magazine In Touch to write a regular column on bodybuilding. "The In Touch Body" articles were published monthly for a period of one year.[9] In March 1974, Cassidy was indicted for conspiracy to distribute obscene materials interstate but was acquitted in July.[10] In May, he appeared in the play Tubstrip, alongside Casey Donovan. By the end of the year, Cassidy went on hiatus from making porn films and focused on his job as a real estate salesman. However, he maintained appearing in magazines and small parts in films.[11]

In 1984, Cassidy returned to the straight porn industry working with top pornstars of that time, including Marilyn Chambers, Ginger Lynn, Peter North or Tom Byron. He kept on making films until 1985 when he appeared in a scene with then underage pornstar Traci Lords.[12] The case caused investigations of all the fellow pornstars and the original version of the movie New Wave Hookers had to be removed from distribution in the United States, as well as her other movies. Cassidy retired from the business and later moved to his hometown in Pennsylvania.

Filmography

Straight

  • The Horny Hobo (1969)
  • Widow Blue! (1970)
  • Satan's Sex Slaves (also known as The Lucifers) (1971)
  • Sex Picnic (1971)
  • Penthouse Passions (also known as Hot and Heavy) (1971)
  • Diamond Doublecross (1971)
  • The 3 Phases of Eve (1972)
  • The Pussy Hunters (1972)
  • A Rod for Revenge (also known as Spare the Rod) (1972)
  • The Partnership (1972)
  • The Liars (1972)
  • The Godmother (1972)
  • Snow Balling (1972)
  • Sex in the Comics (1972)
  • Bloomer Girl (also known as Panty Party or Panty Girls) (1972)
  • Love, Hollywood Style (1972)
  • Evil Come Evil Go (1972)
  • The Sex Prophet (1973)
  • More Than Friends (1973)
  • Love for Sale (1973)
  • Two Hours on Sunday (also known as Peacock Lady) (1973)
  • The Winning Stroke (1973)
  • Don't Tell Mama (1973)
  • The California Connection (1973)
  • The Danish Connection (1974)
  • Sexual Insanity (1974)
  • Panorama Blue (1974)
  • Welcome Stranger (also known as Welcome Wagon) (1974)
  • Cheri (also known as John Holmes Pops the Cherry) (1974)
  • Hot Summer Night (1974)
  • Lumber Jacks (1974)
  • Marriage and Other Four Letter Words (1974)
  • The Life and Times of Xaviera Hollander (1974)
  • The Cheaters (1974)
  • The Lover (1974)
  • Easy Money (1974)
  • Swinging Sorority (1974)
  • Swinging Ski Girls (1974)
  • Classified Sex (1975)
  • The Training of Bunny (1975)
  • Sex Station (1975)
  • Desires of Wendy (1975)
  • Country Girls (1975)
  • Panama Red (1976)
  • Fantasm Comes Again (1977)
  • Miss Laid Lovers (1978)
  • How Sweet It Is! (1978)
  • Adventures of Rick Quick, Private Dick (1984)
  • Marilyn Chambers' Private Fantasies 3 (1984)
  • Marilyn Chambers' Private Fantasies 4 (1984)
  • The Ultimate Kiss (1984)
  • Cathouse Fever (1984)
  • Hot Tails (1984)
  • Juggs (1984)
  • Olympix Affair (1984)
  • Hypnotic Sensations (1985)
  • Aurora's Secret Diary (1985)
  • Ring My Chimes (1985)
  • The Perfect Weekend (1985)
  • Too Naughty to Say No (1985)
  • New Wave Hookers (1985)
  • Divorce Court Expose (1987)
  • Divorce Court Expose 2 (1987)

Gay

  • Hard as They Come (filmed 1969; released 1986)
  • Desires of the Devil (1970)
  • The Specimen (also known as The Big Fantasy) (1972)
  • A Deep Compassion (1972)
  • California Supermen (filmed 1972; released 1975)
  • Whatever Momma Wants (1972)
  • The Light from the Second Story Window (1973)
  • Chapter 3 (1973)
  • All American Boys In Heat (filmed 1975; released 1986)

Non-sex

  • Drop Out Wife (1972)
  • Superchick (1973)
  • The Cocktail Hostesses (1973)
  • The Beach Bunnies (1976)
  • Hot Ice (1978)
  • Auditions (1978)

Documentaries

  • Inside AMG (1970)
  • Mondo Rocco (1970)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kahana, Yoram. "Meet Rick.... The California Muscleman", VIVA, May 1975.
  2. ↑ Kepner, Jim. "Pat Rocco Int.", p. 31, National Gay Archives, April 27, 1983.
  3. ↑ "Jim Cassidy", Gay Erotic Video Index.
  4. ↑ Escoffier, Jeffrey. "Beefcake in Babylon", p. 71, Bigger Than Life: The History of Gay Porn Cinema from Beefcake to Hardcore, Running Press, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Jim Cassidy", Gay Erotic Video Index.
  6. ↑ Lover, Body. "Jim Cassidy", p. 34, In Touch for Men, 1985.
  7. ↑ Escoffier, Jeffrey. "Beefcake in Babylon", p. 71, Bigger Than Life: The History of Gay Porn Cinema from Beefcake to Hardcore, Running Press, 2009.
  8. ↑ Kepner, Jim. "SPREE News Pictorial", 1970s Index to Gay Publications 5, January 1972.
  9. ↑ Cassidy, Jim. "The In Touch Body", p. 49, In Touch, January 4, 1974.
  10. ↑ "Jim Cassidy", Gay Erotic Video Index.
  11. ↑ Jones, Marvin. "Jim Cassidy Interview", In Touch, 1974.
  12. ↑ Kahana, Yoram. "Meet Rick.... The California Muscleman", VIVA, May 1975.

External links