Same island, twenty years earlier

This remarkable antique may be the earliest attempt at a 'covertly/overtly' gay-themed film loop sold openly to its intended audience. Shot by Richard Fontaine in 1950 (i.e. years before AMG, Kris, Bruce of LA, JBrian & Pat Rocco began filming, and two decades before Jim French did ), it combines a Fire Island setting, two NYC bodybuilders & a script which is both breathtakingly campy & daringly suggestive--particularly for its time. The daydreamer is Arthur Ullrich (famous for lowhangers not, alas, on view here) and Art's dream-come-true is Tom DeCarlo, a Long Islander who had a degree in PhysEd from Springfield College & posed for many area photographers, including Lon of NY. Ullrich taught high school in Manhattan and DeCarlo was soon to head West with the wife & kids (!) to begin a long career as a teacher & coach at a California community college. Fontaine marketed a re-edited & silent version of this 16 mm movie (sans Ullrich but with equally suggestive title cards filling in the dialogue) which he cheekily called 'Cocktails'--an item I'll post when I can unearth a good copy of it.