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Rachel Mason talks about CIRCUS OF BOOKS: the story of her family’s iconic gay porn bookstore

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For her sophomore feature filmmaker RACHEL MASON turned her cameras on to her own parents to tell their unlikely tale of running the most successful Adult Book Store in West Hollywood. It was part a journey of discovery for her too as growing up with her 3 siblings in this nice middle class Jewish household, the source of her parents income was a closely guarded secret from everyone inside and outside of the  family.

Now her award-winning documentary CIRCUS OF BOOKS is about to have have its debut on Netflix, so Mason talks to Queerguru about her fascinating family story.   And what a really nice man Jeff Stryker is.



Remembering DIANA DORS : the UK’s very own Marilyn Monroe

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Just after World War 2 London was badly in need of some  home grown glamour.  They found it in Diana Dors  an English film and television actress blonde bombshell promoted as the country’s own ‘Marilyn Monroe‘.  Like Monroe, Dors struggled o be accepted as a serious actress,  turned out to have terrible choice in men, and died way too soon.  

At the age of 16, Dors signed a  contract with the Rank Organisation, the nearest thing in the UK to a Hollywood Studio and they gave her small parts in films where her role was generally just to look sexy 

In 1952 Dors starred in  Lady Godiva Rides Again for Rank (a film which has uncredited appearances by Joan Collins) but Rank went Bankrupt. Her first husband Denis Hamilton then got her working in sex film-comedies and risqué modelling,  Hamilton. a close friend of London gangsters the infamous Kray Twins. went to great lengths to advance Dors’ career in British movies and he  drove up her  income  by literally pimping her out .

Most of her movies at that time were forgettable just like Monroe’s early one..  In 1956  Dors starred in  Yield to the Night  a crime drama for which she received some of the best reviews of her career and Hollywood finally noticed.

Still married to Hamilton she made 4 movies for RKO which all flopped and the highlight of her stay seems to been her (alleged ) affair with co star Rod Steiger.  

After her flops the Studio elected not to make the other two films in her contract, and so she headed back to the UK to divorce Hamilton and discover he had embezzled all her money and she was now completely broke.

To pay for the lawyers  she agreed to undertake a theatre-based cabaret tour titled “The Diana Dors Show”.  Her co-star was comedian Dickie Dawson later known as Richard Dawson  who would become her 2nd husbandBut first she dumped her then boyfriend who subsequently emptied her cash box at Harrods of £18,000 and sold his story to the tabloid press

She went back to the US with Dawson and dis cabaret work and had a 2nd go at Hollywood for a  few more unmemorable movies.  Then in 1966 another divorce and back in UK and declared  officially  bankrupt, and with her fame now waning Dors started playing small venues like Working Mens Clubs.

She got a few supporting roles in film such as Berserk!  with with Joan Crawford, and then the lead role in a TV sitcom, Queenie’s Castle  which lasted for three seasons. from 1970-72

With fewer and fewer roles Dors turned her life story into a cash flow through interviews and leaked tabloid stories before she turned to autobiography to generate retirement cash. In 1960 she wrote and published Swingin’ Dors and between 1978 and 1984, she published four autobiographical books under her own name: For Adults Only, Behind Closed Dors, Dors by Diana, and A. to Z. of Men.

She now had plenty of notoriety in her life to fill the books.  During her relationship with Hamilton and until a few months before her death, Dors regularly held ‘adult parties” at her home. There, a number of celebrities, amply supplied with alcohol and drugs, mixed with young starlets against a background of both softcore and hardcore porn film.  Also to add to her woes her third husband actor Alan Lake served 18 months in prison for a violent crime 

Dors was always a major gay icon : a combination of her glamour and brassiness ; the tragedy of her unfulfilled career : and her attraction to really bad men too.  Throughout her life she always displayed this optimism and vitality despite the tabloid press unceasing attempt to make everything about seems so unnecessarily tawdry. Towards the end when Dors did personal appearances in some Gay Clubs she knew she was fully accepted without any hesitation.  We could feel it felt like she was home.

Dors died of ovarian cancer  in 1984 just 52 years old.  Her final film appearance  in Steaming  (also Joseph Losey’s last film) was released the next year.  Alan Lake committed suicide just 5 months after Dor’s death.

 



SAFE/HAVEN: Gay Life in the 1950’s Cherry Grove

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Since the 1940’s Cherry Grove, New York a small village on FIRE ISLAND has been a vacation paradise for the LGBTQ Community. The Cherry Grove Archives Collection a non-profit organisation was established to record the community’s history and is currently presenting an Exhibit SAFE/HAVEN; GAY LIFE IN THE 1950’s at Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Wilton Manors.

Queerguru spoke with the two curators Susan Kravitz and #BrianClark

https://stonewall-museum.org/
http://www.cherrygrovearchivescollection.com/
https://susankravitz.com/



SWIM : Making a Bigger Splash

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Until we can go back to the beach or sit by a pool, we can think about what swimwear we are going to wear when we can. So here is a fun brief queer guide on the history of men’s swimwear.

One piece bathing suits – When we first started to enter the water for fun and exercise in the early 1900s the one piece suit was worn. It was often made of wool and with nautical themes dominating the styles or prison stripes with button tops attached to long-john bottoms, not a bare chest in sight.

Two-piece suits started to be a trend for men in the mid 20th century still remains decency but an upgrade from the all in one. Robert Redford wore such a style playing Jay Gatsby in the 1974 film the  “Great Gatsby”.

Small trunks (as they were called) became all the rage after the first world war, fairly revealing and still worn today on may European beaches Burt Lancaster in the 1953 film  “From here to Eternity” romped in the sea in a pair of trunks.

Then along came Larger trunks in the late 20th century with a higher waistband and fuller in the leg leading to the board shorts of today, further developing into surfers shorts.

In the 1960’s revolutionary designer Rudi Gernreich showed unisex thong style swimsuits. You can still buy these today from the Tom of Finland store or on Ebay. This was the original thong that inspired the one worn by Sacha Baron Cohen as “Borat”.

In 1997 when Tom Ford was designing for Gucci he sent models down the runway in no back no sides swimwear. Again you can buy originals of these on  Ebay for in excess of $1,399 -$3,99.

Have to mention Speedos as the most famous brand world wide and also a commonly used word for the style.. The company started in 1914 but came to everyone’s attention when they made the small (budgy  smuggler) for Olympic competitive swimmers. This started the Budgy Smuggler brand along with AussieBum down in Australia.

Other famous film scenes with men in swimwear are Elvis Presley, Daniel Craig as James Bond and that famous scene with Jane Russell and the boys in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. So we can’t all wait to dive in.

 

GRAHAM FRASER Queerguru’s Culture, Fashion and Arts Correspondent was once half of the award winning FASHION DESIGNER duo WORKERS FOR FREEDOM. Years spent working in the luxury end of International fashion he now lives with his partner the artist RICHARD NOTT and their two Cavapoos Albert and Raf in a stunning renovated 1950’s house on the edge of the Sussex Downs with distant sea views.



Talking with a few of My Favorite Queens …..

Posted on Categories queerguru.tvLabels , ,

 

Over the past few years Queerguru has had the sheer pleasure of interviewing so many Drag Performers/Queens that we had admired from afar.  We have so much respect for their talent and their craft, and it’s a joy to be able spend time with them and now we are thrilled that we fell we can call many of them friends. 

Here then in alphabetical order are the links to all our interviews 

 

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/a-man-to-pet-lures-us-into-the-pale-blue-door/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/singing-sensation-ada-vox-talks-about-her-ptown-debut-at-the-pilgrim-house/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/amrou-al-kadhi-aka-glamrou-talks-to-queerguru/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/ben-de-la-creme-takes-us-to-hell-and-back/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/bianca-del-rio-on-being-fierce-and-funny/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/rwd-interviews-the-calamari-sisters/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/cherrie-me-hiv-the-uplifting-story-of-matthew-cavan-drag-queen-activist/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/the-incomparable-dina-martina/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/david-hoyle-talks/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/dixie-longate-brings-her-tupperware-party-to-ptowns-pilgrim-house/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/fauxnique-talks-about-her-imposter-syndrome/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/rwd-talks-to-jinkx-monsoon-major-scales/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/an-audience-with-la-voix/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/lee-squared-the-comeback-show/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/the-fabulous-lypsinka-show-back-in-london-after-16-year/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/mama-tits-is-big-and-loud-and-in-ptown/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/the-hilarious-marti-gould-cummings-is-back-in-ptown/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/migguel-anggelo-an-unrestrained-talent/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/milk-is-alphie-a-sexy-new-drag-queen-arrives-in-ptown/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/miss-coco-peru-talks-about-the-taming-of-the-tension/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/miss-conception-on-being-back-beaches-or-was-that-bitches-bulgarians-and-bears/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/miss-hope-springs-talks-about-her-glamorous-life-on-and-off-the-stage/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/miss-richfield-returns-to-ptown-a-story-in-3-acts/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/mrs-kasha-davis-theres-always-time-for-a-cocktail/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/showbiz-spitfire-paige-turner-brings-drag-me-to-the-top-to-ptown/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/an-audience-with-the-queen-of-ireland-panti-bliss/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/peaches-christ-says-she-is-not-mink-stoles-daughter-as-they-sail-off-to-london-together/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/peter-groom-talks-about-his-smash-hit-one-woman-show-dietrich-natural-duty-as-it-heads-for-edinburgh-fringe-festival/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/ryan-raftery-and-the-rise-fall-rise-of-martha-stewart/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/ask-shaz-is-an-expert-on-everything-even-lesbian-sex/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/the-kinsey-sicks-back-in-ptown-with-the-naked-drag-queens-show/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/thirsty-burlington-cher-live/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/varla-jean-merman-comes-of-age-with-a-star-is-bored/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/velma-celli-on-witches-and-divas/

http://c3f.ab6.myftpupload.com/3s-company-cannot-stop-throwing-shade/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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