This one will take you to the mat. (Images by Phil Tarley)
My long interview with Phil Tarley aka Philip St. John is ready for your probing eyes!
He directed the gay-porn classics Getting It and Below the Belt, was the first director to feature Chad Douglas and is a filmmaker and art curator, all of which made for a fascinating conversation.
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Once again:
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@boyculturedotcom Today, August 23, was the 97th anniversary of the birth of Peter Wyngarde (1927-2018), a British actor best remembered as the campily adventurous Jason King on 2 British shows. More interestingly, he played a Polish soldier named Jan Wicziewsky on a November 24, 1959, ITV play of the week in the UK called "South." Set in the U.S. as the Civil War is about to break out, it features him as a clearly gay and tortured character. His scenes — in which his character pines for handsome soldier Eric MacClure (Graydon Gould, who died at 82 in 2020) — are remarkably obvious for the time period. Note: The teen to whom he semi-confessed was played by Karl Lanchbury, who is alive at 80. A critic at the time wrote, "I do NOT see anything attractive in the agonies and ecstasies of a pervert, especially in close-up in my living room. This is not prudishness. There are some indecencies in life that are best left covered up." One of the first queer representations on TV anywhere, there are no dramatic U.S. precedents for it. #peterwyngarde#gay#queer#lgbtq#boyculture♬ original sound - Matthew Rettenmund/BoyCulture
Her accusation — she says this happened when she worked at the Ginger Man restaurant (owned by Carroll O'Connor and Patrick O'Neal) — does not stand alone: Elizabeth Perkins held a sign with his name on it at the 2017 #MeToo march.
Before that, Amber Tamblyn told a story of how Woods tried to pick up her and a friend when they were 16. (Their being underage was a PLUS for him, when she tried warning him off by telling him.) He called her story a lie, but she has a friend who backs her up.
Natasha Lyonne has also spoken negatively of Woods, who she says hit on her (disgustingly) when she was playing a teenager (she was 21 for real) while working on Scary Movie 2. Marlon Brando shot an ill-advised cameo for the film that was not used. The script had Brando holding onto Lyonne's breast while she was in character as a version of The Exorcist's Regan. He quit due to ill health, and was replaced by Woods.
Here is the actual Scary Movie 2 opening that was used once Brando's scene was cut, in which Woods's character unfortunately makes a pedophilia joke about Regan:
