When I first saw the 70's stuff in the mid-80s, some of it was really grainy or poor-quality when transferred to tape. Some things were better, especially if they had been at least a little bit remastered. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but the poor quality went right along with the sleaziness and basic primeval sex of many of those films and added to their appeal for me.

Some of the other studios back then were Bijou Video (like the catalog), Jaguar, and P.M. Productions. I also recall one called "Old Reliable" that typically had straight guys being interviewed and then jerking off on camera. All of this product is a real contrast to the contrived stories that started appearing in the 80's. Some of the bareback and fetish studios (Treasure Island, Dick Wadd, etc.) have scenes or movies that recall the old style, but generally things have moved on.

There was also the increasing abundance of muscle-bound gym bodies. Porn moved on to show a standard of physical appearance that many or most guys couldn't realistically achieve. I suppose gay men have always had some degree of body-image and self-image issues, but it seems accentuated by the way first porn and then the wider culture emphasize more and more "perfect" bodies in advertising, TV, movies, etc.

Anyhow, Jack Wrangler was another big star who work in gay and straight movies then, later worked somewhat in theatre and especially as a producer for his wife, singer Margaret Whiting. Again, the Wikipedia article is fascinating. Wrangler always considered himself gay but not part of what he saw as the "gay lifestyle."

This is a really interesting discussion to me and I wish I had time to write more. There's a gold mine of people and topics here.

~ Bob

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