Saturday, July 4, 2020

Going Along Swimmingly...

Well, not really. This has been a year from HELL in many, many ways. But what else can ya do except attempt to stay afloat? If things weren't rotten enough, the blogger interface has been changed and the newest rendition doesn't allow me to put even a single photo up! So I reverted to the old way and it only allows one at a time, unless you are putting some up all in a row with no text involved. Anyhoo... I'm sure you don't need to be concerned with that. You just want to see something interesting or fun (or maybe sexy?) So I'm throwing out a wave of photos that I've saved over the past year which feature actors in swimwear, the skimpier the better...! Generally, I try to go from oldest to newest in posts like this, but considering the circumstances, it's more likely going to be random as all get out! At this point we're lucky to post anything at all. Thanks to our cover boy Hugh O'Brian, who has his hands (and trunks!) full during yet another pic from the location shooting of Love Has Many Faces (1965), a movie I worship. That's Miss Stefanie Powers in the middle. And now, let's see what else washes up!
Young Jackie Cooper, keeping it clean.
Former acrobat Burt Lancaster, showing off - and how! - during the filming of From Here to Eternity (1953.)
Dreamy John Derek, one of Hollywood's prettiest leading men.

Some servicemen taking advantage of the sparkling blue waters in a 1953 film.
The film is 1953's Miss Sadie Thompson, which starred Rita Hayworth, and these two gents are famous in their own right.
Fortunately, they do us the favor of emerging from the surf.
Up front is burly, brawny, beary Aldo Ray, with lean machine Charles Bronson behind him.
Ray, who had an up and down career, was probably at or near the peak of his handsomeness here.
Likewise, Bronson was also at a physical high point. Check that tan line...!
Those of us who only know him from his '70s & '80s action flicks can really be in for a surprise when his earlier work comes to light.

As luck would have it, the snuggest, smallest suit is placed on the fleshy older guy we don't really know, but what we can see of the other two is pretty swell!
1961's Scream of Fear contains a creepy scene in which Ronald Lewis dons a swimsuit and mask in order to take a look at a algae-ridden swimming pool.
Lewis, a reportedly unstable Welshman who later committed suicide in 1982, was in good shape at the time.
A couple of figures in the distance, coming out of the beautiful sea.
They turn out to be the beautiful couple Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale in 1966's Lost Command.
We can never get enough of Delon, especially when he's undraped and dripping wet.
This was a reunion for Delon and Cardinale, who had memorably portrayed lovers in 1963's The Leopard.




Practically the definition of "bedroom eyes."
Looks nice from the other end, too!
1970s super couple, for a while anyway, Jaclyn Smith and Dennis Cole. I love his suit!
We get to see quite a bit more of Dennis at this event, but there is also the unfortunate "Wook, mommy, I cut my own bangs" hairdo.
I was quite agog over this portrait of Nick Benedict who played Phil Brent on All My Children during its glory days. His pup tent has tugged the front of his suit down, revealing a tan-talyzing line!
This bulky henchman in a 1978 episode of Hawaii 5-O has it pretty good.
There are worse places to work and worse uniforms! (Seen here is his boss Vic Tayback and guest star Carol Lynley.)
This little-known Jaws rip-off was called Up From the Depths (1979.) The guy with his back to us...
...is Sam Bottoms, of the family of acting brothers.
Oh no, it's Bono! As in Sonny Bono. This series of pics is from a highly obscure 1983 TV miniseries called Balboa, which starred Tony Curtis and Carol Lynley. It wound up being edited into movie length.
Does this dude look at all familiar?
He helped to make the Speedo sexy again in a swelteringly steamy TV ad a little while back.
His name is David Gandy and the cologne was Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue.
Now there may be deliberately different edits of this spot, but I could swear that after initial airings, this moment was not there anymore... You can make out his special place. LOL
Her hand even has a memorable position for it. And don't miss the pronounced nipple...! It might or might not have been augmented to tame any prudes out there, but I got ahold of it, so to speak, in this version.
Yet another obscurity, but, you see, I'm about to hit an 11-year anniversary of this site, so I've covered many of the more familiar examples! I'm now an archeologist of vintage swimming scenes. LOL
This is Tom Lycos in the 1989 Australian film Sweetie, directed by Jane Campion.


Star Geneviève Lemon gets herself a good grip in this moment!

Lycos sports a different piece of swimwear (possibly briefs) in this scene. 1989 was just about the last gasp of seeing Speedos on screen, except in period stories or for comedic effect. But time was they were the suit of choice for most active bathers.
From the "Oh, my eyes!" department, I give you another obscurity from a nearly forgotten film. This is Daniel J. Travanti in Midnight Crossing (1988.) He parades around for much of the film in a scanty Speedo along with a variety of day-glo shirts. The Albert Einstein-ish hairdo does not help matters...
When he remembers to hold his tummy in, it's not too bad, but it's hard to do every waking second! Seen here with him is Kim Cattrall.
Things are certainly improved some when he's soaking wet. There is a perfectly fit and handsome costar (John Laughlin) who is always in cargo shorts, even when swimming! Oh, the humanity...
I'm sure he was just "in character" but I kept asking myself, "Who the hell does he think he is?!" as he continuously postured all over the boat.
Ever see the 1988 film Casual Sex? with Lea Thompson? She heads to a resort where abbreviated swimwear is the rule of thumb.
This piece of Sizzlean is Stephen Shellen, who you may have seen in other projects including A River Runs Through It (1992.) (In that one, he gets his bare ass sunburned in a memorable sequence.)
Close-ups up the handsome man.
"Wanna play ball?"
In the same movie, Thompson and her pal Victoria Jackson head to a secluded section of the shore and discover a nude beach.

As you might suspect, this brings us to...
The End!
Have a very happy 4th of July, the best you can anyway. Those of you who are familiar with me know that I positively LIVE for the summer and this one has been without question the very worst of my life. I have only taken one brief dip in a pool this entire season. But by the time you read this, I will have rectified that by taking a short getaway where I will be able to enjoy a skosh of sun and chlorine, distant from virtually everyone else, natch. I do miss my lounge chairs by the pool and the parade of people to watch as they pad by. Maybe next year. Take care till next time!

12 comments:

hsc said...

Great selection of swimsuit shots, Poseidon!

In all fairness to Daniel J. Travanti, he actually was known for having a lean body with washboard abs during his HILL STREET BLUES heyday earlier in the '80s. There are plenty of photos on the net that show how he looked then.

He was 41 when HILL STREET started and 48 when this movie came out a year after the series ended. I guess he stopped working out and the muscles had finally started to soften with age.

Hope you still enjoy your vacay, as limited as it's going to be! Next summer's got to be better!

BrianB said...

Hang in there Poseidon! Think of the fortunate few who make it through the disaster movies you love, hair and costumes in place! Think of Robert Stack trying to keep Dorothy Malones chin above water and Dorothy workin' for a second Oscar!

Since June 1st my landlords decided to do more than update my tub and went in for a full out apartment remodel, ceiling to floor! And I'm living in it! I swear all I've done for 4 weeks is move crap from one room to another. But walk in my bathroom and it's like I'm in a brand new home! And they let me pick the colors and flooring and such! But on the other hand I've spent a couple weeks sleeping on an exercise mat on the floor! I knew that damn thing would come in handy one of these days!

Charles Bronson was so hilarious in Pat and Mike it's a shame he didn't do more of those character parts and got locked in to that macho type. That's what I love about Maxie Rosenbloom in the old movies, this boxer who created funny characters that you couldn't forget.

That picture of Jackie Cooper first made me think of Johnny Sheffield, Bomba the Jungle Boy, who I watched on TCM this morning and had totally inappropriate thoughts! But Jackie would do in that suit!

Daniel J Travanti was probably trying to stretch beyond his persona in Hill Street Blues but he could have dialed it back. He was always sexy without being obvious about it.

When I look at pictures of Dennis Cole in a swim suit I never even notice his hair. Above his chest.

Happy 4th Poseidon!
BrianB

Dan said...

That pic of Nick Benedict reminds of the joke about the Irishman, the Speedo, and the potato.
But the one who had me sighing is Aldo Ray. Sometimes what you really need is a side of beef.

Poseidon3 said...

Yes, hsc, I was a little rough on DJT (and I certainly wouldn't want to be photographed in a Speedo, though in my 30s I could pull off the look in the privacy of a friend's pool - for the tan lines, natch! Ha ha!) It was also that overall character he was playing... ick! I never watched HSB, but I seem to recall him in a hot tub or bath with Veronica Hamel sometimes?

BrianB, what crazy conditions you've been living under...! And I thought I had it rough. That is nuts - and I'm sure you've also had to endure all the NOISE of construction? Or are you out of there in the daytime. That would do me in. When you live alone as I do, too much unusual ambient noise can be agonizing. I have taken note of Bomba the Jungle Boy... I am NOT, I repeat, NOT into boys, but as that series wore on, he grew up and he was just plain sexy in his guise. I think I did a post on loincloths that included him. Here:

https://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2015/04/hungry-for-some-sir-loin.html

Dan, Aldo Ray was something else. And quite distinct from many other leading men of his time. Glad you liked him!

Forever1267 said...

I need to see more of Aldo Ray. HeLLOOOO!!!

Dennis Cole and Jaclyn Smith were such a gorgeous couple, even with that hair.

Lancaster, such an athlete. I'll bet he knew some moves!

Happy Belated Holiday. I live alone too, and I know how you feel. This insanity must end sometime soon!

Poseidon3 said...

Forever1267, I first stumbled upon Aldo Ray when I watched "Battle Cry" (for Tab Hunter), and he was good, but the movie that made me more of an actual fan was his first real starring part in "The Marrying Kind." It's so bittersweet and touching. He costarred with Judy Holliday (and it remains, believe it or not, the only movie of hers I've ever seen!!) His character is sometimes stubbornly macho, but it's a charming film (and as an aside, straight Aldo openly admitted that he allowed George Cukor to go down on him as he was grooming the young man for a 1952 star play with "Pat and Mike" as a prelude and "The Marrying Kind" as the main course. He shrugged it off as not such a big deal...!)

Gingerguy said...

Hope you had a happy 4th, I always had a crush on Daniel Travanti, my vision is a bit shattered by those photos, it even looks like a perm or maybe he had curly hair that was always short.
I don't want to break tradition so will relate every coincidental thing here as it relates to what I have been watching.
Burt Lancaster also showed a lot of skin in "The Rose Tattoo" I watched today, his acrobatic background is evident in almost every movie he is in.
David Gandy is gorgeous and Scottish, I have never heard him speak but I bet that accent on him is adorable (I watched a Scottish film recently called Gregory's Girl).
You aren't kidding about the year from Hell Poseidon, but it's nice to drop by the blog and see things are still snug and cozy in a speedo

Poseidon3 said...

Hi Gingerguy! Thanks as always for the additional info and commentary. I was startled by DJT, though I don't know that I was ever much into him. I had been seeking (and seeking!) "Midnight Crossing" because it's practically a "lost" Faye Dunaway film and I would up being more agape at him than any of her histrionics as a blind woman! LOL I watched a really horrendous piece of cinematic trash last night called "Hardbodies 2," set in Greece with countless, countless topless women, but some Speedos here and there on the men. Your viewing taste is of a far higher caliber than mine, thus you were featured on TCM while I languish beneath the surface. Ha ha ha ha!!! Take care.

rigs-in-gear said...

Ahhh...vintage beefcake is always a welcome diversion from sheltering-in-place. Wait, you've never seen Judy Holliday's Oscar-winning turn in Born Yesterday?? If it's not out of spite because she bested Bette Davis in All About Eve and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, then you must seek it out.

jobj69 said...

Hi Poseidon - thanks again for bringing us much-needed humor and enjoyment!

Terrific pics and trivia, as always.

I recently watched Scream of Fear, a film I first caught as a teen late one Saturday night on Ghost Host Theatre...it scared me then and I was still impressed by this nifty little thriller over 40 years later! I had forgotten, however, the scene with Ronald Lewis in that Speedo...I would have thought, as a budding gay boy, that the scene would have been etched in my brain! lol...

I was wondering in the film with Aldo Ray, if they ever showed him below the waist in his trunks. Rumor has it that he was in the big boys club, if you get my drift! Tee-hee...

Stay well!

Poseidon3 said...

Rigs-in-gear, sorry for the late reply. I have no deliberate reason for skipping "Born Yesterday" (such as her winning over the other gals, if anything I feel like I ought to have seen what the fuss was about!) It's not really what I typically think of as "my" kind of movie. I go in for glossy melodramas that are UNintentionally funny or grand action movies among other things. Since the concept of the play/movie was cribbed for countless TV shows and that dreadly remake with Melanie Griffith, I never felt the need to sit down and watch the original. But I will. I'll make a point to the next time I see it aired! :-) Thanks!

jobj69, I don't think it showed much more of Aldo or surely I would have presented it here. You know, in the 1950s (and before), care was taken NOT to show very much in swimwear. Constricting supporters and so on... That's why it's always a little devilish to discover something that made its way into a film. The late-'60s, '70s and '80s were far more revealing, then we began covering up and obscuring again (to this day!) for the most part. As for Ronald Lewis, I agree. It seems as if one would never forget a moment like that in an otherwise buttoned-up thriller! :-D Thank you!

Gretchen Agnew said...

Stephen Shellen was the hottest of the hot! Great actor as well. Shame we don't see him in films anymore