Love at First Sight

I first set eyes on KEITH ANTHONI on the silver screen of the Park Miller Theatre in Manhattan in 1975 He made his debut working for The premier Gay film studio, Hand-in-Hand - known as the MGM of Gay films - in "CATCHING UP" directed by the legendary Tom DiSimone. He was playing a character very much like himself, quiet & gentle. I was immediately struck by his voice which had a clarity & warmth. I just feel in love with him.

When You Wish Upon a Star

A short time later I got a call from my friend Neal telling me that a Hand-in-Hand model, THOM AMORELLI was in town from the coast & asking if I'd like to do a photo session with him. Having no idea who I was photographing I went to the apartment & was greeted at the door by Keith. Keith Anthoni was his stage name. He was as sweet & charming in person as on screen. Big beautiful aqua eyes & that seductive voice. He was an singer/actor who had done a lot of plays in High School. His dream was to be a Broadway actor. He said he had been born in Ragusa on the island of Sicily.

Actor's Underground

In those early years a number of young actors and dancers who were working on Broadway or Lincoln Center did in fact work for Hand-In-Hand doing hardcore Gay films. They wouldn't pose for magazine layouts because by then Gay magazines were being sold on newsstands & anyone could see them. However, there was no video then. To see films you had to go to a theatre like the Park Miller or the Adonis (the top of the line) or the Eros, David etc. No chance that your family would happen in there and if someone in your occupation did they had as much reason to be discreet as you did. Hand-In-Hand was highly respected. It's directors, cinematographers, etc. all came from & worked in the mainstream arts. Important names in show business came to their Hollywood style openings at the Adonis. It was the Gay MGM. So Keith's dream was valid.

Let My People Come"

He was very, very frustrated though. He had by then auditioned 5 times for the off Broadway hit "Let My People Come". This was a play where all of the cast performed nude singing songs about sex & sex acts. At the end of each show the entire cast came out totally nude & formed a line at the exit so members of the audience could shake hands (and whatever else)  & talk to them. The first nude model I ever photographed was Joe Jones of "L.M.P.C". Keith said they had him come in, get fully undressed, get up on stage & sing a few numbers. They kept asking him to come back but never hired him. He understood that they were turned on watching him. Why they did this to him I don't understand as he would had been wonderful. He said he wanted to move to NYC but this had him upset. He was due to return to California shortly & decide if he would stay or move out here.

The First Photo Session

When he undressed he really was a work of art. Keith was 28 and stood 5 foot 10 inches. He had a 29 inch waist & a 38 inch chest. His hair was a warm brown and his beautiful eyes were aqua and sparkled. His body was firm, hairy & very cuddly. His penis, which he explained he had carefully measured, was exactly 6 inches in length soft by 3 inches in circumference and 10 ¼ inches in fully erect length & was 5 inches in circumference and circumcised. He said that he was totally into oral sex and didn't like fucking or getting fucked.

The photo session was a lot of fun and very playful. In those days full frontals were finally okay but you still couldn't put erections into print ("underground" type mags called "action mags" sold very discreetly in porn stores did have erections and hardcore pix.) He posed in cut offs and different pieces of clothing. He posed nude with a bowler hat on & nude but for boots. He was a natural but you could see that it did bother him that there was more interest in his body than in his singing and acting talents. Had the latter occurred, posing nude would have been more enjoyable for him.

The Empire State Building

When we went outside into a small enclosed patio area the sun was brightly shining & there were clothes on the lines above coming from other apartments. He sat down near the door and we talked as I looked around and changed film. I was caught off guard when my camera was ready & I turned toward him. The smile was gone from Keith's face & he looked very serious. There, looking like the Empire State Building, was his fully erect penis. It was bright red, hard as a rock & pointing straight up. Keith was the first model I had photographed who had done this. He did it as a surprise for me.  Sitting there "in heat", fully erect in the sunlight he was The most beautiful boy I had ever seen & I went weak in the knees. I only did a few shots before he went soft & he didn't offer to do it again. He had just felt a special rapport with me, that I was dealing with him with respect and treating him as an actor who was posing nude. To me he was an actor like any other, except that he was an openly Gay actor who had performed in an explicitly Gay film by the most respected Gay studio in history. I had far more respect for Keith than I did for Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, or the rest of Hollywood's gutless closet queens.

Will He or Won't He

We did one more session a few days later. He was dressed & we wandered around Manhattan doing pictures. Then he returned to California and I lost touch.

If any of you ever had contact with Keith/Thom & have memories you'd be will to share they would be most welcome. Email The ARCHIVE

CONTINUED
If you are not a member but would like to join
Click the image below