Conservative superstar Pat Boone, the World's #1 homophobe, had a three-way with Darrin of Bewitched?
I'm back in West Hollywood for a post-Oscar party thrown by Lane and his roommate Randall, 62 years old, but still a hot muscle bear with a pierced penis and a coterie of leather bear, cub, and otter friends.
The conversation moves inevitably toward celebrity hookups, and Randall begins telling the story of how, as an 18 year old in 1958, his friend Dick Sargent (who would star in Bewitched in the 1960s) took him to a gay party in Beverly Hills, where they hooked up with Groucho Marx and Cary Grant. On the same night, in the same bed.
He's at the part where he and Dick are sitting in a parked car, making out and discussing who's gay in Hollywood. Sal Mineo. James Dean. "Pat Boone. I haven't actually been with him, but I've watched him in action."
"Wait, wait, wait!" someone exclaims. "Pat Boone is a total homophobe. He writes books on how to 'be saved from the dangerous homosexual lifestyle.' Are you trying to tell us that he's gay?"
"According to Dick, he's straight, but open to 'fooling around' with guys," Randall says. "They had a three-way with a teenage fan while they were working on a movie together."
Bernardine, filming at 20th-Century Fox in the spring of 1957, was a frothy comedy about three high school boys who enter a fictional woman's name into a contest. Hilarity and romance ensue. The big draw would be Pat Boone, a 22-year old teen idol with a string of hits: "Ain't That a Shame," "Long Tall Sally," "Love Letters in the Sand, "April Love." This was his first acting job.
Costar Dick Sargent was 26 years old, with two years of acting under his belt, including a starring role in the tv series West Point, so he became a sort of mentor to the young star. After work Pat often invited him home for dinner with his wife and three young daughters. He became like one of the family.
One night when they were alone in the living room -- Shirley was off putting the girls to bed -- Dick did something that you never did in the 1950s: he came out!
"Today he would be setting himself up for screaming and Bible thumping!" I exclaim. "It must have been much worse in the 1950s!"
"Actually," Randall says, "The conservative Christians hadn't discovered us yet. Back then they were screaming mostly about divorce and premarital hetero-sex. Everybody hated queers, of course, but Dick was tall and studly, a graduate of military academy, not a queer queer, if you know what I mean.
"I don't really like girls," Dick told Pat. "I dig boys. In fact, I've been in bed with one of our costars -- I can't tell you who, of course."
"I hear you, Daddy-o," the teen idol responded. "Who doesn't dig boys? I mean, I would never dream of cheating on Shirley, but it's not cheating when it's with a dude, reet?" And I'll tell you a secret --" he leaned in conspiratorily. "When I sing 'Love Letters in the Sand,' it's not just bobby-soxers who moan and sigh and send me their phone numbers."
Dick was intrigued, and more than a little interested in the handsome Pat Boone, so he agreed to "fool around" with one of his regular "playmates," a teenage fan named Gerry.
After work a few days later, they drove up to Van Nuys, to one of those cheap hotels where the rooms have private entrances. Pat waited in the car while Dick paid. Inside, Pat made a phone call, and after about half an hour, Gerry arrived.
He was in his late teens, shorter than Dick, with brown curly hair, dark eyes, pouting lips, and a full, hard physique -- what they used to call "well knit."
After shaking hands with them both, he sat on the bed and began fondling himself through his chinos. No preliminaries!
Shocked, Dick said "Shouldn't we kiss or fondle a bit first?"
Gerry frowned. "You think this is a Sweet Sixteen Party, Howdy Doody?"
"No, but..., I like the way a dude looks and feels. It's not just about the act itself." He turned to Pat for validation, but Pat had already pulled out his own average-sized penis.
"I agree with the kid," he said, fondling himself to full arousal. "Hearts and flowers for the ladies, cocks and balls when it's just us cool cats." He walked over to the bed. Gerry started going down on him.
Dick pulled Gerry's shirt up to feel his hard chest and squeeze his nipples, but the kid still didn't react.
After a few minutes, Gerry got on his knees, pulled out Dick's Bratwurst, and went to work. That's what it seemed like -- doing a job.
Dick leaned over and tried to pull Pat close enough to go down on, but got shooed away. "You can't fool around with your friends," Pat murmured, fondling himself.
Who else can you fool around with?
He and Gerry moved into the 69 position, still mostly clothed. Gerry worked vigorously and enthusiastically, but still, Dick had trouble staying aroused. He wanted Gerry's arms around him. He wanted kissing. He wanted the sight, touch, taste of the masculine!
Gerry finished soundlessly, with a gigantic spurt -- two mouthsful! -- and then turned his attention back to Pat, who continued to stand, continued to be fully clothed. Dick stood and fondled his butt and tried to nuzzle his neck, but got shooed away. Finally he sat down and beat off while watching Gerry bring Pat to orgasm.
Then Pat gave Gerry a dollar and sent him home, and they drove home, too.
They stayed friends, but when Pat suggested that they hook up with other boy fans, Dick refused. He didn't like just fooling around with guys. He wanted touching and kissing and fondling. He wanted dating and romance. He was a queer queer.
I got this story third hand, and it took place nearly sixty years ago, so it's impossible to determine what actually happened and what was embellished at some point along the way -- or made up altogether. Today Pat Boone makes frequent homophobic statements, but who can say what he was thinking at the age of 22? Maybe he really did think that "fooling around" with guys was fine, as long as you returned to your wife's bed at the end of the day.
After all, he was enough of a libertine to have someone photograph his penis in a box.
See also: Dick Sargent, Groucho Marx, and Cary Grant in the Same Bed; and Pat Boone, Teenage Heartthrob
Although in this story Dick Sargent decides that he doesn't like "fooling around with guys" without an emotional connection, a year later he was doing exactly with Cary Grant and Groucho Marx. It seems a little inconsistent. Maybe the story is more about the way Randall wanted to remember his friend.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that Gerry doesn't act much like a star-struck teenage fan? He comes across as a hustler.
ReplyDeleteThe $5 was apparently customary in hookups in the 1950s. The guy who was older, or who had the most money, paid a small sum. $1 is the equivalent of $8.50 today.
ReplyDeleteAnd a lot of straight guys would do it because $5 and an orgasm? Why not? (Gay guys would often pay to suck straight guys. Even then, it was the gay version of the madonna-whore complex. While straight guys saw nothing wrong with being a whore, just as long as everyone knew they preferred women.)
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