Ricky Nelson and Kent McCord at an All-Male Party

When I was in eighth grade, Martin Milner and Kent McCord, stars of the cop show Adam-12, spoke at the high school, and for some reason my my boyfriend Dan and I were in the audience.

Their presentation was lame: stay in school, study hard, don't use drugs, don't grow your hair long, don't protest the war.  But I didn't care: I had never seen a celebrity close-up before, and Kent McCord was super-cute (Martin was in his 40s, too old).  I was star-struck.

  I got an autographed picture ("To Boomer -- stay in school"), handshakes from them both, and fodder for a lot of erotic fantasies.

My favorite involved getting Officer Reed (McCord) to Africa somehow, where he and Bomba the Jungle Boy were captured by the bad guys and tied back to back.

Naked, of course.

I never heard any gay dating or hookup stories about either Milner or McCord during my years in West Hollywood, but as stars of a show long off the air, they may not have been famous enough -- West Hollywood dating stories were all about impressing your friends with the biggest star possible.

But I recently got a hint of a Kent McCord hookup from Zack, in a story that was really about Ricky Nelson.  I interrogated him for as many details as he could remember, and added some details and conversations:

Hollywood, Spring 1969

Born in 1942, Kent McWhiter grew up in Baldwin Park, California, and attended Citrus Junior College and the University of Utah.  In February 1961, he met Ricky Nelson at a football game, and the two became fast friends.

With Ricky's help, he appeared in 28 episodes of Ozzie and Harriet.  Afterwards he landed a contract with Universal, adopted a new "macho" name, "Kent McCord," and pursued a successful show biz career.  He and Rick stayed friends throughout their lives.

But there was part of Rick's life that he never shared with the conservative, ultra-macho family man.

One day in 1969, Kent told Ricky, "Marty [Adam-12 co-star Martin Milner] is cool and all, but I just found out something crazy about him.  He told me he digs dudes!  I mean, he's married. How can you...."

Ricky decided that it was time to come clean about his secret life.  "Some dudes dig chicks and dudes both," he said with a smile. "If that's your scene, and if your old lady's cool with it, who are we to judge?  Besides, dudes are better at giving head.  They know what a man likes."

Kent stared for a moment, then said "That's not the craziest part.  He told me that he's screwed with both of his costars on Route 66, George Maharis and Glenn Corbett, and Chuck Connors.  The biggest, toughest, most masculine guys in Hollywood!"

"I'd like to have been at that party, man!  Getting a blow job from a muscle dude -- or giving one -- that's the living end!"

"You...you're that way, too? But we've been friends for years.  You saw me naked, and you never tried anything."

Ricky shrugged.  "I didn't think that was your bag, man.  But hey, if Milner invites you to any of those swinging muscle man parties, bring me along!  My dick could use a few muscle man mouths."

Kent looked away.  "No way, man," he said softly.  "I don't like muscle dudes...um...I mean dudes of any sort...I'm happily married. I'm a father....."

"Of course."  Ricky put a hand on his shoulder.  "I never said you had to like dudes to be my friend."

But a few weeks later, Kent called.  "It's on!  A 'swinging party' at a house in the Hollywood Hills.  Marty is going, and he promised that George Maharis will be there."

"Not a bad choice for your first taste of the forbidden fruit.  Can I come, too?  I can't pass up an opportunity to go down on George Maharis!"

"Sure.  But I'm just going to see what it's about.  I don't want to do anything.  Well, maybe get a blow job from a dude."  He paused.  "Do they really do it better?"

It was an all-male party like many Ricky had been to before, mostly celebrities and hustlers. Some of the hustlers were naked. You socialized around the pool and in the game room, and there was a darkened lounge for making out...and maybe other things, if you were brave.

They got beers and mingled.  Kent was awestricken by the number of recognizable faces: Latin lover Cesar Romero; Batman Adam West; George Takei of Star Trek; Bob Ellis, who Ricky pointed out as his ex-boyfriend.  Eventually they separated so guys wouldn't think they were a couple.

Ricky was cruising a cute young blond named Donnie, who was working on the Saturday morning kid show H.R. Pufnstuf and had a lot to say about young star Jack Wild, when he saw Kent headed toward the dark room.

"This will be good," he said.  "My buddy is about to get his first man-on-man blow job!  Let's watch, shall we?"

They waited a few minutes for Kent to get...um...comfortable, then went to the dark room.  Two or three couples kissing.  A guy smoking pot and playing with himself.  Tab Hunter and his trick masturbating each other.  And...in a corner...Bob Ellis getting a blow job.  He saw Ricky and Donnie and nodded, offering to "share."

Kent must have been heading to the bathroom instead -- the dark room was a little too advanced for a guy's first time.  But this was just as good.  "Care to share my ex-boyfriend's trick?" he asked, putting his arm around Donnie and guiding him over.

He unzipped Donnie -- very nice, a long, thin Bratwurst -- masturbated him for a moment -- then felt for the bottom's face and pushed it over.  Then he unzipped himself.  Soon the bottom was going down on both of them simultaneously while they kissed, leaving Bob to masturbate alone.

"Hey, I said share, not ignore," he whispered savagely.

"Sorry," the bottom whispered, and turned his attention back to Bob.

Never one to pass up a cock, Ricky fell to his knees and started going down on Donnie.  Only then did he notice -- his fellow bottom was Kent McCord.

Embarrassed, Ricky stood abruptly and walked away, leaving Kent to go down on Donnie and Bob at the same time.  He went out to the main party, socialized, cruised, gave his phone number to a Cute Young Thing, and finally retrieved Kent so they could leave.

"How was your first man-on-man blow job?"  he asked.

"Oh, I was too nervous to do anything," Kent said.  "But it was a lot of fun watching."

Was Zack Telling the Truth?

This is a third-hand story, from Donnie to Drake to Zack, and it was a dark room.  It's possible that Kent McCord was at the party, but the guy on his knees was someone else. After all, he's been married for fifty years, he's highly conservative, and I've heard no other gay rumors about him.

But who knows?  Maybe on a warm Hollywood night a generation ago, the man who would fill my adolescent fantasies found himself in a dark room, surrounded by the sight, sound, and smell of the masculine.

See also:  Ricky Nelson Steals Drake's Boyfriend; Donnie's Gay Sex Party with Jack Wild