March 28, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

How Pat Rocco Documented the Male Body, and the Start of L.A.’s Queer Resistance

BY J.J. ENGLENDER| Activist and filmmaker Pat Rocco produced gay erotica in the 1960s. His work was widely embraced by the gay community and received favorable reviews from the mainstream press. Rocco got his start as a physique photographer of male nudes. During these photography shoots, Rocco brought his camera to film the sessions. Armed with a sizeable collection of these short films, Rocco sold the prints via mail order.

In L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood, The Park Theater was one of the first venues to program gay film. The theater was owned by Shan Sayles and Monroe Beehler.

The two owners discovered Rocco while looking for filmmakers to provide content for their series at the Park, and asked to see his work. According to Anthony Slide’s 2000 book “Nitrate Won’t Wait: A History of Film Preservation in the United States”, “The Original Pat Rocco Male Film Festival” at the Park Theatre in July 1968 was the first program of all-gay films to play in America.

Rocco’s prolific output of erotic films decreased in the early 1970s as trends shifted toward hardcore porn. By the late 1960s, Rocco’s attention shifted toward serious issues. He shot gay demonstrations, parades, marches, festivals and events, providing some of the only existing film at the start of the gay rights movement in the U.S.

A collection of Pat Rocco’s softcore films were given to UCLA in 1983. The works included “Pat Rocco Dares” (1969),  “A Breath of Love” (1969), “Mondo Rocco” (1970,) and “Sex and the Single Gay” (1970).

One of the dominant studios at the time was Athletic Model Guild (AMG) – a physique photography studio started by photographer Bob Mizer in 1945. Mizer gained ground with the pocket-sized, mass-distributed quarterly publication “Physique Pictorial,” essentially an adult magazine masquerading as a bodybuilding magazine. The pictorials were packed with amateur models: “rough-looking, muscular men” according to Mizer. Many of the male models were considered the “human debris of the movie industry” since they were unable to find work in Hollywood.

For a while, Mizner got around strict mail-order guidelines on nudity with innovative ways to cover up the models’ dangly bits. The magazine was a success, selling up to 40,000 copies per issue.

By the late 1950s, the business had turned toward mail-order cinema. With time, Mizer’s output went full-frontal. But the studio was in decline by the 1980s, hurt by the demand for hardcore content which made its way into theaters and the advent of the VCR.

Photo courtesy Adsausage

Related Posts

Long Beach Named One of the Best LGBTQ Cities

January 18, 2022

January 18, 2022

For the 10th year in a row Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation...

WeHo Wins ‘Most Business-Friendly City Award’ from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

November 30, 2021

November 30, 2021

The City of West Hollywood has been awarded the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s 2021 Most Business-Friendly City Award....

WeHo Commemorates Transgender Day of Remembrance 2021

November 30, 2021

November 30, 2021

The City of West Hollywood commemorated Transgender Day of Rememberance through a virtual event.  Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is...

WeHo Approves Resolution Recognizing November As Native American Heritage Month

November 10, 2021

November 10, 2021

The City of West Hollywood City Council has approved a Resolution recognizing November as Native American Heritage Month. The Resolution...

New Documentary Pays Tribute to Transgender ‘AIDS diva’ Connie Norman

October 26, 2021

October 26, 2021

A new documentary titled “AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman,” will pay tribute to the transgender leader in AIDS...

Jonathan Van Ness Offers His Services As A Life Coach

September 15, 2021

September 15, 2021

Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness who identifies as non-binary has teamed up with Skillshare to host a virtual class...

WeHo Asking For Community Input On Naming Request to Rename the West Hollywood Library

July 26, 2021

July 26, 2021

The City of West Hollywood is conducting a community survey to solicit public input about a naming request to rename...

Patrick O’Connell, AIDS Activist, Dead At 67

May 6, 2021

May 6, 2021

Patrick O’Connell, a venerable AIDS activist and creator of the iconic red ribbon creating awareness about the disease, has died...

Ivy Bottini – WeHo Icon & LGBTQ Advocate Dies

March 14, 2021

March 14, 2021

Ivy Bottini an artist, mother and a legendary activist, devoting over 50 years to the feminist & LGBTQ  struggle for...

Drive N Drag Los Angeles

February 14, 2021

February 14, 2021

Drive N Drag will be coming to the Rose Bowl, Pasadena. Featuring RuPauls Drag Race Alumni favorite Aquaria, Asia O’Hara,...

Black History Month: Celebrating Bayard Rustin

January 31, 2021

January 31, 2021

Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Due to criticism...

WeHo Will Commemorate MLK Jr. Day With Virtual Donation Drive

January 17, 2021

January 17, 2021

In January 2021, the City of West Hollywood will continue its tradition of joining hundreds of communities across the country...

City Of WeHo Celebrates Veterans Day 2020

November 8, 2020

November 8, 2020

The City of West Hollywood will honor veterans and active members of the United States Armed Forces during a virtual...

WeHo Carnaval 2020 Cancelled

October 29, 2020

October 29, 2020

One of the year’s biggest events in West Hollywood, The Halloween Carnaval, has been cancelled.  The massive Halloween party has...

“The Mismatch Game” Hosted By Dennis Hensley Is Going To Zoom

September 23, 2020

September 23, 2020

With COVID restrictions affecting several businesses and theater spaces throughout the Los Angeles area many have had to make adjustments. ...