YESTERDAY ONCE MORE

PHOTOS: Even More Amazing Vintage Gay Ads, Then & Now

Good news for fans of our popular collection of vintage ’70s advertisements of gay Los Angeles hotspots: here’s a fresh crop, courtesy of the delightful Adsausage.

This time they’re largely centered around New York, but that’s OK: we’ve heard there are some gay people there as well.

As before, we are absolutely head over heels for these lovable campy gems. Old-school drag! Bathhouses galore! Porn that boasts that it’s “in color!” And can you believe how long International Male’s been playing its coy winking game?

Click on through for some incredible artifacts.

 

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You know, some of those shorts aren’t too bad — they wouldn’t look out of place at an American Apparel. Note the “Hooded Swirl Caftan,” apparently designed by a fan of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”

As we noted in our last collection of vintage ads, the “Ah Men” location on Santa Monica Blvd is now a boring bank. Ah, well.

8900 santa monica blvd

 

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The most lavish bathhouse ever built has free bar-b-ques and central air conditioning! Truly, a Xanadu for the ages. And what exactly are those young hippies sitting in front of — the end of a water slide pipe?

Until recently, the building was home to Lucky Cheng’s, a drag cabaret restaurant that just relocated to Hell’s Kitchen.

We assume the branches in Buffalo, Cleveland, and Toledo are still going strong.

lucky chengs

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highlands

Today, one of Michael’s Closets is a gastropub named Highlands, and the other is a stationary store. Which do you suppose Michael would have preferred?

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International Male brings us “buns,” a brand of underwear from Denmark with a “no-creep” back.

No creeps? That takes all the fun out of it.

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Performer Casey Donovan actually had quite a career and a fascinating life — for a period, he wavered back and forth between legit theater and naughty movies. Here’s the delightfully dreadful theme to “The Back Row,” which sounds just like this movie poster would lead you to expect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUshhN44fLk

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Hey, do you suppose there’s much of a crossover between Judy fans and cat owners?

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This short-lived production coincided with the release of Mommy Dearest and apparently depicted Joan battling the devil for ownership of her soul. Hopefully the devil got away relatively unscathed.

Today, the Orpheum Theater is home to Stomp, an experience that is roughly equivalent to watching a curio shop fall down a flight of stairs for an hour and a half.

2012_V2_c_22OK. I’M READY.

Note the pushy copy: “If you have not received this catalogue, maybe you had better drop us a note!” Oh, mayhaps we had best.

Today, this address appears to be a yarn store. And that’s why you always drop a note.

string

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The Screaming Violets appear to be trapped in a Pac-Man maze, or maybe they are Inky, Blinky, and Pinky in more corporeal times. Hibiscus, clearly, has devoured the entire Pac-clan, and all of the fruit on the board as well. He’s also raided the cloakroom of Dr. Strange.

In all seriousness, you absolutely MUST read this incredible profile of the man who created the drag rock phenomenon Hibiscus. Gore Vidal, John Lennon, the Cockettes, and John Dior all make appearances.

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We were trying to figure out what that item in the upper left could be — a sperm performing yoga? — until we realized it’s a nail-shaped bracelet, or possibly just an actual nail that’s been bent into a circle.

Apparently the gentlemen of St. Tropez, when not courting tetanus on their wrists, are unperturbed by the mixing of polka dots, plaid, floral, and stripes. At least they’re ready for the local community theater production of Godspell.

The location of the boutique is now a Jonathan Adler store, so at least the gays maintain control of that particular street corner.

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Motorcycles? Punching? Gangster molls? A gorilla? This movie’s got everything.

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Here, American Standard assembles a threesome of twinks with leather boots and riding crops in the world’s most awkwardly-designed bathroom. Who will be the first to slip into the pink tub?

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Okay, so much to unpack here.

First of all, these are awfully high-falutin’ reviews for a dirty movie. “Clarifies fantasy as a natural experience,” good grief. Just tell us how many penises there are.

This bi-coastal exhibition graced the screens at the 55th Street Playhouse (which had a heck of a history, starting life as a stable in 1888 and now serving only as a delivery entrance for a hotel) and Nob Hill Cinema in San Francisco.

You’ll be delighted to learn that the Nob Hill Theater (on Bush Street, if you can believe it) is still very much alive! These days they’re hosting events like “Circle Jerk with a Porn Star.” A friend of ours worked there for a bit as a jizz mopper. They’re good folks.

nob hill

Also of note: a rave review from “Michael’s Thing.” Unclear if this is a publication or dirty euphemism.

“Hand in Hand Films” is no longer the occupant of 1697 Broadway, but you’ll be glad to hear that the building is still is showbiz:

late show

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