An old black and white photo of two male lifeguards has gone viral on Reddit because of the inscription written on the back.
The message, dated March 26, 1949, seems to suggest the two young men, Buzz and Tommy, were maybe probably more than friends.
“To Buzz, I’ll always remember the times we spent together. All my love, Your Tommy,” it reads.
“TO BUZZ, I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE TIMES WE SPENT TOGETHER . . . ALL MY LOVE, YOUR TOMMY", location unknown, March 26, 1949, inscription written on back of photo. from lgbt
Although the message is dated 1949, it’s not totally clear what year the photo was taken. Nor is it known where it’s from. But it has everyone on Reddit talking.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“This just gave me the best gay feels,” one person comments.
“So beautiful,” another writes. “Would absolutely watch a movie of this love story.”
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“This makes me sad,” a third person says. “To me it reads as a goodbye note.”
“It has that whole ‘we can never be together’ vibe about it,” comments another.
“I wonder if they had to get married,” someone else adds. “Or if they were lifeguards and the summer was over and they had to go back to their lives of lies.”
And then there’s this gem: “It may have been 1948 but it was the summer of 69.”
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PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Guy on right is impossibly handsome…..
Parks Departments lifeguards are seasonal employees.
Most likely met during a summer job and discovered a mutual interest in practicing a much more advanced and involved mouth to mouth
🙂
amanwithanedge
I like the one on the left.
Charlie in Charge
If the premise interests folks, there is a novela named “Time Was” that is based on the same premise (a letter from the 40s seems to indicate a secret love) but adds a sci-fi element.
unknownsir
Can you provide a link to this? I tried searching for it but did not find anything with that name
jayceecook
Check Amazon. The author is named Ian McDonald.
LongIslandGayPhotos
Charlie in Charge – I looked the book up on Amazon (author’s name from @jayceecook helped!). It sounded interesting, and kindle edition was on sale for $4. It’s been ages since I’ve read anything in sci-fi.
Andrew
Thank you for the suggestion. Sounds like a great story. Just bought myself and a friend a copy.
Josh447
Ah hah! We’ll never fight over guys, the one on left is definitely my cup of mouth2mouth. Could those be Dolphin shorts?
This pic brought on a big heart warming “ahhhhh”. Beyond cute.
Josh447
I meant Dolfin shorts, my bad!
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
So you are saying you “flipped” on that dolphin reference???
🙂
Mack
I agree, definitely the guy on the left.
Josh447
Yup. I had to. I got a knock on my door from the gay fashion police telling me I’d better correct my spelling or receive a gay fashion police ticket. All B4 coffee at that. Totally ruined my morning. Tho I will say, flipping is fab.
jonasalden
I agree with Plays. Guy on right is a dream. Wouldn’t kick Left out of bed though. I’m more intrigued by this story though. Possible acknowledged love in ’49 warms my heart.
Troysky
Wow…deep, deep love right there….beautiful and unstoppable erotic times….wonder which one wrote the note?
Michael1500
I’m all for love and affection, and I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, but I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned by other observers that it’s obvious the writing has been added to and the whole thing looks like an amended note. You can see where words have been made in smaller letters to fit into a certain existing space.
ShiningSex
Did you even finish school? It’s obvious that they only darkened faded words you idiot. Stop trying to be smart. It didn’t work.
Felecia
I’m with you…after spending my junior and senior high years ‘amending’ my mother’s excuse-for-absence notes, this totally red-flagged my memory the MINUTE I saw it, lol…still; it IS possible that those feelings WERE there…but the times required a more cautious and hetero-friendly message in case someone straight who knows the family of the two boys might read it. What better than to add the words he KNEW his secret lover would have written, if allowed to write them in the first place, without shame or fear…in the interest of love, I’m gonna take a leap of faith and say it’s real….real enough for ONE of these young men, anyway. Maybe the add-on was out of unfulfilled desire and didn’t get written until Buzz/Tommy was safely back home, where his ‘Don’t let Mom find it’ stash-place was well-hidden, lol….who knows. Nice to think it’s authentic, though. But the writing doesn’t match the add-on, and two different ink sources are obvious. A half-blind signature specialist could see this coming from a mile away….sorry, all you Romantics…I’ve changed my mind; bogus, bogus, bogus….unless one of them is alive to swear otherwise, that is. Yeah, I’m gonna rain on that parade, Michael1500….I do think you’re correct…..
graphicjack
Actually, what probably is the cause for this is that people used fountain pens back then and ink flow was not consistent as it is now with modern ball point, felt tip or roller ball pens. This would be especially true if it was a calligraphic/quill type pen that you dipped into ink, as opposed to ones with an ink cartridge built into the pen.
jayceecook
@Michael1500 Even if you take out the parts that seem “added” it would still read, “To Buzz, I’ll always remember the times we spent together. Tommy”. That alone still implies a deeper connection/affection than just friends. Especially on Tommy’s part. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually all they were.
Personally what I think might have happened is that the ink on the photo faded more in some places than others. The person who has the photo probably went over what was written with a similar pen to darken those parts. But they obviously don’t have the same handwriting so it creates a disparity with the letters.
Whatever their actual story is it is obvious that these two guys were very close.
Rock-N-RollHS
You “clearly” live in an alternative universe. Epic fail. “Clearly.” Lol
gfmsoccer
Yes, i noticed same thing. Having studied handwriting, you clearly see this has been doctored. The last phrase was added later. Now it may have been added by Buzz, or the person who originally wrote it. But that’s unlikely. In typical Queerty fashion, there is no source for this story. What Family found this? They would know who these people are.
TAZnTampa
Ballpoint Pens didn’t exist in 1949. The pen used was more like a Fountain Pen where the ink from the reservoir doesn’t flow evenly and needs a little shaking, which would explain the fading ink and sudden full ink. But, that’s just my theory. The story does make for a very romantic read between two extremely handsome men, especially the one on the left!
Cam
On every single story Queerty posts about LGBTQ love in earlier generations, there is ALWAYS a new screename that tries to say it is fake.
Sweetie, they used fountain pens back then that put different darknesses depending on how much ink dripped in the writing.
But nice try.
LilMesican
I’m ready to watch the movie based on this photo!!!
Celtic
WOW! Such handsome lads. Truly, handsome.
I “came out” in May 1968 with a man who would be my partner for eight years and remained close friends until he passed in 1996. Our bond never withered or waned.
This photo reminds me somewhat of the “body building” leaflets I was intorduced to by a Boy Scout buddy in the 1950’s. Most of the men were breathtaking, with very brief briefs! Mother found them one day when I was around 14 and blew a hissy. Well, we know where those mags went! ??
I knew when I was around age 5 (1949) that I found men attractive in an inexplicable way. I especially enjoyed looking at firm butts in tight jeans or other pants that fit nicely around the butt. Still do, in fact!
ShiningSex
Definitely gay. NO straight man would write such a letter to a “friend”.
surfpenis
Well, those boys make me want to jerk for like the fifth time today.
Woteva
You’ll go blind!
Pianowski
mmm sounds VERY interesting !!!!
Woteva
Read into this lovely story whatever you want but the obvious fact is that these two young guys were in the prime of their lives and VERY close. One of them certainly took a risk writing what he did to his friend on the back of the photograph.
Aren’t you glad that times are much better now? I was born in 1955. Always knew I preferred boys to girls and starred ‘playing’ with them from about the age of seven. Just before I turned 20 I fell in love with a guy and we lived together for 26 years. We met in 1975 and the gay scene was still (for the most part) behind closed doors. There was certainly something nice/exciting about leading a double life back when I was in my prime but it’s sooo much better that nowadays two men (or women) can fully express their love for each other AND get married and nobody bats an eyelash.
Have to add as a footnote: Horny young thing that I was back in the day, curiosity made me sleep with a couple of girls (seperately) when I was 18. I quickly realised it wasn’t for me because (as the song goes) Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing…
redboy70
Men were much more verbally and physically affectionate in their friendships with other men in the past. Maybe they had a summer romance, maybe one had feelings for the other, maybe they were just close friends.
Cam
Except, no they weren’t. Men were more stoic back then, and any hint of homosexuality was taboo. But as always, there are the new screenames that always come out to claim ANY stories of LGBTQ love i the past are fake.
Justin1326
Which one do you suppose is which? I would bet “Tommy” is on the right.
TommyIL
That’s my guess, too. Not sure why just looks like he’s the one able to write these words.
Pianowski
awesome I love it
jayceecook
The first thing I noticed is the two slashes through the long line of the “Y” in Tommy. I do something similar when signing cards and keepsakes.
I realize it’s very superficial of me to say but they are very handsome guys. Something about the look of men from that era kind of “does it” for me at times. I would definitely love to know their story. Even if they were just friends.
There’s a fascinating book exploring male intimacy in photos throughout history by John Ibson called “Picturing Men: A Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography”. Definitely worth it if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
CityguyUSA
You’re making to much out of something that was just the way friends used to talk until the government had to tangle up gay with two guys being close enough to say they loved one another without some sexual connotation.
Cam
Except you’re lying. Men did not talk to each other like that back then. Ask your grandfather or father if they wrote notes to their war buddies and signed “All my love”. (eye roll)
mojo
Yeah, fellow above got it right. If you are old enuf, you remember how actual “ink pens” [the dominant version of writing instruments at the time] worked, or didn’t.
canuckdave
in 1949 the idea of being gay was unknown and homosexuality was not talked about or acknowledged. So two men could express their feelings in a deep way without it being homosexualized. I recall seeing photos of my Dad with his 2nd world war chums, embracing and touching in ways that we would consider homosexual now and in ways that straight men can’t express themselves for being judged as gay. People are reading into this a situation much more than it is with wishful thinking based on today’s ideas and morals. lighten up.
jayceecook
While I do agree with the part about men being generally more affectionate with one another and not afraid to express that publicly the rest is pure BS. It’s not just major BS it’s delusional. Not to mention factually incorrect. Do some research. Assuming you’re self isolating you have the time.
Cam
Once again, this is a lie.
If homosexuality was unknown then their wouldn’t have been laws against it. And please point to any proof that men were so affectionate with each other back in the 1940s. Show me the straight men who signed notes to their war buddies signed “All my love, your……”
brumeux77
I was talking about this photo with a friend who, it turns out, actually owns it. He said
“It’s disappointing in that the inscription has been altered. The parts “I’ll always remember” and “All my love” have been written over something else and “your” has been added. It’s even in two different inks. I was pretty disappointed when I received it in the mail and took a close look at it.”
Burst my bubble.
jayceecook
If what you’re saying is true, which it could be, you should provide more context and elaborate on what your friend thinks it really said. Where did he get the photo? Where is it from? If those parts were written over something else it should be possible to make out at least some of what was “underneath”.
I can’t fathom Tommy just sending a photo of the two of them and writing “To Buzz, the times we spent together, Tommy.” And I doubt whomever “added” the rest could completely erase whatever they wrote over. So there has to be remnants your friend could try to make out. I’ve found photos from my grandmother that were taken during that era with inscriptions that were faded in sections. However if you spend enough time inspecting both the back and even the front you can sometimes make a good educated guess. Especially if the person who wrote the inscription pressed hard enough to leave some minor indentations.
It definitely does look like somebody else wrote or traced over words that had faded. But who’s to say it wasn’t Buzz? Your friend has a real good opportunity here to uncover the real story. He should seek help on social media to see if anybody has information on the men photographed.
Cam
Once again a new screename comes on, and with no proof tries to claim that any story of old time LGBTQ love is fake.
Gee, how coincidental that you just HAPPEN to be talking to a friend who just HAPPENED to own the photo.
I mean, really? Please send better trolls.
micnoly
I can attest this was up for sale on eBay. I want to say about ten years or so ago. I snagged a digital copy for my collection before it sold. One of my favorite vintage pics.
pscheck2
I think the captioning on the back of this photo is genuine. The write overs is easy to explain. I’m from that era, and I have ‘Black & White’ photos of my shipmates (and a couple of my buddy), and I to wrote over them (with a Ball point, now) as I was transferring them to a CD and wanted the captions to be readable! (However, I had a ‘crush’ on one of them, the caption was bland- and for good reason!) It’s obvious, the wording stands out as being something more than a ‘friendship’ -notice he signs it “All my Love, YOUR TOMMY”!!!! But what intrigues me, did they continue to stay in touch or was this just a summer romance? Or, due to the constraints of distance (note their ‘T’ shirts are captioned: Dept. of Parks)–inferring either a State Park or a National Park) would it be impractical to carry on their romance? (BTW: Definite movie material!) Sigh!
batesmotel
It’s possible, but there is no valid proof of that. The “All my love” might be suspicious since it’s unlikely 2 straight guys would say that to one another during that time in history. They don’t even talk that way with each other now. They might say, “love” and their name, but not “All my love.” Still they could’ve used that form of expression back then as straight guys. The language then is slightly different than today. I don’t even think gays say, “All my love”. Then again, they don’t exactly handwrite letters anymore either.
jayceecook
You should see the entire photo. Since most people here are assuming Tommy is the one on the right I’ll play along. Tommy has a nice sized tattoo on his arm that is covered up by the image of the back inscription. Kind of makes me think he might actually be Buzz LOL
Jaroslaw
As much as I would like to be sure this a Gay love story, enlarging the photo on my computer, I see no evidence of writing over existing writing. It seems extra words have been added. If Tommy omitted the word “oh” as the first word because he forgot or just felt it was unneccessary, “the times we spent together” makes perfect sense. Of course they still might have been more than friends. Where did this come from and I wonder if someone might still recognize it? Has facial recognition software been used?
micnoly
I first saw this for sale on eBay about ten years or so ago. Snagged a digital copy for my vintage photo blog. No idea who ended up buying it. Every few years it pops up somewhere and everyone argues about authenticity of the writing. I’ve never seen any reason to doubt it being real.
ricdardc1
Now I know where Bette Midler & Barbara Hershey, from BEACHES story came from, I know it didn’t but it’s nice to Think it did, Can you Imagine The Story in Gay form Two Lifeguards meet at the beach for the summer very young One of Means, & the other Poor. But they go back year after year, Like Brokeback & we all know the Rest, One is sick during the Aids epidemic & the other comes to Care for Him & takes him to the beach to Die.
michael_totzke
This story was around YEARS ago !!!
Openminded
I’m surprised nobody has come forward to identify the guys in this pic. Assuming they were 18 at the time of the pic and that was 1948, they would be 90 y/o now. If this pic has been “in the news” for at least 10 years as some here have stated, it seems reasonable to think one of these two guys or someone who knew them would have come forward by now with more details.
butchdiva
After being a county lifeguard for 4 summers back in the 70’s, I can safely say that inscription on that photo could be from anybody. I can’t count the number of photos that were taken of us lifeguards alone and in groups. I was actually told on several occasions that my picture was used to “prove” I was somebody’s boyfriend. Were there summer romances between us lifeguards; of course. But you might be surprised at how few there were going on. And it was frowned upon to date the “beach bunnies” who were always hanging around (both Male and female). After 2 credible complaints guys were fired. Being an unrealistic object of desire gets old fast. Most of us didn’t see each other until the next summer, or ever again. Things might have been different in the 40’s, but I doubt it.
Cam
So to clarify, you invented a false narrative to claim that this isn’t real.
Ok, got it.