Him (film)

Him is a 1974 American pornographic feature film produced for gay audiences. It was directed by "Ed D. Louie" (thought to be a pseudonym) and featured gay mural artist Gustav "Tava" Von Will in the role of Jesus.

This article is about the 1974 pornographic film. For the Luis Buñuel film, see Él (film).

Him
Directed byEd D. Louie
StarringGustav "Tava" Von Will
Release date
  • March 27, 1974 (1974-03-27)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Background

The film focuses on a young gay man who develops an erotic fixation with the life of Jesus Christ. The film initially premiered on 27 March 1974 at the 55th Street Playhouse at 154 West 55th Street in New York City.[1] This run lasted until 23 May 1974. It returned to the Playhouse on 6 December 1974,[2] and January 1976.[3] The film also played at the Bijou Theatre in Chicago,[4] the Nob Hill Theatre in San Francisco,[5] the Sansom Cinema in Philadelphia,[6] Gay Paree Theatre in Atlanta,[7] Wood Six 1 Theatre in Highland Park,[8] David Theatre in New York,[9] and the Penthouse II Theatre in Pittsburgh.[10]

The film was virtually unknown until 1979, when it was cited in the book The Golden Turkey Awards, where it was listed as the "Most Unerotic Concept in Pornography".[11]

Lost film

As of 2021, no copy of Him has been located. It was cited among the most sought-after lost films by the online magazine Film Threat.[12]

Many Internet sites have attempted to debunk Him as a hoax, owing to authors Harry and Michael Medved's admission (within the book) that one of the films referenced in the pages of The Golden Turkey Awards was fabricated.[13] The real hoax, however, was Dog of Norway, a fictitious movie illustrated with a photograph of the Medveds' pet dog.[14]

Reviews of Him from Screw magazine, Variety, and The Village Voice have also been uncovered;[14][15] along with a number of newspaper advertisements for its New York theatrical run.[14][16]

See also

References
  1. "The Village Voice". 28 March 1974. p. 86.
  2. "The Village Voice". 2 December 1974. p. 85.
  3. "The Village Voice". 12 January 1976. p. 52.
  4. "Chicago Tribune". 31 January 1975. p. 32.
  5. "San Francisco Examiner". 9 February 1975. p. 224.
  6. "Philadelphia Daily News". 17 February 1975. p. 18.
  7. "Atlanta Constitution". Atlanta Constitution. 17 March 1975. p. 19.
  8. "Detroit Free Press". Detroit Free Press. 16 April 1975. p. 53.
  9. "The Village Voice". 28 April 1975. p. 86.
  10. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". 21 May 1975. p. 14.
  11. Medved, Harry; Michael Medved (1980). The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, The Worst Achievements in Hollywood History. NY: Perigree Book. p. 122.
  12. Hall, Phil (1 March 2007). "Film Threat's Top 10 Lost Films, Part 4". Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  13. Holden, Cathy. "Gay Jesus Movie". Truth Miners. Archived from the original on 5 October 2003. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  14. "Lost Movie Detective: Him". To Obscurity and Beyond... 11 February 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  15. Anderson, Billy A. (16 December 2005). "HIM, Reviewed by Al Goldstein". Mesmerize. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2010. quoting Goldstein, Al (29 April 1974). "Dirty Diversions: Queen of the Jews: Christ's Second Coming". Screw. 21.
  16. Essay on the film's alleged urban legend status
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