S4E38 - Arthur J. Bressan Jr. / Passing Strangers / Johnny Dawes

[00:00:00] Arthur J. Bressan Jr. was one of the first iconic filmmakers in the history of gay erotic cinema that saw the importance of weaving and capturing our history while at the same time making it okay to watch educational stuff with your porn. Arthur J. Bressan's gay erotic feature film, Passing Strangers, was a departure from the gay erotic film genre and is one of the first notable examples of his unique tendency to integrate erotic sequences into conventional queer narratives.

[00:00:26] Johnny, you've probably gotten the best reviews of any erotic actor that I've read. The directors you've worked with, have they encouraged your acting or have they just been concentrating on you doing a hard-on and that stuff? No, a lot of the films that I've done, they have concentrated on the acting or that's what they wanted when they hired me, someone who could do a little bit of acting of some type.

[00:00:53] So I'd say maybe about 50-50, maybe about half has been, the acting has been a requirement, which is fine with me, the more the better. I'd like to do more than what I've done really. You boys want to learn a thing or two, huh? Yeah! See what I can do. The Fresh Feast, gay adult film star Johnny Dawes, became an accidental porn star and managed to work with many of the biggest studios of the golden age.

[00:01:23] In this episode, we're going to celebrate the work of Arthur J. Bresson Jr., a true filmmaker, genre-bending pioneer, who worked across documentary, narrative, adult, and short-form filmmaking, earning him critical acclaim and controversy. We're going to take a look at Passing Strangers, described as a real-game movie for real gay people that accomplishes all the technical and thematic goals any good film could hope for.

[00:01:49] We're going to celebrate Johnny Dawes, whose tight physique and curly blonde hair and ferocious sexual appetite made him an overnight sensation. This is Demystifying Gay Porn. My name is Aike Grande, and if you watch gay porn, I've definitely helped to get off.

[00:02:23] Arthur J. Bresson Jr. was born on May 27th, 1943, and was raised in New York City. Well, I was born and raised on the street where they film West Side Story, on West 68th Street. And I taught myself how to make movies from watching great movies of the past. So I never went to school for it, which is probably one reason why I still love film very much. He would graduate from high school and attend Iona College at New York University, not for film, but for education.

[00:02:52] Bresson became a high school teacher at Power Memorial Academy, then a federal director, administrator of education for the U.S. Department of Education. All the while, he moonlighted as an amateur filmmaker and journalist. At the age of 25, Bresson left his job to focus on making films.

[00:03:10] After watching Bresson's filmography, it becomes evident that he has a vision, and that he continued to expand it throughout his career. His work is playful, creative, controversial, and confrontational. It's very stylish and haunting, to the point where I have to assume there originally may have been no attached distributor, so artistic freedom is on full display.

[00:03:38] His productions span from coast to coast, exhibiting unique images of early 70s California and New York, working with such stars as Richard Locke, Michael Christopher, and Johnny Dawes. Between 1972 and 1985, Bresson made 11 films, ending up with an eclectic mix of features, shorts, and a handful of erotic films. Bresson's features often included original scores, storylines, and scene setups.

[00:04:08] And he was a shameless promoter of his other works. But who wouldn't be? Technically, I've seen many great shooting styles, and Bresson's use of the camera, music, and shots in this industry are unparalleled. To Bresson, it wasn't a gay porn film. It was a film about gay men dealing with what gay men do. Bresson began his career with two short films, before making Passing Strangers.

[00:04:32] For his next project, Bresson took his short film coming out, and expanded upon it with his documentary, Gay USA. I'm here because I would like to support civil rights for everyone. I think, you know, this is something this country has fought for for a long time, and why let it go down the drain now? Where did you get the idea to make the film? I was in the Orange Tuesday demonstration. That was the reaction to Anita Bryant-Date County vote on June 7th, I think. And in front of City Hall, I just was really, really mad that the vote had gone the way it went,

[00:05:01] and that a lot of my gay friends were feeling a little queasy and guilty about being gay. So I thought, well, I'll declare war on this whole situation by making a movie about it. The film is notable for showing a wider audience the enormity of the queer population that existed in the country, as well as depicting the little-known prosecution of queer individuals in Nazi Germany. In tyrannical societies, in oppressive societies, in fascist societies, people are taught to dress alike.

[00:05:29] People are forced to dress alike, to act alike, to perform alike, as opposed to follow their inner needs, their inner wants, their own emotions. And it's easier to control people when you don't relate to them on an individual level. You're relating to them as an image. I'm an individual human being, and I want to express that. I want to express the truth inside of me. I mean, everybody is different, and if they express that differentness, then people don't automatically fall into line

[00:05:57] and start automatically taking orders and automatically not question what superiors, quote-unquote, are telling them to do. Dressen would follow Gay USA with Forbidden Letters, a narrative gay porn film, before once again diving into more controversial topics with abuse. Tommy, not again. Drink it. All of it. Drink it down. Faster and stop spilling it on yourself.

[00:06:26] Abuse is turning out to be a very controversial film, first in the gay community and then in the community at large. Why don't you just tell me a little bit about the story of abuse and how you came to write the script? Well, basically, abuse is a story about a 14-year-old boy who is horribly mutilated by his parents, physically and psychologically, and how he escapes.

[00:06:48] Abuse is a documentary-style fiction film about the ethics of putting a child that is being physically abused in a film and not intervening as documentaries are known to do. Not intervene. A little alarming is the over-insinuated sexual relationship between the filmmaker and the film and the young subject. There's no, as I remember, I've seen the film three times, but I'm not sure if there's any explicit sexuality. No, there's one kiss in this movie, you know.

[00:07:17] And yet you've made mostly explicit sexual films. I've done a lot of erotic films, pornographic films, films where you see honestly the sex presented in what's usually called a romantic sense because there's emotion in my films. This movie is very subtle. There's one kiss and that kiss causes more trouble than all a compendium of orgasms from my other movies that people might want to protest against. And it's a beautiful kiss, it's tender, and it comes after an hour of getting to know the people.

[00:07:44] It's amazing that in America where we can see people killing one another, that a single kiss can cause this much queasiness. But that's a cipher of our culture and our society, not so much of my film. Sorry, I'm late. Something popped up. In his next film, Pleasure Beach, dedicated to the memory of filmmaker Jack DeVoe, Bresson directs a beautifully shot gay porn film starring Johnny Dawes and Michael Christopher as lifeguards and featuring one Arthur Bresson Jr.

[00:08:14] Bresson continued owning his style with Juice and Daddy Deers before directing his last film, Buddies. A story about a man dying of AIDS, meeting his buddy from the gay center. Mom, when they found that he was gay, that was it. They cut him off. What sort of people could... Mom, it's not like everybody has the same values.

[00:08:40] A child is your child, no matter what. Maybe you should get their address and write them. Mom, Robert's a grown man. Well, you're his buddy. Maybe you should just do it. Write them a letter, set up a reunion. No. Fly him to New York, orchestra seats for the Kaja Fall and then off to the hospital for a big reconciliation. Don't get sarcastic. You know what I mean. Mom, if they were gonna come, they would have done it by now. All parents are not like you and Dad.

[00:09:09] Does he need anything? Does he have a lover? I don't know. So far, I've talked more about myself than he's told me about him. How bad is it? He's had the pneumonia two times in the last nine months. He's pretty weak. Buddies tackles a lot of misconceptions that characterized an AIDS diagnosis and the aftermath. Buddies is considered the first American film to deal with the subject of the AIDS pandemic.

[00:09:38] Do you want to write down what I should say? I mean, if I'm gonna do this thing, I want it to be absolutely politically correct. Just be honest. Just tell the truth.

[00:10:26] Arthur J. Bresson died of AIDS-related complications on July 29th, 1987. Bresson was a compassionate gay man who cared about his rights and the rights of his community. This is in full display in the works he left behind for us in future generations. He told visual stories and celebrated gay culture while sometimes forcibly shocking others with depiction and representation.

[00:10:55] I've often said that at times, the filmmaker does not know he was documenting a specific moment in history. Arthur J. Bresson knew. He knew the power of cinema and put it into practice. He was documenting the momentary zeitgeist as well as presenting positive images of the expansive and multi-dimensional gay community.

[00:11:22] After Bresson's death, many of his films would be lost to time. His papers were donated to Frameline in San Francisco and eventually the San Francisco Media Archive. In 2018, queer film historian Jenny Olsen and Rosemarie Bresson began the Bresson Project with the goal of preserving, restoring, and re-releasing the films of Arthur J. Bresson.

[00:11:47] Films that can lead you to ponder how when we were so close and got so far, we still find ourselves with a long road ahead.

[00:12:15] Before diving into filmmaking, Bresson was an avid film lover. Having no prior training or experience, Bresson acquired his skill set from personal experience, leading to a short film called Boys and a short documentary called Coming Out. For his next film, Bresson would write, edit, and direct Passing Strangers, a gay erotic film entry that premiered right smack in the middle of the golden age of porn. A time when it seemed like we came so close to having full-on non-simulated sex scenes in mainstream cinema.

[00:12:45] The film's budget was small and only covered production, leaving the rest of the cast and crew working for a share of eventual profits. Right off the bat, Passing Strangers has an awareness of itself, starting in a cinema showing a hardcore reel. We then meet the director, Hey Arthur, who is thumbing through personals.

[00:13:13] We meet Tom, played by Robert Carnegie, who copied a poem from Walt Whitman. Tom is looking for a relationship in all the wrong places, late night at bars, and not getting to work on time. We then meet Rob, played by Robert Adams, who answers Tom's ad. I'm 18 years old. I've never answered an ad in the bar before, but yours seems so different from the others in the paper that I thought I'd write to you.

[00:13:39] We learn that Rob is a music and film aficionado and student who is new to the gay world, trying to meet someone as well. This is how people met. This was Grindr, Sniffy's Gay.com. Sweeping shots of San Francisco in black and white, and we get screen credits. Robert eats an apple in an adult bookstore. He decides to enter the theater and watches a film. Tom writes Robert back after getting his letter in the post office.

[00:14:06] We learn a bit more about Tom, his likes, his dislikes, and what he's looking for. And we get an awesome look at vintage San Francisco during the movie's cruising scene. The scene is very reminiscent of a silent 1920s film. Tom meets a guy and brings him back home. In the next conversation of the film, we learn Tom has asked Rob for a picture to see what he looks like. And the conversation seems so far from the world we live in today.

[00:14:33] We then cut to a segment where Rob seems to be self-conscious of his appearance. He blows off some steam and then takes pictures in a photo booth. The pictures put a smile on Tom's face. They make a plan to meet on Saturday, June 23rd. I'm pretty scared to actually meet you. Scared that you might not like me or that all the feelings in me might not come out. Robert is back home and has some alone time.

[00:15:05] The day finally comes and Rob makes his way down to their meeting destination. He sees Tom and they fly a kite. We get a very nice montage. The two share a passionate kiss. Rob seems mesmerized, taking it all in. They spend the afternoon getting to know each other better. The movie then cuts to the gay day parade that took place on June 24th, 1973 in San Francisco. This part of the film offers viewers some of the most awesome gay archival images.

[00:15:35] Tom and Rob are happy. The end. Passing Strangers is tender, endearing and moving. Providing a coming of age aspect through Rob's growth in the gay community and political action. It is stylish to Breston's taste, by the shots and chosen angles. I think this is where you can start seeing Breston toy with techniques that would become his style. The score is trippy and at times a bit audibly and invitingly disturbing if that makes sense.

[00:16:02] Passing Strangers predominantly uses voiceovers to move us from scene to scene. A not uncommon thing to see in a 70s porn film. And the sex scenes are as artistic as they are erotic. For all the critical acclaim and praise Passing Strangers would go on to receive, it would be relegated to smaller venues partly due to its release coinciding with crackdowns on pornography in the country.

[00:16:32] But imagine a time where you actually had to put the time and effort into meeting someone and getting to know someone if you were interested in long-term romances. Passing Strangers is a time capsule with a positive level of gay consciousness, presenting the norms of the early 70s interaction as well as revealing the playful and legendary images of San Francisco. The dust was just settling from the sexual revolution.

[00:17:01] Passing Strangers has just been newly restored by the Breston Project from its original negative in a 2K scan by Vinegar Syndrome and Altered Innocence. Also, unlike many films from the Golden Age, you can buy this film in mainstream markets.

[00:17:17] Johnny Dawes was born Brian Lee in Akron, Ohio on March 22, 1955. Very little is known about his childhood, but after Dawes graduated high school in 1971,

[00:17:44] he moved to Los Angeles due to his love of movies, where he started out as a dancer in an all-male erotic review at the Beverly Cinema in 1973. This is terrific, Eric. As usual. As usual. Harry's got the layout for the cover already. You're gonna love it. Lots of flesh. Not too tacky, though. Just enough to jump off the shelf.

[00:18:13] I like this character, the Hustler. You've used him before. It's a dramatic device. Always works. You like that type, don't you? The Hustler. We all have our fantasies. Dawes' next-door neighbors were models for Falcon Studios. After speaking with Falcon, he ended up making a film. His first loop for Falcon Studios was called Toilet Train. Hey, Coach. Hey, hey, Bob. How's practice going?

[00:18:43] Pretty good. I've been working real hard on my breaststroke. Oh, good. I'm depending on you and Jeff to pull us through Saturday. You know, I think I might have pulled a muscle or something during practice today. Didn't you take a look at it? Yeah. Yeah, lay down here. Dawes made a career for himself throughout the late 70s and early 80s working for many major studios and working with filmmakers Tom DeSimone, Toby Ross, and Arthur J. Brusson. What's your best film for acting? For acting? Well, probably a quarter of my films I haven't seen.

[00:19:13] There's some that have been finished and I haven't seen anything from them, but probably Pleasure Beach, I guess. There was at least, there was some real dialogue involved there. I had a few good scenes that I liked. Throughout his adult career, Dawes made a living as an art and event photographer. Haven't you had gallery showings of the stills that you've taken? Yeah, my stills are not of an erotic nature. They're art photographs and I had a gallery exhibition in Ohio.

[00:19:43] And I may have some more work shown in New York this year.

[00:19:46] Dawes would retire from the adult entertainment industry in 1986, only to briefly revive his career in 1989 and make more films.

[00:20:16] Aside from his adult film work, he acted in the Los Angeles production of Robert Chesley's play Night Sweat at the Fifth Estate Theatre. On July 21st, 1989, Brian Lee, Johnny Dawes died of AIDS-related complications.

[00:20:43] When you're making erotica, do you make love to the camera or the director or do you think about the people who are going to be viewing the film or tape? Well, at the time, I think I'm just concentrating on what I'm doing. And in the back of my mind, certainly, I think the representation that is going to last, the film image and how that's going to appear, is certainly in the back of my mind.

[00:21:08] I mean, it's kind of a projection going on in my mind and I'm projecting it forward into, and kind of wondering or at least thinking a little bit about how it's going to be viewed by the people who see it. I can't say that I think real specifically about any certain people who are seeing it.

[00:21:28] I just know because of the medium and being one of reproduction and being available to many, a wide variety of people, I'm just aware that that's the fact. That I don't really go beyond a certain point and think very specifically about the types of people whom I hope I'm reaching or whatever. It's a very, I just hope that I'm doing something that's going to be interesting to somebody.

[00:21:53] A gay erotic film star, photographer, and avid opera fan, Dawes was described as an old soul by those in his inner circles. You've been listening to Demystifying Gay Porn. I'm your host, Daika Grande. Demystifying Gay Porn can be found on every podcast directory as well as YouTube. Demystifying Gay Porn is on X, Facebook, Instagram, Substack, Threads.

[00:22:20] And if you like what you're watching or listening to and want to be a part of the process, head over to patreon.com backslash Demystifying Gay Porn, where you can support this podcast and YouTube channel, and I can continue making content like you've just enjoyed. As always, don't forget to subscribe, give this video a like, leave a comment, and let me know what else you'd like me to cover. This is Demystifying Gay Porn. My name is Daika Grande, and if you watch gay porn, I've definitely helped you get off.