This issue has so much going on that I may have to split it into three separate posts. Starting with this amazing cover photo by Karl Stoecker, actress/comedienne June Gable is dressed as a decadent Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz with model Peter Piegari as a superhero you won't see in comics or on film (well at least mainstream film). Patrick Pacheco wrote the article accompanying the photos by Stoecker inside. June Gable had replaced Rita Moreno in the stage hit The Ritz and was performing on TV in shows like Barney Miller, Sha-Na-Na and The Tonight Show. In addition to all of that she was the opening act for Donna Summer's concert tour. Busy Lady.
This issue had other Dorothys and other superheroes to see. Child star Anna Laughlin was Dorothy in Broadway's first production of The Wizard of Oz.
In that show, Toto was replaced by Dorothy's pet cow named Imogene.
Along for the trip down the yellow brick road was the comedy team of Fred Stone and Dave Montgomery as the Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman. It seems that often during the run of the show, they would burst into vaudeville schtick. I think the photo looks like the Scarecrow and Tin Man had more going on in the poppy fields than we were led to believe.
The most famous production of The Wizard of Oz, of course, was the 1939 MGM spectacle. Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland and Ber Lahr made their way down a wonderful Technicolor yellow brick road.
The Wiz was an updated stage musical version of The Wizard of Oz. When they brought it to the big screen with Sidney Lumet at the helm, Ted Ross, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Nipsey Russell eased on down the road.
The flying monkeys in this version were scary motorcycle hybrids that were scarier than the ones Judy and friends fought.
After the trip down memory lane with the Wizard, Kenn Duncan's Red Shoes series that I posted earlier appeared. In addition to those three, there was a smaller Kenn Duncan photo of Jessica James earlier in the issue that seemed like it, too, could be part of the series.
Superheroes were next to be featured. Why some were picked and not others, I don't know. They included:
Spider-Man who was played on TV by Nicholas Hammond;
Superman star Christopher Reeve;
TV's Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter;
The Incredible Hulk duo, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno;
and Gene Simmons from KISS????
Like, I said, I don't know why some were picked and not others.
I have a thing for ads with hot guys and this one is no exception. Where else can you see a guy with no pants, fur and boots? I know...other issues of After Dark!!!
There are ads that are visually entertaining and then there are ones that the product itself is just bizarre. This is one of the latter:
I just wonder what it smells like...
Another offer they were highlighting was custom embroidered jeans from G. Guebelli featuring model Brian Swan. There are all kinds of funny things I could think of to put on my ass. "Rear Entry", "Deliver in Rear", "Pay Toll Before Entering", etc....
But for now I guess it would have to say, "Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of this issue--Christmas pin-up boys!!!"
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