After Dark May 1978 (Part 4 of ?)

Hey,
See the stars in his eyes,
And that music in you,
Tells you how you can find
(Your way to paradise)
Friday
(Thank God it's) Friday
Friday
(Thank God it's) Friday, Friday, Friday, Friday...
Hey,
Put a smile on your face,
Things are coming your way,
Out there somewhere tonight
(It's the right time and place)



That's right! Donna Summer was about to have her first acting role in Thank God It's Friday! She played (what else?) a disco singer. During the 80's, I was a big fan of the group Berlin. This was before they became semi-popular with that Top Gun ballad. Did you realize that lead singer Terri Nunn was in this film? Her she is with John Friedrich.

Before she became a regular on the TV series Fame, Valerie Landsburg appeared in Thank God It's Friday!. She and Chick Vennera danced in a contest while the Commodores played onstage.

I'd have love to have gone to a club like the Zoo which had a Tarzan waiter (played by Phil Adams) swinging and serving.

The film has since developed a small cult following. Speaking of cult films and stars, John Waters has directed a number of cult hits,

like Desperate Living which featured Liz Renay

and Pink Flamingos which starred the divine Divine.

Joe Dallesandro became a cult figure with roles in Trash with Jane Forth

and Flesh.

Thanks to Boys in the Sand, Cal Culver became a gay cult figure and will eventually be featured in a Monday's Man post in the future.

Another film developing a gay cult following was the similarly titled The Boys in the Band. The film was an adaptation of the play by Matt Crowley which starred many of the stage cast below.

The stage cast included Cliff Gorman, Frederick Combs, Leonard Frey, Keith Prentice, Reuben Greene, Robert La Tourneaux, and Laurence Luckinbill.

A couple of ads before I close out this part of the issue. The first is a full page ad for the Eugene O'Neill Theatre featuring Vincent Price as Oscar Wilde in Diversions & Delights.

This second ad intrigued me. I never knew that the HOLLYWOOD sign had ever looked that bad, but here was a chance to help restore the historic landmark. If you bought a T-shirt, the money would go to help the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to rebuild and restore the legendary monument.

Well that's it for this part of the issue! One photo for the road:
Gary Flannery was the lead dancer in the Shirley MacLaine Show at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.