Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Casey Donovan

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of Casey Donovan

The early 1970's are considered the golden age of porn. During this time period a number of pornographic films managed to amass the same media coverage, public curiosity and revenue as any mainstream film. These films became something of a cultural sensation and with such notoriety, the film's stars also became household names. Examples include: Georgina Spelvin in The Devil in Miss Jones, Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat, Marilyn Chambers in Behind The Green Door and Casey Donovan in Boys in the Sand. However, this recognition, while cementing their place in the history of porn, would never translate into mainstream crossover success. 

Such is the case for Casey Donovan, also known as Calvin Culver. His is the story of talent, physical good looks, and ambition thwarted by general society's inability to accept actors who make a living taking their clothes off and having sex on film.

Casey Donovan was born John Calvin Culver in East Bloomfield, New York. He would attend the State University of New York  at Geneseo, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and the drama club. After graduating in 1965, he accepted a teaching position in Peekskill, New York, before joining the staff at the private Ethical Culture Fieldston School on New York City's Central Park West. However, he was fired during his second year due to an altercation during which he physically disciplined a female student (reportedly the daughter of actor Eli Wallach and actress Anne Jackson). 

Unemployed and blackballed from the private school circuit, Calvin moved to New York City, where he parlayed his blonde good looks and natural charm as a means of gaining entrance into the lucrative world of the male escort. It is through one of these clients that he managed to land a contract with the Wilhelmina Models agency. Again, his good looks would bring success, as he commanded the then lucrative rate of $60 per hour as a model.  

It was also during this time period that Calvin began pursuing an acting career. An appearance in summer stock theater with the prestigious Peterborough Players led to a job as an understudy in the 1969 Off-Broadway production of the gay-themed And Puppy Dog Tails. After making his Broadway debut in 1970 in the Native American-themed production Brave, Calvin would land a co-starring role in the off-Broadway play Circle in the Water. 

Calvin's screen debut, a supporting role in the low-budget sexploitation thriller film, Ginger (1971) would bring him even further attention. While the film was a commercial and critical failure, Variety noted his performance positively, saying, "Only Calvin Culver ... shows any indication of better things to come." And, so it would seem, our boy Calvin was on his way... a rather standard show biz start, but a start none the less.

However, this is also where Calvin's path to success would deviate from the norm, bringing about the creation of Casey Donovan.

In 1971 Calvin would make his gay porn debut, in Casey, which details the sexual adventures of the title character. Calvin would play a duel role appearing as, not only the title character, but also, in drag, as the character's fairy godmother, Wanda. It is at this point in his career that Calvin decided to create the persona, Casey Donovan (Casey, derived from his porn debut, Donovan borrowed from the popular Scottish singer/songwriter) in order to separate his 'legitimate' acting career as Calvin Culver from his work in gay porn.

He would first appear as Casey Donovan in Wakefield Poole's groundbreaking, Boys in the Sand (1971). The film, an instant success, is, to this day, considered one of the great classics of male erotic cinema.

Reactions to Boys in the Sand 

An excerpt from the documentary, I Always Said Yes

Below: A link to an interview with Cal Culver and Wakefield Poole

Emerald City TV #47 Wakefield Poole Cal Culver

Counting on the celebrity garnered from the film, Casey believed that he would be able to cross over into mainstream film. And while there were meetings with directors such as John Schlesinger and Raymond St. Jacques, and talk of casting him in mainstream projects, including adaptations of novels by Mary Renault and Patricia Nell Warren, nothing panned out. Instead, he was offered more pornographic films, including Radley Metzger's bisexual-oriented film Score, The Back Row with George Payne, L. A. Tool & Die featuring Bob Blount and Richard Locke, The Other Side of Aspen with Al Parker, Steve Turk and Dick Fisk, Boys in the Sand II  and Inevitable Love, with Jon King and Jamie Wingo. 

He would also appear in a number of hetero porn films, most notably Radley Metzger's The Opening of Misty Beethoven , where, playing opposite Constance Money, he portrays a gay art dealer who is seduced by a woman.

Casey's iconic status allowed him to build a lucrative career as a high-priced prostitute, though these activities would cost him his legitimate modeling career. As more and more modeling agencies made the connection between model Cal Culver and porn star Casey Donovan, Casey was booked less and less.

While pursuing his adult film career, Casey's interest in legitimate stage work continued, resulting in a return to Broadway in 1972, working with film great Ingrid Bergman in a short-lived Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw's Captain Brassbound's Conversion. Bergman described Casey as "having the same kind and as much charisma as Robert Redford." After that, he landed a small role in the 1973 Lincoln Center production of The Merchant of Venice, which was praised as having "vivid appeal." 

Casey's string of stage successes continued in 1974, with a return to Broadway, starring as Brian, a gay bathhouse attendant, in Jerry Douglas' play Tubstrip. The production had previously enjoyed successful runs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And while critics acknowledged the play's appeal to its target audience, gay men, with one reviewer declaring it had received the "nationwide gay housekeeping seal of approval", Casey's performance was deemed "no better nor worse... than most of the others (in the cast)." 

It was during this time, at the height of his popularity, that Casey met actor/novelist Tom Tryon in 1973. The two began a long-term relationship the following year, though Tryon, who was deeply closeted, grew increasingly disturbed by Casey's notoriety. Their relationship would come to an end in 1977, most likely due to the strain caused by Casey's flamboyant career and lifestyle. However, there may have been another mitigating factor...

According to Hollywood Babylon II, published in July of 2010 - a sequel to the notorious, scandal-filled original, Cal Culver had an affair with actor Christopher Reeve. Culled from portions of a long-lost interview given by Casey shortly before his death, the book claims Casey met Christopher Reeve in the mid-1970's when they were both auditioning for a role on Broadway.

According to Casey, Reeve was "the man of my dreams" and the pair had a passionate two-month long fling. "Christopher was a great lover and I think I liberated him sexually", said Culver. "I didn't think he was gay, but he seemed willing to try anything once. He was curious." 

However, the affair came to a screeching halt once Reeve, who was soon to be catapulted to superstardom thanks to his lead role in the 1978 film Superman, learned that Calvin Culver was none other than gay porn star Casey Donovan.

In 1978, Casey purchased a house in Key West, Florida to run as a bed and breakfast. 'Casa Donovan', as it was dubbed, proved a struggle to keep afloat and soon the business failed. He turned out to be much more successful as a celebrity tour guide, conducting all-gay trips in partnership with an outfit called Star Tours. The tours included trips to Italy, China, and Peru, among others.

Beginning in 1982, Casey would add columnist to his list of trades, writing the advice column, 'Ask Casey', for the gay-oriented Stallion magazine. 

In 1983, Casey returned to the stage, while trying his hand at producing. With high hopes, he mounted a Broadway revival of Terrence McNally's comedy, The Ritz. Casey played a lead role along side co-star Warhol Superstar, Hollywood Lawn. But the production proved ill-timed. With the looming threat of AIDS on everyone's minds, the ticket-buying public was in no mood to laugh their way through the shenanigans taking place in a gay bathhouse. 

The failure of the show took a heavy toll, not only on Casey's bank account, but his spirit, as well. 

By 1985, Casey's health had begun to deteriorate, due to HIV. Although he had counseled his readers through his 'Ask Casey' column, as early as 1982, to take steps to preserve their health by reducing their number of sex partners and encouraged them to get tested once an HIV test had been developed, he himself made little or no effort to change his behavior. 

Shortly before his death, an apparently heavily-intoxicated Casey would star in a fisting movie for Christopher Rage entitled, appropriately enough, Fucked Up. It would prove to be his final appearance. 

Casey Donovan, age 43, died on August 10, 1987 of an AIDS-related pulmonary infection in Inverness, Florida.

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Another sad story, but such an interesting one. 

Personally, Casey does little for me. Just not my type. However, Sixpence had mentioned that he was curious about Boys in the Sand and that piqued my interest. And then, while doing a Youtube search, I came upon a clip from the film 'Casey' and realized that, yes, I remember this guy.

I can't imagine him, appearing on Broadway as frequently as he did, having no talent. And, as evidenced by screen shots from the film Score, the camera clearly loved him. What I would like to know is why, at that point in his career, he chose to appear in a gay porn film? He had so much going for himself on the stage and as a model.

But he did. And he still managed to carve out quite the varied career for himself.

Example: I just adore the idea of him and Hollywood Lawn on Broadway together. Oh, to have seen that production! 

So, this one is for you Sixpence. Hope you enjoyed it. 

Pieces of Dreams - Peggy Lee

Blue Eyes - Elton John