Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Dick Fisk

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of Dick Fisk

If you Google 'vintage gay porn', his is one of the faces that will appear - though, if you're like me, it may take you a bit of time (and research) to put a name to it.

Dick Fisk is one of those performers whose career was not very long, nor did he make a huge amount of films, yet he is one of the faces forever linked to Golden Age of Gay Porn. 

Ted forever to the legacy of Falcon Studios, Fisk was one of their very first 'superstars'. 

At the time, his face and body appeared in countless magazines (Mandate, Torso, Playguy).

But who was he? And why was his career cut so short?

Dick Fisk
AKA: Dirk Montgomery, Frank Ricky Fitts, Dirk Fisk
Birthdate: May 13, 1955
Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
Death: October 31, 1983

Hair Color: Brown

Eyes: Brown
Height: 5' 6"

Years Active: 1977-1983
9 Films
5 Compilations

Born in Atlanta, GA on May 13th, 1955. Frank Ricky Fitts was raised in Marietta by his mother, a housewife and his father, who worked for an aircraft manufacturer. A bright boy, he attended Marietta High School until age 16, at which point he was accepted into Kennesaw State College to study mathematics. His dream was to become a CPA. 

But his academic pursuits were full of stops and starts. Restless, Fitts eventually dropped out of college. He had something more exciting in mind - a change of scene. After relocating to California, he enrolled in the Vidal Sassoon Hair Stylist School in Hollywood.

Exploring the social scene of West Hollywood, Fisk, with his "pec-perfect physique and monster endowment", was approached by Falcon Films and offered a modeling assignment. He was the very first model Fred Bisonnes shot for the then fledgling studio. The photographer remembers Fisk "genuinely didn’t seem to realize how incredibly handsome he was; the archetypal, hot, mustached Castro clone." 

Good-natured and easy to work with, film offers quickly followed. His work on 1978's Steam Heat and a famous eight-page spread in the February 1978 issue of Mandate magazine, captioned A Man to Size Up, helped to propel Fisk to superstar status. This, in turn, would lead to his co-starring role opposite porn superstars Al Parker and Casey Donovan in 1979's The Other Side of Aspen. The film proved to be a runaway sensation and is considered a classic of the genre to this day. 

1977

Adonis Cockplay 9 

1978
Champs 
Steam Heat 

1979
Other Side of Aspen 1 

1980
Axe Master 

1981
Cruisin' the Castro 
Help Wanted 

1983
Spokes 1 

1984
Try To Take It 

According to Bisonnes, during the filming of Aspen, Fisk began a relationship with one of his co-stars (although he deigned to identify which one). This prompted a move to L.A., with Fisk returning to West Hollywood only for the occasional film. However, by early 1982, the affair had run its course.

That disappointing turn of events, coupled with Fisk's long-term insecurities found the young man at a crossroads. You see, despite his success, Fisk suffered from terrible insecurities - issues he knew he would come face to face with if he returned to West Hollywood. As Bisonnes recalls, Fisk was, at 5'6" "self-conscious about his height and that his Georgia drawl was a trifle high-pitched".

Unable to deal with those issues, Fisk, in early 1982, "finally had the good sense to return home to Atlanta to get his shit together."

At the root of Fisk's insecurities? Being a southern gay man. Bisonnes recalls Fisk once saying, "Every Southern gay boy wears a hoop skirt, whether you can see it or not".

Once back home, Fisk would make another attempt to return to academia by enrolling as a math major Emory University in Atlanta. Yes, he still had dreams of being a CPA.

And that could have been the end of  his story, but West Hollywood came calling. It seems gay porn audiences and the industry were clamoring for more Dick... Fisk. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)  

In early 1983, Falcon was casting their next major picture, Spokes, about a team of cross-country bicyclists, and it seems only Dick Fisk would do. According to Bisonnes, Fisk was "recruited by Falcon to make a come back". Bisonnes was hired to take photos for a photoshoot to re-launch Fisk's career, and this time, the photographer couldn't help but notice that the young man "seemed somewhat more self-confident". 

With his baseball-coach physique and Mark Spitz moustache, Fisk exemplified the athletic Frisco clone - his performance style, both youthful and mature, friendly but resolute. Fisk’s physical appearance placed him in visual contrast to the rest of the ensemble, who tended to be blonde, clean shaven and a few years younger. Many feel that he captured the iconic imagery of a masculine ideal which so many gay men aspired to during that turbulent, glorious period in gay history. 

Spokes turned out to be another huge success, but the restlessness that pervaded Fisk's life reared it's head again. After completing just one other film, he decided to return to Atlanta, the city he considered his true home.

On hiatus and between films, Fisk was working at a bar in Midtown Atlanta called Backsteet Atlanta, while living in Marietta and attending Georgia State University.

Bisonnes recalls connecting with him, while visiting Atlanta. There, he "met his then-partner, Billy (a very hot young James Dean type)". 

Sadly, on Halloween Night, October 31, 1983, Dick Fisk was killed in a car accident, along with his lover, Joe Howard and the driver of the other vehicle in Marietta, Georgia. Officials determined that the other driver was at fault.

He was only 28 years old.

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Another tragic ending. 

I remember Dick from The Other Side of Aspen. I used to reshelf it at the video store where I worked. 

Was never interested in it.

My only other awareness of him was due to the number of times his photo would come up while I was researching other gay porn stars. 

He still has a lot of fans, if the message boards are any indication.

I think he's cute as hell. But, ultimately, not for me.

His passing is tragic, but it would also make a great kick-off point for a gay horror film. 

I mean, come on... he was killed on Halloween!

Just think about it... 

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I'd like to acknowledge Robert Sherer and his blog, I Know Where the Bodies are Buried and Fred Bisonnes, from Falcon Films as two of the sources for this post.

That's all for this week.

Thanks for reading.

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