Acquired Tastes XLIII
Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 57
P.E.C. French Line Books, 7 of 8
Also this week, I'll be sharing samples from three reviews written by publisher/author Maitland McDonagh, founder of the 120 Days Books imprint.
Next week, we'll take a quick look at a selection of titles from Publisher's Export Company's other imprints. Then... I'll wrap it all up with a review of one of Carl Corley's titles for the imprint.
Among today's selection of titles, there were two catalog numbers I was unable to locate any information about.
A Short Recap Re: P.E.C.:
Little is known about the company, for censorship laws at the time made secrecy a necessary component when publishing books of this nature; only the most brazen operators left a paper trail. Operating out of San Diego, CA, the PEC French Line books were published from 1966-1971, though the company itself was active, publishing several imprints starting in (at least) 1965.
The French Line series includes 101 titles (two of which are reissues of previous titles in the series), and ends in 1971 (as, apparently, did the company). Also of note, their stable of writers which included Carl Corley, Len Harrington, Vin Saxon/Jay Horn (Ron Haydock), Ed Wood, Jr. and Eve Linkletter. The imprint presented stories about both gay males and lesbians.
The Fag Chaser
The Pile Drivers
"Let's start by saying that this is one relentlessly ugly little book that thoroughly lives up to the punishing implications of its title and is way nastier than the essentially meaningless cover line – 'old science practiced on a young boy' – would suggest (unless you take 'young boy' to mean 'child,' which it doesn't). It's also bracingly graphic about the sheer messiness of certain kinds of sex, which could be spun as an earthy corrective to antiseptic porn fantasies that set up eager virgins for the same kind of rude shock that awaits mothers-to-be steeped in airy fairy babble about the exquisite beauty of childbirth.
But I don't think that's what author Don Taylor had in mind: His writing drips contempt on every level, from his characterization of protagonist Julio as a silly, mincing gold digger-turned-self-hating 'nympho fag' to his decision to let a homophobic cop describe the miserable conclusion of Julio's journey into degradation. The relentless fixation on what Dan Savage so spitefully dubbed 'santorum' is of a piece, as is Taylor's freak-show conflation of homosexuality, filth, deformity and perversion (sorry zoophiles, but bestiality is just nasty)."
Back Cover
Homo Horror
Gay Gang-Up
The Chocolate Speedway
Marooned Male
Queen's Castle
Is this the story of Lindsey Graham?
Chamber of Homos
A gay gothic by one 'Guy Fawkes' (really?!?) in the tradition of Peter Tuesday Hughes' far superior Master of Monfortin, Chamber of Homos deposits sexually naïve male nurse Sander Beach, desperate to raise $25,000. to keep his wastrel brother, Martin (a hospital administrator caught with his hand in the till), out of jail, into the lap of the wealthy, perverted Kratzner family. It probably goes without saying that the Kratzners – from recently crippled, tranquilizer-dependent patriarch Matthew to his brood of squabbling legitimate and not-so-legitimate sons, are demanding, selfish and driven by the ever-corrupting love of money. And sex, of course, which provides the slender story with plenty of… shall we say fireworks?
Poor Sander – inevitably known to all as Sandy – of course has no idea what a testosterone-poisoned quagmire awaits at the Kratzner estate on Bald Mountain (which seems to locate the story in northern Oregon… not that it especially matters). And don't think 'Bald Mountain' as in Fantasia; think 'bald mountain' as in smutty dick joke. Sander reports for duty shortly before Christmas, only to have Kratzner inform him that for the next week or so he won't have his own room – he'll have to bunk in the old gaming room because Kratzner's sons will be visiting for the holidays, along with the various boyfriends Kratzner neglects to mention but who considerably increase the head count. Once the brood flaps off back to the misbegotten caves in which they roost for the rest of the year, Sandy can have his pick of bedrooms. That doesn't sound so bad, right?
Homo Hostage
The Male Maulers
Twenty-two-year-old American art student Carl Hume loves everything about studying in France -- his instructors, his fellow students, the beauty of the countryside -- everything except the fact that he can't walk down the street without being visually groped by men of every kind. Apparently La Jolla wasn't quite such a hotbed of homos, and Carl just isn't used to feeling like a Christmas ham in a kennel. In fact, the whole business is so embarrassing that he's rethought his decision to spend the holidays alone in Nice rather than at home and returns to his hotel to pack. Won't his parents be surprised and delighted!
And they no doubt would have been, had Carl not been drugged and abducted from his room at the charmingly shabby Hotel Hermitage the night before his intended departure. He wakes up bound to a bed in a country house he later learns is in Cannes, where a man who introduces himself as Rouge (and yes, he's a redhead) explains gently that Carl was kidnapped on the orders of Le Cartouche d'Acier ("tool of steel"), a procurer who runs a chain of brothels and occasionally fills special orders for super-rich clients with very specific tastes. Carl, says Rouge, has been sold to a sleek playboy with a yen for pretty virgins. Carl can't believe what he's hearing: He's a human being, not an object. The hotel staff will call the police when they realize he's disappeared… so will his family when they fail hear from him. He's American, God's sake – things like this don't happen to Americans. In Europe, yet. Rouge leaves it to the boss to set Carl straight on all counts: Flesh is a commodity like any other, says Le Cartouche. He has an inside man at the hotel who carefully removed all traces of Carl and the last gloomy little letter Carl wrote to his parents and decided not to mail – the one that could be taken for a suicide note – has been posted. Things like this do happen to Americans and this thing has happened to him. If Carl has any sense at all, he'll do as he's told sooner rather than later.
The TV Star
Little is known about the company, for censorship laws at the time made secrecy a necessary component when publishing books of this nature; only the most brazen operators left a paper trail. Operating out of San Diego, CA, the PEC French Line books were published from 1966-1971, though the company itself was active, publishing several imprints starting in (at least) 1965.
The French Line series includes 101 titles (two of which are reissues of previous titles in the series), and ends in 1971 (as, apparently, did the company). Also of note, their stable of writers which included Carl Corley, Len Harrington, Vin Saxon/Jay Horn (Ron Haydock), Ed Wood, Jr. and Eve Linkletter. The imprint presented stories about both gay males and lesbians.
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Author: Warren Brown
PEC FL-86
"How long does it take to make a straight guy gay?"
Give me time alone with him, flattering lighting, a Sade CD, a bottle of gin... and I'll let you know!
Personally? I've never understood some gay men's obsession with straight dudes. I mean, there are already so many fabulous gay guys willing and able, do we really need to waste our charms and talents on those not already blessed with fairy dust?
That said? I also don't understand this title. It sounds like he's hunting gay folk... and, if history has taught us anything - that's never fun!
This is a continuation of the bolder cover graphics, along with the incorporation of the male symbol. I find some these to be quite stunning and I love their minimalistic use of color. You can practically hear the theme song playing in the background. And those cover blurbs! Who doesn't like a come hither teaser?
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Author: Don Taylor
PEC FL-87
"Old science practiced on a young boy."
Oh, dear... not sure what to make of that blurb. Anytime I see gay porn featuring the words 'young boy'? Eek! Call the Creep Police! That title and the graphic certainly don't give us any indication what this book could be about.
Given that? This is one of my favorite cover illustrations from this period of cover art in the imprint's history. It looks like a movie poster. The font, colors and layout? Very visually effective.
120 Books Review by publisher/author Maitland McDonagh:
But I don't think that's what author Don Taylor had in mind: His writing drips contempt on every level, from his characterization of protagonist Julio as a silly, mincing gold digger-turned-self-hating 'nympho fag' to his decision to let a homophobic cop describe the miserable conclusion of Julio's journey into degradation. The relentless fixation on what Dan Savage so spitefully dubbed 'santorum' is of a piece, as is Taylor's freak-show conflation of homosexuality, filth, deformity and perversion (sorry zoophiles, but bestiality is just nasty)."
You can read the rest of the plotline and Maitland McDonagh's review, here.
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Queer Fear
Author: Neville Corbett
PEC FL-88
"He became the "First Lady" of Capitol Hill."
Hmm. I know a book that should be sitting on Chasten Buttigieg's bedside table! I totally get why Biden chose Kamala; she's awesome and added a great deal of fire to the ticket. But I can't help but wonder what the White House would be like if Pete had been chosen. Fodder for the far right? Sure, but I'd rather have homophobes expose themselves for the bigots they are than allow them to fester in the shadows.
Which brings us to the title of this little tome. Yes, if Chasten had access to the White House? That rose garden would be restored damn quick - and with historic accuracy, too!
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Author: Ian Keith
PEC FL-89
"An island of ex-Nazis replay the concentration camp game."
What is it about Nazi concentration camps that publishers from this time period think is sexy? 'Horror' is the right word! I can't imagine jacking it while reading this book! The sensitive gay in me hopes this was not a bestseller for the imprint.
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Author: Roger Royce
PEC FL-90
"Was he the vanquished or the victor?"
A 'gay gang-up'? So, it's Queer Eye for The Queer Guy? Nobody, except Azealia Banks, can read a person the way a bunch of tasteful queens can. I certainly have felt the whip of their razor tongues. But that kind of dress down, in the long run? It only makes us better gays. Next time someone reads your beads? Take notes. Critical feedback, no matter the delivery system, should always be taken seriously. I'm not saying you can't be 'you', but... maybe all your wardrobe budget shouldn't be spent at Target? Just saying...
Note: the price increase.
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Author: Marshall Goode
PEC FL-91
"The only route to go in a ghetto of homos."
I dunno. That title. I makes me think of digestional discomfort. I don't even like to say the word or its many tacky euphemisms - one of which a certain Pennsylvanian chocolate factory comes into play. And that blurb! In this day and age? Gay ghetto has taken on a whole new meaning - and trust me, if you own real estate? You want all the gay you can get. We help up the curb appeal of your neighborhood with our tasteful landscaping and choice of shutter colors. We help stabilize and improve your block, upping the monetary value of your home. Of course, that means you have to pay more in taxes, but, hey? That's the trade off if you want to live in splendor.
Now, something tells me this book is so not about real estate and gentrification. No, something tells me this is most likely an ill-informed venture into a culture Marshall Goode, in all likelihood, is not qualified to write about. Remember: this is the imprint that brought you Young Black and Gay, as authored by the writer/director of Plan 9 From Outer Space. So, reader beware!
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Author: Stephen Stacey
PEC FL-92
"Shanghaied to an island of male lust."
The cold war was good for one thing... it produced some kick ass television.
These graphics... they bring to mind all those stylish, cutting edge detective/spy shows from the late 1960's. You know, like The Avengers, Danger Man, Mission Impossible, Man From U.N.C.L.E., Man In a Suitcase, The Saint and, the strangest of all, The Prisoner. So much suspense! So much danger! So many custom-fitted suits! And all the gadgets and technology employed by both sides of the curtain. To say nothing of those granite chins? That Madison Avenue hair?
Well, just imagine Patrick McGoohan trapped on an island full of cruisy gay men? Something tells me he's not going to escape this one unscathed! The plot (among other things) thickens!
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Author: Remi Caruthers
PEC FL-93
"He suffered a thousand and one temptations to stay a virgin queen."
Thanks to our good friend Bob, over at I Should Be Laughing, I can't help but imagine Lady Graham in all her Elizabethan splendor, tooling about the castle, dodging the sexual advances of scheming knights, lords and wealthy landowners, as she 'ascends to the crown' (titter, titter). With a southern accent, no less! I don't know why, but I do believe Ms. Lindsey knows how to handle a fan (flutter, flutter).
Now that's a show Jennifer Saunders should be writing!
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Author: Guy Fawkes
PEC FL-94
"The root of all evil can be the seat of all pleasure."
Love that blurb!
So many things about this book intrigue me. First, the title. Chamber of Homos/Chamber of Horrors? The graphic is dead-on for a The Saint-like spy thriller. And then, there's that carefully chosen pseudonym. Really? Guy Fawkes? (Guy Fucks?) Or did they mean this guy (Guy)?
120 Books Review by publisher/author Maitland McDonagh:
Poor Sander – inevitably known to all as Sandy – of course has no idea what a testosterone-poisoned quagmire awaits at the Kratzner estate on Bald Mountain (which seems to locate the story in northern Oregon… not that it especially matters). And don't think 'Bald Mountain' as in Fantasia; think 'bald mountain' as in smutty dick joke. Sander reports for duty shortly before Christmas, only to have Kratzner inform him that for the next week or so he won't have his own room – he'll have to bunk in the old gaming room because Kratzner's sons will be visiting for the holidays, along with the various boyfriends Kratzner neglects to mention but who considerably increase the head count. Once the brood flaps off back to the misbegotten caves in which they roost for the rest of the year, Sandy can have his pick of bedrooms. That doesn't sound so bad, right?
You can read the rest of the plotline and Maitland McDonagh's review, here.
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PEC FL-95
(Not Found)
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The Boy Breeders
Author: Winthrop Shane
PEC FL-96
(Cover Art Not Found)
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Author: Gunnar Erikson
PEC FL-97
"Gentlemen sailors all on a spree!"
Again, with the suspenseful graphic. That theme must have been all the rage, and we're not talking the kind #MoscowMitch flies into whenever he discovers his helper monkeys storming the Capitol Building.
And again... with the pseudonym. Truly? A nautical-themed book by an author with that name? They are so pulling our leg.
--- ---
Author: Lawrence Leelere
PEC FL-98
"Passion bound by ties of silk -- a new twist in Gay Paree!"
Ah, bondage in Paris.
No... that's it. That's all I got.
Let's let Maitland McDonagh take it from here.
120 Books Review by publisher/author Maitland McDonagh:
Twenty-two-year-old American art student Carl Hume loves everything about studying in France -- his instructors, his fellow students, the beauty of the countryside -- everything except the fact that he can't walk down the street without being visually groped by men of every kind. Apparently La Jolla wasn't quite such a hotbed of homos, and Carl just isn't used to feeling like a Christmas ham in a kennel. In fact, the whole business is so embarrassing that he's rethought his decision to spend the holidays alone in Nice rather than at home and returns to his hotel to pack. Won't his parents be surprised and delighted!
And they no doubt would have been, had Carl not been drugged and abducted from his room at the charmingly shabby Hotel Hermitage the night before his intended departure. He wakes up bound to a bed in a country house he later learns is in Cannes, where a man who introduces himself as Rouge (and yes, he's a redhead) explains gently that Carl was kidnapped on the orders of Le Cartouche d'Acier ("tool of steel"), a procurer who runs a chain of brothels and occasionally fills special orders for super-rich clients with very specific tastes. Carl, says Rouge, has been sold to a sleek playboy with a yen for pretty virgins. Carl can't believe what he's hearing: He's a human being, not an object. The hotel staff will call the police when they realize he's disappeared… so will his family when they fail hear from him. He's American, God's sake – things like this don't happen to Americans. In Europe, yet. Rouge leaves it to the boss to set Carl straight on all counts: Flesh is a commodity like any other, says Le Cartouche. He has an inside man at the hotel who carefully removed all traces of Carl and the last gloomy little letter Carl wrote to his parents and decided not to mail – the one that could be taken for a suicide note – has been posted. Things like this do happen to Americans and this thing has happened to him. If Carl has any sense at all, he'll do as he's told sooner rather than later.
You can read the rest of the plotline and Maitland McDonagh's review, here.
Note: the price increase.
Inside Out
Aww. Remember the movie with Kevin Kline playing a gay man or a man everyone assumed was gay and kept insisting he wasn't but then he came to realize that he was, indeed, gay? Am I remembering this correctly?
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Author: Christopher Ford
PEC FL-99
Aww. Remember the movie with Kevin Kline playing a gay man or a man everyone assumed was gay and kept insisting he wasn't but then he came to realize that he was, indeed, gay? Am I remembering this correctly?
At the time? I thought the movie to be brave and charming. I wonder how well it has aged? And isn't it great that, NOW, we have gay actors to play gay people? Oh... wait a minute...
This, by the way, is the first cover to feature PEC French Line's latest (and last) change in art direction.
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Author: (Chris)topher Ford
PEC FL-100
Hmm... the TV star, huh? Who? Probably one of those macho men on one of those popular television westerns? Or one of those spy/sci fi/detective types? It couldn't possibly be about Paul Lynde or Charles Nelson Reilly or Dick Sargent or Robert Reed.
Hey... name the other closeted (and not so closeted) gay TV stars of the late 60's, early 70's... and don't bother with Rock Hudson - way too easy.
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Making It
Author: Bill Lasher
PEC FL-101
So, I guess I found my video song to go along with this post! It's the theme song of a 1979 TV sitcom on ABC by the same name. While the show ended up being a casualty of the fading disco trend, lasting for only 8 episodes, the theme song, written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren and sung by the series lead actor David Naughton ('I'm A Pepper, You're A Pepper' and American Werewolf In London) managed to outlive it. Entering Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1979, it cracked the Top 40 a full two months after the show had been cancelled. It eventually peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Disco (Dance) charts. Makin' It was also featured on the soundtrack of the 1979 Bill Murray movie, Meatballs.
The more you know...
Oh, yeah.. and it was a gay whack-off book, too. Who knew?
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And that's all they wrote... (literally).
Well, published, actually.
Making It was the last book for the imprint. So, now we move on to selected titles from the other imprints the company published.
I must say, so far, after Greenleaf Classics, this has been my favorite imprint. The quality of the covers? Very nice.
That's all for now.
Thanks for reading.
Makin' It - David Naughton
2 comments:
Never saw that TV show...and never knew Naughton could sing. 😊
You're right. The covers have changed, I'd say radically. The male symbol seems to be a fav, no?
The blurbs! OMG. Whoa. Shizzle.
And the blistering review from Maitland? Read for filth. Almost literally.
XOXO
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