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| Leigh McCloskey |
Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, a telefilm aired in 1976, was a ratings success, so it was decided to come out with a sequel. Alexander Duncan (Leigh McCloskey), who was introduced in the first film as young prostitute Dawn's (Eve Plumb) boyfriend, is thrown out by his family (who can't afford to feed him) and winds up in L.A., where he, too, sells his body. Then he meets a closeted football player, Chuck Selby (Alan Feinstein), and begins to bond with him. But are they only just using one another? ... Alexander is a dishonest, superficial, ersatz "gay" movie where the lead character has sex with men but is supposedly straight. The scenes with him getting into cars with men, and his exact relationship with Chuck, are glossed over, and the "happy" ending doesn't seem to resolve Alexander's conflicts over his sexuality. Made for television in the seventies, it would have been a surprise that so much of the gay content made it to broadcast were it not for the fact that the far superior and much gayer That Certain Summer aired five years earlier. In this Alexander attends a rap session in a gay center, and goes to gay bars with Chuck (ever dreaming of sweet if drippy Dawn). Eric Holliman portrays a sympathetic gay counselor, and there are nice vignettes from Larry Rosenberg and Jonathan Banks [Wiseguy], among others, as young men at the center. Holliman's character says that he believes in people making their own choices, although nowadays it is not being gay that is considered a choice, but accepting oneself. McCloskey was actually twenty-two when he played this seventeen-year-old character, and while at times he seems a little too sophisticated, he gives a good performance. Holliman [The Power] is fine, as is Feinstein, although Chuck's dallying with a seventeen-year-old and getting him to go off and buy drugs for him, is problematic. Jean Hagen [No Questions Asked] scores as a landlady who's seen better days and has a picture of herself as "Miss Newcomer" of the Year on her wall, and Asher Brauner is also notable as a friend of Alexander's who gets him into hustling wealthy women, such as Juliet Mills (these scenes have little veracity, frankly). Lonnie Chapman and Diana Douglas are effective as Alexander's parents. Miss Frances Faye plays herself and is apparently female, although in the film she comes off like a drag queen.
Verdict: The sequel, "Alexander Moves to New York and Comes Out," never materialized. **.
I remember seeing this all those years ago as a kid. I was titillated...almost like a made-for-tv exploitation film...Eve Plumb barely made a cameo in this one, as I remember. Leigh McCloskey was verrry attractive, as I remember.
ReplyDeleteI am a HUGE fan of Miss Frances Faye...the first out-lesbian cabaret entertainer, as i remember...have you ever heard her live album?...it's AWESOME!
-Chris
Miss Faye is new to me; I'll have to look her up; now I know why she was in the movie, and I'm a bit embarrassed I said she was like a drag queen, ha! McCloskey was cute and is still a good-looking man judging from an interview he did on the "Inferno" DVD.
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks so much for reading and for your comments; they are very much appreciated.
I want to see some more posts on Angelmann soon!
was alexander with the sports guy any more problematic than marcia brady at 15 fantasizing about dr. vogel, the dreamy dentist who was only a few years younger than mike brady? the whole scenario of male prostitution is problematic just as it was problematic when 17 year old linda purl was playing a teen hooker in abc's little ladies of the night.
ReplyDeletealexander fled the teen center. were it not for the football player, alexander would have been on the streets. so he can sell it to johns, but he can't give it away to a guy who cares for him? meanwhile over on all in the family archie's little girl gloria is married to mike who is several years older than she and no one is saying a thng.
I think these are all very different scenarios. Marcia Brady having a crush on an adult dentist is not the same as having a relationship with him, and whatever the age difference between Gloria and Mike they were a married adult couple, so what's there to say? Did the football player really care for Alex or was he just using him for sex? True, Alexander is probably better off living with the football player than taking his chances on the streets, but my problem is the older guy sending a minor out to buy drugs for him. At 17, Alex might have been legal in L.A. -- don't know for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for your comments.