What A World

PAGE 12 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday March 3, 2021 WHAT A WORLD Winter storm Uri reveals heroes and zeroes

e By Nancy Ford

WELL GANG, AT THIS writing, Texas continued to reel from Te Great Arctic Blow of ’21. Are you doing OK? Got everything you need? Power? Water? Food? Sunscreen for an impromptu getaway to Cancun? Interesting that the Blow’s real name is Winter Storm Uri, which we assume short for Urinary. Appropriate. Tis storm has been a real pisser. I fared relatively well despite Uri’s best eforts. Tough not very warm thanks to the ify rolling blackouts, my condo remained dry. Literally — the whole complex had no running water for 13 days; I became expert at maintaining (pretty) good hygiene by taking Dasani ho baths. I had plenty of food, though if I never eat another turkey wrap on a stale tortilla for as long as I live, I’m good with that. Don’t think for a second I don’t count myself among the very lucky, very fortunate, and very blessed. Most of those waterless 13 days were spent in the warm, comfy suburban home of my Much Better Half while thousands of people endured loss of property, loss of home, and/or loss of sanity. May their sufering end soon.

Frankly, my greatest hardship during Uri was getting a numb ass from sitting on the couch for too long, binge-watching Everybody Hates Chris episodes on Hulu. Tank you, Lord. As they always do, heroes and zeroes emerged during Uri’s visit and aftermath.

One such hero is businessman “Mattress Mac” MacIngvale, the King of Gallery Furniture. Mac once again opened the doors of his showrooms, inviting those who were displaced to kick back on a 100 percent leather sectional sofa, warm up with a free meal while seated at a solid-oak dining room table or catch some ZZZ’s on a Sealy Posturepedic mattress. Mac doesn’t just save you money; sometimes he actually saves you.

On the other hand, our own U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) skipped of to Cancun in the early days of Uri’s wrath like a frat boy on spring break. How very Brett Kavanaugh of him. It’s the duty of every decent Texan to remember how Cruz valiantly defended his decision to high tail it out of town because he wanted to be “a good father” to his sun-seeking daughters. Meanwhile, other Houstonians’ daughters whom he represents in Congress went cold, hungry and numb-assed for days.

Remember this when Ol’ Ted comes up for re-election in 2024, if he doesn’t selfimplode in a puddle of smirky slime before then.

Serving as a goofy distraction from plunging temperatures, busted pipes and ERCOTicide is U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Striving hard to make a name for herself as the female iteration of Ted Cruz, MTG is the working man’s version of Ivanka Trump — she’s blonde, holds too much power, and likely calls Donald Trump “Daddy.” Tink of MTG as the Suave shampoo to Ivanka’s L’Oreal, but neither of them is worth it. And, as he has expressed he would his older daughter, the former president would likely “date” MTG quicker than you can say, “Ew, what’s this nasty orange stain on my My Pillow?” After being removed from the House of Representative’s Budget and Education and Labor committees for endorsing violence against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Greene now spends much of her spare time impeding LGBTQ equality. Most recently, her scholarly response to a colleague who displayed a transgender rights fag outside her own ofce was to hang a threatening and medically inaccurate sign beside her ofce door that claims “Tere are TWO genders: Male & Female. Trust the science.” And call me crazy, but I like U.S. Representatives who don’t stand on stage at a campaign rally and fondle the cardboard crotch of a life-size cutout of Trump.

MTG is up for reelection in 2022. You know what to do, Georgia. Tese trying times have proven that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is the anti-MTG. Judge Hidalgo has repeatedly represented the voice of reason when our county needed tough but true leadership. Her unrelenting commitment to doing what’s best for her constituents through plague and weather disaster makes us eager to vote for her in whatever capacity she chooses to run for in the coming years. Time magazine shares our esteem for Judge Hidalgo by placing her on its “2021 Time100 Next” list, which lauds “100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more.” I’ll admit, I didn’t vote for her the frst time she ran for ofce, but I sure will the next time. Mayor Hidalgo? Governor Hidalgo? Senator Hidalgo? Queen Lina? I’m good with any of those options. Despite its best eforts to wreak havoc, Uri fnally fzzled out. And Houstonians have once again proven to the world that we can rise above and beyond nearly anything that Mutha Nature throws at us. Houston Strong. Hang in there, friends. PS: Hurricane season starts in three months. e

Marjorie Taylor Greene, shown here risking a paper cut.

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MY LIFE BEHIND BARS part 12 Does anything change?

e By Randall Jobe

ISTEPPED INTO MY FIRST GAY BAR about the same time the last dinosaur roamed the Earth (1974).

I was trembling with a combination of excitement and fear — fear of the unknown and excitement of the vast possibilities. Some 47 years later, and almost 35 of that spent working both in front of and behind the bar, I wonder how much, if any, things have changed? You would think that generations of fighty, firty, over-processed boys would create diferent objectives.

However, from my vantage point, it seems as if I see the same things and people now as I did way back when. Not to pass judgment, because I fell headlong into the exact traps of which I speak.

Te social element of drinking leads the way down the gay rabbit hole with recreational drugs a fast second. I’d like to blame the excessive excesses on youth, but unfortunately, it seems to know few age restrictions. Tose are the ones who fnd themselves sent to “dry out” Some successfully, some, not so much. We too often watch the steady decline of our friends, feeling helpless, or often enabling them. Ten there is the constant pursuit of sex. Oh Lord, the constant pursuit! Now, I know this doesn’t apply be you, but surely you know more than one… horn dog! Te person who racks up sexual liaisons like squirrels gather nuts (pun intended!) Although gone is the need for going to the bars to scratch the incessant itch, today there are a dozen ways to connect via social media apps. Yet, the clubs still serve a purpose. Tere is a certain comfort and security to gathering with others who share your sensibility, and lack thereof. Tough there is change in the mix, the acceptance seems to take on a broader sense. Gay, straight, bi, trans, non-binary all living together in harmony. So, maybe therein lies the change. Tere is a shift that, though subtle, demonstrates a movement that has, in it’s way, a positive quality that may lead to a diferent norm. Plus, an education of the generations past may have created a broader acceptance of ourselves as the creative, dynamic and unique beings that we are. Tere is a certain joy in watching youth carry on the torch of individuality, regardless of the striking extremes it might take and assurance that there will remain a semi-constant. Te boozing and cruising will always have a place. In memories. And in decades of generations of the LGBTQIA community. Change may continue to happen in small increments. But have no fear, the party won’t die anytime soon. e

Chalamet and Guadagnino fnally get it together

e By Romeo San Vicente

Luke Evans and Tom Hanks pull no strings in Pinocchio output over the years). But the question remains: will Benigni be ofered a role?

WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THAT “Call Me By Your Name” sequel There’s yet another “Pinocchio” on the way. You remember it, right? Te 1940 Tat man needs a hat-trick. that may or may not ever classic Disney animated flm, the story of Trans flmmaker Isabel Sandoval sets up ‘Tropical Gothic’happen, Luca Guadagnino is lining up a wooden puppet who longs to be a real another collaboration with Timothée boy? Well, after the strange debacle of Chalamet. Te project is called “Bones Roberto Benigni’s live-action version, and & All,” written by Dave then a 2019 version Kajganich (“A Bigger Splash,” that somehow also “Suspiria”) with Guadagnino starred Roberto directing. Under super- Benigni, Robert secret wraps at the moment, Zemeckis (“Back it’s being referred to as a to Te Future”) horror-love story, and those has a live-action lovers look to be Chalamet take in the works and up-and-comer Taylor for Disney+. Tom Russell. She starred in the Hanks stars as indie drama “Waves” and in Geppetto in this the Netfix reboot of “Lost in one, and now Luke Space,” both of which earned Evans (Gaston in her critical acclaim. It’s all “Beauty and the still in the talks stage right Beast”) has joined now, no production dates are set, and no other casting Timothée Chalamet the cast, as well. Evans is a busy one has been discussed, so this these days, starring is one to put on your 2022/23 calendar. in “Crisis” opposite Gary Oldman, and In the meantime, for all we know, that the Hulu series “Nine Perfect Strangers” wait period might involve Guadagnino opposite Melissa McCarthy and Nicole independently fast tracking the “CMBYN” Kidman. He’ll play Te Coachman here, sequel, shooting it over a weekend and perhaps opposite an animated Pinocchio dropping it by surprise on HBO Max. We (we assume anyway, if we can glean wouldn’t complain. anything from Zemeckis’ tech-obsessed

One of our favorite movies of 2020, Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca” (you can still watch it on Netfix), brought the trans Filipina flmmaker’s work to a wider audience after her previous flms «Senorita” and “Apparition.” And now she’s back with a follow-up feature, “Tropical Gothic.” Te premise sounds ambitious and suggestive of a happily larger budget: A surrealist drama set in the 16th century, it involves a Spanish conquistador who fnds himself haunted in the Phillippine islands. In other words, exactly the sort of colonizer comeuppance tale we want from popular culture. Sandoval is heading to the European Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival with the title for those all important production money meetings and promises of sales to non-U.S. markets. In the meantime we’ll settle in and wait for this promised ghost story to revise history sometime in the future. The long, slow return of ‘American Gigolo’

It’s taking forever, this resurrection of the classic ’80s fashion/sex/murder mystery/ sunshine-noir “American Gigolo,” but we’re committed to seeing it through to its destination as a series on Showtime. Maybe it’s because Richard Gere taught us about Giorgio Armani and male frontal nudity in 1980, or maybe it’s because we’re still addicted to that flm’s homoeroticism and simultaneous homo-fear. Whatever the case, there’s a casting update, as Lizzie Brocheré (“Falling Water”) and Gabriel LaBelle (“Dead Shack”) are joining as regulars alongside Jon Bernthal, Gretchen Mol and Rosie O’Donnell. Coming 40 years after the original yet only spanning an extra 18 (huh?), the story continues as formerly in-demand sex worker Julian (Bernthal), whose life was never the same after being accused of murder, tries to fnd his way in the world of contemporary gigolo-ing. Tey’re still adding cast, as you can see, so cameras haven’t rolled yet. But they should, and soon, because we’re impatient. But while they’re taking their sweet time making this thing happen, could someone put a call in to Gere, Lauren Hutton or Debbie Harry for some throwback cameo appearance/ soundtrack love? At this point, why not? e

Romeo San Vicente is forever pro-gigolo.

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ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY over the rainboW again and again A resilient Galveston welcomes March

e By Forest Riggs

Remember the old rhyme so many of us have often quoted, “Spring has sprung, Fall has fell, Winter is here and it’s cold as hell”? Well, we sure got it this year. Te wintry storm that blanketed Texas in mid-February certainly left its mark on Galveston Island. But slowly the sun arrived and the ice started melting. After much fnger pointing and responsibility dodging, the power returned and Texans rose from the icy tomb that had buried them for days. To top it of, it looks as if masking and vaccinations is working in the battle against Covid-19. Hospital admissions and even deaths are down in numbers. And, Laftte’s reopened! Galveston has survived yet another crippling blow and done so with the same great resilience that has sustained the Island for many years. Normally, March is welcomed as an early entry into spring. It is noted for being windy (kite fying time) and a good time to begin preparing for the new growth and projects that come after a long winter. Galveston winter, when it does arrive, is very short and rather sporadic. Tis year it came and packed a wallop; with no water, power, heat and groceries, Galveston might well have been an island crossing through the Donner Pass! Years ago, before special efects and Star Wars changed the entire concept and make up of movies, the celluloid world was about all folks had for escape and fantasy and all done in a style to which they could relate: life stories, dramas and even cartoons that were as intricate as movies. Te Wizard of Oz, a beloved treasure, aired on television every year around the frst of March. Tat 1939 classic was as anticipated as Christmas. At the time, and up until the late 1970s and early ’80s, it was, as the young people say, the bomb! Computer technology had not yet been employed to manipulate images and add surreal efects. What did come across on the screen, seemed more real and believable, especially to the millions of views that waited each year for the annual showing on television. It was not until much later that the picture began to resurface in revival movie houses and festivals. Everyone knows the plot and the storyline for Te Wizard of Oz. Little girl unhappy at home, runs away, encounters many hurdles, meets a bunch of interesting characters, wants to go home and is given a challenge to meet in order to return home. Tere is good and bad and they battle it out with great symbolism and analogies to social situations going on in American then and now. Let’s see, who would the Wicked Witch of the West represent? Instead of green, might she be orange? For me, and millions of others, the scariest component of the movie was the fying monkeys released by the bad witch to capture Dorothy and her companions. Seeing those things fy out of the castle, darkening the sky, combined with the witch’s shouting, “Seize them!” was enough to scare viewers to death. When the monkeys caught up with the wandering band, they tore them to shreds and carried them away in running lift-ofs. “Tey threw my legs over there,” the assaulted Scarecrow lamented. With its wind, March has continued to bring the annual viewing of Te Wizard of Oz. Every year, viewers young and old, have an opportunity to “go over the rainbow” once more with Dorothy, Toto and the other characters. By today’s standards, the movie is simple and lacking in special efects; perhaps this alone makes it so real to the viewers. Te tornado, the witch appearing in fre, the scary wizard, a face in a crystal ball and Technicolor — these are the efects. Tere are no lasers, no transformers battling it out on screens of star-dotted blackness, no rockets and no explosions that cover the screen and all with deafening Dolby Sound. Tere are just people, albeit a little odd, but people dealing with obstructions that come their way. Tere are a great many morals and lessons to be learned from the L. Frank Baum story that became the great movie. Perhaps we are better in our own back yard and, in the end, good triumphs over evil. Te messages are strong and even better at the end when one can simply awake from a bad dream and see that all is well. It would be wonderful to suddenly wake up and realize that all the hateful politics, corona virus and nastiness that comprised the recent past, was only a dream. Sadly, and try though we may, there is no magical rainbow to cross over, nor an unhappy dream from which to awaken and fnd perfection. Perhaps this is why movies such as Te Wizard of Oz and others, ofer a brief respite from a troubled world. I think were Mr. Baum alive and writing today, he would have a whole new collection of good and bad characters with which to fll his story. Tis March, it just might be a good time to blow the dust of the DVD, visit a theatre showing Te Wizard of Oz, read the classic book, or if lucky, catch it on your television at home with friends. In these difcult times, everyone would love to go over that rainbow and, for short time, leave their troubles behind. Be on guard, and by all means, in life, watch out for the fying monkeys, they are out there and waiting to seize you. In the words of the Wicked Witch and Nancy Ford’s popular and long-running column, “What a world, what a world.”

Wednesday March 3, 2021 e VOL. XI, 23

In memoriam Te Galveston community recently lost an iconic fgure in the LGBTQ world. Eldredge Langlinais passed away after a long period of ill health. Eldredge, ever the leader, was instrumental in so many ways. In his time, he owned several bars (usually some incarnation of Te Pink Dolphin), created the beloved Krewe of Banners with its famous Banner Party, owned and operated a successful real estate company and, for a time, was proprietor a Bed and Breakfast. Eldredge was a delightful person, kind and generous to his core and will be missed by many. Somewhere in heaven, if there is a stage, some bright lights, make-up and silliness, you can bet Eldredge will be there, emceeing and, as always, entertaining. Rest well, old buddy. e

A resident of Galveston where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life, Forest Riggs recently completed a collection of short stories about his beloved island and is working on a novel.

PAGE 18 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday March 3, 2021 Screen Queen 2021 SundanCe film feSt 14 Lgbtq-inclusive flms to watch

e By Mikey Rox

VIRTUAL SCREENINGS AND collaborative showings with partner organizations across the country allowed home audiences to enjoy Sundance Film Festival’s elevated and celebrated independent flms — for $15 a pop streaming via Sundance’s online portal — that this year included 14 queer-inclusive entries. From dramatic narratives and documentaries to shorts and a touch of terror, here’s what to watch wherever they’re distributed now that the festival’s proverbial curtains have closed.

▲ Together Together

Trans actress Patti Harrison stars as adrift young loner Anna who’s hired as a surrogate for 40-something single man Matt, played by Ed Helms, in this dramedy about the unconventional, non-romantic relationship that the pair develops. Bleecker Street purchased “Together Together” late last year, making it one of few Sundance flms to secure distribution ahead of the virtual festival. Tig Notaro co-stars.

● At the Ready

In El Paso, Texas, 10 miles from the Mexico border, students enroll in lawenforcement classes and participate in extra-curricular activities, like the criminal justice club. But as this Maisie Crow-directed doc details, future careers in border patrol, policing, and customs enforcement clash with the values and people the Mexican-American students in the program hold dear.

▲ Passing

Based on Nella Larsen’s same-name novel, “Passing” stars Ruth Negga and Tessa Tompson as mixed-race childhood friends who both can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in 1929 New York, becoming obsessed with one another’s lives. André Holland (“Moonlight”), Alexander Skarsgard and Bill Camp also star in this Forest Whitakerproduced drama. ● Unliveable

Set in Brazil, where a trans person is murdered every three days, Marilene searches for her missing trans daughter Roberta before time runs out.

▲ Flee ▲ Ailey

Director Jamila Wignot’s documentary “Ailey” includes the namesake visionary artist himself through audio recordings and public interviews recorded before his death in 1989. The film is a deep dive into the prolific performer’s life, from Alvin’s Texas childhood to modest beginnings in Los Angeles to his eventual move to New York City, where he established the Alvin Ailey American Dance Teater. ▲ The World to Come

Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen presented his animated documentary “Flee,” about an Afghan refugee named Amin who arrives in Denmark as an unaccompanied minor only to become a successful academic as an adult. Ready to marry his long-time boyfriend, Amin rises above all odds in this poignant tale of survival and love conquering all.

● The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

Fifty years ago, Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti declared Björn Andresén, star of his 1971 flm “Death in Venice,” “Te Most Beautiful Boy in the World,” thrusting the then 15-year-old into overnight international stardom. Andresén looks back on the past half-century of his life in this documentary directed by Swedish flmmakers Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri. ● My Name is Pauli Murray

Through never-before-seen footage and audio recordings, directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen introduce Black non-binary legal trailblazer Pauli Murray, whose progressive ideas infuenced our country’s greatest court battles, including the late RBG’s fght for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall’s civil-rights arguments.

● We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

There’s not much pre-premiere information on this American drama directed by Jane Schoenbrun, but if the mystery premise of a teenager documenting the changes she experiences after participating in an online role-playing horror game piques your interest, this flm, scored by Alex G, is for you.

▲ Ma Belle, My Beauty

First-time filmmaker Marion Hill tackles the oft-complicated particulars of polyamory in this narrative about newlyweds whose fresh start is interrupted by an unexpected visit from the couple’s quirky ex. In this 19th-century period piece from director Mona Fastvold, two married women find solace — and eventually intimacy — in each other’s company as their respective home lives on the frontier deteriorate. Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston star alongside Casey Afeck and Christopher Abbott.

● This Is The Way We Rise

You can catch this short, about poetactivist Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, and her continued work toward justice for Hawaiian natives, directed by Ciara Lacy, under the American Masters banner on PBS online.

● 4 Feet High

Collaborators from Argentina and France have created a virtual-reality experience for viewers of this flm about a wheelchair-confned teenager eager to explore her sexuality despite dealing with body dysmorphia.

▲ Knocking

After experiencing a traumatic incident involving a same-sex partner that sent her to the psych ward, Molly moves into a new apartment where she can’t escape the haunting knocking sounds that her neighbors don’t hear. e

YES, WE CANNABIS! Cannabis and the immune system

By Rena McCain

HAPPY WEEDSDAY! Te endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex system that connects every single organ in our bodies. It is essentially the molecular system that regulates and balances many processes in the body, including immune response, communication between cells, appetite and metabolism, memory and more. It is not like any other system in that it is not isolated like the other biological systems in the body, like the pulmonary system or lymphatic system, and so on.

Te ECS is most famously known for being the “regulator” of our bodies, or creating homeostasis within all of us mammals, including dogs and cats. With that tidbit of knowledge, in this issue of MONTROSE STAR we will explore how ECS acts on the immune system.

Cannabinoid receptors in the body bind with cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, CBG and others (there are many cannabinoids). Tis action of binding is where homeostasis is created. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment despite fuctuations in the external environment. With this binding, our bodies begin to self-regulate and balance a plethora of physiological functions by essentially infuencing conditions that help aid digestion, improve appetite, center one’s mood and alleviate stress in the body. It infuences the nervous system and the immune system, as well. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body. Tey are present in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands and immune cells. In each tissue, the cannabinoid system performs and array of diferent tasks, but the end goal is always the same: to create homeostasis. One of the most important efects the ECH has on the body is that it also regulates the body’s anti-infammatory response. People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, irritable bowl syndrome and other autoimmune diseases may know that the body is way of balance when they experience fair-ups or other irregularities as a result of these conditions. Cannabis has been shown to return the body to a balanced state after consumption and with regular usage, resulting in less fair-ups and less infammation that damage the body. Tis alone, for me, has been a blessing as I have RA, and have found enormous relief in cannabis use to keep my fair-ups in check. Tere is much, much research that remains to be done on how cannabis helps aid the immune system — it’s not completely understood yet. Research does exist to some extent and, to many with autoimmune diseases, it looks promising. Te United States has had ongoing research into many issues regarding cannabis and how it works in our bodies for over 50 years now. Although the research here in the U.S. has been limited and stunted, the U.S. has funded research conducted in Israel for many years; I suggest reading further into their documentations of fndings. Hopefully one day soon we will all be able to have the freedom of choice of what we use to heal our bodies. Even cannabis.

Autobiography of a porn pioneer

e By David-Elijah Nahmod

JOHN AMERO WAS THERE AT THE VERY DAWN OF THE PORN INDUSTRY. AT A time when working in porn carried a huge stigma, at a time when people in the business worked under assumed names out of fear of being “discovered,” Amero and his late brother Lem proudly put their real names in the credits of early X rated classics such as Every Inch a Lady (1975) and Blonde Ambition (1981). In Amero Brothers productions, the flms told a story and featured performers who could act. In many ways the brothers tried to emulate the classic Hollywood flms they adored, such as the glorious MGM musicals of the previous generation. Amero worked on more than thirty feature flms in various capacities. He called the shots in both gay and straight flms and had a wonderful time doing so. Now, in his newly published memoir American Exxxtasy: My 30-Year Search for a Happy Ending, Amero recalls those bygone days with wit, humor and heart. Amero writes vividly of his youth in New England where he was raised by a conservative grandmother after his parent’s divorce. His father remarried and moved away and his mother had serious mental health issues. It wasn’t an easy childhood and so Amero often escaped to the movies. But he loved his grandmother and his family dearly, and he remained close to them even after he moved to New York City and had made a name for himself in the world of adult cinema. A New York City which no longer exists comes to life as Amero recalls his early days in the Big Apple where he shared an apartment with his beloved older brother Lem. At frst Amero hid his homosexuality from Lem. It was a diferent era and being gay was not accepted by mainstream society. But one fateful night Amero wanders into a gay bar and runs into Lem, and the two were best friends from that day forward. Te book is dedicated to Lem, and to Amero’s long-term partner Chuck, both of whom are now deceased. In his salad days Amero worked at CBS and ABC, editing commercials into TV shows for the latter. As he did during his youth, he went to the movies constantly. Te movies were his escape, and he absorbed everything he saw like a sponge. One day he went with his friend Michael Findlay to see a low budget exploitation flm and his whole life changed. Amero agreed to work on an exploitation flm with Findlay, producing a black and white flm called Body of a Female (1964), a flm which promised its audience all manner of sexual activity. Tese forerunners of adult flms were never quite as dirty as they promised to be, though they defnitely were not for kids. Te flm was a success, and Amero was on his way, producing, writing, or directing one flm after another, working closely with Findlay and with his brother. When hardcore became the industry standard in the early 1970s, Amero accepted it and continued working. Amero goes into great detail about the making of many of the flms. He ofers insight into what goes into the casting process, securing locations, dealing with performers’ egos, the trials and tribulations of actual flm shoots, and getting a good distribution deal. Whether a reader is interested in making adult flms or working in mainstream Hollywood, Amero’s prose serves as a teaching guide in how to make a flm. Two chapters of the book are devoted to the gay flms that Amero worked on, which he did under the nom de porn Francis Ellie. As with his straight flms, Amero put a good deal of thought into each flm, coming up with fully feshed out stories and hiring the best talent he could fnd. Navy Blue, one of the Francis Ellie flms, was a homage to the 1949 musical On the Town, which had starred Hollywood legends Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Audiences ate up everything Amero did. His flms always made money. Amero also writes about his encounters with various celebrities in New York, such as movie star Montgomery Clift, jazz chanteuse Rosemary Clooney, 1950s Oscar winner Gloria Grahame, and Donald Trump, long before anyone ever thought Trump would ever be president. It seems that the Donald wasn’t a nice guy even back then. But it wasn’t all fun and glamour. Amero writes movingly of the three biggest losses in his life — the death of close friend Findlay in a helicopter accident, his brother’s demise from AIDS, and the loss of Chuck, his beloved life partner of many years, who had been sufering from a variety of health issues. Tese losses afected Amero greatly and his recollections of losing them are beautifully written and quite moving. Te book is also flled with the names of people who were superstars during the porn industry’s early years. Names like Harry Reems, Andrea True and gay porn legend Jack Wrangler are remembered as consummate professionals and Amero humanizes them with his deft writing. e