By Amanda By Night
The 70s were a seminal time in the history of horror. Arguably the greatest and most groundbreaking films came out during this tumultuous time. It was also the last decade of “The Man”. Grizzled, tanned like a leather wallet and actually possessing more body hair than a 12 year-old boy, REAL men graced the silver screen and ruled the box office. And it rocked. It rocked hard. Not only was it a great decade for the genre, this decennium was plastered with dreamy men fighting all sorts of evil that surrounded them. Muscles rippling underneath bronzed flesh, these glorious hunks created a world of drive-in the cinema has not seen since. Staying in the flavor of one of our most mischievous decades, a few of these gents posed nude for various women’s magazines… and we thank you! For every tastefully enticing Burt Reynolds Cosmopolitan layout, there was also Christopher George giving his all for Playgirl (when it was still considered a women’s magazine to an unknowing public!). Not only did these gents look great sans BVDs, but they also made some of the best B-movie flicks of all time. It was a great time to be a woman and it was a great time to celebrate the true beauty of a real man.
Here’s a list of the Top Ten Men of the 70s:
Andrew Prine – Even now, in his late 60s, Andrew Prine is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen. Standing a good 6’ 4’’, this tall drink of water played some of the most-wicked characters of the 70s. But those puppy dog eyes made him not-so-bad and oh-so-good all at the same time. What woman didn’t want to be put into his sadistic circus in Barn of the Naked Dead? Good friends with that other hunk of burning love, Christopher George, their camaraderie and perfectly balanced testosterone made Grizzly the classic it is today (lest we forget Richard Jaeckel, natch). He also gave fans an eyeful with a nudie pix in Viva magazine and turned heads in his delicately filmed (i.e. you see just enough to make your mouth water… but not much else) and supremely strange love scene in the extraordinary Simon, King of the Witches.
Christopher George – The reigning champ of the grindhouse circuit, Chris George is one of the most defining faces of the decade. Darkly rugged, he looked more like a used car salesman than an actor, but he oozed a kind of raw animal sexuality and sinister charisma that guaranteed him the ability to play both good and bad guys. He worked steadily in the genre throughout the decade starring in everything from Escape from Devil’s Island to Day of the Animals. He even helped push the horror world into the next decade by starring in Lucio Fulci’s gore classic City of the Living Dead. His costar Katriona MacColl once fondly remembered Chris as a guy who loved to show off pictures of his kids (he was married to the beautiful Lynda Day George until his death). Christopher George a family man?!? Ain’t nothing sexier than that.
Christopher Lee – Dashing and debonair, the suave Lee is a legend among legends. A staple in the Hammer House of Horror circuit, he didn’t limit himself to gothic period pieces. In fact, the tall and classically handsome thespian steadily worked throughout the decade in everything from surreal horror classics like The Wicker Man to grittier fare like Death Line (aka Dead Meat) to James Bond classics like The Man with the Golden Gun. He brought the class bar up a notch in Meatcleaver Massacre and terrified kids in Return from Witch Mountain. Beguiling audiences with his silky British accent and charismatic demeanor, not once did he turn his back on us. And that’s why we love him.
James Brolin – The fact that he’s only got better with age is spellbinding, considering the palette he’d already begun with. Now known as Mr. Streisand, James made a name for himself as a rugged leading man of the genre starring in everything from the sci-fi classic Westworld to the hokey yet remarkably entertaining The Car. But he wooed women the world over as an on-the-edge of his sanity George Lutz in The Amityville Horror. Nothing sexier than a man with an axe, right? His perfectly chiseled face with a body sculpted so flawlessly you thought it was made of porcelain, left no wonder as to why Mrs. Lutz put up with so much crap. Ryan Reynolds, you may now go hang your head in shame (sorry buzz).
John Saxon – The man needs no introduction. Swarthy to the nth degree, John started off his illustrious career as what else, a model. But more than a pretty face, talent prevailed and he became one of the most recognized and most lusted after faces of the 70s. In fact, his performance in Enter the Dragon was no joke; John is in fact, a black-belt in karate. He spent a good portion of the 70s knocking out Italian action flicks such as Strange Shadows in an Empty Room, but it was his presence in the underrated slasher classic Black Christmas that left an indelible mark on horror nuts everywhere. Never without his sense of humor or steely magnetism, he put his tongue in cheek (ooh la la) in Blood Beach and showed the world that his iconic stature had not been lost on himself. He upped the babe-o-meter in Fast Company, which also starred William Smith. In short, this broodingly handsome gent is simply divine.
Ken Foree – Solidly built Ken only starred in one horror movie in the 70s but it was the ultimate zombie film, Dawn of the Dead. As Peter, he was the smart, calm and caring member of a trio of living citizens amongst the undead. His protective, thoughtful and strong demeanor made him an everyday hero. And it also made him the very definition of the word sexy.
Roy Thinnes – Even the small screen needs a hunk, right? Although sexy Roy acted in everything from big budget theatricals to soap operas (I still get a tear when I think of Sloane Carpenter’s eternal love for Vicki on One Life to Live), he really found a neat little niche for himself TV Movies, a subgenre that flourished in the 70s. He starred in several classic made-for-TV flicks such as Horror at 37,000 Feet and Black Noon, but is perhaps best remembered as the desirable Dr. Joseph Clampett in the 1973 oeuvre Satan’s School for Girls where he bewitched several students including Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd pre-Charlie’s Angeles. He also cast a spell as the pragmatic and seductively serious David Norliss in the Dan Curtis TVM The Norliss Tapes. The girl can’t help it, I have a soft spot for journalists (gee, imagine that?)
Scott Jacoby – A horror fanatic’s teen idol. His luscious mop of dark hair and boy-next-door looks made him a perfect icon for screaming adolescent pre-Goth girls. Not only did this Emmy award winning actor give Joan Hackett a run for her money in Rivals, he also starred in some of the best, and still most underrated, movies of the day including The Little Girl who Lives Down the Lane and the greatest TVM ev-ah, Bad Ronald, where his idea of courtship was peeping on and then kidnapping an unsuspecting girl. An actor first, teenage sex symbol second… and that made us love him all the more.
Steve Bond – His name might not be that familiar but his other, uh, assets are. A Playgirl Playmate with delicious aqua eyes and a smile that would melt the chrome right off a tailpipe, his biggest gig ended being playing the charming scoundrel Jimmy Lee Holt on General Hospital during the faboo 80s. But in the beginning he put in some serious time at the drive-in and starred in a few of the more memorable movies. He gave Andrew Stevens a run for his hunkiness money in Massacre at Central High and he provided a little bit of beefcake to go along with the T&A in Gas Pump Girls. His strangest and my personal favorite role of his was in that charred-axe-wielding-gypsy-killer opus The Prey. Granted, it came out in the 80s, but hey this is my list!
William Smith – Nobody’s like William Smith. His resume of drive-in fare is as long as your arm (as a sidebar, his arms were in fact 18 ¼ inches! Me-ow!). A brawny blonde with a voice so deep it made you tremble, William won the hearts of B-movie fans everywhere as the hero in that ultra-70s flick Invasion of the Bee Girls. He kept the pace going in such enjoyable drive-in fare as Policewomen, Grave of the Vampire as well as appearing alongside Claudia Jennings in her last film, Fast Company. And I haven’t even mentioned his contribution to television (Rich Man, Poor Man made him a star, darling). If that’s not enough to get your knickers in a knot, this former Marlboro Man was also a fireman during the 1950s. Ah, my hero!
