Discovered by an agent named Johnny Johnston, John Curtis Holmes became the hottest gay commodity around since semen. In the mid 1960's Mr. Holmes starred in dozens of gay and solo loops and many more photo spreads.







Dangling a cock that resembled an elephant's trunk (if elephants were pink, veiny, and uncircumcised), "Not much to look at" would best describe his face (if you're going to be nice about it), but he more than made up for the lack of "pretty genes" but what he was packing in his jeans. Allegedly 13 inches, although believed to be a solid 10" in reality. Either way it was impressive. He became the favorite go to of every photographer/producer he encountered.






Married to his wife Sharon at the time, the first 3 years of his actual career go almost without discussion. When you read any of the many books: The Wonderland Murders, Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess, Wonderland, or mainstream movies such as Boogie Nights, John Holmes the Man the Myth the Legend, Wonderland, and documentaries, they all seem oblivious to the fact that this was apart, let alone the beginning of his career.



I think we all know what it is. The whole "How can the biggest straight porn star be gay?" scenario. I'm not one for the whole gay/straight/bi debate. So I assume, if you want to brag about him being the biggest straight star ever, you have to leave out the gay part. (Insert Peter North joke here.) Yet they only manage to mention his gay porn past because he died of AIDS, and because he did most of his stuff 20 literal years before he allegedly contracted the virus, eventually succumbing to it on March 13, 1988. Then the one he did after the 1970's get a lot of press.



It was rumored that he acquired this illness on the set of the movie "The Private Pleasures of John Holmes," from a very famous gay porn star named Joey Yale. It's also rumored that he gave Mr. Yale the virus.



From 1965 to 1969 John Holmes worked solely with men, until the loop called "Body Lust." He continued to do both, shying away from the gay industry as he found more money in the heterosexual industry. Even filming 2 gay sex loops for Falcon where he is only filmed from the neck down. He continued to solo from time to time, and admitted to this as being his gay career. (Insert Peter North, Kris Knight, Tom Byron, Sean Ryder, Ron Jeremy, Nick Jacobs, etc. joke here.)



After years of cocaine addiction that left him practically impotent, he lost work and basically was forced into retirement. Having had multiple arrests for theft, he decided to do one more gay film. Reportedly for about $5000. He swore he made $1,000,000.00. I can't roll my eyes hard enough, but I'm guessing the first # is closer to the truth. The movie also starred Johnnie Keyes, the African-American performer that deflowers Marilyn Chambers in Behind the Green door. (This was like big shit back in the early '70's.)



Through all of the drama that was his life, John Holmes has remained an incomparbale legend. With many of his movies going out of print, and most of the gay ones lost, I recommend you view them while you can. Although homely, and flaccid, he manages to be a joy to watch.



Wish he had a happier ending.