Him (1974 film)
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- 27 March 1974
| Him | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ed D. Louie |
| Starring | Gustav "Tava" Von Will |
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Him is a 1974 American gay pornographic feature film.[1] It was directed by Ed D. Louie (found to be the multidisciplinary artist Ed Lui)[2] and featured gay mural artist Gustav "Tava" Von Will in the role of Jesus.[3]
The film focuses on a young gay man who develops an erotic fixation on Jesus Christ.[4] The film initially premiered on 27 March 1974 at the 55th Street Playhouse at 154 West 55th Street in New York City.[5] This run lasted until 23 May 1974. It returned to the Playhouse on 6 December 1974,[6] and January 1976.[7] The film also played at the Bijou Theater in Chicago,[8] the Nob Hill Theatre in San Francisco,[9] the Sansom Cinema in Philadelphia,[10] Gay Paree Theatre in Atlanta,[11] Wood Six Theatre in Highland Park,[12] the David Theatre in New York City,[13] and the Penthouse Theatre in Pittsburgh.[14]
In 1980, Harry and Michael Medved cited it in their book The Golden Turkey Awards as the "Most Unerotic Concept in Pornography".[15]
Lost film status
As of 2021[update], no extant copies of Him have been located.[2] The online magazine Film Threat already cited it among the most sought-after lost films in 2007.[16]
Some online commentary attempted to debunk Him as a hoax, owing to the Medveds' admission in The Golden Turkey Awards that their book included a non-existent film which they challenged readers to identify.[17][18] However, the hoax entry was Dog of Norway, a fictitious film illustrated with a photograph of the Medveds' pet dog.[3] In the 21st century, Him has been suggested as an origin for the gay Jesus film hoax, although Snopes found this "hard to imagine" given the film's obscurity.[19]
Reviews of Him from Screw magazine, Variety,[4] and The Village Voice [20] have also been uncovered;[3][21] along with a number of newspaper advertisements for its New York theatrical run.[3][22] The film also received a passing mention in Time magazine.[23]
More information on "Ed D. Louie" has been uncovered, finding that he was actually Ed Lui, a multidisciplinary artist and a nephew of the 55th Street Playhouse owner Frank Lee.[2]