Episode 35: Wakefield Poole's BOYS IN THE SAND (1971)

Cruising the Movies

Wakefield Poole’s Boys in the Sand wasn’t the first gay porn film, nor was it star Casey Donovan’s screen debut. It wasn’t even the first gay film to be be shot on Fire Island. But its runaway success and crossover appeal marked a turning point in the nation’s growing gay consciousness and collective pornographic fantasy — not to mention establishing Wakefield Poole as one of the leading figures of the new movement. That said, BOYS IN THE SAND holds up as a lush, heady, and yes, fully versatile romp through the salt-breeze, sand-bar idyll of Fire Island, that gay oasis just a couple of hours away from Manhattan.

Over the course of this week’s episode, we’ll take a look at the unlikely career trajectories and chance circumstances that led Wakefield Poole and Casey Donovan into the adult film world — and each other. We’ll also dispel some myths about the film’s production and explore the groundbreaking marketing and distribution campaign that fueled a genuine groundswell of intrigue and fascination. By the end of the show, you’ll understand while we still seem to be reckoning with the impact of BOYS IN THE SAND five decades after its original release.