Episode 25: Ignatio Rutkowski's NIGHTS IN BLACK LEATHER (1973)

Cruising the Movies

Tanned, sinewy, aloof — a few adjectives that only begin to describe Peter Berlin, the enigmatic star of Ignatio Rutkowski’s 1973 film NIGHTS IN BLACK LEATHER. Described as “combining the camp machismo of the leather set and [Berlin’s] own sense of comedy” by Foxylady magazine, NIGHTS IN BLACK LEATHER takes us on a sexual travelogue of San Francisco with our Teutonic lead star as guide. Dressed to the nines in his trademark taut leather look, Berlin’s romp through honky-tonk S/M bars, the wooded areas of San Francisco, and a party populated with drag queens helped establish the first-timer as a bonafide star.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the the self-created personality and mythos surrounding Peter Berlin. We also touch on the influence of San Francisco’s S/M scene and Berlin’s own initial apathy towards his debut film.