Page 14 HIGH GEAR MARCH 1981

How Jack Wrangler came in my lifetto

By ROBERT PATRICK

(ED.) HIGH GEAR printed the following story by Robert Patrick in December, 1980. However, due to a technical error, proper credit was not given to the author/playwright. We sincerely apologize for our error and would like to make amends to both Mr. Patrick and our readers by means of this complete reprint.

Once I was just a playwright Then gay theatres started opening all over the country and I became a Gay Playwright All my old gay plays (I've been writing them since 1964) are being draggnd out and done from Calgary to Capetown But you don't want to hear about that; you want to hear about Jack Wrangler

The management of the Glines company in New York begged me to read Jack Wrangler for the role of "Kink" in my play T-shirts. I was willing. I vaguely knew Jack's name and that he'd done a film with my friend Samantha Fox, as well as much gay pron

Before meeting him, I checked out one of his gay films. I liked the superstar Charlton Heston quality that made hm more mem orable than the mere grunters and-greasers around him he seem ed the last of the personality stars like John Wayne or Marilyn and he had some humor.

After a terrible time convincing his doorman that a shabby bum like me was indeed invited by Mr Wrangler, I got to Jack's door He opened it himself, in jeans and plaid shirt open to the waist (the

shirt not the jeans) With ever whelming warmth and fri ness he said "Hi I'm Jack Wrangler."

•

WRITE

Photo by Ken Howard

again and again, just to get that near the Jack. I hadn't realized how well-known he was, or that a major change had taken place in gay life: to these kids, Jack wasn't "just a porn star." They accepted porn without question or quibble. To them he was a great big, real-life, Major Movie Star. J was pleased.

Finally, came the break. A husky-voiced, heavy-eyed imp named Dale Merchant appeared and the atmosphere went twenty degrees higher. When Jack started to come on, Dale not only responded; he started taking Jack's belt off. They made a steamy team, and we were cast.

The ensuing publicity orgy made my head spin. Working with a star has good and bad sides. You draw attention, there's money and excitement, you know your star knows his own qualities.. On the obverse, Jack's other activities constantly encroached on rehearsal time, he insisted on lots of time at the

Robert Patrick shoulders Jack Wrangler, to the delight of Dale gym, and his film experience Merchant, in this scene from "T-Shirts." the off-Broadway production.

is; Brutus went right back to humping.)

jack turned out to be a rather shy pretty well-read, staggeringly wellbuilt actor with a determination to be liked that was almost a visible glow around him.

He gave a super reading of the role and discussed some of my other work, which, for an author, is better than sleeping with us. He seemed fine for Kink, the 30year old ex-alcholic pulling his life together in T-Shirts.

Well. he certainly was. For There are two other roles, a 40about the first halfhour he did ish fat playwright hysterical from Jack Wrangler for me walking Sexual rejection (for some reatalking and pouring drinks like son everyone insisted I play the man in the movies Then his that), and Tom, a 20-year old rabbit Brutus. hopped in and looking for answers. As a publicstarted humping my shin "Bruity stunt (before we knew we had tus Jack cried grabbing for the bunny What will Mr Pack

think? We looked at each el and laughed (Jack and me, that

that living publicity stunt, Jack Wrangler) we had advertised for The Most Beautiful Boy in New York.

Well, we got 'em. Once in your life you should sit watching that year's crop of cuties parade for you. We had expected maybe fifty. We saw five times that many and turned away more.

Jack was probably the draw.

The scene we used was one in which Kink propositions Tom, and I wanted a quality of easy sexuality in the boy, as well as

humor.

Boy after boy was paralyzed when Jack touched his thigh. I'd tell them," "Respond Like it or hate it, discourage it or tease him, but respond." From most, we got zero. Sometimes they'd sit there, their pants visibly buldging with excitement from Jack's touch, and yet express only coyness or numbness. "Is it something I did?" Jack asked. You couldn't say he wasn't trying.

Some boys begged to audition

Hilliard Ensemble performs

By Mel Boram

On February 22, 1981, those of us who were at St. Philomena's church were truly "blest" by the outstanding performance of four young men from England who call themselves The Hilliard Ensemble.

They appeared, on stage to really enjoy the musical pro-

gramme they presented to us that evening.

The songs were primarily from the 12th-16th centuries, and of authors long forgotten in the choral repertoire of many groups (local) in the U.S.

Since their formation in 1974, they have become recognized as one of the most outstanding vocal groups to emerge in recent

THE HILLIARD ENSEMBLE

years. Each member of the ensemble is an experienced soloist in his own right. As well as consort singer and solo and duet music (such as Britten's 'Abra-

ham and Isaac') is also included.

Their idea is to perform vocal chamber music with that same high quality, both individually and collectively, which is expected of the best string quartets. The ensemble includes: DAVID JAMES-COUNTERTENOR; PAUL ELLIOT-TENOR: LEIGH-TENOR; PAUL HILLIERBARITONE; and MICHAEL GEORGE BASS (not in the concert).

These fellows with their impeccable style and miraculous tuning, deserve all the sucess and international attention they

get.

Their upcoming tour includes appearances from San Francisco and Vancouver to New York City-concerts, workshops, lecture-demonstations, and radio broadcasts---to performances that are sure to move, inspire, and delight the listeners!

made him want to get things done fast. Whenever Dale or I would try to explore character motivations, Jack would say, "You Method actors drive me crazy."

But satisfactory compremises of style were worked out. We opened previews after a bare week of rehearsal with a very funny (if not very deep) show.

warned us, sometimes weird. The audiences were, as Jack Mostly they loved us, but once in a while we'd get one full of very quiet older men who neither laughted nor left. Then, for the brief, funny nude scene at the end, Jack would tear off his Tshirt, and the place came to hardbreathing life.

get the conversation onto anything else.

Not that Jack's story isn't fascinating. It is, from his description of his plans to make himself the top X-rated star (at a time there were none to speak of). down to his childhood stories of having Marilyn Monroe baby-sit with him (His family is long-time big-time show biz).

However, there is a lot of pressure that comes from being around that sort of concentration, and it usually seeks escape in humor. We had a joke that, if you told Jack that Mount Saint Helen had erupted, he'd look up and say, "I'm sorry; was it something I did?"

But, considering how awfut sharing a dressing-room can be, Jack was one of the most fun mirror-mates I've had; he was, certainly, never dull. He knows a great deal about make-up, clothes and hair, obviously; we got something of a laugh out of the fact that he'd come in, look-

ing sensational, and spend an

hour making-up, etcetera, only to wind up looking exactly as sensational as he started. But it gave him confidence.

I would have thought the parade of fellows who hounded him would have been confidence-giving enough for anyone. My goodness, what a lot of breathtakers chased after Jack! There was always room for a new one, because they just didn't last.

one day he confided in me: "They I thought he was jaded, until don't want me; they want the image from the movies. They al! expect me to have trapeezes in my bedroom, whereas in fact I'm the most conservative guy I know."

I asked the obvious question about his specialities in films.

Jack loved them all, from satir"Oh, "he said, with real surical intellectuals to dirty old men, and they loved him back. IN the prise, "Why, I'd never do those dressing room afterwards, he'd things! That's my character!" sit in his shorts shaking hands. I remembered what Rita Haywith any and all. Dale also came worth had said about her busy in for some attention, and once in lovelife: "Every man I ever loved a while Jack, hidden from me by went to bed with Gilda and woke a wall of masculline backs, would up with me." But almost all the yell, "Well, tell Bob you like it; boys who waited around for Jack he's over there; he wrote the after shows were exceptionally script." And someone would nice guys. glance around briefly and say, "Oh, hi, you were good."

I consoled myself with the idea that i was at least the funniest thing in the nude scene.

a star is an experience in itself. Sharing a dressing-room with He didn't bring the rabbit, but he brought Bobby, his good friend and dresser, who was a constant source of charm and good spirits. Now, you don't get to be a star without great powers of concentration, and what you concentrate on is yourself. I'm sure Jack would smile in agreement when I say that he made Jack Wrangler out of small blond guy named Jack Stillman, and he didn't do it by being distinterested in himself. So sometimes it was hard to

A lot of them talked to me because they hadn't the courage to go in and confront, Jack, despite his availability. So I learned

what he means to them. It's not just his good looks, hot bod and created himself, and he's given big thing; they know he them hope that they can be

better.

I think that's an admirable

thing, and I think Jack should be proud of it. I had lots of fun and learned a lot, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. "Wel!!!!!!," as Jack would say, "Maybe for the world?"

Robert Patrick's latest book of Other Plays", is available from gay plays, "Mercy Drop and Calamus Books, 121 Second Ave., N.Y.C., NY 10003.

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