This excellent, comprehensive appreciation of Sal Mineo (1939-1976) appeared in Playguy, September 1985. Associate editor Bill Baumer covered the actor’s life and career with an emphasis on Mineo as a gay man up against the homophobia of Hollywood and of society at large.
I will point out two errors in the article. Dino (1957), starring Sal Mineo, Brian Keith, and Susan Kohner, was not a TV movie but an Allied Artists production for theatrical release. And the author of the Mineo pseudobio is Susan Braudy, not Braundy.
There is also some ambiguity in the date of Mineo’s death. Bill Baumer, in the article, claims February 13, 1976, while IMDb and Wikipedia give February 12. Since he was stabbed to death late at night, the question remains whether he died before or after midnight on that fateful evening. It would not be incorrect to state that he died under mysterious circumstances: there are those who maintain that he knew too much about certain explosive topics.
The following two pages are from my book Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of “Imitation of Life.” Susan Kohner, one of the stars of that film, also appeared in two films with Sal Mineo, Dino (1957) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959).
"The Gene Krupa Story" (1959) turns out to be a Sal Mineo BONANZA! Adorable from street tough to altar boy to shirtless in satin sheets and in a tuxedo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT1b3FfOsCM
Thank you -- I really enjoyed this. Have you ever seen “Rock Pretty Baby”? Sal is adorable as a shirtless bongo player on the beach, and so is Rod McKuen (!) But the camera only has eyes for John Saxon in a tight boxer-cut swimsuit, commanding his reluctant girlfriend to admire his body in the moonlight ... now where was I? You can stream it on YouTube. If you have any Saxonalia to share, I’d love to read it 💐🧞♂️🫖