I was hoping to find this sad news in a “legitimate” newspaper before posting, but it’s been over a week, and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of this facebook post:
“I was just informed by a friend who still lives in the building that Bobby died today at 87. He was practically porn royalty. RIP Robert Alvarez”
If you don’t know, Robert co-founded Hand in Hand Films with director (and his life partner) Jack Deveau, and edited most of the films (certainly all of Jack’s), as well as directing a couple of short films for Hand in Hand. I encourage you to check out this 2019 piece over at BIJOU WORLD VIDEO – Interview with Robert Alvarez, Hand in Hand Films Co-Founder/Editor
I met Robert Alvarez back in 2003 – after he had emailed me when a friend of his alerted him that a photo of him and Jack was on some guy’s blog on the web. No doubt the pic of the pair on my Jack Deveau, director’s page. Alas, I don’t have the handful of emails, but it included an invite to meet – which I greedily accepted – especially since he said he still lived in their famed apartment, or as he said “the scene of the crimes.”
You can read my post from later that day – but I’ll just leave you with two clips i absolutely loved, and was lucky enough not only to compliment him on them, but see his face light up when I mentioned them. He lent me his copy of unedited VHS tape of Erotikus: A History of the Gay Movie – which he brought up after having read my “wish list.” Alas, I still have it – we never connected again but for one other time, by accident/coincidence, at a Wakefield Poole lecture/screening. I saw him, got up the nerve to approach, and not til I mentioned the VHS tape did he remember me, but lit up and teased that I stole it, and he assured me he’d contact me when he had time for me to return it. Gosh, why wasn’t I pushier and followed up with a simple email. sigh.
this post: wanna fuck? I’ll meet you in the living room in 10 seconds a clip from Drive, original music from composer David Earnest
from the film Fire Island Fever, featuring this music – Let Me Be Your Fantasy (1978) from Penthouse presents The Love Symphony Orchestra.
YorjYefferson’s reddit review of Drive
I’ll leave you with one of his films, Noon, part of the 1985 film In Heat, starring two favorites of mine, J.D. Slater and Brian Michaels (and Billy Knight and Rod Hunter (in the chair)).
they had Fire Island Fever, shirts!
