19 The Wallet (Jan'59) NEW

'The Wallet' is Royale Studio's, 1959 tale of a thwarted bar thief and a spunky sailor,
with a shocking, hidden message.

Royale Studio - Ron Fenn attacks Ian McAlister in 'The Wallet'
(colourised by mitchmen) 

'The Wallet' is the story of an opportunistic mugger (played by Ron Fenn in full, leather regalia). He attempts to steal a wallet from a sailor, when he gets it out to pay his bill in a bar.  

Royale Studio's Catalogue Description for 'The Wallet'

 Rather like Tom of Finland, Basil Clavering had a 'thing' about thieves and muggers. Both men tasted loss at the hands of such men, gay men were considered fair game for any rogue in the 50s. This storyette is Clavering's earliest exploration of the subject. 

 

Ron Fenn's, leather-clad mugger is a typical 50s stereotype of a thug, but the victim, a noble sailor, played by Ian McAlister is a more complex character. Sailors are meant to be tough, but McAlister hardly looks the bill. With his coiffured hair and delicate table manners, he's quite unlike the butch sailor who foils a mugging in TEDS. In fact, it's easy to see him as a camp, gay man. Perhaps, even, a reflection of Clavering himself, although he didn't actually serve as a humble seaman. 

 

Despite appearances, the sailor has mettle and fights back, but the story's ending is inconclusive, it actually toys with the idea of a (gay?) murder, but pulls back at the brink. This work preceded "Victim", Dirk Bogarde's film about a blackmailed homosexual, by two years.

 

In between the drama and politics, Clavering's specially-tailored tight, white, Navy bell-bottoms get their third outing, in poses that make you wonder if it's them that are really enraging Fenn. He, himself, is so buttoned up in his leather gear that he scarcely registers on the erotic scale until McAlister starts to relieve him of it. There's a subtle shift in each man's physical 'presence' as the clothes come off.   

Royale released this set in the January 1959, Catalogue list. Their description labels it as a storyette, the first use of the term which was to become a Royale trademark. In March 1959, Man Alive 4 did a full page spread of 'The Wallet' with 5 photographs from the set and a synopsis of the story, calling it a 'Modern Movie'. It was the first of many storyette features in this magazine, but few other beefcake titles followed its lead. 'The Wallet' subsequently featured in the first Royale ad which included a storyette list, in 'Manual', July 1959.

There are 22 pictures in the set and the Archive has all of them, mostly from a deconstructed thumbnail sheet. The quality varies from quite good to poor but is generally good. Nearly all Royale images have come down to us in black and white prints, but I have experimented with colourising this set. It isn't the most visually attractive of Royale's sets, due in part to the oppressive, black background, but colour seems to make them look better, so I intend to present both colour and black and white versions as an experiment. 

Read 'The Wallet'