I cannot think of summer without thinking of the many hot summer days at lake near my house. I spent so much energy trying to be discrete as I stared at the lifeguard up on their stand. There is something about lifeguards, I guess it's like stewardesses and nurses... there is a sexual connection to the profession. Might be that they're all supposed to be in shape, wear very little on the job and that their main purpose is keeping every body safe.
After deciding I needed to feature a lifeguard piece in my week or summer themes, the problem became who to feature. I never really watched Baywatch, so quickly ruled them out. I have fond memories of all the images of Australian lifeguards that seemed to infiltrate the net when I first got on-line, but there were two other lifeguards I couldn't get out of my head.
I have loved actor Sam Elliott since first seeing him in Mask. My lust deepened a few years ago after buying the DVD and catching his naked walk into the shower in 1978's The Legacy. (some pics HERE:) Elliott is an actor, who although has aged, has not lost his spark, nor his sexual appeal. I remember I downloaded a copy of Elliott's 1976 flick, Lifeguard a few years ago but never watched it. After finally getting my old laptop up and running, (sort of) I was able to find the file and put it on a stick to finally watch.
I am not sure whose hair is the most wavy, Elliott or co-star Parker Stevenson, but they are both adorable in the flick. There isn't much of a story really, but that fits just fine with the lifestyle. The older lifeguard, Elliott, mentors his weekend help, Stevenson as he contemplates life beyond the beach. Throw in a young girl with a crush, Anne Archer with a kid, and a lifeguard comp that finally gets both actors in speedos, and you have an enjoyable hour and half. The movie literally screams the 70's, but after years of dismissing most of the decades films, I am increasingly gaining, if not an appreciation, an enjoyment for what the decade brought to cinema.
