Wrangler: Anatomy Of An Icon

By: Lawrence Ferber
In-House Review - Aug 12 2008

Born into a showbiz family, John Robert Stillman found a different sort of stardom as the sandy blonde gay porn icon Jack Wrangler. Openly gay, Wrangler tapped into the '70s gay zeitgeist, personifying many a homo's sex fantasy. He starred in some 80-plus porn films including Kansas City Trucking Co., Heavy Equipment, and Wanted, and became a genuine brand name (at least one product was modeled from his own equipment). He even conquered straight porn, famously playing the fire-shooting Beelzebub in The Devil in Miss Jones II. Offscreen, Wrangler's life was equally sensational - at 33 he fell in love and married Margaret Whiting, a 55-year-old '40s pop star. When he told Ms. Whiting that he was gay, she replied "Just around the edges, dear." Retiring from porn at Whiting's insistence, Wrangler narrowly escaped the AIDS epidemic, and he turned to the legitimate stage. Director Jeffrey Schwarz has assembled an absolute must-see with priceless archival footage - both sexy and hysterically campy - interviews and the utterly delightful account by Wrangler himself. He's a brilliant raconteur, and his yarn is spun from pure - or not so pure - gold.

By: Amos Lassen

Jack Wrangler is an icon of both gay and straight porn. TLA Releasing brings us his story in a wonderful new documentary directed and produced by Jeffrey Smart. We watch Wrangler's rise to a major name in the adult film industry from the sexual revolution of the 1970's until he left the profession for the famous vocalist, Margaret Whiting and it is a fascinating and outrageous story.

In the 1970's gay liberation movement was coming into its own. We were influenced by the activism of gay heroes like Harvey Milk, Vito Russo, Larry Kramer and Jack Wrangler. At the same time, gay porn was becoming more and more accessible and popular. We must ask ourselves if this was because of the sexual revolution or did porn just succeed on its own? Surely the two are connected and it appears that the point of connection is the man who reflected and help define the macho gay culture, Jack Wrangler.

Born Jack Stillman, Wrangler grew up in Beverly Hills in a wealthy family. His desire to be in show business at a young age and as he matured, his desire grew. His father was a producer of "Bonanza" and Jack realized his sexual nature with his attraction to Michael Landon. Wrangler worked hard on his acting skills but found no place in show business so he began bartending and go-go dancing. He was invited to be a member of a gay male strip revue," Hot Jocks" and Jack Stillman became Jack Wrangler. He was cast in a show in which he took his clothes off and became a sensation and got gigs as a nude model and was on the first cover of "Mandate", a gay magazine that featured nude men. Shortly afterwards he made his first gay adult film and a star was born.

Gay men saw him as a hero and role model. He had been built by the industry. He was a man's man and gay men adored him. Wrangler crossed over to straight porn and although he admitted to be gay, he was able to participate in very hot heterosexual sex scenes.

While doing a one-man show in New York he met Margaret Wilding and they fell madly in love and have been married for thirty years.
In this documentary, Wrangler looks back over his life and career. He had invented himself and had great determination. Even though the porn industry is part of his past, people will always refer to him as a former porn star. The film has a series of interviews with Wrangler himself as well as with his wife, Whiting and former colleagues from the adult industry and others. This has to be one of the most fascinating and enlightening documentaries I have seen.

By: Toby Ross

The definition of a star is not necessarily someone who can go through Hamlet and sound professional..it's about the aura and the way he makes you feel. Jack whom I met once (BTW the nasty one star review is not true to reality) he was of average height, nice as they can be and quite attractive. Whatever he lacked in his acting ability he made up in personal warmth and sex appeal. We will miss you,this film will always serve as a cinematic headstone to you and your career. 4 stars

By: Jaycbird

TLA Releasing has released on DVD, WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON (dir. Jeffrey Schwarz, US, 2008, 82 mins.), which was one of the hits of the past year's GLBT film festival circuits, as well as a pleasant little romp down my memory lane! Twenty-odd years ago, I saw KANSAS CITY TRUCKING COMPANY, and I was "in love"! It was at the end of the "film era" of pornography, before "video" took over, so the graininess of the image only added to the mystique and fantasy of the situations of the film. Not to mention the unique contribution that Jack Wrangler brought to the medium, in which he was actually performing, more than prostituting himself. He was a much more accessible erotic performer than Peter Berlin, in that the persona he created was an "everyman" more than a "fantasy man", while playing against any prevailing cinematic stereotypes. He magnified "butch appeal", and was as gritty as the situations in which he was filmed. What makes Wrangler such a compelling documentary subject, however, has to do with his life before and after his success as a porn star.

The film is divided into three sections: his boyhood, his stardom, and his atypical career and marriage to Margaret Whiting. I resist to detail any of his life story here, as it would spoil the film and the surprises that he has to tell. However, I will say it is the way he tells his story, the charm and wit which has served him so well, that elevates the film. He interviews with such joy as he looks back at his sometimes notorious life, both in front and behind the camera, for the opposite of reasons (he received a great deal of 'gay backlash' for appearing in straight films, as well as his marriage to Margaret Whiting), that the film becomes infectious! In fact, in the "Extras" there are out-takes, which are just as entertaining (if not MORE so!) than the interviews that are in the final cut! I was glued to the extra half hour of interviews after the actual film had ended.

Interviews include various figures from his life, i.e. Margaret Whiting, her daughter Debbie, theatrical stars and designers with whom he has worked with as a writer and director, as well as some social commentary (i.e. Bruce Vilanch and Michael Musto). There is a plethora of video and stills that illustrate his life and career, and it is noted within the accompanying commentary track (featuring the director, Jeffrey Schwartz, the editor, Jaime Meyers) about how difficult the decision it was to maintain a modicum of taste, without denying his pornographic past. After all, the sex is what he is and will probably always be known for, though he has moved so far beyond that.

The transfer includes film and video elements, and though some of those elements have obviously worn a bit with age, there is a fairly decent balance in color and brightness, though there is minimal correction and perhaps nearly no restoration of historical elements. The sound features an unusual soundtrack, which is almost overly analyzed in the commentary by composer, Michael Cudahy. The commentary is a bit repetitive, since it is talking about the subject talking about itself, so it is fairly unnecessary. It continues to refer to outtakes that are included in the Extras, anyway, so I would skip the commentary and go straight to the outtakes. Also, there is a picture gallery that will save you from having to hit the pause button during playback of the film.

By: Art

I received my copy and watched it right away....
It was a real eye opener about the 70's (an era that I grew up and came out in). So much insight through Jack's eyes, and those who participated in making this film.
This is a MUST SEE for every gay man who enjoys his adult films. Where it started to where we've come today, to maybe where it is going. Don't forget to take time for the extras in this DVD, especially the interview out-takes of Jack.
GREAT FILM!!!