Troy Donahue

Remember him? The gorgeous, blonde, hunk-surfer-California guy? 'Parrish' was playing on TCM this afternoon, thanks to a whole day of Claudette Colbert movies. Poor Claudette, she just happened to be in this movie, but Troy was the star. I used to moon over Troy. How gorgeous he was! I remember going to see that movie and being transfixed by his gorgeousness. There was our hero Troy, saving the day, beating up the son of an old family enemy, falling in love with the forbidden daughter........living happily ever after. You know, all the requisite cliches. And all this while running a tobacco farm. The tobacco farm bit was weird. It featured prominently in the movie, with labourers (mostly gorgeous young starlets) working away in the fields, chewing the stuff. Yes, there was Connie Stevens chewing tobacco in her cutest, downhome buttons-and-gingham outfit. Anyway, the taboo against the whole, ugly smoking culture today made watching the movie an odd experience. But at that time, everyone smoked all the time and the cigarette industry was booming.

Back to Troy. If you want to shock yourself, google him and you will find a photo of a four-times divorced degenerate who looks like he should be dying at the Mission. I was stunned. The guy looks like Jason in 'Halloween'. Absolutely ghastly. I learned from wikipedia that his real name was "Merle Johnson, Jr". How could "Troy Donahue" be "Merle Johnson, Jr" from nowhweresville Florida? Because he was so bloody gorgeous, that's why. Think Brad Pitt, but gorgeous-er. Dead at 65 (G-d, I'm 64), the usual clutter and tangle of drugs and booze did him in. Another celebrated celluloid idol who starts to believe his own press.

Nevermind. I went back, sat down and watched 'Parrish', feasting my eyes on one of the most starry stars Hollywood ever plunked in front of a camera.