September 24, 2011 | The Biz

Falcon Studios: looking good at forty!

Can you believe that Falcon Studios has been around for 40 years today? It was founded way back in 1971 by Chuck Holmes and has consistently been one of the driving forces behind gay porn ever since.

The studio has survived ownership changes, obscenity law challenges, new technology - from 8mm to VHS to DVD to online streaming - and has somehow maintained its position as one of the most recognizable brands in gay porn.

“I grew up watching Falcon movies back in the 1970s and 1980s,” said Chris Ward of Raging Stallion, whose parent company Adult Entertainment Broadcasting Network (AEBN) took over Falcon last year. “My favorites from the early years were Al Parker and Dick Fisk. Both of these men greatly influenced my own direction when I started my porn career.”

Many of the biggest names in the industry got their start with Falcon. Steven Scarborough, the founder of Hot House Entertainment, worked at Falcon in the ’80s and early ’90s. Chi Chi LaRue spent time there. And both Michael Lucas and Kristen Bjorn worked as models for Falcon, before launching their own studios.

Part of Falcon's success is that it was one of the few 'windows,' if somewhat distorted, into gay life. There was no Will and Grace. There were no out movie or music stars. Falcon was one of the few connections closeted men in homophobic America had to a gay world. It made real their fantasies of fucking the neighbor, the plumber, the truck driver. 

“When I was growing up in Iowa in the ’80s,” said Troy Prickett, who worked in model development for Falcon until 2008, “we didn’t have a gay neighborhood. So what I saw of gay life was from Falcon. I copied the way they dressed—the popped collars, the polo shirts—because that’s the way I thought gay men looked.”

Johnny Harden

Holmes was directly involved in the creation of the Falcon model look. Tattoos were out. Dirty feet, out. The boys had to be perfect, unblemished, and undeniably fuckable. He was so passionate about the brand, and how it should be reflected in each and every product, he actually broke his arm pounding a conference table during one of his legendary fits. Now that's passion!

Chuck Holmes passed away in 2000 from complications from HIV. He hoped his legacy would be more than just hot men fucking, leaving behind $1 million to San Francisco's new gay and lesbian community center. He also gave to several HIV/AIDS organizations, and many non-gay specific NGOs like Amnesty International, the Sierra Club, and the US Holocaust Museum.

And still Falcon continues, having merged with AEBN, which a year previous had merged with Raging Stallion. Now Chris Ward oversees both Raging Stallion and Falcon productions.

Some worried how Ward, who made the rougher Raging Stallion brand a viable alternative to the clean cut models of Falcon, could make Falcon stronger without dramatically changing it. 

“Most people think of Falcon for its bubble-butted blonds,” Ward said, “but there were also lots of hairy, masculine, and sexually extreme guys in Falcon films.”

But Falcon has been about pushing limits. It's famous Abduction series was filled with aggression, rough men and kink. 

Still, Ward played it smart. He reinvigorated the popular Other side of Aspen series to confirm he understood the Falcon brand.

“[I wanted] to make sure everyone out there knew we were continuing the tradition of Falcon and not turning into a mirror image of Raging Stallion,” Ward said. “I had my own ego to deal with. I was now the leader of the greatest gay porn company on earth, with a legacy that spans generations.”

“This is a huge responsibility,” Ward said. “Falcon has been hugely successful. I do not plan to fuck it up.”

Here's hoping for another 40 years!

The House That Chuck Built [SF Weekly]

Falcon Studios Turns 40, Celebrates on Sept. 24 [AVN]