California Big Hunks (1985)

35 years after this vintage video was filmed in 1985, it is now enjoying a resurgence on the Internet. After VHS tapes went out of style in the mid to late 90’s, we simply stopped selling it. Then a cult fan base emerged reaching a sort of azimuth when Red Letter Media guys out of Wisconsin spent 15 minutes parodying it on their “Best of the Worst Black Spine Edition #3 in July 2019.

What was so alluring about this tape? Here’s the box cover description:

"The muscle, the sweat, the sinuous symmetry of the male form in motion. This vintage video contains six of San Diego’s sexiest male nightclub dancers in an exciting one-hour video, filmed in 1985. From fashion, film and television, these are the guys worth watching. See these gorgeous men strip down to the “barest necessity” and dance provocatively.

This video thrusts you into the sensual fantasies of six delectable men as they strip it off (including Mr. Erotic, Mr. Sensuality and the Most Watchable Male title-holders).

“California Big Hunks” reveals the adventures of Jim, a leather-clad motorcycle cop stripping it off in an elegant bedroom; Reno, a modern-day Tarzan heating up the jungle; Donny, a street-wise stud exploring a stone ruin; Dave, a cocky cowboy back at the ranch; Michael, a classy gent in a steamy gym; and Prince Daniel, a hot-blooded hunk who burns up a haunted disco.

High production value, special effects and an original musical score make “California Big Hunks” a gift of pleasure for lovers, friends and yourself! Get your hands on these hunks now."

And here were the reviews of the time:

It’s almost impossible to believe that someone would release a male-stripper tape that doesn’t go all the way — all the way down to frontal nudity — when [other titles] have, literally, bared everything. Be that as it may, “California Big Hunks” is a dazzling production, giving the viewer, instead of frontal nudity, one clever sexual fantasy after another, well-conceived, well-choreographed, and extremely well executed. From a traffic cop who fantasizes about taking off his uniform in the bedroom of the woman he is ticketing to a businessman who takes out his sexual frustration in the gym after he is stood up in a restaurant by his date, “California Big Hunks” combines clever tableaux with handsome, well-built, sexually appealing men who have screen presence. Even with its physical tameness, this video generates sexual excitement. – ADULT VIDEO NEWS

There are plenty of rippling muscles, humping hips and bare buns… The fashion model teases viewers through a locker-room routine that recalls the spontaneity of Tom Cruise’s performance in “Risky Business.” Females will stampede to the sell-through counter to experience these hunks firsthand. – BILLBOARD

Their curves are more dangerous than the Indianapolis 500; their moves more teasing than a five-dollar hooker; and the appreciation shown to them is more overwhelming than a ticker-tape parade. They are not conquering heroes, fearless daredevils, or even Washington politicians … these are the HUNKS of “California Big Hunks!” Their performances are carefully rehearsed to get the most out of each bump and grind (though it seems that one-handed push-ups are status quo). If these were Gay exotic dancers, would the fantasy be greater — or do these straight studs arouse even more excitement by being unattainable? Just remember, they are just little boys under all that hulk and beef. – BRAVO!

“California Big Hunks” had a great run through the 1980s and 1990s. And we figured that was the end of it. Jay Leno bought stock footage clips of the dancers every now and then when he needed guaranteed laughs. His Acquisitions Manager used to tell us that the Big Hunks were Jay’s “secret weapon” and that Jay would always quip “you can’t fake the ’80’s.”

The producers of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” bought some clips and played them as Colin Mockrie tried to guess what was on the green screen behind him. We were invited to be a part of the studio audience that day when Drew Carey was hosting. We noticed he was wearing glasses without lenses in them. We also noticed how big the laughs were for our “California Big Hunks” footage. We figured “Wow, what a great exit for the Hunks.”

Then about a decade later, the Hunks surfaced for a little while at the Found Footage Festival. Hosts Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett found a VHS tape at a garage sale and made it part of their road show.

Then a few more years went by when avid fans alerted us as to what was going on at Red Letter Media. They mentioned they and many others had been searching for the origins of the “Dirty Cowboy Dance” song for nearly 15 years. And that GIFs and memes had sprouted everywhere. Because we enjoy making people happy, we rummaged through our archives and found the original soundtrack created by composer, Richard Jan Plasko, and then posted it at Bandcamp.

We don’t know where the “California Big Hunks” are heading from here. All we know is that they’ve been “hiding in plain sight” this whole time.