Royale Studio 02 - Navy Romeo (Part 1)

These posts review the photographs of the British, 'Royale Studio' of the 1950's/60's which specialised in depicting men wearing tight, sexy clothing, especially military uniforms, designed to show off the male figure, often with a disciplinary or fight storyline attached. 

This post covers 'Navy Romeo', a  storyette (as Royale described them) of some 36 pictures. This is the best picture I have from the series (courtesy of 'Sailor Al' as you can see). It shows two Sailors spying on a comrade as he dresses up to go to 'The Dance'. If you are a bottom fancier then it's probably fair to say that this image hasn't lost much of it's power to attract the eye in the 60 years since it was taken. In fact Royale used it themselves to illustrate this series in their catalogue (below).

Royale Catalogue image for Navy Romeo (NARO)

The legend 'NARO' is the ordering code for customers wanting to buy the 'Navy Romeo' pictures by post (no internet in those days!). The story was published in 2 distinct parts which I will cover  in separate posts. This is Image 7 of Part 1. I have 12 of the Part 1 pictures and 19 of Part 2, that's 31 out of the advertised total of 36. Sadly most of them are only thumbnails which a previous enthusiast must have extracted from a Royale Catologue sheet, so they are not of the same quality as the top image above, but you still get a good sense of how they looked and the added compensation that many of them are numbered which assists sequencing the storyline (although these numbers are a mixed blessing for that, as we will see).

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 In my original mitchmen reviews of Royale Studio, I included the image above in a post entitled 'The Itch' with a storyline which suggested that the piggy-backing pair had played a prank on their colleague by putting itching powder into his underpants. I got this story from the website of 'Sailor Al' (now defunct) but I now know that the images I presented there actually came from two different Royale series - 'Navy Romeo' and 'Navy Gash'. Neither of them were called 'The Itch', nor is any itching referenced in the plot summaries provided in the the Royal Catalogue, which simply says of Romeo Part 1:-

"R.N. matelots Tom and Spike watch Ted, a ladies man, strip and change into whites for The Dance. Behind a screen they take the mickey out of him as he preens himself as he dresses".

However there is a plausible support for the itching powder idea in the imagery itself which I will point out as we go.

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Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 01? or 02?

Tom and Spike peer over a screen to spy on Ted in his underwear which is of the white, high-waisted variety (possibly Y-fronts) which were the norm around 1960. This image gives a reasonably good impression of the erotic appeal of that garment on the right man. The image reflected in the slightly tilted mirror cleverly exaggerates his  thigh size, if only we could see the rest a bit better! Ted is clearly admiring himself, but we can only speculate about where Tom and Spike's interest lies. 

I don't have a numbered version of this image but Ted's underwear and the upright pose of the spectators seems to place it in front of No 3, shown below. I don't know if it is 1 or 2, the other is missing.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 03

Ted holds up his white bell bottoms to inspect them. They cast an odd shadow on his crotch - or is that a stain? It gives us a teasing clue to his contours. Tom and Spike crane closer to watch and their own bottom-hugging trousers make a sexy sight (remember they have been dampened to promote clinging!).Their interest certainly reflects the 'official' storyline of them mocking the vanity of the unit's 'Romeo'. It also fits the 'itch' scenario with Ted here having noticed an itch and checking if it's his trousers causing the problem. Perhaps the missing image 2 showed him scratching! 

Both scenarios are erotic in their own right but the underlying theme of them watching Ted dressing and undressing was powerful stuff in itself back then. Even to admire another man's naked body was considered a disgusting perversion in polite society (except in the non-sexual context of a body building competion and even that was dubious). Royale uses the boisterous cameradery of men in the forces to disguise this 'hidden eroticism' in the images.

I have a smaller, thumbnail version of this image, explicitly numbered '3'. Where I am not certain of the numbering I have put a question mark next to my guess in the picture captions. I have also attempted to enhance some of these images by reducing the gamma but the lighter originals can be found in the mitchmen archive file for this series along with the thumbnail versions.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 04

The story wanders into deeper waters here as Ted lowers his underpants and exposes his bare bottom. It's not clear what exactly he's doing, but it obviously involves his groin area. In those days 'the itch' was a euphemism for a sexually-transmitted disease and to me it looks as if Ted might be getting something to 'sooth' or treat the area in question. You might prefer an explanation that he's fragrancing it in anticipation of  success at The Dance but either way his credentials as a (straight) sexual adventurer are enhanced.

Tom grabs the top of the screen in his eagerness to see more (but of what?). Spike puts his hands on his hips in  a manly stance which creates a great view of his backside and broad shoulders. This could be seen as him standing back, hands well away from anything naughty, laughing to himself at Ted's predicament. However, his pelvis is thrust forward, a typical expression of sexual male bravado and it's directed towards Ted's ass, suggesting an imaginary coupling.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 05?

Here, Tom gets up on Spike's back. This piggy-back pose links the next three images together although only one of them is numbered - No 7. The other two fit neatly into the gap between 4 and 7 although it's not obvious which way round they go. I have used the increasing curiousity of the two Peeping Toms to sequence them here. 

Ted has now put his trousers on and is changing into his best boots which can be seen on the floor below the chair in the previous picture. I have a suspicion that Spike may have provided them for him as he seems to be wearing only dark socks in some of these pictures. Anyway, we get a glimpse of Ted's hairy pecs but lower places that might be considered to be of unseemly interest are discreetly obscured. 

Instead, the main erotic feature is the continuing 'bottom fest' provided by Tom and Spike. Their bent over, receptive poses, intimately entwined, make a very sexy image indeed, emphasising their close, boyish friendship but also suggesting a mutual interest in Ted that goes beyond playing 'tricks' on him*.  Their double-decker display of eagerness, vying for 'pole' position, is a tribute to Ted's desirability (and the boy's desperation!) Spike's butch pose in the previous picture adds to the intensity of this swirl of masculinity. 

*Even in the 1960's, trick was common parlance for a casual sexual partner.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 06?

Ted kneels here with his trousers lowered as though making an adjustment and displays a bottom cleft that goes way beyond the merely erotic. Suddenly we realise that he seems to wearing no underwear on at all. You can attribute the decision to 'go commando' to his preferred seduction technique with the ladies or the itching powder, whatever you wish. 

You can strongly sense Spike and Tom's heightened excitement at this development and that's thanks to the photographer's visual crafting:- he has got Spike to hook Tom's legs round his hips in the traditional piggy-back style and that has pulled them into a wide open and very sexy position. Spike's own legs have also shifted into a wider, slightly couching stance and the result is that both men's trousers are stretched so tightly across their bottoms that they look like tights. It's like purified porn.

Now look at the reflection in the mirror. It seems to show all three men stacked astride each other. This might pass as playground-style fun to the innocent but by this point in the story, the implication of sexual involvement is unmistakeable. It is so sad that the creative talent behind this remarkable image has been largely forgotten.

I haven't been able to think up a convincing narrative for what Ted is doing here. He seems to be trying to manouveur his trousers over his shoes (a challenge most of us have attempted with jeans!). However this doesn't seem to fit very well with the previous image. There seems to be a case for reversing them but although I don't have a numbered thumbnail of image 06?, but Ted's bare bottom and his position in front of the mirror provide very good continuity into image 07 below. If anything, image 05? above seems to fit better between 07 and 08, which we are just coming to. It's possible Royale may have decided to leave it out of the numbered set as not being interesting enough. That would leave room for an image 5 that shows Ted discarding his underwear. Yum! Shame I don't have it.

Of course, we can't assume that Royale's numbering is strictly correct, nor that these sets were photographed in a strict chronological sequence. Doubling back to produce 'in-fills' or insert extra pictures is always likely to result in continuity errors. There's another anomaly like this in Part 2 of this series. 

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 07

The full-size version of this image appears at the top of this post so I've used the numbered thumbnail here 

Ted pulls up his trousers and is caught in a peek-a-boo position that is classic 1950's naughtiness (but only as a pose for women of course). It seems to confirm Ted's no-underwear dress decision. Spike and Ted are nearly falling over themselves to get at this peachy sight, feast on those yummy buttocks! 

This time the reflection in the mirror shows them creeping up, unseen, behind the unsuspecting Ted. There's a touch of menace in this which parodies and exploits the widespread, then view homosexuals preying on innocent men and seducing them into their vile, unnatural ways (and make no mistake, those were exactly the sort of words that were openly used about men like us).

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 08

Ted is not tying up his boot laces here, but strapping gaiters round his ankles. These are stiff ankle protectors and intended also to capture the billowing bell bottoms and close off the open top of the boots for protection and safety in a combat situation. They are seen lying on the floor in picture 05? of this series and more clearly when worn by Ted in the pictures that follow this one. His leg-up position here creates yet another provocative pose out of a mundane everyday activity. One which the on-lookers find an almost irresistible target.

I probably don't need to point out the (barely) hidden eroticism of Spike's toe aimed at the cleft in Ted's backside but there's also a more subtle, secondary titillation with it's close proximity to Ted's own foot, suggestive of lovers playing 'footsie'. Spikes open, leaning-back pose is itself suggestive of intimate spooning with Ted (for a sex-starved imagination at any rate)! I suspect there was an interesting reflection in the mirror too, just off to the right. There's a similar 'closeness' going on between Tom and Spike. The subtle, erotic choreography of some of these images is amazingly complex. This picture also brings out a rather nice impression of the tight fit of Tom and Spike's trousers round the lower body and thighs, with a pleasing profile of Tom's bottom (extreme left).

Strong lighting from the left of Ted casts an odd shadow of his arm which has the extraordinary effect of making his trouser pants look completely open at the back. I haven't seen a full size version of this image so I can't say if this is deliberate artistry or a fortuitous quirk of the smaller scale picture. However, it is a graphic reminder of his discarded underwear, which I suspect is the little white pile on the floor just beyond his foot (see below also). There's another tantalising shadow in picture 03.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 09

With preparations complete, Ted imagines introducing himself to the film star pin-up on the wall and you can almost imagine him saying “don't I look great?” (not without reason from where I'm sitting!). The two mischievous voyeurs pause from their lusting to parody his action with Spike making a courtly bow and Tom simulating feminine surprise and delight. Cynics might see the less-than-modest forward thrust of his lower body here as an invitation for Spike to dip his head a little lower.

The dressy effect of Ted's gaiters and the discarded underwear on the floor are clearly visible here

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 10

This image probably gives us the best view of Ted's attractive figure with the enhancing effect of his hip-hugging trousers complemented by the tightness of the RN shirt around his torso. It's low cut, square, head opening accentuates the sweep of his neck. He seems to be holding a cushion in his arms here as a substitute for the real thing he desires.

Behind the screen Spike and Tom pose as though kissing each other but their bodies and lips are not actually touching. It's interesting to consider how the censors would have viewed this. The female film star is a reminder that kisses like this between men and women were commonplace in movies and yet men passionately kissing each other was absolutely taboo. By distancing of the pair and providing the clearly-announced, humorous context of 'taking the mickey' out of their straight colleague the scene might have escaped the red pen in a live, theatrical context. Unfortunately the unashamed eroticism of the pictures that frame this scene nullifies that possibility.

Royale would have known that would be the case – the minds behind these complex images are not without intelligence, nor naïve. So it's more likely that this is another deliberate parody, not only of heterosexual vanity, but of the whole concept of censorship as it was applied to relationships between men. But imagine how comforting this portrayal would have been for lonely, gay men who saw the image, using the masculine aura of military servicemen to present men kissing as something that was perfectly OK. Notice though, that it still takes place in secret, out of the sight of the heterosexual.

The numbered thumbnail for this image (in the archive) is less closely cropped than this variant.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 11

In this image Ted appears to be holding something up as though to kiss it. It doesn't seem to be the same cushion-like object as in the preceding picture - that is now placed on the chair. The boys behind the screen eagerly return to their surveillance and Spike makes the 'OK' sign as though Ted's action means that their plan is now going well.

I confess I'm not certain what this means, but if you look closely, you might notice that Ted's attention in these pictures actually seems focussed, not on the glamorous film star, but on the other hard-to-make-out photo just above, which looks a bit like a showgirl in black stockings. In fact I believe this is one of Royale's infamous*, high-booted, Horse Guards images, rather like the one below, but with the subject in the process of undressing. 

 *Royale famously published pictures of real members of the Royal Horse Guards regiment posing in a mixture of their proper uniform and racy underwear. It was a very public scandal that made the tabloid front pages and may have helped the cause of homosexual law reform. Royale's successor 'Guys in Uniform' repeated the feat in 1976.

 

Charles Kassapian as a Horse Guard, by Royale

That conjecture leads me to believe that what Ted is holding up may actually be bank notes, as though reminding us that the Queen's men can be bought for money. Simultaneously it's suggesting that Ted, the supposedly straight hunk, is not averse to buying such favours himself, thereby implying that the terrible 'queer' malady is also rife in the realm of The Royal Navy. What a superb mockery of the heterosexual establishment! No wonder Spike is so pleased with himself!

Back at picture 11, and on a more basic, erotic level, the reflection in the mirror at this point introduces the startling impression of Spike reaching up between Ted's legs to grope him, but the casual observer would never spot it. This dull little story positively sparkles with hidden homoerotic gems!

Notice that in this image Spike's trousers seem to have a 'bare' back window similar to Ted's in picture 08. It must be that this is the effect of the stretched, wet pants becoming slightly transparent and showing skin colour beneath. The dark shadow and whiter area to the right is the front flap of his uniform which is a double layer of fabric and not tight and thus shows as white. A different visual effect, caused by lighting from opposite sides seems to show Ted's bare legs showing though his trousers.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 12?

The true object of Ted's interest is even more obvious in this picture and the boys are so excited that they squat down piggy-back fashion to peek through a crack (yes a crack!) in a pose that seems to abjectly beg for Ted's (or our, or anyone's) attention. It's not far short of simulating intercourse between them and at this point there's no real attempt to hide the eroticism. Despite the revelation about Ted's true inclinations he cuts a figure just as attractive and manly as he did to them before (well of course he does!). His reflection in the mirror seems to introduce an element of ambiguity as to the direction of those inclinations, but they are happy, nay eager, to go down for him.

If Royale ever applied 'The Itch' to this series, it takes on a very different meaning here.

Royale Studio - Navy Romeo 14?

This looks as if it might be the end of Part 1 with Ted appearing to be departing (looking great) and the boys exchanging kisses (disguised as a high-five) and apparently very satisfied with the outcome.

I don't know exactly how many pictures there are in Part 1. The earliest image number I can positively identify in Part 2 is No 21 and I think it has 5 images in front of it, so that would mean Part 1 numbers 15. However, I've given this picture the number 14 (or it could even be 13) because the opening of Part 2 suggests that at the end of Part 1, Ted discovers that he's being spied on with some sort of confrontation happening. You'll see what I mean in Part 2 (link below).

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Royale Props and Accessories

Royale's specially prepared uniforms are responsible for much of the erotic flavour of these images but the props and accessories also play a part and some become familiar friends in different photo sets.

In these concluding pictures of Navy Romeo, Part 1 we get a good view of the Chinese bamboo screen that has concealed the voyeurs from their quarry throughout. It's not naval issue obviously! However, it's plausible that these men (regular sailors or forced conscripts) might be allowed personal items such as this in a barracks setting. The antique, oriental style tells you about the artistic taste of the producers of these photos, since they would have provided this prop.

The mirror plays an equally important role in the story, as it's used to emphasise Romeo Ted's vanity, but it's also a device for slipping in tantalising glimpses of anatomy (e.g. Nos 3, 12) and in telescoping the participants together to construct suggestive positions (e.g. Nos 6, 7, 11). The mirror also features in a number of other Royale series where it provides a 'virtual' partner for solo posers and simulates more forbidden physical contact between men and reflections.

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To be continued in Navy Romeo - Part 2

The mitchmen Royale Open Archive link to this set will be provided at the end of this group of posts.