Harry & Johnny

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Fanwork
Title: Harry & Johnny
Creator: Ruth Kurz and Ad Nauseam Press
Date(s): 1980-1991
Medium: shared universe
Fandom: Dirty Harry & Magnum Force
External Links:
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Harry & Johnny in interior art from Magnetism #1, Ruth Kurz

Harry & Johnny is a slash fandom created by Ruth Kurz and Teri White with the characters Harry Callahan from Dirty Harry and Magnum Force, and John Davis from Magnum Force.

Ruth Kurz, the publisher of the Harry and Johnny universe rewrote the ending of the Magnum Force movie where David Soul's character is killed off by Dirty Harry. In the Johnny & Harry universe, the David Soul character doesn't die when Dirty Harry shoots him off the dock, instead he returns and the pair fall blissfully in love.

In 1981, Ruth Kurz said: "H/J is for fun," and "I have often said, ‘I can write better than this,’ and in the attempt to prove it, accidentally created a whole, new universe!" She also said: "It’s okay. Friends don’t need secrets, and H/J is for friends." [1]

This fandom was unique in a couple of ways. First, its creation can be specifically attributed to Ruth Kurz and Teri White. Second, it was the first time a fandom existed that had no gen component. Harry & Johnny was created and perpetuated as slash, period. It was based on characters in "Magnum Force," [the second Dirty Harry movie] as played by Clint Eastwood (Harry) and David Soul (Johnny). Both Ruth and Teri started out in ST fandom. Teri also wrote some ST gen and some of the earliest K/S. At the time they created H/J fandom, they were active in S&H fandom. H/J initially was underground -- not in zines, being circulated in manuscript form (like the Pros Circuit stories). As word got out and more fans got interested, they started publishing them in zine form, starting in 1980. Teri was involved primarily in the first several zines, then Ruth took over the primary writing chores. Ruth also did most of the artwork that was included (the zines also were liberally illustrated with "cut and paste" photos -- literally cut and paste, not in computer terms). Over 40 zines were published, and it still was being published as late as 1991. H/J fandom drew contributions from many noted fan writers, poets, and artists of the day. [2]

Some fans feel that the Harry and Johnny zines were quite possibly the sweetest, most wonderful indulgences that Starsky & Hutch and Clint Eastwood fans ever created. Or as one fan put it:

Each and every one of them was intended as an act of love, and that showed in the stories. Johnny and Harry were the most perfect couple fandom has ever seen, and after twenty years, I still love them and wish they were still being published on a regular basis. [3]

The Shared Universe

Ruth Kurz recruited many other authors to help write fiction in this very tightly controlled universe. The lives of Harry and Johnny were thought out in every detail and aside from a few planned instances, there was no overlap or contradiction in the fiction.

Kurz quoted Marion Zimmer Bradley when she wrote in Whatever Happened to Harry and Johnny:

"If others wish to play in my fantasy world, who am I to slam its gates... Why should I deny myself the pleasure... And now I have lots of... friends, who will come into my magic garden and play the old 'pretend games' with me." [4]

The Fan Inspiration

In 1982, Ruth Kurz wrote that the inspiration for the entire series/universe came from a story by Billie Fowler. From Potpourri:

[The] vignette, "Spring Afternoon," by Billie Fowler was the inspiration "for" the H/J series. Like all Billie's stories it was written for herself alone. She never intended any of her fantasies and "what ifs" to be published, and only showed them to friends who asked for them. I asked her to share with you the the one which introduced me to the possibility of a loving relationship between Harry and Johnny, thus inspiring MAGNUM FORCE: DAVIS. Thank you, Billie.

Kurz Explains the Origins

In 1993, Ruth Kurz explained the origin of this shared universe:

Hi, I have been asked about the Harry and Johnny universe. I usually do not advertise H/J zines because word of mouth keeps me busy enough cloning them at cost for anyone interested. If any of you want them I still have them all. Also feel free to borrow them from friends and clone them. H/J has always been for sharing. If you want a list, write to me...

H/J is based on the movie MAGNUM FORCE with Dirty Harry falling for John Davis, the head of the vigilante cops played by David Soul. This is fantasy. Love at first sight and in love forever. It is unpretentious fun meant to entertain. The first book was only supposed to be my 15 minute explanation for how to keep DS alive at the end of the movie. Okay, the stuntman lived, but Davis is a killer. How to make a nice guy out of him was my task. Fun. I was assisted by TW, who has since gone professional,so it is wise not to splash her name over a slashnet. Terri L was there at the beginnings, too. Way back in, ohgod, 1979. It still surprises me that so many people continue to request back copies. I'm delighted.

And again, feel free to to clone borrowed copies anytime. [5]

Two Rare Ads

Harry/Johnny fiction was a word-of-mouth fandom and zine ads were rare. Here are two:

The stories in this continuing saga have always been made available on request to anyone who wants to share the fun of a loving, soapy, sexy relationship. For information on the cost of cloning and for the next publication in the series, please SASE. [6]

From Magnum Force: Davis to Love is a Many-Splendored Zine, all 39 H/J zines will be made available upon request. Mixed Media is still in the works, slowly but surely, with H/J meeting: Yellow Rose, Hardcastle & McCormick, Simon & Simon, K/S, Hunter, B/D, Dempsey & Makepeace, Vas & Dex, Remington Steele, Miami Vice, and S/H -- the responses to Double Play. This will probably be my last H/J zine as I must withdraw from active fandom for sanity maintenance. [7]

Fan Comments

1983

H/J is the most libidinous fandom going.... I started to count in one story and in the first 4 pages they made love to each other 10 times! [8]

1984

H/J is a well written, consistent universe precisely because there is only one editor putting out the material and she can be selective. This ensures that H and J fuck at least once a page. If you haven't read H/J, I urge you to try it it really fun. [9]

The appeal of H/J lies... in how many times the characters can have sex on a page. It really is part of the fun of the universe. Ruth, and the others who have carved this fandom out of the slim pickings in MAGNUM FORCE, have actually done an excellent job of creating characters. It was, and is, a challenge to have cold-exterior Harry Callahan shiver inside when he so much as looks at Johnny, and make it seem so in character. The stories in this universe tend to be more adventure-type stories mainly because, I think, the issue of sexual preferences was settled in the beginning. With this no longer a source of creative inspiration, the writers were pushed into doing another type of story; the H/J relationship is at the core of the stories, but it is not the sole focus. The boys have sex, but they have also gone on to do other things in life. From being a cop gone bad who crawled out of the Bay, Johnny has become a respected photographer. We've seen a real maturing of both characters as the series evolved. It is a maturity, a growth, many would like to see developed in other universes. The result is one of the happiest fandoms around. An H/J story never fails to make you feel good because the story elements work together to evoke the sense of love the characters share in the readers. [10]

1988

a family tree
She [Fish] likes the psychological honesty in H/J fiction. In comparing it to K/S, she speaks disapprovingly of the Harlequin Romance mentality that characterizes much of K/S. Since Harlequin Romances know nothing of the sexual psychology of men they are extremely unrealistic. They are also dishonest because they refuse to recognize that their heroines are primarily feeling lust. Too many young women are brought up with the myth that sexual desire is "love at first sight", Leslie complains, and this is reflected in K/S. H/J, on the other hand, is very direct about sex. There are no holds barred in H/J zines. [11]

1996

How much slashability does [a fandom] have to show? Well, it's funny -- I'm not wedded to 'canon', so if two guys are cute but virtually never appear together, that's fine by me, and doesn't stand in my way at all. (I like to think I got that from the Harry/Johnny experience. :) [12]

I want to tell you how incredibly much I loved your Harry/Johnny zines and what a profound effect they had on my own writing and publishing practices. And the funny thing about it is that I really didn't care about the characters when I started reading H/J, I just wanted to read slash. But you made them important to me, and that's the mark of a great writer.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I think it's very true. Some of the things I loved most about your H/J zines were the cute way you published photos of the characters, how you added "guest stars", and the way you made it a continuing saga. As anyone who has read/is reading my The Terranova Situation can attest, these are three major factors in my story as well. [13]

2001

I remember Harry and Johnny fondly. The characterizations were well-drawn, the books had plots and the boys did get it on! I still remember specific scenes and lines after all these years, which says something for the writing! [14]

2003

Someone very kindly collected all the separate Harry/Johnny stories for me into a collected whole in lifetime order. Beautifully done. I began reading and loved the explanation of how Harry and Johnny got together. The story lines were terrific also but by the time I got through half I was feeling a bit gaggy on the amount of sex. I realized that the individual stories each were an entity unto themselves and were in zines months apart so no one else was reading twelve major sex scenes in one night and would not get to feeling overwhelmed by too much. What a shock to a confirmed slasher 'too much sex'. [15]

2014

I've got a stack of Harry/Johnny fanfic here, and I never read it. A bit bizarre, I know. They rate after my S/H zines, and I haven't finished reading all of those yet. But after maybe 25 years or so of having those zines/stories, it's just silly to have the H/J lying around. I don't think I will ever read it. Magnum Force didn't grab me. But then again, maybe I should rewatch that now that I'm an adult (by a good way) and I might _see_ it finally.

The artwork for it, was at times very good though.

I think with me it's maturity, because I've been emotionally wayy too deep most of my life. I'd be happy to try to be a little bit more two-dimensional. That would be a relief. ;-) [16]

I've only read one Harry/Johnny fic, and it wasn't actually H/J pairing. It was the four rookie cops, who top Johnny, seemingly with his consent to start with, but then it goes beyond his liking and he wants out, but they carry on. Harry sort of rescues him. I squee at H/J pairing, H just seems too old to me, more dirty old man than lover. Although, I do like some of the artwork.

I'm either way too emotional, or not emotional enough. Can't seem to find a happy medium--lol...

[snipped]

I know he was 30. I have to remind myself when I call him baby boy that that baby boy is 23 years older than me-lol. It's just that personally H/J doesn't work for me. Another pairing of that kind might well tick the boxes. That's why I like the fact we all like different things. Variety is the spice of life and a view we might not have considered working for us does when someone presents us with the opportunity to explore it. Initially, S/H didn't work for me. I hated them together at first. Now look at me! [17]

Intensely Small, Intensely Personal

art from A Week in L.A., Ruth Kurz
The Harry/Johnny series is a private saga written for and passed around only among friends who like it. The postage is too expensive to share our few library copies with anyone who would tromp. [18]

I suppose it was I who first mentioned the Harry/Johnny stories in these pages [of the letterzine, S and H] -- only after they were mentioned by the authors during Zebra Con panels. I was asked point-blank when in England if I knew anything about them-- the grapevine had gotten that far, even if the stories hadn't by that time. It's hard to keep something truly secret in fandom; everyone seems to be someone else's best friend. [19]

As for the Dirty/Davis thing, since it's private and goes only to people who know what it is and want to read it, it's not open to review—and it's free of pretensions; the authors are writing simply for the fun of it...kind of like all the erotic Trek stuff was until the zines started publishing and the debates began. [20]

These stories are not 'real' zines offered for sale, but only stories intended to circulate among those friends interested--we must admit to being a little amazed that the list has grown from three or four to several dozen. No one who is not on our readership list is supposed to see the stories. [21]

Harry & Johnny and the Formation of Slash

Main article: History of Slash Fandom
In the early days of K/S fandom, there was only K/S, and only a few other same-sex couples were even on the horizon. So people thought of K/S as unique and special, and S/H (Starsky/Hutch) as only slightly less unique and special, and it was only until a pairing like H/J [Harry/Johnny, based on the movie Magnum Force] emerged from the slash-fantasy soup and crawled up on land that fans began to generalize from the unique, special, deep-friendship-based pairings to the more abstract phenomenon of "slash." More specifically, my hypothesis is that it takes a critical mass of at least three same-sex pairings in the fan fiction produced and read by a common core of media fans to generate the concept of "slash" in the abstract. [22]

Where H/J Falls On One Fan's Slashibility Scale

In 1984, a fan rates four television shows on their levels of "slashability":

... let us proceed to the series in question: STAR TREK, STARSKY AND HUTCH, THE PROFESSIONALS and MAGNUM FORCE. Considering each in turn, they can be ranked in terms of the series with the most evidence for a "/" relationship. STARSKY AND HUTCH is number one in this regard. There is a great deal of physical contact, obvious affection and a definite attempt on the part of the actors to portray two french kissing homosexuals opps that's a line from the blooper reel — to portray two men who dare to care. STAR TREK places second. There are some moments in the episodes that are SOOOO K/S, that I'd like to know who was responsible for them—the script, the director, the actors, and that magic, that chemistry and interplay (must be the chemistry, didn't Bill admit that he and Leonard have loved each other for years?). THE PROFESSIONALS ranks a distant third. (I msut [sic] admit to making this judgment after seeing only the 6 episodes Darien Duck so graciously loaned Central Ohio and Lower Michigan). I am a confirmed fan of Doyle-he of the cute derriere (although Paul Michael still has the best in my book and Shatner can't be left behind), curly hair, twinkle in the eye, nice chest (Freddie's, though, is much better). There is not a lot to construe or misconstrue in this series. In fact, I felt as if I were seeing a late stage in a relationship, one in which the principals had been lovers but had taken other lovers even though they remained close friends and linked to one another in such a way that whither the one went the other would go. Of course, then there is that scene in the bowling alley when Bodie's hands managed to grope all over Doyle's body. MAGNUM FORCE (as the source for Harry/Johnny) is fourth, mostly by virtue of the fact that the fandom springs from one look in the middle of the movie. (One must applaud the writer of H/J for finding a way to make Johnny, a cold blooded killer a sympathetic figure -- that's fine writing folks!) [23]

A Sort of RPF in Photos: Fancasting

He may LOOK like Starsky or Paul Michael Glaser, but he is really Dr. Ben Stein, friend and doctor. Artist is Cyndee Morand, the art appeared in A Portfolio of Poetry and Portraits

The Harry and Johnny zines contained a small were portrayed in photos as OMC (Paul Michael Glaser, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Shandy, Paul Newman...). This "RPF" element was physical only; it wasn't the actor or the actor's roles that were referenced, simply the photos.

As one fan explained: "Everyone in fandom back then eagerly awaited the latest installment...and howled with laughter to see their favorite photos of the guys altered to fit whatever unlikely plot was going on." [24]

Fancasting Bumps Up Against Reality

Paul Michael Glaser, his wife Elizabeth Glaser were fancasted as Ben and Miriam Stein (and their two young sons, Paul and David). This use of real people as characters was done long before the Glaser family was struck by tragedy.

In 2002, a fan was outraged that a "Harry & Johnny" zine she had purchased on ebay included a depiction of Elizabeth Glaser. From an excerpt of a lengthy discussion on a mailing list:

What the people who put the zine together did was use artwork of PMG & DS to depict original characters in their zine. There was even one drawing of PMG with his late wife, Elizabeth! [25] That one really upset me. [...] If they were original works produced for that particular zine, I don't think it was right to use the actor's real life images to depict original characters that the actors never portrayed anywhere. And it definitely wasn't right to use Elizabeth's image as she wasn't an actor - she was a private person (at the time) married to an actor. Real big difference. [...] I'm sure that when Ruth put together this zine, she was doing it only for a small circle of friends and fellow HJ fans and had no idea that her work would appear on an auction site in the future. I'm sure she meant using the images of PMG and EG as respectful and totally innocent. [26]

A fan on the same mailing list responded to these comments:

If you had taken the time to check the publishing date on those H&J zines, you would have seen that they were published nearly a decade before Elizabeth was ever diagnosed with HIV. [...] Every picture of Elizabeth used in those zines was either taken from a magazine or purchased from professional photographers, so they were already public domain. Secondly, these weren't even real zines. They were zeroxed manuscripts that were originally mailed to a small number of people who got a kick out of seeing all their favorite actors become one big family. [...] These zines were never intended for mass production and were only sold at cons because people were dying to read the latest installment in the Johnny and Harry saga. Everyone in fandom back then eagerly awaited the latest installment... and howled with laughter to see their favorite photos of the guys altered to fit whatever unlikely plot was going on. Elizabeth Glazer [sic], Robert Redford and the other actors were all brought in because they were favorites with the fans. There was never anything bad or disrespectful done with any actor whose image was presented in those zines. [...] Elizabeth's image in those zines in no way demeaned her. Her face wasn't stuck on some bimbo's body and put in a kinky sex scene. Elizabeth's representation was treated with respect and love throughout the entire Johnny and Harry saga. She was portrayed as the PMG character's wife of fifteen years and after all that time and two kids, he was still crazy in love with her. How could this possibly be disrespectful to Elizabeth, who was loved by S&H fans long before that tragedy ever struck their family? The character that was based on her was one of the most loving, supportive, positive female characters I have ever seen in a fanzine. [...] I agree that photo-manipulation is creepy, but that is hardly what was done in the Johnny and Harry zine. In almost every picture of Elizabeth in those zines, she is depicted with her husband. The only thing that bordered on photo-manipulation was where Ruth had cut out the guys from separate pictures and tried to put them together to illustrate her scene or when she drew clothing or background into the photos. Anyone who saw these zines could be in no doubt that these representations were paste-jobs...because there was no intent to make it look real. All that was intended was to entertain, which Ruth did in her irrepressible style. [...] I think that fan art is as much a representation of the actors as the drawing the mustaches on David Soul was in the Johnny and Harry zines. In fact, if I were David, I might be less offended by the sombrero and mustache additions to my photos, which lent a charming air of silliness to the whole thing, than I might be if I saw a slash artpiece showing off all my assets as I had sex with my male co-star. [27]

Vids

Harry and Johnny was a very small, very private fandom and this may explain why there were few songvids produced. The additional challenges of creating a constructed reality vid may also have been a factor.

In 1995, Stacey D submitted her Harry/Johnny vid "The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" to the Escapade vid show to mixed reactions. "If meeting Dirty Harry was the best thing that ever happened to Johnny," one convention goer remarked wryly, "then I feel very sorry for Johnny." [28]

In 1996, Ruth Kurz commented about what appears to be another H/J vid:

There are so many great scenes for the clips from S/H, Pros, K/S, and other multi-episode shows, but not much to choose from for Harry/Johnny. Stacy managed somehow, and the very first S/H video had an interruption with H looking at J in the underground shooting range from the Magnum Force movie while the song "First time ever I saw your face" played. Then it said "Oops, wrong universe." Many thanks as ever to Kendra and Diana for doing that video. I was so pleasantly surprised. [29]

Possible H/J vids:

  • The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me by Stacey D
  • The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Stacey
  • I'll Stand By You by Bliss
  • Johnny Feelgood by Bliss

Harry & Johnny Zine Timeline of Events

This list is summarized and wikilinked from Ruth's timeline in "Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?". For a list of these stories, see: Harry & Johnny/Stories As They Fit Into the Timeline

Timeline from Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?, click to enlarge
Timeline from Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?, click to enlarge
Timeline from Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?, click to enlarge
Ruth writes about her universe in Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?, click to enlarge

The Zines

a price list/listing of zines from Whatever Happened to Harry & Johnny?

The creation of the zines was somewhat unique in that they were based on a combination of a formal shared timeline, with multiple independently written offshoots. The original idea behind putting the fiction into zine format was that the fiction would be shared with a very limited number of people for the price of zeroxing and mailing. Those original zines cost about three dollars each (plus first class postage). However, the popularity of the fandom grew and the zines were also sold at conventions.

The "Month" Novels

The Davis Diary and Callahan Calendar series (co-written by Teri White and Ruth Kurz unless otherwise marked). Each novel focused on one month in the life of Harry and Johnny in 1975.

Other Novels

Anthologies

Multimedia Anthologies with Harry & Johnny Content

References

  1. ^ from a 1981 issue of S and H
  2. ^ See History of Slash Fandom.
  3. ^ Source: multiple discussions on the Virgule-L mailing list in 1995 and the Venice Place mailing list in 2002, accessed June 25, 2011
  4. ^ The original quote by Marion Zimmer Bradley is from the introduction of Bradley's first Darkover anthology, "The Keeper's Price"
  5. ^ from Virgule-L, quoted with permission (Mar 26, 1993)
  6. ^ from Pop Stand Express #3
  7. ^ from Pop Stand Express #10 (1986)
  8. ^ from K/S & K.S. (Kindred Spirits) #6
  9. ^ from 1984, a comment in Not Tonight, Spock! #1
  10. ^ from Not Tonight Spock! #6
  11. ^ from Leslie Fish, interviewed by [Linda F] in On the Double #7/8
  12. ^ quoted anonymously from Virgule-L (Feb 7, 1996)
  13. ^ quoted anonymously from Virgule-L (April 12, 1996)
  14. ^ from K/S Circle, quoted anonymously (Dec 16, 2001)
  15. ^ quoted anonymously from VenicePlace Mailing List (Apr 4, 2003)
  16. ^ comment by galadriel13 at V-con 2014: Saturday panel - Comfort Zones, October 18, 2014
  17. ^ comment by wightfaeire at V-con 2014: Saturday panel - Comfort Zones, October 18, 2014
  18. ^ Ruth Kurz describes H/J in S and H #19 (March 1981)
  19. ^ from S and H #19 (March 1981)
  20. ^ from S and H #19 (March 1981)
  21. ^ from S and H #19 (March 1981)
  22. ^ from Judith Gran at Alternate Universes: Fanfiction Studies, accessed 5.10.2011
  23. ^ from Not Tonight Spock! #3
  24. ^ source: multiple discussions on the Virgule-L mailing list in 1995 and the Venice Place mailing list in 2002, accessed June 25, 2011
  25. ^ There were no drawings of this couple in any "Harry & Johnny" zines, only photos.
  26. ^ comments from VenicePlace, quoted anonymously (May 7, 2002)
  27. ^ comments from VenicePlace, quoted anonymously (May 7, 2002)
  28. ^ recollection of attendee Morgan Dawn
  29. ^ quoted with permission from Virgule-L (Jun 7, 1996)
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