Boys in the Sand

Boys in the Sand is a landmark American gay pornographic film, released early in the Golden Age of Porn. The 1971 film was directed by Wakefield Poole and stars Casey Donovan. It was the first gay porn film to include credits and to be reviewed by the film industry journal Variety, and one of the earliest porn films – after Andy Warhol's 1969 film Blue Movie, but preceding 1972's Deep Throat – to gain mainstream credibility.

Produced on a budget of about $8,000, the film collects three segments depicting Donovan's sexual adventures at a gay beach resort. Promoted by Poole with an advertising campaign unprecedented for a pornographic feature, it premiered in 1971 at the 253-seat 55th Street Playhouse in Manhattan, where it was an immediate critical and commercial success. The film brought Donovan international recognition. A sequel Boys in the Sand II was eventually released in 1986, but in the much-changed film and porn markets did not match the success of the original.

The film's title is a parodic reference to the 1968 Mart Crowley play The Boys in the Band, which had been adapted into a 1970 film of the same name.