[sebbie]

Atkins, born 1961, was in his teens when he was cast in the lead of Blue Lagoon, released in 1980. He wasn’t quite as young as he looked in the movie. Even though he was a star, he could not have gotten paid much for doing that, as it was really his first acting job. He was cast in subsequent movies in the early 1980s, tho none as successful as the Blue Lagoon.

The scenes you see here show Atkins playing Peter Richards, John Ross’ camp counselor, in season 7 of Dallas. Dallas started in 1978, and these scenes are from the 1983-84 season, after a lot of plot twists had already been explored. A May-December romance develops between Sue Ellen (JR’s wife, played by Linda Gray) and young Peter (interesting name given his position in the blue Speedo. Linda gray plays this very well. She tries to act nonchalant about what is going on in front of her, just as Peter tries to maintain the conversation as if nothing is happening to him. In reality, both are thinking mostly about body parts.

Putting (the) Peter in the blue Speedo was an inspired casting move. It sets up the sexual tension between Peter and Sue Ellen while still not violating any broadcasting rules limiting nudity.

The TV sets in 1984 were not very clear or detailed. As a consequence, the viewing audience then got less of a hint about how (the) Peter looked in the Speedo. But DVD versions are now available and we can see all of this much more clearly as to what was going on now.

Atkins was a popular teen idol in his late teens and early 20s. After that, as is the case for many teen idols who lose some of their boyish charm as they grow older, acting jobs came along less frequently. Atkins, now in his 50s, has been working fairly steady in recent years, mainly in made for TV and direct to DVD movies. This unsteady work can hardly pay that well, and I wonder if he has other non-acting employment.

Another example of a teen idol with a great body linked to water is Luke Halpin, who played Sandy in the Flipper movie and TV series. He did not wear blue Speedos, but always his trademark cutoff jeans. Halpin got out of acting and later built a second career doing movie stunt work.