NYSocBoy's Beefcake and Bonding: Glenn Scarpelli: The 1980s teen idol comes out, loses loved ones, starts a tv station, marries, divorces, marries...one day at a time

Feb 1, 2025

Glenn Scarpelli: The 1980s teen idol comes out, loses loved ones, starts a tv station, marries, divorces, marries...one day at a time

**Link to the n*de dudes**

One Day at a Time, one of the iconic television shows of the 1970s, sent newly-divorced Ann Romano into the wilds of a never-described Indianapolis, to fight sexist oppression and raise her two daughters. But by 1980, the daughters had grown, and they needed a new kid. Instead of having a long-lost cousin show up, they acquired one by having Ann date single father Nick Handris (Ron Rifkin) for 19 episodes before killing him off. The boy's mother wanted nothing to do with him, so Ann offerd to take in Alex (13-year old Glenn Scarpelli).

One Day was really a dramedy, so they spent some Time exploring the impact of having a dead father and uncaring mother before moving Alex into hetero-horny plotlines: his girl-crazy first date, his foray into a female tournament, his attempt to "lose his virginity," and having to choose between a hot date and an important event with father figure Schneider.

As he started to mature -- and bulk up -- Glenn got the full teen idol treatment, with beefcake posters, gushing articles in teen magazines, a record (ntitled Glenn Scarpelli), and girl-magnet stories in Archie Comics (it helped that his father was Archie artist Henry Scarpelli).

He had his own float in the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where he sang his own song, "Doodle Bug."

Glenn stayed on One Day at a Time for only two seasons. In Season 9, the household would be splitting, and Alex's role minimized, so Glenn bowed out for a role in Jennifer Slept Here (1983-84).

A family moves into a house occupied by the ghost of a Marilyn Monroe-like s*x symbol who died a few years ago -- but only the family's teenage son (John P. Navin, Jr., left) can see her. She becomes his mentor in girl-crazy adolescence while trying to preserve her memory and s*x-symbol appeal. Glen played the son's his best friend and competitor for girls.

Superstar Debbie Reynolds, Poltergeist medium Zelda Rubenstein, and game show host Monty Hall had guest spots. A sure-fire hit, right? But the network kept moving it to slots next to the last half-hour of blockbusters, The Dukes of Hazzard on Friday, T.J. Hooker on Saturday, and finally The Fall Guy on Wednesday, and it was canned after 13 episodes.

Meanwhile Glenn was appearing in 52 episodes of the children's 3-2-1 Contact (1980-83) as Cuff, a detective who solves cases using the scientific method.

Three episodes of Love Boat (1983-85), playing hetero-horny three characters.

A McGyver (1990), as a troubled high school student who drops out to work in construction, even though he's a McGyver-style scientific genius

An episode of Amazing Stories.

Glenn wanted to be true to himself, but Hollywood wouldn't allow it during the homophobic 1980s ("100 times more homophobic than today"). He started his career on Broadway, playing against Anne Bancroft in Golda and Al Pacino in Richard II, so he returned to New York and enrolled in the NYU Film School.

He dropped out when his first partner, talent agent Gary Scalzo, was diagnosed with AIDS.

When Gary died in 1992, Glenn needed a complete break from show business, so he moved to Sedona, Arizona, known for its mysticism and spirituality.

More after the break.

In 2003 Glenn and his second partner, John Belanger (right), started the Sedona Now Network, which reports on local entertainment and events like the Sedona Film Festival and "Fright Night at Verde Canyon Railroad." They were married in 2008, and divorced in 2012.

In 2023 Glenn married his third partner, John Ricci Jr., who produces game shows like The Million Second Quiz, The $100,000 Pyramid, and 25 Words or Less.

The couple divide their time between Sedona and Los Angeles, where Glenn occasionally finds himself in front of the camera again. He apppeared in a 2012 episode of the web series Interns, and had a cameo in the remake of One Day at a Time in 2019: teenage Elena and her girlfriend Syd try to check into a hotel, with Glenn as the desk clerk. Michael Lembeck also reprises his role as Max Horvath.

In 2016, Glenn reunited with his One Day at a Time co-star Mackenzie Philips for Sacred Journeys (2016): "Marco's not living his life. When a surprise visit from his past turns his world upside down, he might just discover what's been holding him back all this time." He plays a gay dad; presumably Stephen Wallam, who is gay in real life, plays his husband, Mackenzie his ex-wife, and Matthew Kosto the son.