Gay actors from the 50s and 60s
BU Alum Explores the Double Existence of Actor Rock Hudson in New HBO Documentary
Stephen Kijak’s production shows the movie star as both an icon of the ’50s and ’60s—and a lgbtq+ man whose death from AIDS changed public perception of the disease
On screen, actor Rock Hudson was the epitome of American masculinity: square-jawed, broad-shouldered, and standing well over six feet giant. An iconic movie star of the s and ’60s, Hudson was known for his foremost roles in Douglas Sirk’s melodramas (Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind), George Stevens’ sprawling film adaptation of Edna Ferber’s Giant, which earned him his only Oscar nomination, in , and a string of sly, romantic comedies costarring Doris Day (Pillow Speak, Lover Come Back, Send Me No Flowers). He also starred in the popular s TV series McMillan & Wife.
Hudson was also gay, a secret closely guarded in the film industry for fear that news of his sexual orientation would torpedo his career.
That double life is the subject of a modern HBO documentary, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Most of the stories that we discussed came from one guy: Scotty Bowers, a Hollywood pimp of the queer silver screen actors of the s and beyond. He was also associated with Alfred Kinsey in his famous analyze of human sexuality in the s by providing many of the interview subjects. A former marine, Bowers kept silent for many years about these stories, as he did not want to adversely affect the lives of any of the actors who were still around. Many of the stories were actively hushed up using fixers paid by the studios at the hour, and several of the actors were in "lavender marriages"marriages arranged by the studio, frequently with another queer star. At the period, studios especially would not have wanted the queer attractions of their headlining actors to be widely known, as that would acquire damaged the 'wholesome family image' of many of the films they wanted to market. After all of the actors died, Bowers finally decided that his experiences and stories couldn't harm their image or beloved statusplus the society was a more open place to queer attracti Valentino also married costume creator Natacha Rambova in , at a time when his career was starting to take off and the roles he played were seen as less typically masculine, such as in the film “Monsieur Beaucaire” in His marriage to Rambova ended in , which left some speculating that the marriages of the “pink powder puff” (a nickname Valentino acquired after playing effeminate roles on screen) were coverups to keep the sex symbol’s reputation intact. Identifying how many Hollywood couples tied the knot to cloak their sexuality is, of course problematic since it’s primarily based on speculation_._ “I think the hardest thing for a historian is to kind of sift through what the rumor [is] and what is actually factual," says Tropiano. One commonly cited cause for speculation is the memoir of Scotty Bowers, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. Bowers’ account details sexual encounters, lgbtq+ and straight, that he claims he both arranged and took pa Let's state the obvious: Being a gay celebrity during the days of Ancient Hollywood was no amble in the park. Behind Tinseltown's glitzy facade loomed the specter of Hollywood's "sexual gestapo," a designation coined by Matt Tyrnauer, director of the documentary Scotty and the Confidential History of Hollywood (via NPR). "It was very difficult," he said, "for people to include authentic lives." And Tyrnauer should know: His production profiled L.A. personality Scotty Bowers, who reportedly acted as a "confidante, confidant, and pimp for Hollywood's closeted movie stars." The threat of exposure was valid and ever-present for these entertainers. Per Tyrnauer, studio contracts contained so-called "moral clauses" that could instantly vaporize a lucrative career. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department's vice squad were all too willing to bust celebrities, often working in cahoots with the press in their quest to hobble reputations. Definitively name-checking these stars is impossible, as they were all in the closet through
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