Nathaniel, the super cute force behind the fantastic Film Experience Blog, has celebrated the US "National Coming Out Day" with a post profiling the out directors, producers, writers, actors and actresses of Hollywood.
It's interesting timing, because I'm reading a rather scurrilous (and I have to say, not terribly well written) biography at the moment about the Hollywood agent and talent scout Henry Willson, "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys & Dirty Deals of Henry Willson". (I'll blog about this book once I'm finished reading it.)
Willson had a coterie of gay actors, men who were signed up for their looks, renamed Rock/Tab/Troy/Guy and then taught how to act, walk, talk, cross their legs and even light a cigarette. All to create the beefcake idols of the 40s and 50s. Willson arranged female dates, engagements and even marriages for these guys, all designed to keep them (sometimes without success) out of the scandal rags. Just for being gay.
It's a different world, thankfully.
4 comments:
Oh, you KNOW I want to read that book! Let us know if it's worth while.
Sure thing. It's OK so far, but some of the writing is making my head hurt.
What a great list! And I didn't know that Derek Jacoby (spelling?)was Gay!!!
I was looking forward to reading the bio, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. That whole "sorta secret, sorta not queer Ho'wood in the 50s" thing fascinates me. It was one of the reasons I liked Gods and Monsters so much.
Post a Comment