The Closet Door is Open - Lavender Ladies & Gents of the Golden Age of Hollywood

[Tomasso]

Betsy Drake, Cary's 3rd wife, had an opinion on his sexual preferences.


There's been lots of speculation as to why Grant chose to improvise this scene.

[video=youtube;aCymsoQL49c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCymsoQL49c&NR=1[/video]

 

[C-dot]

Higham's biography of Howard Hughes refers to a relationship between Hughes and Cary Grant. Higham has been denounced as less than credible, though. My aunt loaned me Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart and said it was the definitive biography of him, but its been written by Higham too, so it will be interesting to see what it says.

Part of me thinks that the homosexuality rumours associated with Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and other male sex symbols were simply a dig (not my personal opinion - in those days, they were) at people who are elevated beyond us mere mortals. I came across this statement from snopes.com the other day:

"Nearly as great as our need to elevate certain common folk to the status of heroes is the need of others to tear them down - to show us that our heroes are possessed grievous flaws that make them unworthy of the praise and attention we lavish upon them."

 

[djd]

Higham is a scumbag. His book on Flynn contained quotes from FBI files that Higham had altered to suit his own ends. What kind of a biographer does that? Each one of his books relies upon one of his other books to support it's fantasies. The best book on Grant is called Cary Grant - A Class Apart (I can't remember who wrote it but it's fairly recent). Everything Higham has produced is utter trash. Trust me on this

 

[Tomasso]

The best book on Grant is called Cary Grant - A Class Apart

That was also the title of a superb documentary by Robert Trachtenberg.

 

[djd]

Looked it up - by Graham McCann

 

[Tomasso]

quotes from FBI files

Talk about lavender........

 

[djd]

Indeed! Such a nice man too by all accounts...

 

[Tomasso]

A while back there was a house bill to remove his name from the FBI building. He may have been the most despicable person to ever hold power in Washington. And that's saying a lot............

 

[Puzzicato]

fftopic: Thanks for this. I too question the "verbatim" notes. I tend to think someone would have gotten hold of the tapes and preserved them if they actually existed - that whole "evidence was destroyed because it contained explosive information" argument is a non-sequitur.

I think that is a sensible thing to keep in mind under any circumstances. I work with a woman who claims to take excellent verbatim notes, and it is remarkable how they differ to the notes that I keep of meetings. People's memories play tricks on them and it doesn't take very long for those tricks to kick in, even when no malice is intended.

Part of me thinks that the homosexuality rumours associated with Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and other male sex symbols were simply a dig (not my personal opinion - in those days, they were) at people who are elevated beyond us mere mortals. I came across this statement from snopes.com the other day:

"Nearly as great as our need to elevate certain common folk to the status of heroes is the need of others to tear them down - to show us that our heroes are possessed grievous flaws that make them unworthy of the praise and attention we lavish upon them."

Also very true. Think about all the stars today (mostly men) who have these persistent rumours about them, with very little substantiation.

 

[Tomasso]

People's memories play tricks on them and it doesn't take very long for those tricks to kick in, even when no malice is intended.

I rue the day I picked up that first stick of Maryjane......

 

[Gregg Axley]

What a pretty picture Tomasso!
Also note the fact they have their legs crossed towards each other, not away.
Just another body language myth IMHO.
It also says something when couples dress alike...these guys are dressed pretty close except for the tie. Just sayin....

 

[C-dot]

Tomasso, that is a fab picture! I'm loving the shoes.

Farley Granger, who died this past March, was gay and had a very long relationship with Robert Calhoun. However, in 1955, Farley had a brief engagement to fellow actor Janice Rule. They did not marry, but remained friends.

He was interviewed in the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet (Watch it, its very good!)

Since he is my favourite leading man, I wrote to him in January of 2010 and was overjoyed to receive an autographed picture in response a few months later. It's one of my treasured possessions

 

[djd]

That's cool! Tell you who I wrote to a few years back - Olivia de Havilland. Sent me a great signed pic of her with Mr Flynn. Lovely lady (not gay and rather off topic...)

 

[bunnyb.gal]

David Stenn is a fantastic author. He also wrote Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, which is one of my favourite biographies. Compare his educated and thoroughly researched version of Paul Bern's death to Anger's - total scum!

Speaking of Paul Bern, there were many rumours during his lifetime that he was gay, since he was the platonic "girlfriend" of the screen's most gorgeous women. Knowing what we do now, his issues didn't seem to stem from his sexuality.

Just by coincidence there was a documentary on 2 nights ago called "Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema" which traced the roots of gay cinema back to a 1947 film by...Kenneth Anger! I knew he had some importance as a gay filmmaker (perhaps as a filmmaker period, I really know little about his career) but I have never understood the motives behind him penning such a malicious book as "Hollywood Babylon". Purely pecuniary? Any publicity is good publicity?

Anyhow, I sat through the documentary in question but there was very little fodder for a Golden Era film enthusiast. Interesting enough, though.

 

[C-dot]

Purely pecuniary? Any publicity is good publicity?

You hit the nail on the head. The most widely circulated theory is that he penned Hollywood Babylon in retaliation against the Hollywood that had rejected him, and crushed his hopes of becoming a successful filmmaker. Watching his films, it isn't difficult to see why: Compare his short film Fireworks (1947) to the Academy Award winner of Best Picture for the same year, Elia Kazan's Gentleman's Agreement. Anger's graphic and frequently sadistic work had no place in Hollywood, and his aim with Hollywood Babylon was ostensibly to prove that it did.

 

[Puzzicato]

Tomasso, that is a fab picture! I'm loving the shoes.

Farley Granger, who died this past March, was gay and had a very long relationship with Robert Calhoun. However, in 1955, Farley had a brief engagement to fellow actor Janice Rule. They did not marry, but remained friends.

He was interviewed in the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet (Watch it, its very good!)

Since he is my favourite leading man, I wrote to him in January of 2010 and was overjoyed to receive an autographed picture in response a few months later. It's one of my treasured possessions

He was so beautiful. Strangers on a Train is one of my favourite films, and it is mostly because of him.

 

[bunnyb.gal]

You hit the nail on the head. The most widely circulated theory is that he penned Hollywood Babylon in retaliation against the Hollywood that had rejected him, and crushed his hopes of becoming a successful filmmaker. Watching his films, it isn't difficult to see why: Compare his short film Fireworks (1947) to the Academy Award winner of Best Picture for the same year, Elia Kazan's Gentleman's Agreement. Anger's graphic and frequently sadistic work had no place in Hollywood, and his aim with Hollywood Babylon was ostensibly to prove that it did.

It's available to rent so I probably should just so I don't die ignorant, although in the main "experimental" filmmakers leave me pretty cold. From your description, C-dot, it sounds like his problem was being born several decades too early - "graphic and frequently sadistic" would slot right in nowadays!

Do you know if any lawsuits were brought against him, by the way?

 

[C-dot]

Do you know if any lawsuits were brought against him, by the way?

That I don't know! The people he slandered were all deceased at the time (pure coincidence, I'm sure ), so I'm guessing not. I'm definitely going to read up on that though.

 

[Tomasso]

There has long been speculation that Laurence Oliver was a practiced fence hopper, which included dalliances with Danny Kaye and Henry Ainley. His family steadfastly denied the rumors until recently when his widow, Joan Plowright, when asked of their accuracy responded:

"If a man is touched by genius, he is not an ordinary person. He doesn't lead an ordinary life. He has extremes of behaviour which you understand and you just find a way not to be swept overboard by his demons. You kind of stand apart. You continue your own work and your absorption in the family. And those other things finally don't matter "

 

[dhermann1]

OT: Is that Noel Neill (aka Lois Lane) with Farley and Roddy?
Back on topic: Danny Kaye, definitely. And again, not that there's anything wrong with it. Danny Kaye was one of my all time idols.