Reposting Marcia's latest book review:
Boze Hadleigh's Hollywood Gays
Okay, book review. This week I read Boze Hadleigh's Hollywood Gays: Conversations With: Cary Grant, Liberace, Tony Perkins, Paul Lynde, Cesar Romero, Randolph Scott.
I really loved this book.
Paul Lynde comes across very funny. I think I enjoyed most reading his chapter and the interviews with Dick Sargent and Waylon Flowers.
And it's really something to read this book. I think it was the right week for it because it was the week Ava and C.I. noted "Call Her Heroic (Ava and C.I.):"
We're told that various people can't come out because it would destroy their careers. We don't believe that. But, okay, fine, stay in your closets if you have to. What's the reason for keeping someone closeted after they've died?
THE NEW YORK TIMES supports enshrining the dead in a closeted tomb. Of course, they do. They have to. Mel Gussow reviewed or 'reviewed' plays and based his opinions on who he slept with -- if, he slept with an actor in the play before the play (especially if he paid for sex), he panned the play. Gussow wasn't alone at THE TIMES and to this day we're all supposed to pretend that this well known john to countless men was straight. It goes to the paper's image.
We don't give a s**t. The image -- the
false image -- needs to be dismantled for truth. Even if you did
nothing in life to help equality, in death your truths can help others.
Your truths can explode the lies of right-wing hate merchants who want
to pretend that there is no historical truth to LGBTQ+ persons. Your
truths can provide reality to the ignored history.
As CALL ME ANNE makes clear, Anne Heche always lived in her truth. As life made clear, even in her final days, Anne had to take hate from people. She was so much better than the times she lived in.
There are truths in the book that provide reality. So many gay people who were in the closet. So many that we embraced and that knowing the truth about would make a difference.
Cary Grant. Why can't his daughter talk about the truth today? Who's going to be harmed? Randolph Scott is in the book -- Cary's lover. The book has people talking about Gary Cooper. They were talking about some millionaire kept him. I thought, "I didn't know Anderson Lawler was rich." Anderson was his love affair. Turns out, he also had a rich man who kept him.
I liked the chapter on Caser Romero -- especially when they talked about books on gay actors -- like Sal Mineo -- were minimized or avoided and when they wrote about someone who had come out as bi -- like Marlon Brando -- results in a book that ignores his public comments and instead renders him straight.
It's historical and really increased my understanding and perspective.
Gays were hidden and not by accident and not just in the 50s.
It's a really great book. Also loved the chapter with Richard Deacon -- Mel Coolie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
I read the book on Amazon Kindle and strongly recommend it.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"