Gay old hollywood
The Real LGBT Stars of Old Hollywood
The gay subculture of early Hollywood has gained more attention recently thanks to the Netflix series Hollywood. While the show does feature portrayals of some real icon characters, its main emphasize is on the unreal minority characters and the made-up success story of their diverse film. Many stars in Hollywood from the 1930s suppressed their sexuality. They didn’t acquire the freedom that LGBT performers have now, but that doesn’t mean their lives needed a untrue happy ending in command to be recognized and appreciated.
Knowing the complete history of LGBT stars in the first decade of Hollywood is difficult since, in order to appeal to the public, publicists believed that aspect of their lives needed to be hidden. Knowing as much as we accomplish about some LGBT stars is a feat considering how much rewriting and covering up the Hollywood studio heads did to everyone they managed, whether gay or straight. Biographies were changed to sound more interesting or relatable to fans, and relationships were deliberately orchestrated to publicize a movie or introduce a new actor to the public. The only indication of some stars’ hidden
Before the word “gay” took roots in our daily life – and before we began to view movies featuring women, men and all variations of the word “gender” in all kinds of styles – the powerful engine of the industry of visual entertainment was often driven by filmmakers who, even at the dawn of Hollywood, were themselves gay. The word was mentioned rarely and only in private, but the entertainment machine was constantly affected by smart and daring gay filmmakers, creating hit pictures and launch significant conversations between the story on the screen and the audience in the dark.
From the 1930s to the early years of the 60s, Hollywood had filmmakers capable of enthralling, entertaining and sometimes scaring the audience. Many of the top directors were LBGTQ+. Many actors and creative people behind the scenes were well established by the studios and its bosses to be gay – but as long as their intimate life was kept silent, their work was more than welcomed.
Among these filmmakers, many were European by birth, working in Hollywood and feeling themselves more at home there than in Europe.
Foremost among this group was James Whale. Born in Dudley, England, in 1889, Whale had been
Hollywood's Golden Age Gays. The list is LONG.
R17
Thank you , will have to check out your recommendation.
Reading Hollywood Babylon am struck at all the suicides, murders (unsolved) and other criminal activity (including drugs). Knew hard core drugs were around since tardy 1800's or so, but had no idea so much of Hollywood were dope fiends.
The unsolved murders are also striking. More so since people called the studios, other actors, and everyone else first before LE. By day LE did arrive the crime scene was often not only contaminated but things missing.
Some quick evidence checking already proves Kenneth Anger played fast and lose with the correctness. His gory account of Marie Prevost's death is largely fiction.
Cool thing, to me anyway is many of the places where various Hollywood stars involved suicide are still around. Wonder if any are haunted?
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 23, 2020 1:16 PM |
Old Hollywood Stars You Didn't Know Were Gay
Let's state the obvious: Being a gay celebrity during the days of Elderly Hollywood was no stroll in the park. Behind Tinseltown's glitzy facade loomed the specter of Hollywood's "sexual gestapo," a phrase 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 own authentic lives." And Tyrnauer should know: His motion picture profiled L.A. personality Scotty Bowers, who reportedly acted as a "confidante, companion, and pimp for Hollywood's closeted movie stars."
The threat of exposure was authentic 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 throughout their careers. SFGate cannily suggested that "gossip is where the real truth lies" in this are
.