50 Years Later, the Film 'Gay Deceivers' Is Still Very Gay, Very Bad

Contents:

• 50 YEARS LATER, THE FILM GAY DECEIVERS IS STILL VERY GAY, VERY BAD
• THE GAY DECEIVERS'
• DEFINITIONS FOR THE GAY CEIVERSTHE GAY CEIVERS
• THE GAY DECEIVERS (1969) FULL MOVIE

50 YEARS LATER, THE FILM GAY DECEIVERS IS STILL VERY GAY, VERY BAD

The last year of the 1960s also broke ground when me to film, wh a movie about a d gay iendship between a htler and a grifter (Midnight Cowboy) wng the Bt Picture Osr the followg year. When me to paradigm-shiftg films of 1969, The Gay Deceivers do not qualify. Centered on two bonehead straight guys (played by Kev Coughl and Larry Casey) who pretend to be gay to avoid the draft, The Gay Deceivers was a precursor to shows like Bosom Buddi and Three's Company and movi like Mrs.

Doubtfire and I Now Prounounce You Chuck and the jok are broad and stupid, the puns obv (a character brgs a u basket to the tular ceivers), the women eher cluels, lechero, or ceful (but always sexy and ually half-naked), and the antigay slurs ubiquo, the movie has several fun flash of gay culture that mastream Ameri was not at all ed the ceivers rent an L. Apartment lord over by a swishy landlord named Mallm (Michael Greer), 's adorned wh homoerotic art that is still rigur Palm Sprgs and Provcetown.

THE GAY DECEIVERS'

Gay men the film ll each other "she" whout a bat of the eye, drag is held up as an art form, and two men even dance together. In one scene, a gay man miserat to Casey's character of Ellt how straight people believe gays are animals and how unfair is that they are routely fired om their jobs. Of urse, that potential is wasted when Ellt punch the man for g on to the gay men are universally portrayed as sex-obssed, most e off as likable (albe silly).

Greer, an openly gay ic at the time, reportedly worked wh director Bce Ksler to make the movie more sympathetic to the gay characters.

DEFINITIONS FOR THE GAY CEIVERSTHE GAY CEIVERS

"While this movie tragilly reflects s era's mastream attus toward queer people, what mak The Gay Deceivers worth watchg for a ntemporary LGBTQ dience is the great Michael Greer as landlord Mallm DeJohn, " says Alonso Dural, a film cric for TheWrap and -host of the podst Lolm Knife. The rt of the movie is an object lson of tablishment homophobia actn, but Greer's performance allows a ltle rebelln and realy to elbow s way .

Whout spoilg too much, the screenwrers and Ksler imply that not all gay people are swishy, snarky, and fashnable; anyone your orb uld be queer. Though that msage don't make up for The Gay Deceivers' many, many fics, was one very seldom exprsed The Gay Deceivers below. The Gay Deceivers' ADVERTISEMENTJuly 31, New York Tim ArchivSee the article s origal ntext om July 31, 1969, Page 0Buy ReprtsTimMache is an exclive benef for home livery and digal the ArchiveThis is a digized versn of an article om The Tim’s prt archive, before the start of onle publitn 1996.

"THE GAY DECEIVERS, " which stggl wh the paratively new movie twist of feigned homosexualy as a draft dodgg gimmick, is, unfortunately, neher gay nor ceptive. And, the producers rate a cred for cludg a gay party thrown by Michael Greer, an amg performer, as the owner of the ttage that should please that divisn of our voters. " Call a precise summatn by a pre-law stunt for the se of "The Gay Deceivers.

THE GAY DECEIVERS (1969) FULL MOVIE

"THE GAY DECEIVERS, screenplay by Jerome Wish, based on the story by Abe Polsky and Gil Lasky; directed by Bce Ksler; produced by Joe Solomon; released by Fanfare Film Productns, Inc. Joe TornatoriA versn of this article appears prt on of the Natnal edn wh the headle: The Gay Deceivers'. What do the gay ceivers mean?