The Rock Go Gay |

Contents:

• THE ROCK PLAYED A GAY CHARACTER DPE BEG TOLD IT WOULD ‘RU’ HIS CAREER FOR GOOD
• THE ROCK GO GAY
• THE REAL ROCK HUDSON: A MOVG NEW HBO DOC CLAIMS HIM AS A GAY INROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED EXAM THE STAR’S CLOSETED REER—AND THE SIGNIFINCE OF HIM GOG PUBLIC WH HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS.BY SAVANNAH WALSHJUNE 28, 2023FACEBOOKTWTEREMAILSAVE STORYROCK HUDSON, 1954PHOTOFTSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEROCK HUDSON HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF UNTLS HEADL, CENTER OF LIFELONG MORS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, AND KEEPER OF SECRETS THAT FLUENCED BOTH. BUT ABOVE ALL, HE WAS A NSUMMATE PERFORMER—ONSCREEN, BUT MORE VALLY, OFF.“WHEN YOU STRG OUT EVERY ROCK HUDSON TERVIEW PRT AND RAD OR TV, HE GIV YOU NOTHG,” SAYS FILMMAKER STEPHEN KIJAK, WHO PROFIL HUDSON THE DOCUMENTARY ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED, PREMIERG JUNE 27 ON HBO. “THERE’S THIS STRANGE SENSE THAT HE’S BEEN SO REFULLY NTROLLED AND CREATED AND CRAFTED BY THE STUD, BY THE PUBLICISTS, THAT OVER TIME, HIS TE SELF JT GOT PRSED TO THIS LTLE PART THAT WAS JT HIDN OM EVERYBODY. HE NEVER REALLY LETS ALL OUT.” AFTER SEEG ALL THE HEADL TOUTG “ROCK HUDSON’S BIG SECRET,” KIJAK QUIPS, “YOU LOOK AT THE ARTICLE, AND THE SECRET IS HE’S THE WORST TERVIEW HOLLYWOOD.”IN ORR TO GO BEYOND THE FA, KIJAK SOUGHT OUT THE MEN HUDSON’S PRIVATE ORB. “I REALLY WANTED TO GO ABOUT CREATG A GENERATNAL ARC OF MEN WHO WERE HIS LIFE AS LOVERS, IENDS, PLAYMAT, A WG MAN, A STAR, PEOPLE THAT HE REALLY BROUGHT SI,” HE TELLS VANY FAIR. “THE MEN CREATE A PORTRA OF A GENERATN THAT GETS YOU OM THE PRE-STONEWALL DAYS, BEFORE GAY LIBERATN, ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SI OF THE AIDS CRISIS. IT’S A VERY TIMATE PORTRA THAT EMERG.”ONCE THE THG HE SHIELD ORR TO PRERVE HIS HOLLYWOOD LEGACY, HUDSON’S QUEER INTY IS NOW A SIGNIFINT PART OF WHY ENDUR. INSPIRED BY MARK RAPPAPORT’S EXPERIMENTAL 1992 DOCUMENTARY ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVI, KIJAK SPLICED SCEN OM EVERYTHG CLUDG GIANT, FOR WHICH HUDSON EARNED AN OSR NOMATN, TO THE PSYCHOLOGIL DRAMA SENDS, A GLOOMY CHANGE OF PACE FOR THE ACTOR, TO ILLUMATE THE PERSON BENEATH THE PERFORMANCE. “WE WANTED TO MANIPULATE THE FILMS TO HAVE THEM NVERSATN WH EACH OTHER,” KIJAK EXPLAS. HE C “ROCK PILLOW TALK SORT OF CISG ROD TAYLOR ANOTHER MOVIE, AND CUTTG THEM TOGETHER TO ALMOST CREATE THIS LTLE QUEER CEMATIC SPACE WHERE ROCK ULD PRENT AS A GAY MAN. IT WAS LIKE SETTG HIM EE A WAY TO SHOW JT A LTLE HT OF WHAT ULD HAVE BEEN.”THIS BE A PARTICULARLY IMPACTFUL EXERCISE WHEN TO HUDSON’S YEARS AS A ROMANTIC EDY LEADG MAN, PARTICULARLY HIS TRILOGY OF FILMS WH DORIS DAY—PILLOW TALK (1959), LOVER COME BACK (1961), AND SEND ME NO FLOWERS (1964). “IN THE FILMS, HE’S A HETEROSEXUAL MAN WHO’S PRETENDG TO BE GAY OR AT LEAST EFFEMATE ORR TO WOO DORIS DAY, SO SHE N TURN AROUND AND TRY TO NVERT HIM,” KIJAK SAYS. “IT’S THIS WEIRD HOE OF MIRRORS WHERE, ALL OF A SUDN, THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF TENTNALY AROUND SCREWG WH THE NARRATIVE AND PUTTG HIS QUEERNS ALMOST ON FULL DISPLAY, WHICH IS UNHEARD OF A WAY. IT HAS TO HAVE BEEN AN ACCINT. OR WAS ?”MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIV/GETTY IMAGBORN ROY HAROLD SCHERER JR. WKA, ILLOIS, THE WOULD-BE ACTOR WAS RENAMED AND GIVEN A RIGORO MAKEOVER BY HIS PREDATORY AGENT HENRY WILLSON, A DYNAMIC ON DISPLAY RYAN MURPHY’S NETFLIX SERI HOLLYWOOD. HUDSON WAS PLIC SELLG HIS REFULLY NSTCTED IMAGE, KIJAK SAYS: “HIS BIG DREAM IS TO BE A MOVIE STAR, AND I N’T IMAGE WHAT MT HAVE BEEN LIKE. HE HAD NO TRAG. ALL OF A SUDN HE’S A NTRACT PLAYER AT UNIVERSAL, AND THERE’S THIS WHOLE MACHE CREATG THIS PERSONA FOR YOU. HE PLETELY, OBVLY, HAS TO BE PLIC , AND HE MT HAVE LOVED . HE WAS LLED THE BARON OF BEEFKE.”BUT HUDSON ALSO HAD TO NAVIGATE THE MIDCENTURY HOLLYWOOD MEDIA LANDSPE WH ABSOLUTE PRECISN. MOVIE MAGAZ LIKE PHOTOPLAY PATED HIM AS A QUTSENTIAL STRAIGHT MAN AND WONRED WHEN HE WOULD WALK DOWN THE AISLE. “FANS ARE URGG 29-YEAR-OLD HUDSON TO GET MARRIED—OR EXPLA WHY NOT,” LIFE MAGAZE WROTE OF S 1955 VER STAR. IN ANSWER TO THAT QUTN, WILLSON BROKERED A MARRIAGE BETWEEN HIS SECRETARY, PHYLLIS GAT, AND HUDSON, WHICH TOOK PLACE JT EIGHT DAYS SHY OF THE ACTOR’S 30TH BIRTHDAY. THEY WOULD DIVORCE LS THAN THREE YEARS LATER, AND GAT WOULD EVENTUALLY WRE A TELL-ALL SUGGTG SHE KNEW NOTHG OF HUDSON’S SEXUALY. THIS, HUDSON BGRAPHER MARK GRIFF HAS SAID, “IS REALLY HARD TO SWALLOW GIVEN THE FACT THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY B PLAYER, MAKP MAN, ASSISTANT GOPHER AT UNIVERSAL KNEW THE SRE ABOUT ROCK HUDSON. HOW DID SHE POSSIBLY MISS THE MEMO?”HUDSON’S SEXUALY WAS A SOURCE OF UNBRIDLED SPECULATN FOR TABLOIDS SUCH AS CONFINTIAL MAGAZE, WHICH “REALLY JT WANTED TO OUT PEOPLE AS GAY, AS MI, AS DNKS, AS SLUTS—I MEAN, WHATEVER WAS, THEY JT WANTED TO TRASH EVERYBODY,” SAYS KIJAK. ENTER WILLSON WH THE DAMAGE NTROL—THIS TIME, THE FORM OF FELLOW CLIENT TAB HUNTER, WHOSE SECRETS WERE SACRIFICED ORR TO SHIELD THE MORE SUCCSFUL HUDSON AGAST AN IMPENDG EXPOSé.MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSH25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSBY HILLARY BISIS IT TIME TO GET EXCED ABOUT THE BACHELOR AGA?BY SAVANNAH WALSHAS MUCH AS HUDSON WAS A PRODUCT OF THE HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM, HE MANAGED TO FD A REPRIEVE OM WH THE BEVERLY HILLS MANSN HE NICKNAMED “THE CASTLE.” WH THOSE WALLS, HUDSON WAS ABLE TO RETREAT OM THE SPOTLIGHT AND LEAD A LIFE MOST WEREN’T PRIVY TO—EXCEPT FOR MANY OF THE MEN TERVIEWED BY KIJAK AND GRIFF, WHO OPENED HIS ARCHIV OM REARCHG HIS BOOK TO THE FILMMAKER.KIJAK MANAG TO FILTRATE THAT PRIVATE LIFE SOMETIM SHOCKGLY DIRECT TAIL. IN THE DOC, ONE FORMER IEND, JOE CARBERRY, RELAT THAT HUDSON’S PENIS WAS TOO “SIZABLE” FOR THE PLACE THEY HAD MD. “TO HAVE AN 80-SOMETHG-YEAR-OLD MAN TALKG ABOUT THOSE TERMS WAS KD OF HILAR,” KIJAK TELLS ME. “IN PRIVATE, [HUDSON] WAS JT SORT OF LOOSE AND EE. THE FUN PART OF TALKG TO THE MEN IS TO REVEAL THAT, THE AGE BEFORE EVERYONE HAD A MERA THEIR PHONE, YOU ULD HAVE THIS DOUBLE LIFE AND LIVE WHOUT FEAR OF BEG REVEALED.”ROCK HUDSON AND LEE GARLGTON (PUERTO VALLARTA, 1963)A FAVORE TERVIEW FOR KIJAK’S WAS WH LEE GARLGTON, ONE OF HUDSON’S MORE LONG-TERM PARTNERS OM THE ’60S. “IT’S SO HEARTBREAKG—HE’S HAD A FEW MORE STROK SCE WE TALKED TO HIM, AND HE N’T REALLY TALK ANYMORE,” SAYS THE FILMMAKER. “WE KD OF GOT THAT LAST TERVIEW OF SOMEONE THAT HAD KNOWN HIM THAT LONG AND HAD BEEN REALLY TIMATE.”IN HIS SENR YEARS, GRIFF TOLD NPR 2018, “ROCK MAY HAVE EVEN SERLY ENTERTAED THE NOTN OF G OUT—ME CLOSE BUT DIDN’T QUE GET THERE.” ONE ADVOTE WAS TAL OF THE CY THOR ARMISTEAD MP, A IEND OF HUDSON’S WHO ADMS THE FILM TO OPERATG WH PEOPLE MAGAZE ON A PIECE NFIRMG HUDSON’S SEXUALY ONCE AND FOR ALL. “WHEN YOU SEE THAT [FILM PRODUCER] ROSS HUNTER, ROCK’S BT PAL, WAS A GAY MAN WHO HAD A LONG-TERM LIFE PARTNER WHO STILL WAS REFG TO ADM ROCK WAS GAY EVEN AFTER ROCK DIED, YOU SEE HOW PLETELY SLAMMED TO THE CLOSET THIS GENERATN WAS,” KIJAK SAYS. WHILE NOT ALL MEN OPERATED THIS WAY, FOR MANY, “KEEPG THE SECRET WAS SOME KD OF BADGE OF HONOR,” HE EXPLAS, ADDG, “THEY THOUGHT WHAT ARMISTEAD DID BY SPEAKG OPENLY ABOUT WAS TREASONO, WHEN FACT WAS 100% THE RIGHT THG TO DO AT THE TIME GIVEN WHAT WAS GOG ON WH AIDS.”ANOTHER GENERATNAL DIVI BETWEEN HUDSON AND MANY OF THE QUEER MEN THAT ME AFTER HIM? HE WAS A REGISTERED REPUBLIN. “HE WAS AN OLR, SUCCSFUL, CLOSETED, WHE MAN. WHAT DO HE HAVE TO LOSE ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM?” KIJAK ASKS. “ROCK’S A RNY OLD-FASHNED DU, AND HIM AND HIS IENDS, THE OLR THEY GOT, THE SQUARE-ER THEY BEME. THEY WEREN’T HIP, THEY WEREN’T OL. HE WAS, I THK, A ‘SMALL R’ REPUBLIN. HE WAS JT NSERVATIVE SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY, NOTHG LIKE THE REPUBLINS OF OUR DAY.”IT WAS HUDSON’S CLOSE IENDSHIP WH NANCY REAGAN THAT ADVERTENTLY LED TO HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS. AFTER ATTENDG A PARTY AT THE WHE HOE 1984, THE ACTOR WAS SENT PHOTOS OM THE EVENT ALONG WH A NOTE URGG HIM TO GET A MOLE ON HIS NECK CHECKED. BY JUNE OF THAT YEAR, HE WAS DIAGNOSED—NOT THAT THE REAGANS WOULD EVER TERVENE ON HUDSON’S OR ANY OTHER AIDS PATIENT’S BEHALF. “HIS PALS, NANCY AND RON, TURN THEIR BACK ON HIM AND ALL OF THE HIV/AIDS MUNY,” KIJAK SAYS. “THERE’S A LOT OF BLOOD ON RONALD REAGAN’S HANDS. JT BEE THEY WERE IENDS WH ROCK, DIDN’T MAKE ONE DIFFERENCE.”AS REUNTED THE DOCUMENTARY, WHILE PRIVATELY SUFFERG OM AIDS, HUDSON PLAYED A RECURRG ROLE ON DYNASTY. “MULTIPLE NARRATIV [WERE] BEG SPUN” TO EXCE THE ACTOR’S TERRATG PHYSIL HEALTH, KIJAK SAYS, BUT HUDSON WAS NEVERTHELS HORRIFIED TO DISVER HE’D HAVE TO KISS STAR LDA EVANS DURG A TIME OF FULL-BLOWN HYSTERIA ABOUT THE VIS. “KISSG SCEN, CLOSE NTACT, EVERYTHG IS JT—’S PANIC MO. BEE NO ONE KNEW THE SCIENCE,” KIJAK SAYS. HUDSON REFED TO OPEN HIS MOUTH DURG THE KISS, RSG WH MOUTHWASH -BETWEEN TAK. “IT MAK ME CRY BEE I KNOW HE WAS PROTECTG ME,” EVANS SAYS THE FILM.AFTER HUDSON’S AIDS DIAGNOSIS WAS DISCLOSED, SOME OF EVANS’S STARS REFED TO FILM WH HER. “THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WOULDN’T WORK WH ME, AND SO THEY HAD TO CHANGE SCEN BEE I MIGHT HAVE AIDS,” SHE NTU. “I HAD PERSONAL IENDS WHO WOULDN’T E OVER TO DNER.… I THOUGHT, WHERE’S YOUR HUMANY OR WHERE’S YOUR PASSN? WHAT’S WRONG WH THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW?”ROCK ON VATN PUERTO VALLARTA (PHOTO URTY OF LEE GARLGTON).MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSH25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSBY HILLARY BISIS IT TIME TO GET EXCED ABOUT THE BACHELOR AGA?BY SAVANNAH WALSHBY JULY 25, 1985, HUDSON WAS PARIS RECEIVG EXPERIMENTAL HPA-23 TREATMENTS. WH HE PRS CROWD OUTSI THE ACTOR’S HOSPAL, HUDSON’S PUBLICIST ANNOUNCED HE HAD AIDS, MAKG HIM THE MOST FAMO PERSON EVER TO ANNOUNCE HE HAD NTRACTED THE STIGMATIZED VIS AND IMPLICLY NFIRMG HIS SEXUALY. “I AM NOT HAPPY THAT I AM SICK,” HUDSON SAID A STATEMENT A MONTH BEFORE HIS ATH OCTOBER 1985. “I AM NOT HAPPY THAT I HAVE AIDS, BUT IF THAT IS HELPG OTHERS, I N, AT LEAST, KNOW THAT MY OWN MISFORTUNE HAS HAD SOME POSIVE WORTH.”IN ATH, HUDSON BEME AN “ACCINTAL ACTIVIST,” THE ORIGAL TLE OF THE DOCUMENTARY. “ROCK HUDSON, OUR PARAGON OF HETEROSEXUALY, EVERY HOEWIV’ HEARTTHROB, YOUR MOTHER’S FAVORE ACTOR, WAS GAY AND HAD AIDS. THAT WAS A NVERSATN NOBODY WAS HAVG” BEFORE HUDSON’S DIAGNOSIS, KIJAK EXPLAED. “IT ALLOWED TO SLIP TO THE MASTREAM AND BY ALL ACUNTS, FUNDRAISG FOR AIDS REARCH DOUBLED, TRIPLED, QUADPLED. IT WAS A HUGE TALYST FOR CHANGE.”THE VALUE REAMG HUDSON’S LIFE PERSISTS, KIJAK TELLS ME AT THE END OF OUR NVERSATN. “WE HAVE TO NSTANTLY KEEP TELLG THE STORI, CREATG OPENNS AROUND GAY LIV, BEE, AS WE SEE FLORIDA AND MANY PARTS OF OUR UNTRY, WE’RE THIS VIC BACKSLI WH QUEER RIGHTS AND VLENCE AGAST GAY PEOPLE AND TRANS PEOPLE.” HE NCLUS, “I DON’T KNOW IF WE’RE RECLAIMG, OR JT CLAIMG ROCK AS ONE OF OUR GAY INS.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)SAVANNAH WALSH
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• BARBIE SAID “GAY RIGHTS!” LONG BEFORE MARGOT ROBBIE OR GRETA GERWIG SHOWED UP

THE ROCK PLAYED A GAY CHARACTER DPE BEG TOLD IT WOULD ‘RU’ HIS CAREER FOR GOOD

Johnson's character Be Cool was Elt, an openly gay Samoan man who worked as a bodyguard the mic dtry and had dreams of beg a star himself. While a lot of the humor surroundg Elt volved the kd of mid-00s gay jok that probably wouldn't fly now, Johnson don't play him as a joke, mtg to the character fully.

)However, Johnson has jt revealed that those early stag of his actg reer, he was advised by some "fluential" dtry people to avoid playg gay, as uld "" his chanc of gettg bigger movie rol.

I was told back then (by a few fluential folks) that playg a gay man would “ my reer”I said “hold my tequila and f*ck off”Nicely of urse ? Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 31, 2022Philip Ellis is News Edor at Men's Health, verg fns, pop culture, sex and relatnships, and LGBTQ+ issu. Ever sce the silent film era, Hollywood beefke photos have tillated both female and gay male fans.

THE ROCK GO GAY

Here we ntue our seri celebratg gay, bisexual, and straight movie stars wearg next to nothg at all.

Gay actors Farley Granger and Roddy McDowall are ready to share — a Coke?

THE REAL ROCK HUDSON: A MOVG NEW HBO DOC CLAIMS HIM AS A GAY INROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED EXAM THE STAR’S CLOSETED REER—AND THE SIGNIFINCE OF HIM GOG PUBLIC WH HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS.BY SAVANNAH WALSHJUNE 28, 2023FACEBOOKTWTEREMAILSAVE STORYROCK HUDSON, 1954PHOTOFTSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEROCK HUDSON HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF UNTLS HEADL, CENTER OF LIFELONG MORS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, AND KEEPER OF SECRETS THAT FLUENCED BOTH. BUT ABOVE ALL, HE WAS A NSUMMATE PERFORMER—ONSCREEN, BUT MORE VALLY, OFF.“WHEN YOU STRG OUT EVERY ROCK HUDSON TERVIEW PRT AND RAD OR TV, HE GIV YOU NOTHG,” SAYS FILMMAKER STEPHEN KIJAK, WHO PROFIL HUDSON THE DOCUMENTARY ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED, PREMIERG JUNE 27 ON HBO. “THERE’S THIS STRANGE SENSE THAT HE’S BEEN SO REFULLY NTROLLED AND CREATED AND CRAFTED BY THE STUD, BY THE PUBLICISTS, THAT OVER TIME, HIS TE SELF JT GOT PRSED TO THIS LTLE PART THAT WAS JT HIDN OM EVERYBODY. HE NEVER REALLY LETS ALL OUT.” AFTER SEEG ALL THE HEADL TOUTG “ROCK HUDSON’S BIG SECRET,” KIJAK QUIPS, “YOU LOOK AT THE ARTICLE, AND THE SECRET IS HE’S THE WORST TERVIEW HOLLYWOOD.”IN ORR TO GO BEYOND THE FA, KIJAK SOUGHT OUT THE MEN HUDSON’S PRIVATE ORB. “I REALLY WANTED TO GO ABOUT CREATG A GENERATNAL ARC OF MEN WHO WERE HIS LIFE AS LOVERS, IENDS, PLAYMAT, A WG MAN, A STAR, PEOPLE THAT HE REALLY BROUGHT SI,” HE TELLS VANY FAIR. “THE MEN CREATE A PORTRA OF A GENERATN THAT GETS YOU OM THE PRE-STONEWALL DAYS, BEFORE GAY LIBERATN, ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SI OF THE AIDS CRISIS. IT’S A VERY TIMATE PORTRA THAT EMERG.”ONCE THE THG HE SHIELD ORR TO PRERVE HIS HOLLYWOOD LEGACY, HUDSON’S QUEER INTY IS NOW A SIGNIFINT PART OF WHY ENDUR. INSPIRED BY MARK RAPPAPORT’S EXPERIMENTAL 1992 DOCUMENTARY ROCK HUDSON’S HOME MOVI, KIJAK SPLICED SCEN OM EVERYTHG CLUDG GIANT, FOR WHICH HUDSON EARNED AN OSR NOMATN, TO THE PSYCHOLOGIL DRAMA SENDS, A GLOOMY CHANGE OF PACE FOR THE ACTOR, TO ILLUMATE THE PERSON BENEATH THE PERFORMANCE. “WE WANTED TO MANIPULATE THE FILMS TO HAVE THEM NVERSATN WH EACH OTHER,” KIJAK EXPLAS. HE C “ROCK PILLOW TALK SORT OF CISG ROD TAYLOR ANOTHER MOVIE, AND CUTTG THEM TOGETHER TO ALMOST CREATE THIS LTLE QUEER CEMATIC SPACE WHERE ROCK ULD PRENT AS A GAY MAN. IT WAS LIKE SETTG HIM EE A WAY TO SHOW JT A LTLE HT OF WHAT ULD HAVE BEEN.”THIS BE A PARTICULARLY IMPACTFUL EXERCISE WHEN TO HUDSON’S YEARS AS A ROMANTIC EDY LEADG MAN, PARTICULARLY HIS TRILOGY OF FILMS WH DORIS DAY—PILLOW TALK (1959), LOVER COME BACK (1961), AND SEND ME NO FLOWERS (1964). “IN THE FILMS, HE’S A HETEROSEXUAL MAN WHO’S PRETENDG TO BE GAY OR AT LEAST EFFEMATE ORR TO WOO DORIS DAY, SO SHE N TURN AROUND AND TRY TO NVERT HIM,” KIJAK SAYS. “IT’S THIS WEIRD HOE OF MIRRORS WHERE, ALL OF A SUDN, THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF TENTNALY AROUND SCREWG WH THE NARRATIVE AND PUTTG HIS QUEERNS ALMOST ON FULL DISPLAY, WHICH IS UNHEARD OF A WAY. IT HAS TO HAVE BEEN AN ACCINT. OR WAS ?”MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIV/GETTY IMAGBORN ROY HAROLD SCHERER JR. WKA, ILLOIS, THE WOULD-BE ACTOR WAS RENAMED AND GIVEN A RIGORO MAKEOVER BY HIS PREDATORY AGENT HENRY WILLSON, A DYNAMIC ON DISPLAY RYAN MURPHY’S NETFLIX SERI HOLLYWOOD. HUDSON WAS PLIC SELLG HIS REFULLY NSTCTED IMAGE, KIJAK SAYS: “HIS BIG DREAM IS TO BE A MOVIE STAR, AND I N’T IMAGE WHAT MT HAVE BEEN LIKE. HE HAD NO TRAG. ALL OF A SUDN HE’S A NTRACT PLAYER AT UNIVERSAL, AND THERE’S THIS WHOLE MACHE CREATG THIS PERSONA FOR YOU. HE PLETELY, OBVLY, HAS TO BE PLIC , AND HE MT HAVE LOVED . HE WAS LLED THE BARON OF BEEFKE.”BUT HUDSON ALSO HAD TO NAVIGATE THE MIDCENTURY HOLLYWOOD MEDIA LANDSPE WH ABSOLUTE PRECISN. MOVIE MAGAZ LIKE PHOTOPLAY PATED HIM AS A QUTSENTIAL STRAIGHT MAN AND WONRED WHEN HE WOULD WALK DOWN THE AISLE. “FANS ARE URGG 29-YEAR-OLD HUDSON TO GET MARRIED—OR EXPLA WHY NOT,” LIFE MAGAZE WROTE OF S 1955 VER STAR. IN ANSWER TO THAT QUTN, WILLSON BROKERED A MARRIAGE BETWEEN HIS SECRETARY, PHYLLIS GAT, AND HUDSON, WHICH TOOK PLACE JT EIGHT DAYS SHY OF THE ACTOR’S 30TH BIRTHDAY. THEY WOULD DIVORCE LS THAN THREE YEARS LATER, AND GAT WOULD EVENTUALLY WRE A TELL-ALL SUGGTG SHE KNEW NOTHG OF HUDSON’S SEXUALY. THIS, HUDSON BGRAPHER MARK GRIFF HAS SAID, “IS REALLY HARD TO SWALLOW GIVEN THE FACT THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY B PLAYER, MAKP MAN, ASSISTANT GOPHER AT UNIVERSAL KNEW THE SRE ABOUT ROCK HUDSON. HOW DID SHE POSSIBLY MISS THE MEMO?”HUDSON’S SEXUALY WAS A SOURCE OF UNBRIDLED SPECULATN FOR TABLOIDS SUCH AS CONFINTIAL MAGAZE, WHICH “REALLY JT WANTED TO OUT PEOPLE AS GAY, AS MI, AS DNKS, AS SLUTS—I MEAN, WHATEVER WAS, THEY JT WANTED TO TRASH EVERYBODY,” SAYS KIJAK. ENTER WILLSON WH THE DAMAGE NTROL—THIS TIME, THE FORM OF FELLOW CLIENT TAB HUNTER, WHOSE SECRETS WERE SACRIFICED ORR TO SHIELD THE MORE SUCCSFUL HUDSON AGAST AN IMPENDG EXPOSé.MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSH25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSBY HILLARY BISIS IT TIME TO GET EXCED ABOUT THE BACHELOR AGA?BY SAVANNAH WALSHAS MUCH AS HUDSON WAS A PRODUCT OF THE HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM, HE MANAGED TO FD A REPRIEVE OM WH THE BEVERLY HILLS MANSN HE NICKNAMED “THE CASTLE.” WH THOSE WALLS, HUDSON WAS ABLE TO RETREAT OM THE SPOTLIGHT AND LEAD A LIFE MOST WEREN’T PRIVY TO—EXCEPT FOR MANY OF THE MEN TERVIEWED BY KIJAK AND GRIFF, WHO OPENED HIS ARCHIV OM REARCHG HIS BOOK TO THE FILMMAKER.KIJAK MANAG TO FILTRATE THAT PRIVATE LIFE SOMETIM SHOCKGLY DIRECT TAIL. IN THE DOC, ONE FORMER IEND, JOE CARBERRY, RELAT THAT HUDSON’S PENIS WAS TOO “SIZABLE” FOR THE PLACE THEY HAD MD. “TO HAVE AN 80-SOMETHG-YEAR-OLD MAN TALKG ABOUT THOSE TERMS WAS KD OF HILAR,” KIJAK TELLS ME. “IN PRIVATE, [HUDSON] WAS JT SORT OF LOOSE AND EE. THE FUN PART OF TALKG TO THE MEN IS TO REVEAL THAT, THE AGE BEFORE EVERYONE HAD A MERA THEIR PHONE, YOU ULD HAVE THIS DOUBLE LIFE AND LIVE WHOUT FEAR OF BEG REVEALED.”ROCK HUDSON AND LEE GARLGTON (PUERTO VALLARTA, 1963)A FAVORE TERVIEW FOR KIJAK’S WAS WH LEE GARLGTON, ONE OF HUDSON’S MORE LONG-TERM PARTNERS OM THE ’60S. “IT’S SO HEARTBREAKG—HE’S HAD A FEW MORE STROK SCE WE TALKED TO HIM, AND HE N’T REALLY TALK ANYMORE,” SAYS THE FILMMAKER. “WE KD OF GOT THAT LAST TERVIEW OF SOMEONE THAT HAD KNOWN HIM THAT LONG AND HAD BEEN REALLY TIMATE.”IN HIS SENR YEARS, GRIFF TOLD NPR 2018, “ROCK MAY HAVE EVEN SERLY ENTERTAED THE NOTN OF G OUT—ME CLOSE BUT DIDN’T QUE GET THERE.” ONE ADVOTE WAS TAL OF THE CY THOR ARMISTEAD MP, A IEND OF HUDSON’S WHO ADMS THE FILM TO OPERATG WH PEOPLE MAGAZE ON A PIECE NFIRMG HUDSON’S SEXUALY ONCE AND FOR ALL. “WHEN YOU SEE THAT [FILM PRODUCER] ROSS HUNTER, ROCK’S BT PAL, WAS A GAY MAN WHO HAD A LONG-TERM LIFE PARTNER WHO STILL WAS REFG TO ADM ROCK WAS GAY EVEN AFTER ROCK DIED, YOU SEE HOW PLETELY SLAMMED TO THE CLOSET THIS GENERATN WAS,” KIJAK SAYS. WHILE NOT ALL MEN OPERATED THIS WAY, FOR MANY, “KEEPG THE SECRET WAS SOME KD OF BADGE OF HONOR,” HE EXPLAS, ADDG, “THEY THOUGHT WHAT ARMISTEAD DID BY SPEAKG OPENLY ABOUT WAS TREASONO, WHEN FACT WAS 100% THE RIGHT THG TO DO AT THE TIME GIVEN WHAT WAS GOG ON WH AIDS.”ANOTHER GENERATNAL DIVI BETWEEN HUDSON AND MANY OF THE QUEER MEN THAT ME AFTER HIM? HE WAS A REGISTERED REPUBLIN. “HE WAS AN OLR, SUCCSFUL, CLOSETED, WHE MAN. WHAT DO HE HAVE TO LOSE ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM?” KIJAK ASKS. “ROCK’S A RNY OLD-FASHNED DU, AND HIM AND HIS IENDS, THE OLR THEY GOT, THE SQUARE-ER THEY BEME. THEY WEREN’T HIP, THEY WEREN’T OL. HE WAS, I THK, A ‘SMALL R’ REPUBLIN. HE WAS JT NSERVATIVE SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY, NOTHG LIKE THE REPUBLINS OF OUR DAY.”IT WAS HUDSON’S CLOSE IENDSHIP WH NANCY REAGAN THAT ADVERTENTLY LED TO HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS. AFTER ATTENDG A PARTY AT THE WHE HOE 1984, THE ACTOR WAS SENT PHOTOS OM THE EVENT ALONG WH A NOTE URGG HIM TO GET A MOLE ON HIS NECK CHECKED. BY JUNE OF THAT YEAR, HE WAS DIAGNOSED—NOT THAT THE REAGANS WOULD EVER TERVENE ON HUDSON’S OR ANY OTHER AIDS PATIENT’S BEHALF. “HIS PALS, NANCY AND RON, TURN THEIR BACK ON HIM AND ALL OF THE HIV/AIDS MUNY,” KIJAK SAYS. “THERE’S A LOT OF BLOOD ON RONALD REAGAN’S HANDS. JT BEE THEY WERE IENDS WH ROCK, DIDN’T MAKE ONE DIFFERENCE.”AS REUNTED THE DOCUMENTARY, WHILE PRIVATELY SUFFERG OM AIDS, HUDSON PLAYED A RECURRG ROLE ON DYNASTY. “MULTIPLE NARRATIV [WERE] BEG SPUN” TO EXCE THE ACTOR’S TERRATG PHYSIL HEALTH, KIJAK SAYS, BUT HUDSON WAS NEVERTHELS HORRIFIED TO DISVER HE’D HAVE TO KISS STAR LDA EVANS DURG A TIME OF FULL-BLOWN HYSTERIA ABOUT THE VIS. “KISSG SCEN, CLOSE NTACT, EVERYTHG IS JT—’S PANIC MO. BEE NO ONE KNEW THE SCIENCE,” KIJAK SAYS. HUDSON REFED TO OPEN HIS MOUTH DURG THE KISS, RSG WH MOUTHWASH -BETWEEN TAK. “IT MAK ME CRY BEE I KNOW HE WAS PROTECTG ME,” EVANS SAYS THE FILM.AFTER HUDSON’S AIDS DIAGNOSIS WAS DISCLOSED, SOME OF EVANS’S STARS REFED TO FILM WH HER. “THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WOULDN’T WORK WH ME, AND SO THEY HAD TO CHANGE SCEN BEE I MIGHT HAVE AIDS,” SHE NTU. “I HAD PERSONAL IENDS WHO WOULDN’T E OVER TO DNER.… I THOUGHT, WHERE’S YOUR HUMANY OR WHERE’S YOUR PASSN? WHAT’S WRONG WH THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW?”ROCK ON VATN PUERTO VALLARTA (PHOTO URTY OF LEE GARLGTON).MOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSH25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSBY HILLARY BISIS IT TIME TO GET EXCED ABOUT THE BACHELOR AGA?BY SAVANNAH WALSHBY JULY 25, 1985, HUDSON WAS PARIS RECEIVG EXPERIMENTAL HPA-23 TREATMENTS. WH HE PRS CROWD OUTSI THE ACTOR’S HOSPAL, HUDSON’S PUBLICIST ANNOUNCED HE HAD AIDS, MAKG HIM THE MOST FAMO PERSON EVER TO ANNOUNCE HE HAD NTRACTED THE STIGMATIZED VIS AND IMPLICLY NFIRMG HIS SEXUALY. “I AM NOT HAPPY THAT I AM SICK,” HUDSON SAID A STATEMENT A MONTH BEFORE HIS ATH OCTOBER 1985. “I AM NOT HAPPY THAT I HAVE AIDS, BUT IF THAT IS HELPG OTHERS, I N, AT LEAST, KNOW THAT MY OWN MISFORTUNE HAS HAD SOME POSIVE WORTH.”IN ATH, HUDSON BEME AN “ACCINTAL ACTIVIST,” THE ORIGAL TLE OF THE DOCUMENTARY. “ROCK HUDSON, OUR PARAGON OF HETEROSEXUALY, EVERY HOEWIV’ HEARTTHROB, YOUR MOTHER’S FAVORE ACTOR, WAS GAY AND HAD AIDS. THAT WAS A NVERSATN NOBODY WAS HAVG” BEFORE HUDSON’S DIAGNOSIS, KIJAK EXPLAED. “IT ALLOWED TO SLIP TO THE MASTREAM AND BY ALL ACUNTS, FUNDRAISG FOR AIDS REARCH DOUBLED, TRIPLED, QUADPLED. IT WAS A HUGE TALYST FOR CHANGE.”THE VALUE REAMG HUDSON’S LIFE PERSISTS, KIJAK TELLS ME AT THE END OF OUR NVERSATN. “WE HAVE TO NSTANTLY KEEP TELLG THE STORI, CREATG OPENNS AROUND GAY LIV, BEE, AS WE SEE FLORIDA AND MANY PARTS OF OUR UNTRY, WE’RE THIS VIC BACKSLI WH QUEER RIGHTS AND VLENCE AGAST GAY PEOPLE AND TRANS PEOPLE.” HE NCLUS, “I DON’T KNOW IF WE’RE RECLAIMG, OR JT CLAIMG ROCK AS ONE OF OUR GAY INS.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)SAVANNAH WALSH

Gay star Gee Nar was lked wh another famo hunk — g up... Guy Madison was a sailor plucked om obscury by gay agent Henry Willson. The troubled but betiful gay star Montgomery Clift.

IS BARBIE GAY AND WHY IS THE NEW MOVIE RATED PG-13?

Montgomery Clift was sexually lked to many gay stars, cludg Rock Hudson.

Gay tck driver Roy Fzgerald was transformed by gay agent Henry Willson to superstar Rock Hudson. Rock Hudson and Gee Nar — gay BFFs or somethg more? Gay actor Sal Meo was the go-to boy to play a troubled teen — and never more overtly gay than Rebel Whout a Cse.

BARBIE SAID “GAY RIGHTS!” LONG BEFORE MARGOT ROBBIE OR GRETA GERWIG SHOWED UP

1950s heartthrob Tab Hunter was another gay hunk whose reer was built (and then stroyed) by agent Henry Willson. Tab Hunter's homosexualy was an "open secret" until he officially me out a memoir and new film. Gay buddi Tab Hunter and Roddy McDowall: "Ssage or ke?

Dwayne Johnson John Travolta Get Shorty Be CoolHulkg SCORPION KING star DWAYNE 'THE ROCK' JOHNSON is preparg to play a gay villa JOHN TRAVOLTA's new movie - as a tribute to his homosexual mentor.

The former wrtler jumped at the chance to play "a half black, half Samoan villa, gay bodyguard tryg to break to Hollywood" the GET SHORTY sequel Be Cool, bee the role gave him the chance to say thanks to his Tseltown father figure. "My father figure Hollywood is gay and I'm proud of that.