Why the Gay and Bi Men of 'Boys the Band' Still Matter

MEET THE GAY PNEERS WHO MA ‘THE BOYS THE BAND’ HAPPEN

Tony wner Joe Mantello directs a new versn of Mart Crowley's gay landmark,"The Boy the Band," for Netflix, starrg Zachary Quto and Jim Parsons * boy in the band gay *

The film adaptatn of the stage play is a startlg, btally hont pictn of gay life and gay history—and, se wasn’t clear, the whole thg is gay through and through.

The film’s arrival on Netflix urty of superstar producer Ryan Murphy’s ntract wh the streamg service, and rn the all-gay st and director of the Tony-wng 2018 Broadway revival.

THE BOYS THE BAND: WHAT WAS ALAN'S SECRET (IS HE GAY)?

If you’ve ever wonred what was like to be gay Ameri before the Fab Five, Ellen, Elton, and even Stonewall—here you go. That’s bee The Boys the Band, as origally existed 52 years ago, took to the stage thanks to the bed visn and talent of two gay men: playwright Mart Crowley and director Robert Moore.

Here’s your remr that ’s important to talk about The Gays Who Paved The Way bee, even today the age of Queer Eye and Drag Race, gay history—I’m talkg stuff olr than Will & Grace rens—is not part of the pop culture curriculum.

And even beyond The Boys the Band, a genue Off Broadway sensatn that shattered barriers, Crowley and Moore ntributed to other TV moments that gays grew up lovg and are, if you’re me, still livg for today. Moore starred that show alongsi a number of soldier/performers who would go on to make nam for themselv TV: The Munsters director Ezra Stone; The Donna Reed Show director Gene Nelson; and, like Moore, fellow gay soldiers—and power uple—actor Hayn Rorke (I Dream of Jeannie) and director Jt Addiss (Aled Hchck Prents). Crowley channeled all of his homosexual fear and self-loathg to the play, puttg the lived experienc and raw emotns of himself and the gay men he knew to the mouths of a group of iends attendg the ttit birthday party ever.

BOY BAND MEMBERS WHO ARE OUT AS GAY, BISEXUAL OR QUEER

Nothg like —a play about the homosexual experience wrten by a practicg homosexual—had ever been staged before, but Crowley was on a missn to make happen. It’s important to note Friedk’s sexualy bee, as Boys st member Frerick Combs relled an terview, the movie stud wanted a straight director and felt that Moore was too out and too gay to direct… a movie about gay men, wrten by a gay man, and starrg mostly gay men.

The llaboratn started wh Robert Moore g on for a gut spot the 1973 Mary Tyler Moore Show episo “My Brother’s Keeper, ” where he played Phyllis’ gay brother Ben. It was the credibly rare occurrence of a gay man playg a gay man an episo -wrten by a gay man (Dick Clair). The succs of The Boys the Band pigeonholed Crowley as the gay wrer, and his subsequent plays about varied topics didn’t live up to that very narrow expectatn.

And when the 1970 film adaptatn endured posive but eply homophobic reviews (film crics weren’t as progrsive as theater crics) and flopped at the box office, Crowley didn’t have much else gog on. But Crowley’s double entendre, puns, and quips did more than give sizzle to Jonathan and Jennifer Hart’s onscreen romance; also ma Hart to Hart one of the mpit, most glamoroly gay shows of the ’80s spe starrg a straight uple. He lived long enough to not only see his DIY play—a play that first allowed gay people to claim space pop culture—open on Broadway, 50 years after opened for what was gog to be a ty n 1968.

THE BOYS IN THE BAND: ENTIRELY GAY ST 'SPEAKS TO THE CHANGED WORLD'

But Crowley’s work, and Moore’s work, liv on through what they gave —through The Boys the Band, now enjoyg new life on Netflix, through other low-key gay touchston like Rhoda and Hart to Hart, and through all the work of every gay wrer and director that has walked through the door that they opened 1968. Netflix's The Boys the Band follows a group of gay iends brought together by the birthday of Harold (Zachary Quto) at the apartment of Michael (Jim Parsons) 1968 New York, which is terpted by the arrival of Michael's straight llege iend Alan (Brian Hutchison) who sperately ask to see him.

Michael spirals to an alholic fog and be creasgly temptuo towards his iends, before accg Alan of beg a closeted homosexual. And potedly, Alan do not "act gay": he is, for all tents and purpos, an terloper on the group om the society that ostraciz and vilifi their existence. His homophobia is an extensn of the general feelgs of the tim and his threat to the gay characters is a reflectn of their anxiety over appearg to be out public.