The revelatn of the doc “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” isn’t the star’s gay proclivi or his double life. It’s that he was fortable all the rol he habed.
Contents:
- ROCK HUDSON WAS HOLLYWOOD’S CLOSETED GAY STAR—AND HE WAS HAPPYALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWEDTHE REVELATN OF THE DOC “ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED” ISN’T THE STAR’S GAY PROCLIVI OR HIS DOUBLE LIFE. IT’S THAT HE WAS FORTABLE ALL THE ROL HE HABED.NICK SCHAGERENTERTAMENT CRICPUBLISHED JUN. 26, 2023 4:03AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/THE ROCK HUDSON ESTATE COLLECTN/HBOWH HIS MASSIVE 6-FOOT-5-CH AME, SHARP JAWLE, DARK HAIR AND IMPOSSIBLY GOOD LOOKS, ROCK HUDSON ALWAYS STCK ME AS SOMEONE WHO WOULD HAVE MA AN IAL SUPERMAN—A NOTN RERCED BY HIS STOUT-YET-SENSIVE ALL-AMERIN SCREEN PERSONA. OF URSE, HUDSON WOULDN’T HAVE JT LOOKED THE PART OF THE MAN OF STEEL; HE WOULD HAVE UNRSTOOD A CHARACTER WHO HAD A SECRET INTY, SCE THE HOLLYWOOD STAR HIMSELF WAS A MATEE IDOL WHO FAMOLY LIVED HIS ENTIRE PUBLIC LIFE THE CLOSET.ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED IS THE STORY OF THE TWO HUDSONS, ONE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT AND ONE FOR HIS IENDS, LOVERS AND NFIDANTS, AND PERHAPS MOST SURPRISG IS THAT THE PORTRA PRENTS IS NOT OF A TORTURED SOUL BUT OF A MAN, AND ACTOR, WHO WAS FORTABLE ALL THE ROL HE HABED.DIRECTOR STEPHEN KIJAK’S EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY (PREMIERG JUNE 28 ON HBO, FOLLOWG S BUT AT THE TRIBE FILM FTIVAL) IS, THE END, AN PABLY SAD ONE, GIVEN THAT HUDSON DIED OF PLITNS OM AIDS ON OCT. 2, 1985, AT THE TOO-YOUNG AGE OF 59, TH BEG THE FIRST A-LIST CELEBRY TO FALL VICTIM TO THE EPIMIC. NOHELS, IF THAT SORROW HOVERS OVER S ACTN, NEVER OVERWHELMS .NOWHERE IS THAT MORE APPARENT THAN S DISCSN OF HUDSON’S OWN ATTU TOWARD HAVG TO HI HIS HOMOSEXUALY OM AN DTRY, AND FAN BASE, THAT WOULD NOT TOLERATE . NEVER NFED ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, HUDSON ARRIVED HOLLYWOOD OM WKA, ILLOIS (AFTER A WWII STT THE NAVY) AS A GAY MAN WHO KNEW THE PROVERBIAL SRE, KEEPG HIS PERSONAL PROCLIVI BEHD CLOSED DOORS, AND—WH GUIDANCE AND GROOMG OM AGENT HENRY WILLSON, WHO SHEPHERD HIM AND MANY OTHER QUEER ACTORS THROUGH THIS BEEFKE-Y ERA—PROJECTG HIMSELF FILMS AS THE EMBODIMENT OF NTEMPORARY MASCULY. RATHER THAN TAKG A NVENTNAL TALKG-HEAD APPROACH TO S NON-FICTN BGRAPHY, ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED MELDS VARIED D TERVIEWS WH PHOTOGRAPHS, TEXT DOCUMENTS, TV AND NEWS CLIPS, AND FOOTAGE OM HUDSON’S FILMS. THAT MATERIAL IS FIVE PROOF THAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, HUDSON WAS ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY’S HANDSOMT MEN. MOREOVER, HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST MAGILLY PHOTOGENIC PEOPLE TO EVER STAND BEFORE A MERA, RADIATG SUCH VIBRANT CHARISMA THAT WATCHG ANY SNIPPET OM HIS OVRE IS TO IMMEDIATELY UNRSTAND WHY AGENTS, PRODUCERS AND DIENC WERE WOWED BY HIM. HUDSON IS REFERRED TO THE FILM AS “THE TOM CISE OF HIS DAY,” BUT THAT’S UNRSELLG HIS BETY—HE WAS LIKE A MIDWTERN-BRED VARIATN OF MICHELANGELO’S DAVID. ROCK HUDSON AND LEE GARLGTON PUERTO VALLARTA, 1963.PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTY MART FLAHERTY & THE ROCK HUDSON ESTATE COLLECTN/HBO HE ALSO WASN’T A BAD ACTOR, AS ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED PROV. COLLABORATG WH EDOR CLAIRE DIDIER, DIRECTOR KIJAK SHREWDLY SPLIC TOGETHER MEMORABLE MOMENTS OM NUMERO HUDSON FEATUR, PAYG SPECIAL ATTENTN TO HIS LASTG HS: DOUGLAS SIRK’S MAGNIFICENT OBSSN AND ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, GEE STEVENS’ GIANT, AND JOHN FRANKENHEIMER’S SENDS.BOTH SIRK AND FRANKENHEIMER’S TRIUMPHS ARE STORI ABOUT DIVIDUALS WHOSE PERFECT SURFAC MASK DARKER TTHS ABOUT THEMSELV AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY NTUE TO ROUND AS FICTNAL TAL THAT PARALLEL HUDSON’S REAL-WORLD CIRCUMSTANC. KIJAK FURTHERS SUCH ECHO BY REPEATEDLY CLUDG SNIPPETS OF MOVIE DIALOGUE THAT, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, SPEAKS TO THE FEELGS, OBSTACL AND NFLICTS THAT HUDSON FACED WHILE NAVIGATG HIS IMAGE-CENTRIC HOLLYWOOD I, WHERE TABLOID SNOOPG REQUIRED ARRANGED MARRIAG, CLANSTE RENZVO AND AVOIDG BEG PHOTOGRAPHED WH PARAMOURS. HUDSON WAS FALLY OUTED JULY 1985 URTY OF HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS—WHICH ULD NO LONGER BE EXCED AS THE BYPRODUCT OF ANOREXIA OR FOOD POISONG—AND ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED TAILS HIS FAL YEARS WH POIGNANCY. DIRECTOR KIJAK, HOWEVER, REF TO FE HUDSON’S LEGACY AS SIMPLY THAT OF A FAMO TALENT WHO WAS TORMENTED BY HIS ABILY TO EXIST AS A PROUDLY GAY MAN. FAR OM A CLICHé, THE HUDSON PICTED HERE IS SOMEONE WHO WAS WELL AWARE OF THE L BY WHICH HE HAD TO PLAY ORR TO THRIVE HOLLYWOOD, AND ACCEPTED THEM WHOUT GREAT ANGER OR AGONY.ACRDG TO THE MANY IENDS AND FLAM TERVIEWED THE DOC, HUDSON WORKED HARD TO MATA A HETEROSEXUAL FAçA FOR THE BENEF OF HIS REER, BUT OTHERWISE ENJOYED A ROBT AND HAPPY SEXUAL AND ROMANTIC LIFE, MUCH OF NDUCTED AT HIS BEVERLY HILLS MANSN (DUBBED “THE CASTLE”), WHERE PARTI AND TRYSTS WERE A EQUENT OCCURRENCE. ROCK HUDSON AT HIS HOME “THE CASTLE” THE 1960S.PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTY HARRY LANGDON JR./HBO THE GREAT REVELATN OF ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED IS THAT HUDSON WAS SEEMGLY AT EASE WH HIS STRADDLG-TWO-UNIVERS CIRCUMSTANC, AND THAT HE DID SO WH APLOMB AND WHOUT GREAT DISMAY. TAL OM THE CY THOR ARMISTEAD MP NOT THAT HUDSON WAS PART OF A PRE-LIBERATN GENERATN THAT TOOK PRI VERG FOR EACH OTHER EVEN AS THEY SUPPORTED THE BURGEONG MOVEMENT, AND KEN MALEY NOT THAT WHEN HE TOOK THE ACTOR TO A GAY SEX CLUB HUDSON WAS NOT ONLY AN ENTHIASTIC PARTICIPANT BUT WAS BLHELY UNPERTURBED WHEN THE PARTNER HE WAS WH CRIED OUT FOR THE ENTIRE TABLISHMENT TO HEAR, “OH MY GOD, ’S ROCK HUDSON!”THERE’S JOY AND HUMOR KIJAK’S FILM, AND RADIAT AS BRILLIANTLY AS HUDSON’S ATTRACTIVENS, AS WHEN A IEND HILARLY REMARKS, "ROCK HAD A SIZABLE DICK, BUT HE TRIED TO PUT THAT THG UP MY ASS AND I ULDN'T DO !” THERE’S NO PG HUDSON’S FATE, THOUGH, AND ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED NCLUS WH A HEART-WRENCHG REP OF HIS ORAL WH AIDS. GUID BY NARRATED PASSAG OM HIS IEND GEE NADAR’S DIARI, THE DOCUMENTARY TOUCH UPON THE TERROR OF THE TIME, AND THE MORS THAT SWIRLED AROUND HUDSON DUE TO HIS TERRATG APPEARANCE—CULMATG WH A GUT SPOT ON DYNASTY THAT MAND HE KISS -STAR LDA EVANS, WHO TODAY RAILS AGAST THE FEARFUL SLANR AND NUENDO THAT ENSUED. A CRIQUE OF THE REAGAN ADMISTRATN IS AN EVABLE PONENT OF THIS CHAPTER, PECIALLY NSIRG THAT HUDSON WAS CLOSE WH FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN.DIRECTOR KIJAK DON’T TRY TO SUGARAT THE PA THAT EVERYONE FELT ABOUT HUDSON’S MISE, NOR DO HE STRA TO END THGS ON AN OPTIMISTIC NOTE; EVEN IF HIS ATH HELPED RAISE AWARENS ABOUT THE DISEASE, HUDSON’S PASSG WAS AN AWFUL LOSS. WH ARTISTRY AND HONTY, ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED PAYS TRIBUTE TO S SUBJECT, ALLOWG TO FULLY SEE HIS EVERY SI.LIKED THIS REVIEW? SIGN UP TO GET OUR WEEKLY SEE SKIP NEWSLETTER EVERY TUDAY AND FD OUT WHAT NEW SHOWS AND MOVI ARE WORTH WATCHG, AND WHICH AREN’T. NICK SCHAGER
- IS GARY HUDSON GAY?
- HARRY STYL TO PERFORM ‘REALISTIC’ GAY SEX SCEN NEW FILM
ROCK HUDSON WAS HOLLYWOOD’S CLOSETED GAY STAR—AND HE WAS HAPPYALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWEDTHE REVELATN OF THE DOC “ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED” ISN’T THE STAR’S GAY PROCLIVI OR HIS DOUBLE LIFE. IT’S THAT HE WAS FORTABLE ALL THE ROL HE HABED.NICK SCHAGERENTERTAMENT CRICPUBLISHED JUN. 26, 2023 4:03AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/THE ROCK HUDSON ESTATE COLLECTN/HBOWH HIS MASSIVE 6-FOOT-5-CH AME, SHARP JAWLE, DARK HAIR AND IMPOSSIBLY GOOD LOOKS, ROCK HUDSON ALWAYS STCK ME AS SOMEONE WHO WOULD HAVE MA AN IAL SUPERMAN—A NOTN RERCED BY HIS STOUT-YET-SENSIVE ALL-AMERIN SCREEN PERSONA. OF URSE, HUDSON WOULDN’T HAVE JT LOOKED THE PART OF THE MAN OF STEEL; HE WOULD HAVE UNRSTOOD A CHARACTER WHO HAD A SECRET INTY, SCE THE HOLLYWOOD STAR HIMSELF WAS A MATEE IDOL WHO FAMOLY LIVED HIS ENTIRE PUBLIC LIFE THE CLOSET.ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED IS THE STORY OF THE TWO HUDSONS, ONE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT AND ONE FOR HIS IENDS, LOVERS AND NFIDANTS, AND PERHAPS MOST SURPRISG IS THAT THE PORTRA PRENTS IS NOT OF A TORTURED SOUL BUT OF A MAN, AND ACTOR, WHO WAS FORTABLE ALL THE ROL HE HABED.DIRECTOR STEPHEN KIJAK’S EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY (PREMIERG JUNE 28 ON HBO, FOLLOWG S BUT AT THE TRIBE FILM FTIVAL) IS, THE END, AN PABLY SAD ONE, GIVEN THAT HUDSON DIED OF PLITNS OM AIDS ON OCT. 2, 1985, AT THE TOO-YOUNG AGE OF 59, TH BEG THE FIRST A-LIST CELEBRY TO FALL VICTIM TO THE EPIMIC. NOHELS, IF THAT SORROW HOVERS OVER S ACTN, NEVER OVERWHELMS .NOWHERE IS THAT MORE APPARENT THAN S DISCSN OF HUDSON’S OWN ATTU TOWARD HAVG TO HI HIS HOMOSEXUALY OM AN DTRY, AND FAN BASE, THAT WOULD NOT TOLERATE . NEVER NFED ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, HUDSON ARRIVED HOLLYWOOD OM WKA, ILLOIS (AFTER A WWII STT THE NAVY) AS A GAY MAN WHO KNEW THE PROVERBIAL SRE, KEEPG HIS PERSONAL PROCLIVI BEHD CLOSED DOORS, AND—WH GUIDANCE AND GROOMG OM AGENT HENRY WILLSON, WHO SHEPHERD HIM AND MANY OTHER QUEER ACTORS THROUGH THIS BEEFKE-Y ERA—PROJECTG HIMSELF FILMS AS THE EMBODIMENT OF NTEMPORARY MASCULY. RATHER THAN TAKG A NVENTNAL TALKG-HEAD APPROACH TO S NON-FICTN BGRAPHY, ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED MELDS VARIED D TERVIEWS WH PHOTOGRAPHS, TEXT DOCUMENTS, TV AND NEWS CLIPS, AND FOOTAGE OM HUDSON’S FILMS. THAT MATERIAL IS FIVE PROOF THAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, HUDSON WAS ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY’S HANDSOMT MEN. MOREOVER, HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST MAGILLY PHOTOGENIC PEOPLE TO EVER STAND BEFORE A MERA, RADIATG SUCH VIBRANT CHARISMA THAT WATCHG ANY SNIPPET OM HIS OVRE IS TO IMMEDIATELY UNRSTAND WHY AGENTS, PRODUCERS AND DIENC WERE WOWED BY HIM. HUDSON IS REFERRED TO THE FILM AS “THE TOM CISE OF HIS DAY,” BUT THAT’S UNRSELLG HIS BETY—HE WAS LIKE A MIDWTERN-BRED VARIATN OF MICHELANGELO’S DAVID. ROCK HUDSON AND LEE GARLGTON PUERTO VALLARTA, 1963.PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTY MART FLAHERTY & THE ROCK HUDSON ESTATE COLLECTN/HBO HE ALSO WASN’T A BAD ACTOR, AS ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED PROV. COLLABORATG WH EDOR CLAIRE DIDIER, DIRECTOR KIJAK SHREWDLY SPLIC TOGETHER MEMORABLE MOMENTS OM NUMERO HUDSON FEATUR, PAYG SPECIAL ATTENTN TO HIS LASTG HS: DOUGLAS SIRK’S MAGNIFICENT OBSSN AND ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, GEE STEVENS’ GIANT, AND JOHN FRANKENHEIMER’S SENDS.BOTH SIRK AND FRANKENHEIMER’S TRIUMPHS ARE STORI ABOUT DIVIDUALS WHOSE PERFECT SURFAC MASK DARKER TTHS ABOUT THEMSELV AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY NTUE TO ROUND AS FICTNAL TAL THAT PARALLEL HUDSON’S REAL-WORLD CIRCUMSTANC. KIJAK FURTHERS SUCH ECHO BY REPEATEDLY CLUDG SNIPPETS OF MOVIE DIALOGUE THAT, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, SPEAKS TO THE FEELGS, OBSTACL AND NFLICTS THAT HUDSON FACED WHILE NAVIGATG HIS IMAGE-CENTRIC HOLLYWOOD I, WHERE TABLOID SNOOPG REQUIRED ARRANGED MARRIAG, CLANSTE RENZVO AND AVOIDG BEG PHOTOGRAPHED WH PARAMOURS. HUDSON WAS FALLY OUTED JULY 1985 URTY OF HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS—WHICH ULD NO LONGER BE EXCED AS THE BYPRODUCT OF ANOREXIA OR FOOD POISONG—AND ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED TAILS HIS FAL YEARS WH POIGNANCY. DIRECTOR KIJAK, HOWEVER, REF TO FE HUDSON’S LEGACY AS SIMPLY THAT OF A FAMO TALENT WHO WAS TORMENTED BY HIS ABILY TO EXIST AS A PROUDLY GAY MAN. FAR OM A CLICHé, THE HUDSON PICTED HERE IS SOMEONE WHO WAS WELL AWARE OF THE L BY WHICH HE HAD TO PLAY ORR TO THRIVE HOLLYWOOD, AND ACCEPTED THEM WHOUT GREAT ANGER OR AGONY.ACRDG TO THE MANY IENDS AND FLAM TERVIEWED THE DOC, HUDSON WORKED HARD TO MATA A HETEROSEXUAL FAçA FOR THE BENEF OF HIS REER, BUT OTHERWISE ENJOYED A ROBT AND HAPPY SEXUAL AND ROMANTIC LIFE, MUCH OF NDUCTED AT HIS BEVERLY HILLS MANSN (DUBBED “THE CASTLE”), WHERE PARTI AND TRYSTS WERE A EQUENT OCCURRENCE. ROCK HUDSON AT HIS HOME “THE CASTLE” THE 1960S.PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTY HARRY LANGDON JR./HBO THE GREAT REVELATN OF ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED IS THAT HUDSON WAS SEEMGLY AT EASE WH HIS STRADDLG-TWO-UNIVERS CIRCUMSTANC, AND THAT HE DID SO WH APLOMB AND WHOUT GREAT DISMAY. TAL OM THE CY THOR ARMISTEAD MP NOT THAT HUDSON WAS PART OF A PRE-LIBERATN GENERATN THAT TOOK PRI VERG FOR EACH OTHER EVEN AS THEY SUPPORTED THE BURGEONG MOVEMENT, AND KEN MALEY NOT THAT WHEN HE TOOK THE ACTOR TO A GAY SEX CLUB HUDSON WAS NOT ONLY AN ENTHIASTIC PARTICIPANT BUT WAS BLHELY UNPERTURBED WHEN THE PARTNER HE WAS WH CRIED OUT FOR THE ENTIRE TABLISHMENT TO HEAR, “OH MY GOD, ’S ROCK HUDSON!”THERE’S JOY AND HUMOR KIJAK’S FILM, AND RADIAT AS BRILLIANTLY AS HUDSON’S ATTRACTIVENS, AS WHEN A IEND HILARLY REMARKS, "ROCK HAD A SIZABLE DICK, BUT HE TRIED TO PUT THAT THG UP MY ASS AND I ULDN'T DO !” THERE’S NO PG HUDSON’S FATE, THOUGH, AND ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED NCLUS WH A HEART-WRENCHG REP OF HIS ORAL WH AIDS. GUID BY NARRATED PASSAG OM HIS IEND GEE NADAR’S DIARI, THE DOCUMENTARY TOUCH UPON THE TERROR OF THE TIME, AND THE MORS THAT SWIRLED AROUND HUDSON DUE TO HIS TERRATG APPEARANCE—CULMATG WH A GUT SPOT ON DYNASTY THAT MAND HE KISS -STAR LDA EVANS, WHO TODAY RAILS AGAST THE FEARFUL SLANR AND NUENDO THAT ENSUED. A CRIQUE OF THE REAGAN ADMISTRATN IS AN EVABLE PONENT OF THIS CHAPTER, PECIALLY NSIRG THAT HUDSON WAS CLOSE WH FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN.DIRECTOR KIJAK DON’T TRY TO SUGARAT THE PA THAT EVERYONE FELT ABOUT HUDSON’S MISE, NOR DO HE STRA TO END THGS ON AN OPTIMISTIC NOTE; EVEN IF HIS ATH HELPED RAISE AWARENS ABOUT THE DISEASE, HUDSON’S PASSG WAS AN AWFUL LOSS. WH ARTISTRY AND HONTY, ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED PAYS TRIBUTE TO S SUBJECT, ALLOWG TO FULLY SEE HIS EVERY SI.LIKED THIS REVIEW? SIGN UP TO GET OUR WEEKLY SEE SKIP NEWSLETTER EVERY TUDAY AND FD OUT WHAT NEW SHOWS AND MOVI ARE WORTH WATCHG, AND WHICH AREN’T. NICK SCHAGER
* harry hudson gay *
Is Harry Hudson-Taylor gay?
Nowhere is that more apparent than s discsn of Hudson’s own attu toward havg to hi his homosexualy om an dtry, and fan base, that would not tolerate . Never nfed about his sexualy, Hudson arrived Hollywood om Wka, Illois (after a WWII stt the Navy) as a gay man who knew the proverbial sre, keepg his personal proclivi behd closed doors, and—wh guidance and groomg om agent Henry Willson, who shepherd him and many other queer actors through this beefke-y era—projectg himself films as the embodiment of ntemporary than takg a nventnal talkg-head approach to s non-fictn bgraphy, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed melds varied d terviews wh photographs, text documents, TV and news clips, and footage om Hudson’s films.
IS GARY HUDSON GAY?
Director Kijak, however, ref to fe Hudson’s legacy as simply that of a famo talent who was tormented by his abily to exist as a proudly gay man. Tal om the Cy thor Armistead Mp not that Hudson was part of a pre-liberatn generatn that took pri verg for each other even as they supported the burgeong movement, and Ken Maley not that when he took the actor to a gay sex club Hudson was not only an enthiastic participant but was blhely unperturbed when the partner he was wh cried out for the entire tablishment to hear, “Oh my God, ’s Rock Hudson!
HARRY STYL TO PERFORM ‘REALISTIC’ GAY SEX SCEN NEW FILM
Not bee mak me look gay, or mak me look straight, or mak me look bisexual, but bee I thk looks ol. Henry Willson was an unscpulo talent agent who mold gay stars to the "beefke" ial of 1950s Hollywood — while also preyg on them. As a premier talent agent who happened to be gay, Henry Willson unrstood that better than most.