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Bullock's Shame Got Too Close For Comfort. Then Thgs Got Better</h1><h3 class="subtle">The gay-ish goofball we all remember as Monroe om the silly '80s s was ed gay. And diagnosed wh HIV 1985. And eply closeted. And then thgs got even more plited...</h3><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-bottom-16--KVxKv"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-y-16--ohCEm"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-jtify-start--_8fEd ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-12--rODKq"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flexGrow--mx4xz ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-8--HFpIK facepile"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__fac--FVkdk ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__size-40--pH6IT"><div class="profile-hover-rd-target ontend-rear2-ProfileAndPublitnHoverCard-module__profileHoverCardTarget--Od_YL"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flexAuto--CnX9I ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" /><img src=" siz="100vw" alt width="80" class="ontend-ponents-rponsive_img-module__img--Pgjj2 facepile-face ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__face--uAQkp ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__size-40--pH6IT ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__first--TZamh ontend-ponents-Facepile-module__last--DT3p3" /></picture></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-11--k1e8b ontend-pencraft-Text-module__le-height-20--p0dP8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-medium--x7khA ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-meta--U_nxy ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-pub-primary-text--RzL7j ontend-pencraft-Text-module__transform-upperse--IDkUL ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ ontend-pencraft-Text-module__meta--jzHdd"><div class="profile-hover-rd-target ontend-rear2-ProfileAndPublitnHoverCard-module__profileHoverCardTarget--Od_YL"><a href=" class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ratn-hover-unrle--BEYAn ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ">Tim Murphy</a></div></div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-4--zeW5_"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-11--k1e8b ontend-pencraft-Text-module__le-height-20--p0dP8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-medium--x7khA ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-meta--U_nxy ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-pub-sendary-text--OzRTa ontend-pencraft-Text-module__transform-upperse--IDkUL ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ ontend-pencraft-Text-module__meta--jzHdd">Aug 12, 2022</div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-11--k1e8b ontend-pencraft-Text-module__le-height-20--p0dP8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-medium--x7khA ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-meta--U_nxy ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-pub-sendary-text--OzRTa ontend-pencraft-Text-module__transform-upperse--IDkUL ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ ontend-pencraft-Text-module__meta--jzHdd">∙ Paid</div></div></div></div></div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flexGrow--mx4xz ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-jtify-space-between--NvIcg ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-16--TpblU ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-y-16--ohCEm ontend-pencraft-Box-module__borr-top-tail-themed--e17yZ ontend-pencraft-Box-module__borr-bottom-tail-themed--eVwFY post-ufi"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-8--HFpIK"><div class="like-button-ntaer post-ufi-button style-button"><a role="button" class="post-ufi-button style-button has-label wh-borr"><svg role="img" style="height: 20px; 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Bullock's Shame Got Too Close For Comfort. Then Thgs Got Better</h4><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-14--Ume6q ontend-pencraft-Text-module__le-height-20--p0dP8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-normal--s54Wf ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-text--QmNJR ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-sendary--WRADg ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ ontend-pencraft-Text-module__body4--Pl3xY"></div></div></div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-jtify-space-between--NvIcg ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-8--HFpIK share-dialog-buttons-wrapper"><button tabInx="0" type="button" class="button share-actn"><div class="actn-in"><svg role="img" width="20" height="16" viewBox="0 0 20 16" fill="none" stroke-width="1.8" stroke="#000" xmlns="><g><tle></tle><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M12.1303 0.000379039C10.9833 -0.00959082 9.87819 0.431464 9.05309 1.22855L9.04556 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class="visibily-check"></div><div class class><div class="available-ntent"><div dir="to" class="body markup"><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="669" height="481" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" fetchprry="high" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Happy Augt, Caftan rears! I hope you’re all havg a good summer, or as good a summer as possible. I was so (I hate this cliché, but…) #blsed to spend three weeks Greece, both Athens (a tly ol, vibrant and laid-back cy that I will not lger aga summer—’s so hot!) and on some credibly betiful islands. And through all, I was lighted to see Caftan rearship skyrocket as my last terview wh porn legend Tom Chase garnered more than 12,000 reads. That felt amazg!</p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">Me (right) wh one of my bti, Fab, on Santori July.</figptn></figure></div><p></p><p><span>But I have to adm that by Week Three of the Greek sojourn, beg the wre-aholic that I am, I was anx to get back to NYC—partly to do the Augt terview. Let me troduce by sayg that, if there were a Gen X game show lled “Name That S Voice,” where you had to intify a voice om the silly shows we watched as kids and teens—wa, is that Tootie om </span><em>The Facts of Life?</em><span> Boss Hogg om </span><em>The D of Hazzard</em><span>?—wouldn’t we all immediately know the voice of Monroe Fic om </span><em>Too Close for Comfort? </em><span>I mean, </span><em>TCFC </em><span>wasn’t even a favore show of me when I was middle school—I was fely team </span><em>Facts of Life</em><span> (pecially when they went to Paris!)—but </span><em>TCFC </em><span>was always on the background and there was Monroe, sorta gay-seemg and -soundg but maybe jt a big doof, the ane way that ss of that perd really weren’t more sophistited than old-fashned, schticky vville rout.</span></p><div id="youtube2-m-BVv5qKA7g" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{"vioId":"m-BVv5qKA7g","startTime":null,"endTime":null}" data-ponent-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-ner"><iame src=" ameborr="0" loadg="lazy" gture="media" allow="toplay; fullscreen" allowtoplay="te" allowfullscreen="te" width="728" height="409"></iame></div></div><p></p><p><span>And of urse there was also the nerd/hunk tensn, bee as much of a goofy, fumblg geek that Monroe was supposed to be, he was also, well, </span><em>hunky</em><span>, pecially those form-ftg gby shirts. </span></p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="397" height="309" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><span>Well, turns out that Monroe fact </span><em>was</em><span> gay—that is, Jim J. Bullock, the Texas-bred actor who played him, was. But not only was he eply closeted the dtry, he was also secretly livg wh HIV, nvced that if eher or pecially both secrets got out, his reer would be ed. (In fact, he was nvced that </span><em>TCFC </em><span>leadg man and grand poobah Ted Knight would end for him personally. And boy, do he have a heartbreakg anecdote to share about a smackdown wh Ted he once had.)</span></p><p><span>It didn’t turn out que like that. When </span><em>TCFC </em><span>end 1986 wh Knight’s abpt ath om ncer, Jim’s reer ntued on </span><em>The New Hollywood Squar</em><span> (watch him at the 3:46 mark)…</span></p><div id="youtube2-HqNS6kbWTbI" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{"vioId":"HqNS6kbWTbI","startTime":null,"endTime":null}" data-ponent-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-ner"><iame src=" ameborr="0" loadg="lazy" gture="media" allow="toplay; fullscreen" allowtoplay="te" allowfullscreen="te" width="728" height="409"></iame></div></div><p></p><p><span>…and </span><em>Alf</em><span>. He kicked off the neti wh a betiful six-year relatnship wh another HIV-posive man, John Casey. But when John died of AIDS 1996, that’s when Jim’s life really went haywire, wh an arrt 1999 for posssn of crystal meth beg only one of the bottoms he h. It was good old-fashned eight-shows-a-week stage work, startg wh the role of Wilbur Turnblad Broadway’s </span><em>Hairspray</em><span>, that saved Jim’s reer—and maybe even his life. (He then went on to play </span><em>Edna</em><span> Turnblad, the role Harvey Fierste created, several succeedg productns; the clip below is of Jim as Edna a 2011 regnal stagg of the mil.)</span></p><div id="youtube2-JxPT9gznMkA" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{"vioId":"JxPT9gznMkA","startTime":null,"endTime":null}" data-ponent-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-ner"><iame src=" ameborr="0" loadg="lazy" gture="media" allow="toplay; fullscreen" allowtoplay="te" allowfullscreen="te" width="728" height="409"></iame></div></div><p>All of which brgs up to today, wh Jim livg relatively quietly Palm Sprgs. </p><p>On Augt 8, Jim and I talked for four straight hours—okay, there were a few bathroom breaks—and I loved every mute of . Even at 67 and after all his ups and downs, Jim to me still has the sence of a very sweet and earnt boy raised the Baptist church who wants to make people happy and make them lgh. I had a lot of inty wh his disvery, early on, that humor go a long way toward beg accepted—and also that, as gay boys growg up a certa era, we sperately wanted to be accepted—by our fathers, by society—more than anythg else. Jim’s story is studd wh the mpy celebri of yteryear, om Pl Lyn to Joan Rivers to Tammy Faye Baker. It’s a wild ri, and I loved that as effortlsly funny as he was, Jim was ad-hont wh me about what was really gog on his head and heart through all of . He shied away om (almost) nothg.</p><p>Enjoy the chat! I want to exprs a boatload of gratu to all the subscribers, paid and otherwise, as this marks the first anniversary of The Caftan Chronicl. I have to pch myself that exactly what I envisned for this project—ep talks wh gay men “of a certa age” about our undocumented llective history the past 50 years—seems to be g te, and that people seem to be rpondg. Please nsir subscribg at $5/month or $50 outright for the year if you haven’t. If you have—thank you! And do please ntue to tell folks about Caftan! </p><p>See all you ftan queens September! xo Tim</p><div data-ponent-name="SubscribeWidget" class="subscribe-widget"><form actn="/api/v1/ee?nojs=te" method="post" noValidate class="form "><put type="hidn" name="first_url" /><put type="hidn" name="first_referrer" /><put type="hidn" name="current_url" /><put type="hidn" name="current_referrer" /><put type="hidn" name="referral_" /><put type="hidn" name="source" value="subscribe-widget" /><put type="hidn" name="referrg_pub_id" /><put type="hidn" name="addnal_referrg_pub_ids" /><div class="siBySiWrap"><put type="email" name="email" placeholr="Type your email…" /><button tabInx="0" type="subm" class="button rightButton primary subscribe-btn"><b class="button-text ">Subscribe</b></button></div><div id="error-ntaer"></div><div class="subtle-help-text below-put"></div></form><div class="ontend-log-typo_handler-EmailTypoHandler-module__animatnWrapper--UT0du"></div></div><p></p><p>Tim: Jim! I'm so exced to talk to you. </p><p>Jim: I am too. And I love the name of your project. I go to the Methodist church here Palm Sprgs and we have a very open and wonrful pastor named Jane who wears ftans every Sunday. I have a ftan my closet too, but I've never worn bee 's om some part of the world where the men mt be very small. I orred an XXL, but 's still very tapered around the cht, and a ftan should be all about flows and hidg.</p><p>Tim: Y—ftans should not be tapered.</p><p><span>Jim: I know! I wanted an </span><a href=" rel>Allen Carr</a><span> [the gay producer of the movie </span><em>Grease</em><span>] ftan…</span></p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="429" height="506" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>…but uldn't fd one like that, and the women's on are ma out of plastic. Or nylon. And I'm not wearg my nylon 115-gree heat. Maybe January I'll wear .</p><p>Tim: Y. So Jim, scribe your day so far, or a typil day for you Palm Sprgs.</p><p>Jim: I'm an early riser. I normally get up at five, and if I don't, my t, Lloyd, gets me up. He's 21—a miracle that he is still alive. </p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="579" height="445" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">Jim wh Lloyd as a kten, 2001</figptn></figure></div><p></p><p><span>I had a t for 18 years named Ethel who I had to put down. Then a year went by and I kept gog by this t shelter and they showed me Lloyd when he was a ltle baby kten. They named him after [the 1920s film actor] Harold Lloyd. He lik to walk around outsi, so I get my ffee and we do that until I'm like, "Bch, hurry up, I'm </span><em>hot.</em><span>" Then I jt s my livg room and tell Alexa to play nature nois and I s here and have my ffee and maybe look at my phone. </span></p><p>Then, twice a week, I volunteer at Ktyland, a no-kill adult-t rcue place. Adult ts don't get adopted a lot. I clean their box and scb the floor and love on the ts. I love animals. I thk we have a rponsibily to take re of them. </p><p>Then I go to the gym, do the elliptil, then e home and have a big bowl of watermelon wh salt, and also scrambled eggs and ttage chee. My weight blew up durg COVID but I've managed to take off 30 pounds. Then, if I weren't dog this terview, I'd go volunteer at a homels feedg program or Habat for Humany, or I'd probably be thrift shoppg. I love tchotchk—but I'm not a hoarr! </p><p>Tim: Are you retired at this pot?</p><p>Jim: No, but I'm not really actively pursug work anymore. I do have an agent and manager, but tthfully, I've been away on tours over half of Lloyd's life and I'm not leavg him aga until he go, then I'll be able to work a ltle more.</p><p><span>Then every day at five p.m., I have two very large vodka martis, lightly dirty, and poprn, and watch the lol news, then make my dner and watch somethg like </span><em>Better Call Sl</em><span> or </span><em>Downton Abbey</em><span>, then I'm bed by eight. I love the whole procs of gog to bed. I have a sleepg disorr, so I start wh my edible gummy, then take a trazodone. </span></p><p>Then I'm on TikTok, that's my guilty pleasure. All the guys on there are so fuckg betiful wh their shirts off, and they know . Otherwise, I'm not on any social media. I was on Facebook for a while, but I got all the requts om people I didn't even know, so I jt qu. Anyway, then I take half an Ambien, which knocks me out.</p><p>Tim: Have you had any recent gigs?</p><p><span>Jim: I did </span><em>Kky Boots</em><span> at the Hollywood Bowl early July, which was ol. I also closed out the natnal tour, the role of Wilbur, which I did on Broadway. I did Wilbur Turnblad </span><em>Hairspray</em><span> on Broadway the 2000s, which was thrillg and opened up a whole new chapter my life, and I did the show 2011 Denver and L.A. and on two gigs wh Royal Caribbean. In the neti, as my TV work petered out, theater beme my avenue to make money.</span></p><p>Tim: This is a b of a stock qutn for an actor, but what's the biggt difference between TV and theater?</p><p>Jim: Money. You jt don't make TV money theater unls you're a huge draw like Hugh Jackman. And eight shows a week is such a grd, the same thg over and over. Repetn bor me.</p><p>Tim: Okay, so let's go all the way back now. So you were born 1955 Casper, Wyomg, and then moved to the small town of Denver Cy, Texas, as a baby.</p><p>Jim: My dad worked oilfields and so you went where the oil was, and we moved que a b. My elst siblg is my sister, who is 18, then my brother Bob, who passed, then there's an 11-year break and then my brother Dan, who's two years olr than me, and I'm the baby.</p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="442" height="429" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">Jim (right) and Dan as kids, early 60s.</figptn></figure></div><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="474" height="320" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">“Left to right my brother Dan, my Dad, me and my olst brother Bob at home the day of Dan’s weddg. I ma my tie.”</figptn></figure></div><p></p><p>Tim: What were you like as a kid?</p><p>Jim: I was a sissy—a mamma's boy. Danny was the all-Amerin boy who loved to hunt, fish and kill thgs, and I loved pretty thgs. I loved to go shoppg and wear my mother's lorful blo. I played wh dolls and, remarkably, my parents allowed me to and even bought me a Chatty Cathy doll for Christmas. I got picked on a lot and lled a faggot and queer.</p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="736" height="556" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">Jim wh his mom and what he lls “my Peggy Lipton hair,” 1970</figptn></figure></div><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="237" height="291" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a><figptn class="image-ptn">High school senr photo, 1974</figptn></figure></div><p></p><p>Tim: Well, me too. How badly were you picked on?</p><p><span>Jim: It was mostly verbal. I was never beat up. I didn't even know why I was different! I loved the Monke. My first 45 rerd was "Daydream Believer." I loved </span><em>Lost Space</em><span> and totally nnected to [the seemgly gay character] Dr. Zachary Smh…</span></p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="396" height="392" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>…but as I got olr, I thought, "I don't want to be him."</p><p><span>Tim: Hm, that's so tertg, as of urse I want to talk to you a lot about old TV characters who read as gay, like Monroe on </span><em>Too Close for Comfort </em><span>[hereafter referred to as </span><em>TCFC]. </em><span>Did you thk as a kid that Dr. Smh was gay?</span></p><p><span>Jim: No. But he was fely a big ole grown up sissy man, and I didn't want to be that. But then cut to Pl Lyn as Uncle Arthur on </span><em>Bewched</em><span>…</span></p><p></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="639" height="426" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>…whom I idolized. I got a lot of my humor om Pl Lyn.</p><p>Tim: Why did Dr. Smh repel you but you loved Pl Lyn?</p><p><span>Jim: I thk Pl was really brilliantly funny. Dr. Smh wasn't funny or clever or wty, jt an obnox queen. As a young boy, I didn't even know what "gay" was, but there was </span><em>that thg</em><span>, a nnectn you ma wh certa characters that I, turn, had people tell me they had that nnectn wh Monroe before they even knew their own sexualy.</span></p><p><span>Tim: Well, you are really gettg to the nut of what I want to talk about, bee </span><em>TCFC</em><span> was one of those early-80s ss, like </span><em>Diff'rent Strok</em><span> or </span><em>The Facts of Life</em><span> or </span><em>Silver Spoons</em><span> that was always on the background when I was junr high school, and I always sensed that Monroe was, if not gay, then, like a clown or a nerd or the butt of the joke, and that fely stck a nerve wh me, bee I was all of those thgs. How did </span><em>you</em><span> unrstand Monroe? Was he gay to you?</span></p><p><span>Jim: Not at all. It wasn't like I created him or thought, "Oh, this'll be a good mannerism for him." How I played him is jt what I went wh when I dned. Back the late seventi when I'd first e to L.A. and was dog </span><em>Godspell</em><span> on stage, this crazy agent woman named JoAnn Kane asked me, "What do you want?", and I said, "I want to be on a s." It jt seemed tangible to me. She said, "If you want a s, stand-up is the way ." So I did stand-up at the Comedy Store, which got me on ntract wh ABC, $20,000 for a one-year ntract, and then they try to fd a slot for you on a show. </span></p><p><span>So I went and dned for </span><em>TCFC</em><span> and fot about . Cut to many months later, the agent says to me, "They're still lookg for this Monroe guy." And I had lost weight! I was workg as a livery boy and I'd go to 7-11 the morng and get a huge ffee and a kg-size Snickers and then I'd take Dexatrim and tweak all day long and then e home and maybe eat a ltle chicken. And I lost 30 pounds om when they had first seen me and said, "He's too fat and he's gay." They didn't even read me the first time. </span></p><p>But when I fally read for him, they didn't tell me how to play him—they jt let me go, and that's how I played him the early episos. As the years went on, my voice got lower, and they'd say to me, "Get your voice back up!"</p></div></div><div class="visibily-check"></div><div data-ttid="paywall" data-ponent-name="Paywall" class="paywall"><h2 class="paywall-tle">This post is for paid subscribers</h2><div class="paywall-cta"><a href=" native><button tabInx="0" type="button" class="button subscribe-btn">Subscribe</button></a></div><div class="paywall-log"><a href=" native>Already a paid subscriber? <b>Sign </b></a></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div><div class="footer-wrap publitn-footer"><div class="visibily-check"></div><div class="footer themed-background"><div class="ntaer"><div class="footer-blurbs"><div class="footer-pyright-blurb">© 2023 Tim Murphy</div><div class="footer-terms-blurb"><a href=" target="__blank">Privacy</a><span> ∙ </span><a href=" target="__blank">Terms</a><span> ∙ </span><a href=" target="__blank">Collectn notice</a></div></div><div class="footer-buttons"><a native href=" class="footer-substack-cta start-publishg"><svg role="img" width="1000" height="1000" viewBox="0 0 1000 1000" fill="#FF6719" stroke-width="1.8" stroke="none" xmlns="><g><tle>
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