The new documentary tails the great gay thor's wrg reer and high-society nnectns but also portrays his life as a fay man.
Contents:
- TMAN CAPOTE PAVED THE WAY FOR MANY GAY MEN AMERI, A NEW FILM ABOUT HIS LIFE SHOWS
- THE VDITN OF TMAN CAPOTEREASSESSMENTFILMMAKER EBS BURNOUGH’S NEW DOCUMENTARY “THE CAPOTE TAP,” FEATURG TERVIEWS WH IENDS, NTEMPORARI, AND CAPOTE HIMSELF, SEEKS TO ST THE THOR A NEW LIGHT. LLOYD GROVEUPDATED SEP. 14, 2021 4:35AM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 10, 2021 11:24PM EDT GREENWICH ENTERTAMENTAT HIS ATH 1984, JT SHY OF 60, THE BEL AIR HOME OF ONE OF JOHNNY CARSON’S EX-WIV, TMAN CAPOTE WAS NSPICUO LS FOR HIS LERARY OUTPUT THAN FOR HIS UBIQUO GUT SPOTS ON LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS. WALLOWG PERFORMATIVE AGONY, HE WAS TOXITED BY HIS OWN CELEBRY—TO SAY NOTHG OF ALHOL AND DGS—AS HE NFID TO THE LIK OF CARSON AND DICK CAVETT, HIS TRAMARK SIMPERG SQUEAL, HOW HIS APPARENTLY NEVER-FISHED NOVEL-LENGTH SENDUP OF MANHATTAN HIGH SOCIETY, ANSWERED PRAYERS, PROMPTED HIS CLOST NFIDANT, THE RICH AND ELEGANT LADI HE LLED “MY SWANS,” TO CUT AND SHUN HIM FOREVER.CAPOTE WAS VASTATED MOST OF ALL BY HIS BANISHMENT BY TOP SWAN BABE PALEY, HIS CLOST IEND NEW YORK AND THE WIFE OF CBS MOGUL WILLIAM PALEY.THE NADIR OF HIS PUBLIC APPEARANC—AN ENDURG IMAGE OF LATE-STAGE CAPOTE—OCCURRED JULY 1978, WHEN THE FACT THAT HE ULD BARELY SPEAK, WORD-SLURRG AND GLASSY-EYED AFTER 48 HOURS OF VODKA- AND CHEMIL-ADDLED ROG, DIDN’T DISSUA THE DIMUTIVE STORYTELLER OM APPEARG LIVE ON NEW YORK’S THE STANLEY SIEGEL SHOW.“WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN UNLS YOU LICK THIS PROBLEM OF DGS AND ALHOL?” THE LOL TELEVISN HOST ASKED HIM. “THE OBV ANSWER,” CAPOTE REPLIED A RARE MOMENT OF CLARY, “IS THAT EVENTUALLY, I MEAN, I’LL KILL MYSELF, WHOUT MEANG TO.” A NEW DOCUMENTARY, THE CAPOTE TAP—WHICH PREMIERED AT THE TORONTO FILM FTIVAL TWO YEARS AGO AND IS FALLY GETTG A UNED STAT THEATRIL RELEASE SEPT. 10 AFTER SEVERAL COVID-ED LAYS—SEEKS TO DISPEL THAT DNKEN-FAME-WHORE RITURE. BASED LARGELY ON RERD TERVIEWS NDUCTED BY THE LATE GEE PLIMPTON FOR HIS 1997 ORAL BGRAPHY, TMAN CAPOTE: IN WHICH VAR FRIENDS, ENEMI, ACQUATANC AND DETRACTORS RELL HIS TURBULENT CAREER, ACRDS DUE CRED TO CAPOTE’S WRERLY BRILLIANCE AS THE THOR OF SUCH CLASSICS AS BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S AND HIS GROUNDBREAKG NON-FICTN CRIME NOVEL IN COLD BLOOD. AND THE FILM HUMANIZ A GAY MAN WHO TRIUMPHED OVER SOUL-CSHG STGGL AS A LONELY BOY RAL ALABAMA FARMED OUT TO RELATIV AFTER BEG ABANDONED BY HIS FATHER AND REJECTED BY HIS MOTHER, WHO ULTIMATELY REALIZED HER OWN SOCIAL AMBNS A SEND MARRIAGE ON PARK AVENUE BEFORE SUCCUMBG TO PILLS, ALHOL, AND SUICI.CAPOTE SISTED—AT A TIME WHEN WAS PROFSNALLY DAMAGG AND PHYSILLY DANGERO—ON BEG HIS THENTIC SELF.FOR PLIMPTON’S TAPE RERR, NORMAN MAILER REUNTED A DAY THE EARLY 1950S WHEN HE AND CAPOTE—WHO DRSED AND RRIED HIMSELF, MAILER SAID, LIKE “A BETIFUL LTLE FAGGOT PRCE”—CID TO HAVE A DRK AT AN IRISH BAR BROOKLYN. THE REGULAR PATRONS THIS LAIR OF “SOUR MASCULE VIRTUE” STARED MENACGLY AT CAPOTE; MAILER’S ADRENALE SPIKED “AND I WAS GETTG ALL READY FOR A FIGHT.” CAPOTE, ED TO SUCH REACTNS, TOOK STRI.“I WAS VERY IMPRSED WH WHAT ST HIM TO LIVE LIKE THAT,” MAILER RELLED. (ONE N ONLY IMAGE HOW MAILER, WHO WAS A MASSIVELY CELEBRATED NOVELIST AND NTROVERSIALIST WHEN HE DIED 2007, MIGHT REACT ON LEARNG THAT CAPOTE’S POP-CULTURE PRENCE AND LERARY LEGACY FAR EXCEED HIS OWN 2021. CAPOTE’S WORKS NTUE TO BE WILY READ AND TO ATTRACT EAGER TERT OM HOLLYWOOD; TO DATE, HE HAS BEEN THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF SEVERAL DOCUMENTARI AND TWO FEATURE FILMS, 2005’S OSR-WNG CAPOTE AND 2006’S INFAMO.) CAPOTE TAP DIRECTOR EBS (PRONOUNCED “EEBS”) BURNOUGH, A NATIVE OF TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, ME TO HIS SUBJECT SERENDIPOLY, SEEMS—TRYG HIS HAND AS A FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER AFTER A REER RPORATE BRANDG, PUBLIC RELATNS (WORKG WH, AMONG OTHERS, DAILY BEAST FOUNDG EDOR TA BROWN), AND DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLICS (SERVG AS MICHELLE OBAMA’S POLIL DIRECTOR DURG THE 2008 MPAIGN AND THEN AS PUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY THE OBAMA WHE HOE).BURNOUGH, WHO MAJORED ACTG AT NORTHWTERN UNIVERSY (ALTHOUGH HE ALSO STUDIED POLIL SCIENCE THERE UNR RAHM EMANUEL AND DAVID AXELROD), HAS A KNACK FOR BEIENDG PROMENT, ACPLISHED, AND FAMO PEOPLE. OR MAYBE ’S JT FANTASTIC LUCK THAT ALLOWED HIM TO BE PALS OVER THE YEARS WH MARV HAMLISCH, MIKE NICHOLS, AND PLIMPTON’S WIDOW SARAH (WHO GIFTED HIM THE CHE OF CAPOTE TAP OM HER HBAND’S ARCHIV), AND TO MEET AND MARRY THE FABULOLY WEALTHY HEDGE FUND MANAGER PIERRE LAGRANGE, AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON THE CAPOTE TAP WH WHOM BURNOUGH LIV LONDON AND SHAR FOUR CHILDREN.“I’M A BLACK GAY MAN THAT’S 41 YEARS OLD,” BURNOUGH TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “TMAN CAPOTE WAS WHO HE WAS. THAT DON’T MEAN THAT IF TMAN WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE WOULD BE HOLDG A PRI FLAG AT A GAY PRI PARA. BUT I DO BELIEVE HE TALKED ABOUT THE CHALLENG OF LOVE AND HE WAS PRETTY OPENLY GAY—THEATRILLY SO. HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOG. AND I THOUGHT, HERE’S A PERSON WHO’S ACTUALLY BEEN OVERLOOKED”— PART, BURNOUGH ARGUED, BEE CAPOTE WAS A PUBLICY HOUND AND A WICKED, EVEN MALIC, GOSSIP WHO WAS NEVER A MEMBER OF THE LERARY TABLISHMENT.“WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GAY PRI, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEARS, AND PEOPLE WHO ME BEFORE , TMAN CAPOTE’S NAME DON’T E UP,” BURNOUGH ADD. “AND FOR ME, AS A GAY BLACK BOY RAISED THE AMERIN SOUTH, THERE’S SOMETHG KD OF—PARDON MY LANGUAGE—FUCKED UP ABOUT THAT. BEE HE ACTUALLY WAS OUT THERE. HE PHED THE ENVELOPE, HE WAS WHO HE WAS, HE DID . HIS WORDS ASI, I THK HE SERV A STRONGER PLACE OUR LGBTQ-PL NON THAN HE OCCUPI. “HE PHED THE ENVELOPE, HE WAS WHO HE WAS, HE DID . HIS WORDS ASI, I THK HE SERV A STRONGER PLACE OUR LGBTQ-PL NON THAN HE OCCUPI.” “Y, TMAN HAD HIS FLTS, AND I’M NOT TRYG TO DOWNPLAY THOSE FLTS. HE WAS A DG ADDICT, AND MEAN, MANY WAYS. [INED, THE DOCUMENTARY FEATUR D OM ONE OF PLIMPTON’S TERVIEWS SCRIBG CAPOTE AS “A NDIED TARANTULA.” A CLIP OM THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRG JOHNNY CARSON FEATUR CAPOTE REMARKG TO THE BLANKLY NODDG HOST: “MARLON BRANDO IS AN ABSOLUTELY MARVELO ACTOR. BUT HE’S SO DUMB MAK YOUR SK CRAWL.”] BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNRSTAND THAT HE DID FURTHER OUR E WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE WEREN’T EVEN LOOKG AT .”BURNOUGH SAID HE BEGAN READG CAPOTE AS A TEENAGER AFTER A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIAN TALLAHASSEE TRODUCED HIM TO SUCH SHORT STORI AS MIRIAM. THAT’S AN TENSE, GOOSE BUMP-DUCG YARN ABOUT AN AGG, UPPER EAST SI WIDOW, MIRIAM MILLER, WHO IS TERRORIZED, OR SO SEEMS, BY AN IMPERTENT, MANDG, STCTIVE LTLE GIRL—ALSO NAMED MIRIAM—AFTER A CHANCE ENUNTER AT A MOVIE HOE.HE THEN VOURED CAPOTE’S WORKS, PECIALLY THE THLY VEILED BTSELLG GAY G-OF-AGE NOVEL OTHER VOIC, OTHER ROOMS. YET, AS HE REARCHED THE WRER’S LIFE AND TIM PREPARATN FOR THE DOCUMENTARY—CLUDG CAPOTE’S ANT SNOBBISM, WHICH REACHED FULL EXPRSN THE FAMO BLACK & WHE BALL HE THREW 1966 FOR WASHGTON POST PUBLISHER KATHARE GRAHAM AND 500-ODD MASK-WEARG CELEBRI AND PLUTOCRATS, PL CAPOTE’S RAZOR W THAT EQUENTLY DREW BLOOD—BURNOUGH CID THAT HE DIDN’T MUCH LIKE HIM.THAT IS, UNTIL HE LEARNED THE STORY OF KATE HARRGTON, WHOSE FATHER, A ROUGH-HEWN BRONX IRISHMAN WHO WAS A BANK VICE PRINT ON LONG ISLAND, HAD A TUMULTUO AFFAIR WH THE WRER. IN THE DOCUMENTARY, PLAYWRIGHT DOTSON RAR—AN PECIALLY HILAR ANECDOTIST AND ONE OF SEVERAL SURVIVG CAPOTE IENDS WHO TALKED FOR BURNOUGH’S MERA—CLAIMS THAT DURG A MEETG THE BANKER’S OFFICE, THE BANKER ASKED THE WRER IF HE WANTED TO MAKE A POS, AND CAPOTE SAID NO, BUT HE TOOK POSS, AND THEN PROCEED TO FELLATE HIM. TMAN CAPOTEGEE ROSE/GETTY THE FAMO WRER ME TO DNER WH THE BANKER’S FAY THEIR MOST SUBURBAN HOE, RIDG A BIG BLACK LIMO THAT FASCATED THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS; KATE HAD TO STIFLE HER LGHTER WH A TEA TOWEL WHEN SHE FIRST HEARD CAPOTE’S HIGH-PCHED SNUFFLE. AFTER KATE’S DAD LEFT HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WH ZERO FANCIAL SUPPORT, CAPOTE TOOK HER UNR HIS WG, VG HER TO LIVE WH HIM AT HIS UN PLAZA APARTMENT, JUMP-STARTG HER REER AS A MOL WH A VIS TO RICHARD AVEDON’S STUD, ENURAGG HER TO WRE, AND TRODUCG HER TO ALL OF HIS WELL-NNECTED CELEBRY IENDS, SUCH AS ANDY WARHOL AND DIANA VREELAND (FOR BOTH OF WHOM SHE LATER WORKED).BURNOUGH SAID HARRGTON IS “THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS STORY,” BEE HER RELATNSHIP WH CAPOTE SHOWED THAT HE WAS PABLE OF NURTURG ANOTHER HUMAN BEG WH LOVG KDNS. HARRGTON HAS BEEN LARGELY UNR THE RADAR NCERNG HER RELATNSHIP WH CAPOTE. SHE GRANTED ONLY A BRIEF TERVIEW TO PLIMPTON, A IEND OF HERS, BUT SAID “SOMETHG ABOUT EBS” PERSUAD HER TO SHARE HER MEMORI OF CAPOTE AT LENGTH ON MERA.“I AM HAPPY WH THE DOCUMENTARY. I WAS SO NERVO. I WAS AAID WAS GOG TO BE MEAN. THE TAIL-END OF HIS LIFE WAS SO TERRIBLE—LET’S JT SAY WHAT WAS, AND I DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT,” HARRGTON, NOW 60, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, ADDG THAT SHE HELPED RE FOR THE WRER DURG HIS WANG DAYS.HARRGTON, WHO CID DURG THE PANMIC TO START WORK ON A MEMOIR OF HER LIFE WH CAPOTE, NAMED HER 20-YEAR-OLD DGHTER AFTER HIM.“I WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER TMAN AS A SER, GREAT WRER—NOT ABOUT HIS ALHOLISM AND DG ADDICTN AND HIS FALL OM GRACE.” LLOYD GROVE
TMAN CAPOTE PAVED THE WAY FOR MANY GAY MEN AMERI, A NEW FILM ABOUT HIS LIFE SHOWS
Directed by a gay former Obama Whe Hoe social secretary, Ebs Burnough, the film draws om the tap of wrer and edor Gee Plimpton’s 1997 oral history of Capote to build a more plete portra of the oral history also served as the basis of the 2006 film Infamo, but Burnough avoids the tenncy reprentatns of gay artists to simplify the role of inty their liv and works.
Harrgton rells how Capote’s mother abandoned him ral Alabama, and that he nfid her about how “dreadful” was to live there as “this ltle gay, sawed-off man.
THE VDITN OF TMAN CAPOTEREASSESSMENTFILMMAKER EBS BURNOUGH’S NEW DOCUMENTARY “THE CAPOTE TAP,” FEATURG TERVIEWS WH IENDS, NTEMPORARI, AND CAPOTE HIMSELF, SEEKS TO ST THE THOR A NEW LIGHT. LLOYD GROVEUPDATED SEP. 14, 2021 4:35AM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 10, 2021 11:24PM EDT GREENWICH ENTERTAMENTAT HIS ATH 1984, JT SHY OF 60, THE BEL AIR HOME OF ONE OF JOHNNY CARSON’S EX-WIV, TMAN CAPOTE WAS NSPICUO LS FOR HIS LERARY OUTPUT THAN FOR HIS UBIQUO GUT SPOTS ON LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS. WALLOWG PERFORMATIVE AGONY, HE WAS TOXITED BY HIS OWN CELEBRY—TO SAY NOTHG OF ALHOL AND DGS—AS HE NFID TO THE LIK OF CARSON AND DICK CAVETT, HIS TRAMARK SIMPERG SQUEAL, HOW HIS APPARENTLY NEVER-FISHED NOVEL-LENGTH SENDUP OF MANHATTAN HIGH SOCIETY, ANSWERED PRAYERS, PROMPTED HIS CLOST NFIDANT, THE RICH AND ELEGANT LADI HE LLED “MY SWANS,” TO CUT AND SHUN HIM FOREVER.CAPOTE WAS VASTATED MOST OF ALL BY HIS BANISHMENT BY TOP SWAN BABE PALEY, HIS CLOST IEND NEW YORK AND THE WIFE OF CBS MOGUL WILLIAM PALEY.THE NADIR OF HIS PUBLIC APPEARANC—AN ENDURG IMAGE OF LATE-STAGE CAPOTE—OCCURRED JULY 1978, WHEN THE FACT THAT HE ULD BARELY SPEAK, WORD-SLURRG AND GLASSY-EYED AFTER 48 HOURS OF VODKA- AND CHEMIL-ADDLED ROG, DIDN’T DISSUA THE DIMUTIVE STORYTELLER OM APPEARG LIVE ON NEW YORK’S THE STANLEY SIEGEL SHOW.“WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN UNLS YOU LICK THIS PROBLEM OF DGS AND ALHOL?” THE LOL TELEVISN HOST ASKED HIM. “THE OBV ANSWER,” CAPOTE REPLIED A RARE MOMENT OF CLARY, “IS THAT EVENTUALLY, I MEAN, I’LL KILL MYSELF, WHOUT MEANG TO.” A NEW DOCUMENTARY, THE CAPOTE TAP—WHICH PREMIERED AT THE TORONTO FILM FTIVAL TWO YEARS AGO AND IS FALLY GETTG A UNED STAT THEATRIL RELEASE SEPT. 10 AFTER SEVERAL COVID-ED LAYS—SEEKS TO DISPEL THAT DNKEN-FAME-WHORE RITURE. BASED LARGELY ON RERD TERVIEWS NDUCTED BY THE LATE GEE PLIMPTON FOR HIS 1997 ORAL BGRAPHY, TMAN CAPOTE: IN WHICH VAR FRIENDS, ENEMI, ACQUATANC AND DETRACTORS RELL HIS TURBULENT CAREER, ACRDS DUE CRED TO CAPOTE’S WRERLY BRILLIANCE AS THE THOR OF SUCH CLASSICS AS BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S AND HIS GROUNDBREAKG NON-FICTN CRIME NOVEL IN COLD BLOOD. AND THE FILM HUMANIZ A GAY MAN WHO TRIUMPHED OVER SOUL-CSHG STGGL AS A LONELY BOY RAL ALABAMA FARMED OUT TO RELATIV AFTER BEG ABANDONED BY HIS FATHER AND REJECTED BY HIS MOTHER, WHO ULTIMATELY REALIZED HER OWN SOCIAL AMBNS A SEND MARRIAGE ON PARK AVENUE BEFORE SUCCUMBG TO PILLS, ALHOL, AND SUICI.CAPOTE SISTED—AT A TIME WHEN WAS PROFSNALLY DAMAGG AND PHYSILLY DANGERO—ON BEG HIS THENTIC SELF.FOR PLIMPTON’S TAPE RERR, NORMAN MAILER REUNTED A DAY THE EARLY 1950S WHEN HE AND CAPOTE—WHO DRSED AND RRIED HIMSELF, MAILER SAID, LIKE “A BETIFUL LTLE FAGGOT PRCE”—CID TO HAVE A DRK AT AN IRISH BAR BROOKLYN. THE REGULAR PATRONS THIS LAIR OF “SOUR MASCULE VIRTUE” STARED MENACGLY AT CAPOTE; MAILER’S ADRENALE SPIKED “AND I WAS GETTG ALL READY FOR A FIGHT.” CAPOTE, ED TO SUCH REACTNS, TOOK STRI.“I WAS VERY IMPRSED WH WHAT ST HIM TO LIVE LIKE THAT,” MAILER RELLED. (ONE N ONLY IMAGE HOW MAILER, WHO WAS A MASSIVELY CELEBRATED NOVELIST AND NTROVERSIALIST WHEN HE DIED 2007, MIGHT REACT ON LEARNG THAT CAPOTE’S POP-CULTURE PRENCE AND LERARY LEGACY FAR EXCEED HIS OWN 2021. CAPOTE’S WORKS NTUE TO BE WILY READ AND TO ATTRACT EAGER TERT OM HOLLYWOOD; TO DATE, HE HAS BEEN THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF SEVERAL DOCUMENTARI AND TWO FEATURE FILMS, 2005’S OSR-WNG CAPOTE AND 2006’S INFAMO.) CAPOTE TAP DIRECTOR EBS (PRONOUNCED “EEBS”) BURNOUGH, A NATIVE OF TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, ME TO HIS SUBJECT SERENDIPOLY, SEEMS—TRYG HIS HAND AS A FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER AFTER A REER RPORATE BRANDG, PUBLIC RELATNS (WORKG WH, AMONG OTHERS, DAILY BEAST FOUNDG EDOR TA BROWN), AND DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLICS (SERVG AS MICHELLE OBAMA’S POLIL DIRECTOR DURG THE 2008 MPAIGN AND THEN AS PUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY THE OBAMA WHE HOE).BURNOUGH, WHO MAJORED ACTG AT NORTHWTERN UNIVERSY (ALTHOUGH HE ALSO STUDIED POLIL SCIENCE THERE UNR RAHM EMANUEL AND DAVID AXELROD), HAS A KNACK FOR BEIENDG PROMENT, ACPLISHED, AND FAMO PEOPLE. OR MAYBE ’S JT FANTASTIC LUCK THAT ALLOWED HIM TO BE PALS OVER THE YEARS WH MARV HAMLISCH, MIKE NICHOLS, AND PLIMPTON’S WIDOW SARAH (WHO GIFTED HIM THE CHE OF CAPOTE TAP OM HER HBAND’S ARCHIV), AND TO MEET AND MARRY THE FABULOLY WEALTHY HEDGE FUND MANAGER PIERRE LAGRANGE, AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON THE CAPOTE TAP WH WHOM BURNOUGH LIV LONDON AND SHAR FOUR CHILDREN.“I’M A BLACK GAY MAN THAT’S 41 YEARS OLD,” BURNOUGH TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “TMAN CAPOTE WAS WHO HE WAS. THAT DON’T MEAN THAT IF TMAN WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE WOULD BE HOLDG A PRI FLAG AT A GAY PRI PARA. BUT I DO BELIEVE HE TALKED ABOUT THE CHALLENG OF LOVE AND HE WAS PRETTY OPENLY GAY—THEATRILLY SO. HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOG. AND I THOUGHT, HERE’S A PERSON WHO’S ACTUALLY BEEN OVERLOOKED”— PART, BURNOUGH ARGUED, BEE CAPOTE WAS A PUBLICY HOUND AND A WICKED, EVEN MALIC, GOSSIP WHO WAS NEVER A MEMBER OF THE LERARY TABLISHMENT.“WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GAY PRI, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEARS, AND PEOPLE WHO ME BEFORE , TMAN CAPOTE’S NAME DON’T E UP,” BURNOUGH ADD. “AND FOR ME, AS A GAY BLACK BOY RAISED THE AMERIN SOUTH, THERE’S SOMETHG KD OF—PARDON MY LANGUAGE—FUCKED UP ABOUT THAT. BEE HE ACTUALLY WAS OUT THERE. HE PHED THE ENVELOPE, HE WAS WHO HE WAS, HE DID . HIS WORDS ASI, I THK HE SERV A STRONGER PLACE OUR LGBTQ-PL NON THAN HE OCCUPI. “HE PHED THE ENVELOPE, HE WAS WHO HE WAS, HE DID . HIS WORDS ASI, I THK HE SERV A STRONGER PLACE OUR LGBTQ-PL NON THAN HE OCCUPI.” “Y, TMAN HAD HIS FLTS, AND I’M NOT TRYG TO DOWNPLAY THOSE FLTS. HE WAS A DG ADDICT, AND MEAN, MANY WAYS. [INED, THE DOCUMENTARY FEATUR D OM ONE OF PLIMPTON’S TERVIEWS SCRIBG CAPOTE AS “A NDIED TARANTULA.” A CLIP OM THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRG JOHNNY CARSON FEATUR CAPOTE REMARKG TO THE BLANKLY NODDG HOST: “MARLON BRANDO IS AN ABSOLUTELY MARVELO ACTOR. BUT HE’S SO DUMB MAK YOUR SK CRAWL.”] BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNRSTAND THAT HE DID FURTHER OUR E WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE WEREN’T EVEN LOOKG AT .”BURNOUGH SAID HE BEGAN READG CAPOTE AS A TEENAGER AFTER A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIAN TALLAHASSEE TRODUCED HIM TO SUCH SHORT STORI AS MIRIAM. THAT’S AN TENSE, GOOSE BUMP-DUCG YARN ABOUT AN AGG, UPPER EAST SI WIDOW, MIRIAM MILLER, WHO IS TERRORIZED, OR SO SEEMS, BY AN IMPERTENT, MANDG, STCTIVE LTLE GIRL—ALSO NAMED MIRIAM—AFTER A CHANCE ENUNTER AT A MOVIE HOE.HE THEN VOURED CAPOTE’S WORKS, PECIALLY THE THLY VEILED BTSELLG GAY G-OF-AGE NOVEL OTHER VOIC, OTHER ROOMS. YET, AS HE REARCHED THE WRER’S LIFE AND TIM PREPARATN FOR THE DOCUMENTARY—CLUDG CAPOTE’S ANT SNOBBISM, WHICH REACHED FULL EXPRSN THE FAMO BLACK & WHE BALL HE THREW 1966 FOR WASHGTON POST PUBLISHER KATHARE GRAHAM AND 500-ODD MASK-WEARG CELEBRI AND PLUTOCRATS, PL CAPOTE’S RAZOR W THAT EQUENTLY DREW BLOOD—BURNOUGH CID THAT HE DIDN’T MUCH LIKE HIM.THAT IS, UNTIL HE LEARNED THE STORY OF KATE HARRGTON, WHOSE FATHER, A ROUGH-HEWN BRONX IRISHMAN WHO WAS A BANK VICE PRINT ON LONG ISLAND, HAD A TUMULTUO AFFAIR WH THE WRER. IN THE DOCUMENTARY, PLAYWRIGHT DOTSON RAR—AN PECIALLY HILAR ANECDOTIST AND ONE OF SEVERAL SURVIVG CAPOTE IENDS WHO TALKED FOR BURNOUGH’S MERA—CLAIMS THAT DURG A MEETG THE BANKER’S OFFICE, THE BANKER ASKED THE WRER IF HE WANTED TO MAKE A POS, AND CAPOTE SAID NO, BUT HE TOOK POSS, AND THEN PROCEED TO FELLATE HIM. TMAN CAPOTEGEE ROSE/GETTY THE FAMO WRER ME TO DNER WH THE BANKER’S FAY THEIR MOST SUBURBAN HOE, RIDG A BIG BLACK LIMO THAT FASCATED THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS; KATE HAD TO STIFLE HER LGHTER WH A TEA TOWEL WHEN SHE FIRST HEARD CAPOTE’S HIGH-PCHED SNUFFLE. AFTER KATE’S DAD LEFT HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WH ZERO FANCIAL SUPPORT, CAPOTE TOOK HER UNR HIS WG, VG HER TO LIVE WH HIM AT HIS UN PLAZA APARTMENT, JUMP-STARTG HER REER AS A MOL WH A VIS TO RICHARD AVEDON’S STUD, ENURAGG HER TO WRE, AND TRODUCG HER TO ALL OF HIS WELL-NNECTED CELEBRY IENDS, SUCH AS ANDY WARHOL AND DIANA VREELAND (FOR BOTH OF WHOM SHE LATER WORKED).BURNOUGH SAID HARRGTON IS “THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS STORY,” BEE HER RELATNSHIP WH CAPOTE SHOWED THAT HE WAS PABLE OF NURTURG ANOTHER HUMAN BEG WH LOVG KDNS. HARRGTON HAS BEEN LARGELY UNR THE RADAR NCERNG HER RELATNSHIP WH CAPOTE. SHE GRANTED ONLY A BRIEF TERVIEW TO PLIMPTON, A IEND OF HERS, BUT SAID “SOMETHG ABOUT EBS” PERSUAD HER TO SHARE HER MEMORI OF CAPOTE AT LENGTH ON MERA.“I AM HAPPY WH THE DOCUMENTARY. I WAS SO NERVO. I WAS AAID WAS GOG TO BE MEAN. THE TAIL-END OF HIS LIFE WAS SO TERRIBLE—LET’S JT SAY WHAT WAS, AND I DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT,” HARRGTON, NOW 60, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, ADDG THAT SHE HELPED RE FOR THE WRER DURG HIS WANG DAYS.HARRGTON, WHO CID DURG THE PANMIC TO START WORK ON A MEMOIR OF HER LIFE WH CAPOTE, NAMED HER 20-YEAR-OLD DGHTER AFTER HIM.“I WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER TMAN AS A SER, GREAT WRER—NOT ABOUT HIS ALHOLISM AND DG ADDICTN AND HIS FALL OM GRACE.” LLOYD GROVE
The two big Hollywood movi about him — 2005’s Osr-wng Capote, starrg Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Infamo — zero on that era of his greatt mass market succs, when he prciently turned the murr of a prospero Kansas fay to the then-groundbreakg format of a nonfictn pecially draws all kds of nclns om his tortured, homoerotic relatnship wh the book’s crimal protagonist, Perry Smh, and the fallout of his journalistic betrayal as he awaed their executn. The lumnist Sally Qun, for stance, pots out how he played to the role of the “walker, ” the role given to closeted gay men at the time as party mat and nfidant of women, even as nobody spoke openly about queerns. And we see him terrate his talk show appearanc as iends rell how he lost his wrg abily and the documentary is limed, ’s by the fact that, like most cultural work on gay men, nflat femy and sexualy ways that occlu further sight about genred inty.
At different moments, multiple iends pot out how much beg “on” st him; his life sound exhstg, almost entirely Tap clus the perspective of gay iends, some ways, Tman and Tennsee, which puts Capote and Tennsee Williams to nversatn as queer wrers throughout, brgs out certa nnectns that this sightful film still miss. Through snippets of their wrg, diari, and televisn appearanc, the film lays out their liv as gay men grapplg wh fame and visibily and adds to the unrstandg of Answered Prayers, for stance, Capote scrib Tennsee Williams as a “dumpy ltle guy wh a dramatic md who, like one of his own adrift hero, seeks attentn and sympathy by servg up half-believed li to total strangers.
” Down to that disavowal, he sounds, om a ntemporary vantage pot, ls like a gay man settled his genr nonnformy, and more like a trans femme person stgglg to figure themselv out a vlently bary way Capote ultimately found himself rnered a bary world adds pathos to the fact that he always believed the power of the wrten word, even though uldn’t save him eher. However, I do not believe you have ever ma a reference to homosexualy (a perfectly legimate psychologil ndn) whout gog specially out of your way to make a vic suatn, tic remark, or “dirty dig.