A gay man wh major ambns a prejudiced world, Hudson valiantly tried to be all thgs to all people—as Mark Griff wr All That Heaven Allows: A Bgraphy of Rock Hudson.
Contents:
- ROCK HUDSON'S 'TE LOVE' SPEAKS: HOW WE KEPT OUR GAY LIFE SECRET
- ROCK HUDSON: THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIV OF A GAY HOLLYWOOD IDOL
- WAS ROCK HUDSON GAY REAL LIFE?
- ROCK HUDSON’S WIFE SECRETLY RERD HIS GAY CONFSN
- ROCK HUDSON’S GAY CONFSN SECRETLY RERD BY HIS WIFE
- 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 POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDAND JT LIKE THAT… HERE’S WHAT WE NEED SEASON 3BY HILLARY BISOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLAS 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 POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDAND JT LIKE THAT… HERE’S WHAT WE NEED SEASON 3BY HILLARY BISOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLBY 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
ROCK HUDSON'S 'TE LOVE' SPEAKS: HOW WE KEPT OUR GAY LIFE SECRET
A new HBO documentary explor the public and private worlds of the actor who was Hollywood's epome of heterosexual sire while livg a closeted gay liftyle, who 1985 beme the first celebry to die of AIDS. * rod hudson gay *
"He was the biggt movie star the world, and the mors were that he was gay, " he says.
In an era when homosexualy was still a crime and almost entirely taboo, Willson ma ltle attempt to hi his sexualy and was equently spotted at Los Angel’ gay bars. Hudson, however, was much more discreet, and although his clost iends and -workers knew he was gay, revealg that to public would have end his reer. Like many other young actors, both gay and straight, Hudson had played along wh the powerful stud publicy mache, gog on arranged dat wh starlets and givg y terviews to journalists about his relatnship stat.
Gat would later claim that she’d had no ia that Hudson was gay before they married, but those close to Hudson were nvced that had all been arranged by Willson. Some believed only homosexuals uld ntract , and early news acunts referred to as the “gay plague, ” or GRID (gay-related immune ficiency). While he didn’t formally announce he was gay, he knew that the admissn would make that all but Hudson had feared a backlash, the beloved star stead received tens of thoands of msag om well-wishers, and many of his fellow Hollywood stars voiced their support.
ROCK HUDSON: THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIV OF A GAY HOLLYWOOD IDOL
Our celebratn of post-war gay, bisexual, and straight movie stars wearg next to nothg at all. * rod hudson gay *
Homophobia, fear and the reluctance of the feral ernment to tervene furiated many and worsened the growg crisis.
But now, his new HBO documentary, "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, " Kijak explor Hudson's whole life, as a global star, and closeted gay man. "In real life, Hudson was datg men, like Lee Garlgton, who the documentary relled, "We were orred never to have our picture taken together, bee somebody would know that we were gay. In an archival terview Day said, "Many, many people would ask me, you know, 'Is Rock Hudson really gay?
WAS ROCK HUDSON GAY REAL LIFE?
Was he really gay?
Was Rock Hudson Gay? Y, Rock Hudson was gay.
She claimed that at the time, she didn’t know about Hudson’s homosexualy, but later nonted him about .
ROCK HUDSON’S WIFE SECRETLY RERD HIS GAY CONFSN
Around the 1940s, homosexualy was not as acceptable society.
“His agent told him that he was never to have one of his boyiends a photo bee if anyone saw , they would spect he was gay, ” he said. For many rears, the obuari functned as the fal word on McKuen’s legacy; so what do mean that the mastream prs all but erased McKuen’s queer past and gay activism?
ROCK HUDSON’S GAY CONFSN SECRETLY RERD BY HIS WIFE
I first enuntered Rod McKuen’s name while rearchg Ana Bryant’s 1977 anti-gay Save Our Children mpaign Florida.
McKuen publicly opposed the Florida Cs spokwoman—dubbg Bryant wh the name ‘Gny Orangeed’—and gave benef performanc Miami and at gay diss New York and LA to raise money for gay rights groups. In fact, McKuen was a longtime supporter of gay rights.
In the 1950s, he held a learship role an early and important gay rights anizatn, the San Francis Mattache Society.
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 POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDAND JT LIKE THAT… HERE’S WHAT WE NEED SEASON 3BY HILLARY BISOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLAS 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 POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDAND JT LIKE THAT… HERE’S WHAT WE NEED SEASON 3BY HILLARY BISOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLBY 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
Asked 1977 by an Associated Prs reporter if he was gay, McKuen rpond: “I’ve been attracted to men and I’ve been attracted to women. ” By the end of the year, the Baltimore Sun sually scribed McKuen as a homosexual.