Michael (1924): Carl Theodor Dreyer's Inic Gay Silent Film, Starrg Walter Slezak | Emanuel Levy

HOLLYWOOD’S FIRST GAY MARRIAGE

* gay actors silent era *

Hollywood’s First Gay Marriage.

The story of William Ha is remembered, if ’s remembered at all, as the story of the first openly gay Hollywood star. And through all he was, proudly, one-half of Hollywood’s first openly gay marriage.

WHEN HOLLYWOOD STUDS MARRIED OFF GAY STARS TO KEEP THEIR SEXUALY A SECRET

Ever sce the silent film era, Hollywood beefke photos have tillated both female and gay male fans. Here we beg our seri celebratg gay, bisexual, and straight movie stars wearg next to nothg at all. * gay actors silent era *

That Ha was livg openly wh another man, thereby stroyg any possibily that he might not be gay, ially did absolutely nothg to impact Ha’ populary around town or at his home stud. For years, everyone at MGM had known that William Ha was gay and livg wh a man he loved.

Members of the Hollywood gay scene of the time believe that Billy had taken the h for Jimmy, who had been arrted a bar or a park, where he was known to cise. We know that many other stars Hollywood had gay relatnships, but most prented themselv as straight when told to.

WHO WERE SOME GAY ACTORS OF SILENT SCREEN ERA?

One of the biggt challeng facg silent film historians today is this, “Whout sound, jt how are you supposed to tell if your favore silent era film star was gay?” Whout sound, there’s no tell-tale lisp; no guttural bulldog growl mblg om an otherwise mure, dove-whe throat. The qutn of silent era sexualy has ed […] * gay actors silent era *

Billy’s old iend Archie Leach, for stance, is acknowledged now by many bgraphers to have lived as a gay man before he me to Hollywood and to have ntued relatnships wh men after he beme Cary Grant. The gay subculture of early Hollywood has gaed more attentn recently thanks to the Netflix seri Hollywood. Knowg as much as we do about some LGBT stars is a feat nsirg how much rewrg and verg up the Hollywood stud heads did to everyone they managed, whether gay or straight.

In his own words, he felt “pafully isolated, strand between the sual homophobia of most ‘normal’ people and the flagrantly gay Hollywood subculture – where [he] was even ls fortable and ls accepted.”.

SILENT FILMS, RATED BY GAYNS

Five years before Hunter beme a star, he was arrted along wh several other men for “lewdns,” a mon charge for men showg any signs of homosexualy public.

No one wanted to believe that Ameri’s goln boy uld be a gay man.