The classic edy has a terrible track rerd on queer issu, pecially for a show wrten by women and gay men.
Contents:
- A TRIBUTE TO NORMA ‘CARRIE,’ A TE GAY IN FOR HORROR CEMA
- WHEN SEX AND THE CY RETURNS, WILL IT FALLY GET QUEER PEOPLE RIGHT?THE CLASSIC EDY HAS A TERRIBLE TRACK RERD ON QUEER ISSU, PECIALLY FOR A SHOW WRTEN BY WOMEN AND GAY MEN.BY CASSIE DA COSTAJANUARY 13, 2021FROM GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEON SUNDAY, HBO MAX NFIRMED THAT A SEX AND THE CY REBOOT LLED AND JT LIKE THAT… IS OFFICIALLY THE WORKS—AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SPIRED FERVENT SPECULATN AMONG FANS AND CRICS. (NOT LEAST BEE THE SHOW IS, TRAGILLY, DOWN ONE LEAD: KIM CATTRALL’S SAMANTHA.) THE ORIGAL SERI WAS FAMOLY NDID, AND OFTEN CLEVER, AS FOLLOWED FOUR IENDS—SAMANTHA, SARAH JSI PARKER’S CARRIE, CYNTHIA NIXON’S MIRANDA, AND KRIST DAVIS’S CHARLOTTE—SNAPPILY DISCSG THE TAILS OF THEIR SEX LIV, DATG PREFERENC, AND PERSONAL ASPIRATNS. BUT S QUIPPY, CY-GIRL TONE HAS AGED UNEVENLY. THOUGH THAT APPROACH WAS WELL-SUED TO A STORY ABOUT PROUDLY IMPERFECT WOMEN, THE SHOW ALSO ED AS A CHEAP EXCE TO CENTER A VERY SPECIFIC VIEWPOT: STRAIGHT WHE AFFLUENCE, AS WRTEN BY STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN AND GAY WHE MEN.FOR THOSE WHO STILL WATCH THE ORIGAL SERI WHENEVER THEY’VE GOT FIVE HOURS TO WASTE AWAY ON THE UCH, ’S NOT HARD TO ACKNOWLEDGE S WRONGHEADNS WHILE ENJOYG S TENACY AND EXTREME WATCHABILY. MUCH LIKE S SCENDANT GIRLS, SATC DRILLED TO EVEN THE MOST SHARPLY CRIL LENNIALS THAT MAY BE ELS TO TRY TO UNTANGLE THOSE CHARACTERISTICS—AND ANYWAY, ’S ALL JT TELEVISN, RIGHT? WHO DON’T ENJOY AN ELEVATED MS?NEWS OF A REBOOT, THOUGH, V TO RENSIR THE SHOW’S TONE AND IAS—AND OFTEN, SEX AND THE CY’S JIB TOOK THE FORM OF HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA. THROUGHOUT THE URSE OF THE SERI, SAMANTHA GLEEFULLY ED A TRANSPHOBIC SLUR A DIG AGAST SEX WORKERS; CARRIE DOUBTED THE VALIDY OF BISEXUAL MEN; MORE THAN ONE EPISO, LBIANS WERE PORTRAYED AS EXCLIVELY WHE, RICH, AND POWER-HUNGRY. STANFORD (WILLIE GARSON), CARRIE’S TOKEN GAY MALE IEND, WAS MORE OF AN ACCSORY THAN A PERSON; THE SEND SEX AND THE CY MOVIE, HE END UP MARRYG THE ANCHISE’S ONLY OTHER GAY MALE REGULAR, EVEN THOUGH HIS FUTURE HBAND ONCE CHASTISED HIS IEND CHARLOTTE FOR ASSUMG HE’D EVEN BE TERTED STANFORD. (“WHY, BEE HE’S GAY AND I’M GAY?” MAR CANTONE’S ANTHONY ASKED SEASON FOUR. “CHARLOTTE, LET ME CLEAR SOMETHG UP FOR YOU…I ULD DO A LOT BETTER.”)EVEN WHEN SAMANTHA, THE MOST SEXUALLY ADVENTURO OF THE BUNCH, DATED A WOMAN (PLAYED BY THE BELOVED BRAZILIAN ACTOR SôNIA BRAGA), SEX AND THE CY FUMBLED. THE SHOW ED LBIANISM AS A NARRATIVE VICE, PATG AS A STRATEGY BORN OUT OF DATG FATIGUE; THE POSSIBILY THAT SAMANTHA WAS LEGIMATELY CUR OR BISEXUAL WAS NEVER EXPLORED. HER IENDS’ SLY, SELF-CENTERED MENTARY ABOUT HER NEW RELATNSHIP—THAT SAMANTHA WAS SIMPLY A PHASE, THAT SHE WAS DOG THIS FOR ATTENTN—WAS AMED NOT AS GOSSIP, BUT SIGHT.TO THOSE OUTSI OF QUEER MUNI, SUCH A READG MAY E AS A SURPRISE; HOW ULD SEX AND THE CY GET GAY PEOPLE SO WRONG? HOW ULD S OPENLY GAY WRERS—PRIMARILY CREATOR DARREN STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MICHAEL PATRICK KG—SORELY MISREPRENT A GROUP THEY’RE A PART OF?BUT ’S OLD NEWS TO NOTE THAT (UALLY UPPER-CLASS) WHE GAY MEN HAVE A SERVED REPUTATN FOR TAKG NSERVATIVE AND EVEN BIGOTED POSNS ABOUT THEIR TRANS, BLACK, LBIAN, OR FAT BRETHREN, ACTG AS IF A MIX OF SELF-HATRED AND DISDA OF THE OTHER IS A CHARMG PERSONALY TRA. ACRDGLY, SEX AND THE CY’S MOST REACTNARY PERSPECTIV ARE NEVER PORTRAYED AS A SOURCE OF SHAME FOR THE CHARACTERS OR THEIR ACQUATANC; THEY’RE ALWAYS MEANT AS LIGHT ENTERTAMENT. SIARLY, STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN—LIKE THE BULK OF SEX AND THE CY’S WRERS—N OFTEN ACT AS ACPLIC AND AVATARS FOR THIS EXCLN. IN MANY WAYS, SEX AND THE CY ED THE MUCH-STEREOTYPED DYNAMIC OF IENDSHIP BETWEEN STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN AND GAY MEN TO PROP UP SELF-ASSUREDLY IGNORANT WORLDVIEWS.IT’S THIS AGE-OLD MIX OF GAY PATRIARCHY AND WHE SUPREMACY THAT ADDS A LAYER OF TREPIDATN TO ANYONE ANTICIPATG HBO’S LIMED-SERI REVIVAL OF THE SHOW. STAR, NOW HELMG THE POPULARLY HATE-WATCHED EY PARIS, IS OUT, WHILE KG, WHO WROTE AND DIRECTED SATC’S CRILLY MALIGNED BUT LUCRATIVE FILM SEQUELS, IS . STAR AND KG WORKED ALONGSI EACH OTHER FOR YEARS ON THE ORIGAL SERI; THE TERIM, KG PRODUCED THE CBS S 2 BROKE GIRLS, WHICH RECEIVED CRICISM FOR BLATANT RACISM. THE SKILL WILL TAKE TO ISSUE A REBOOT THAT IS SELF-AWARE WHOUT BEG SELF-NSC REQUIR MORE THAN EXPERIENCE OR SELF-HELP REVELATNS—IMAGATN IS SENTIAL.BUT AND JT LIKE THAT… WILL BE A H CREATN, EXISTG FIRMLY THE PRENT—A PRENT WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, CYNTHIA NIXON IS NOW MARRIED TO A WOMAN AND THE MOTHER TO A TRANS CHILD. IT’S UNLIKELY THAT SHE, AT LEAST, WOULD SIGN ONTO AND JT LIKE THAT… IF S SCRIPTS WERE AS VALIER ABOUT QUEER ISSU AS THE ORIGAL SERI SO OFTEN WAS. COULD A REPRISAL FORCE KG TO EXAME HOW HIS CHARACTERS’ FLAWS WERE OFTEN ROOTED AN ANTI-QUEER MENTALY? OR WILL THE NEW SERI SIMPLY PAPER OVER THE SHOW’S HISTORY BY MAKG CARRIE, MIRANDA, AND CHARLOTTE PARAGONS OF MIDLIFE EMOTNAL AND MORAL GROWTH? PERHAPS, THE END, OUR FAN FICTN ABOUT A LBIAN NEW YORK ERNOR MIRANDA HOBB ULD E TO UN—AS AN DIENCE-PANRG PLOT THAT ATON FOR SEX AND THE CY’S PAST SS.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— INSI BRIDGERTON’S SEXY, MORN MAKEOVER OF THE REGENCY PERD DRAMA— BORAT’S MARIA BAKALOVA HAD A SWEET RNN WH JEANISE JON— TA FEY AND ROBERT CARLOCK WRTLE CLUMSILY WH POLICS MR. MAYOR— BLAZG BLON BOMBSHELL: BARBARA PAYTON’S BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS— BRYAN CRANSTON DANC WH THE DEVIL YOUR HONOR— MEET BRIDGERTON’S DREAMBOAT DE, REGé-JEAN PAGE— STEPHEN COLBERT ANSWERS THE PROT QUTNNAIRE— FROM THE ARCHIVE: SAN SIMEON’S CHILD— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO AND THE PLETE ONLE ARCHIVE NOW.MOST POPULAR21 OF LDA EVANGELISTA’S GREATT BETY MOMENTSBY HANNAH COATTHE SUPERS 9 QUTSENTIAL VOGUE IMAGBY IVAN SHAW5 LSONS AUTHENTIC ’90S GLAMOUR FROM THE ORIGAL SUPERMOLSBY DANIEL RODGERSRETURN OF THE SUPERS: SEE BEHD THE SCEN AT THE MAKG OF VOGUE’S SEPTEMBER ISSUEBY LAIA GARCIA-FURTADORETURN OF THE SUPERS: SEE BEHD THE SCEN AT THE MAKG OF VOGUE’S SEPTEMBER ISSUENAOMI, CDY, LDA & CHRISTY REMEMBER THE DAWN OF THE SUPERMOL ERACASSIE DA COSTA
- WILLIE GARSON, CARRIE'S GAY BTIE ON SEX AND THE CY, HAS DIED
- DEBBIE REYNOLDS: ‘EVERYONE I DATED WAS GAY. EXCEPT FOR ROBERT WAGNER’
- IS JIM CARREY GAY? IS JIM CARREY MARRIED? HERE IS THE TTH
- HOLLYWOOD LEGEND CARY GRANT’S BISEXUALY AND LOVE OF LSD REVEALEDICONEXCLIVEGEE HOYNGEN-HUENE/CONDé NAST VIA GETTY IMAGIN THIS EXCLIVE EXCERPT OM STT EYMAN’S NEW BGRAPHY “CARY GRANT: A BRILLIANT DISGUISE,” OUT OCT. 20, THE THOR EXPLOR THE SCREEN IN’S SEXUALY AND MORE. STT EYMANPUBLISHED OCT. 18, 2020 5:16AM EDT CARY GRANT’S MOST PRIZED POSSSN WAS EHER HIS FATHER’S POCKET WATCH, OR A GOLD CHA THAT HE WORE AROUND HIS NECK THAT HELD ONE OF JENNIFER’S BABY TEETH LUCE, AND THREE CHARMS THAT REPRENTED THE THREE RELIGNS OF HIS FOUR EX-WIV: A ST. CHRISTOPHER MEDAL OM THE CATHOLIC VIRGIA CHERRILL, A SMALL CROSS REPRENTG THE PROTTANT RELIGNS OF BARBARA HUTTON AND BETSY DRAKE, AND A STAR OF DAVID FOR THE JEWISH DYAN CANNON. HE NTUED TO EXPOUND ON THE BENEFS OF LSD TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN, AS WELL AS ANYONE WHO WAS DISCLED. HE BEME KNOWN AS THE GO-TO MAN FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE THKG OF EXPERIMENTG WH THE DG. AT ONE POT, THE SCREENWRER IVAN MOFFAT AND CAROLE BLACKWOOD HAD LUNCH WH GRANT. (BLACKWOOD WAS MARRIED TO LUCIAN FRD BUT HAVG AN AFFAIR WH MOFFAT.) GRANT STRONGLY REMEND THAT BLACKWOOD TRY A URSE OF LSD TREATMENT AND REMEND A DOCTOR. BLACKWOOD UNRTOOK TWELVE SSNS, AND MOFFAT BELIEVED THAT “ CERTALY HAD A TREMENDO EFFECT ON CAROLE. SHE SUDNLY BEME MUCH CLEARER THOUGHT, CLEARER OF PURPOSE—AND SHE STARTED TO WRE.” THE TERTG THG ABOUT GRANT’S ATTU TOWARD LSD WAS THAT HE REMAED ROLUTELY ANTIDG. WHEN THIS BLARG NTRADICTN WOULD BE POTED OUT, HE WOULD EXPLA THAT WASN’T A NTRADICTN AT ALL: “LSD IS A CHEMIL, NOT A DG. PEOPLE WHO TAKE DGS ARE TRYG TO PE OM THEIR LIV. LSD IS A HALLUCOGEN, AND PEOPLE WHO TAKE ARE TRYG TO LOOK WH THEIR LIV.” WHEN SOMEBODY WOULD LL HIM ON ONE OF THE NVENIENT DISPOSNS THAT SUPPORTED HIS PREJUDIC, HE WOULD SAY, “I’M NOW 70 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE LIVED A LOT LONGER THAN YOU HAVE.” AND THAT WOULD BE THAT. AGE AND EXPERIENCE, HOWEVER SUBJECTIVE, TMPED LOGIC OR FACTS. IN SHORT, HE WAS WHAT HE SELF-DIAGNOSED AS A “SERI OF NTRADICTNS”—TENSELY HUMAN, OFTEN MADNGLY SO. HE KNEW THE STORI THAT HAD BEEN FLOATG AROUND HOLLYWOOD FOR FORTY YEARS, AND THEY BOTHERED HIM . . . BUT NOT TOO MUCH. “THAT I’M A HOMOSEXUAL AND THAT I’M A MISERABLE TIGHTWAD. AND I RE BEE HURTS. YOU N’T JT WAVE AWAY BLHELY WHAT PEOPLE SAY OR DON’T SAY.”PRE-ORDER ‘CARY GRANT: A BRILLIANT DISGUISE’ HERE SIMON & SCHTER HE BEGAN GOG OUT WH MREEN DONALDSON 1973. SHE WAS A YOUNG ENGLISH WRER WHO WORKED FOR RONA BARRETT AND WAS PRECISELY FORTY-THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN GRANT. THEY WERE TOGETHER FOR FOUR YEARS, AND WAS GRANT’S URGG THAT NVERTED HER TO A PHOTOGRAPHER. DONALDSON FOUND HIM AN ARNT, TENR LOVER, AT FIRST SHY ABOUT SEX WH THE LIGHTS ON. HE EXPLAED THAT WAS HIS “CHICKEN SK. YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THAT WHILE WE’RE MAKG LOVE. BUT THE DARK YOU N IMAGE I’M ONE OF THOSE YOUNG MEN YOUR AGE.” HE NTUALLY RETURNED TO THE AGE DISPARY—SECURY TGED WH SPICN. WHAT WAS SHE DOG WH AN OLD MAN? THERE MT BE OTHER, YOUNGER MEN HER LIFE. DONALDSON WORKED ON OPENG HIM UP. THE LIGHTS ME ON, AND THEY EVEN SHOWERED TOGETHER. HE ALWAYS HAD A TRIPWIRE WHERE CHILDREN OR TENTNAL CELTY WERE NCERNED. THEN, HE WOULD ALLOW ALL HIS PREJUDIC ABOUT ANIMALS TO BE QUICKLY FILED AWAY. HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR TERT ANIMALS, BUT HE DREW THE LE AT HURTG THEM—THE FLICTN OF PA WAS THE RED LE. ONE DAY HE WAS GOG TO A POLYNIAN RTRANT WH DONALDSON WHEN THEY SAW A DNK ABG A DOG. GRANT PROMPTLY WALKED UP TO THE MAN AND OFFERED HIM A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE DOG. THE DNK UPPED THE PRICE TO TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHICH GRANT PROMPTLY HAND OVER, GRABBG THE LEASH AS THE MONEY CHANGED HANDS.“WHAT ARE WE GOG TO DO WH THIS MUTT?” HE ASKED DONALDSON AS THEY WALKED AWAY.“I DON’T KNOW, BUT I LOVE YOU,” SHE SAID. “GOOD. THEN YOU FD A HOME FOR THIS ANIMAL.” ADVERTISEMENT SIARLY, A WOODPECKER TOOK UP RINCE ON THE ROOF OF HIS HOE, AND DROVE EVERYBODY MAD WH THE CSANT HAMMERG. GRANT’S SECRETARY OFFERED TO GET A GUN AND KILL THE BIRD, BUT GRANT WOULDN’T HEAR OF . INSTEAD, HE ORRED THE SECRETARY TO TAP BACK THE HOPE THAT THE WOODPECKER WOULD BE STARTLED AND LEAVE. THERE WAS MUCH BACK-AND-FORTH TAPPG, UNTIL THE BIRD MAGILLY FLEW AWAY TO HARASS SOMEONE ELSE.ONE OF DONALDSON’S IENDS WAS BILL ROYCE, WHO WAS SLOWLY BROUGHT TO GRANT’S CIRCLE BY HOE-STG WHEN GRANT AND DONALD- SON WERE OUT ON THE TOWN—GRANT WAS ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT THIEV, BUT REFED TO STALL A SECURY SYSTEM.“HE WAS A MUCH MORE PLEX MAN THAN HE SEEMED ON-SCREEN,” SAID ROYCE. AND MUCH MORE NTRADICTORY. I’M AN ADULT CHILD OF ALHOLICS, AND THAT TEACH YOU TO BE HYPER-VIGILANT. MOST DAYS, HE WOULD BE SUPER-CHEERFUL, EVERYTHG POSIVE. IF I LLED HIM AND I’D SAY DO YOU NEED ANYTHG? OR WANT ME TO DROP BY WH FOOD? I ULD TELL WH THREE WORDS IF HE WAS ANOTHER EMOTNAL STATE. USUALLY HE WOULD GET SEVERELY PRSED ABOUT HIS RELATNSHIP WH DYAN OR HIS ACCS TO HIS CHILD. JENNIFER WAS THE ABSOLUTE CENTER, THE PRRY OF HIS LIFE. IF THAT WASN’T GOG WELL, OR IF HE THOUGHT MIGHT NOT GO WELL, HE WOULD BE A BLUE FUNK. HIS MOOD WOULD BE ONE OR THE OTHER. I ULD BE WH HIM FOR HOURS, BUT I NEVER SAW A GOOD MOOD TURN DARK.I DON’T THK JENNIFER EVER EXPERIENCED THE DARKNS WH HIM. HE ALWAYS PRENTED A HAPPY PICTURE WH HER. HE WANTED HIS LIMED VISS WH HER TO BE UP, UP, UP, SO SHE WOULD ALWAYS WANT TO E BACK. AS FAR AS HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS MOTHER, I THK HE FELT ABANDONED BY HER TILL THE DAY HE DIED. HE TRIED SPERATELY TO HAVE A GOOD RELATNSHIP WH HER AND SHE ALWAYS RISTED HIS ATTEMPTS AT AFFECTN. IF HE BROUGHT HER GIFTS, SHE WOULD ST THEM ASI. DONALDSON AND ROYCE WERE GIVEN CREASED ACCS TO THE HOE AND GRANT, AND THEIR MARCHG ORRS ME, NOT OM GRANT, BUT OM STANLEY FOX. MREEN DONALDSON HAD PLAYFULLY PLANTED MARIJUANA GRANT’S GARN, AND FOX POTED OUT THAT BIS DAMAGG GRANT’S REPUTATN, A BT ULD AFFECT HIS ALREADY LIMED VISATN RIGHTS WH JENNIFER. “HE MA CLEAR TO MREEN AND I THAT THERE WAS TO BE NO FUNNY STUFF. NO IENDS, NO WEED, NO DRKG UNLS CARY VED . HE SAID ALL THIS POT BLANK. FOX REMD ME OF [ELVIS PRLEY’S MANAGER] COLONEL TOM PARKER.”LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF THIS EXCERPT HERE: ADVERTISEMENT ROYCE SERVED AS A GO-BETWEEN WH GRANT AND DONALDSON AS WELL AS AN EMISSARY TO LIFE ON THE SUNSET STRIP—GRANT VELOPED AN UNRSTANDABLE FASCATN WH PAM GRIER AND ROYCE ACPANIED HIM TO SEVERAL OF HER MOVI. ROYCE GRADUALLY VELOPED A RELATNSHIP WH GRANT THAT WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FILIAL AND PATERNAL, WH A SGLE EMBARRASSG EXCEPTN. THE TWO MEN WERE THE SWIMMG POOL, WHEN GRANT GOT OUT AND WAS TOWELG HIMSELF OFF. WATCHG GRANT, ROYCE REALIZED HE WAS HAVG AN VOLUNTARY PELVIC RPONSE TO GRANT’S UNSELFNSC BETY. GRANT NOTICED AND SAID, “WELL, YOU TAKE RE OF THAT, AND I’M GOG UP TO GET SOME WE AND YOU N E UP WHEN YOU’RE DRIED OFF.”“IT DIDN’T ANGER OR EMBARRASS HIM THE SLIGHTT,” REMEMBERED ROYCE. “HIS REACTN WAS SO ELEGANT.”GRANT’S OK AND HOEKEEPER WAS AN AIN-AMERIN WOMAN NAMED WILLIE WATSON. “HE ADORED WILLIE,” SAID ROYCE. “HE STOLE HER OM DYAN. SHE WAS CHARMG AND SHE WAS SMART; THERE WAS SOMETHG MYSTER ABOUT HER—YOU ALWAYS FELT SHE HAD SECRETS. CARY SPOILED HER. NOT TERMS OF SALARY, BUT TRIPS HE WOULD PAY FOR, OR TICKETS TO DODGER GAM. WILLIE MASTERED THE TURKEY SANDWICH HE LOVED. HE HAD GOTTEN THE RECIPE OM DORIS DAY, AND THEY BEME HIS GO-TO FOOD. THE CST WAS SLICED OFF, AND THERE WAS A TH SLICE OF WATERCRS WH THE TURKEY.” ROYCE SHARED WH GRANT A CHILDHOOD THAT ULD BE TERMED UNNVENTNAL—HE HAD BEEN ADOPTED BY A MARRIED UPLE WHO WERE BOTH ALHOLICS, AND HE HAD BEEN RELATNSHIPS WH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. “AS I PEELED OFF ONE LAYER OF MY ONN, HE WOULD DO THE SAME.”LIKE MOST ADOPTE, ROYCE WAS CUR ABOUT HIS BIRTH PARENTS. GRANT WENT BEHD ROYCE’S BACK, HIRED A PRIVATE TECTIVE TO FD ROYCE’S MOTHER, AND HAD HER BROUGHT TO THE HOE ON BEVERLY GROVE. THE EXPECTED MOTHER AND CHILD RNN WAS HAMPERED BY ROYCE’S FEELG OF ABANDONMENT AND A RULTG EMOTNAL NFN. “CARY SAW MY AMBIVALENCE AND TOOK ME ASI. HE TOLD ME SHE WAS ONLY GOG TO BE AROUND A SHORT TIME—SHE HAD PANCREATIC NCER. HE TOLD ME THAT IF I DIDN’T MAKE RIGHT, I WOULD REGRET TO MY DYG DAY. AND THEN HE FLEW HER TO JOHNS HOPKS TO SEE IF THEY ULD DO ANYTHG FOR HER.“PEOPLE ALWAYS SAID CARY WAS CHEAP. HE WASN’T CHEAP, HE WAS UGAL. HE RPECTED THE VALUE OF MONEY. CARY WAS NEVER CHEAP WHEN UNTED.” ADVERTISEMENT ROYCE WAS WORKG FOR A HOLLYWOOD FAN MAGAZE, AND GRANT URGED HIM TO TRAVEL, TO GET OUT OF TOWN. “IT’S TOO SULAR,” HE SAID. “YOUR VALUE SYSTEM GETS SKEWED.” HE SISTED ROYCE READ NATHANAEL WT’S DAY OF THE LOCT. “I TOLD HIM I HAD SEEN THE MOVIE, BUT HE SAID, ‘NO, YOU HAVE TO READ THE BOOK.’” GRANT DIDN’T READ THAT MUCH AT THIS POT, ALTHOUGH HE HAD A HARD TIME WH SOMNIA AND OCSNALLY TOOK SENAL TO GET SOME SLEEP. “HE STILL READ JOHN O’HARA; ONE TIME I SAW HIM REREADG A RAGE TO LIVE, AND HE SAID THAT O’HARA ‘HAD NYMPHOMANIACS ON THE BRA.’” GRANT’S PLAYFUL SPIR ME OUT REGULARLY. HE AND ROYCE WOULD PLAY THE PIANO TOGETHER—GRANT ULD PLAY A BOUNCY VVILLE STYLE, WHILE ROYCE WAS LIMED TO TWO FGERS. WHEN THEY WERE FISHED, THEY WOULD TRAIPSE OUT TO THE PAT AND PRETEND TO TAKE BOWS ONT OF A HOLLYWOOD BOWL DIENCE. GRANT WOULD BOW ROYCE’S DIRECTN AND SAY “YOU FIRST,” POTG TO THE IMAGARY THRONG. “OH, NO,” ROYCE WOULD REPLY. “I SIST.” AND SO ON, BACK AND FORTH, UNTIL ONE OF THEM BROKE OUT LGHG. “IT WAS JT AS SILLY AS SOUNDS, BUT GAVE BOTH GREAT PLEASURE,” SAID ROYCE. THE LIGHTHEARTED FUN WOULD ALWAYS BE PUT ASI WHENEVER THE SUBJECT OF ACTURED FAY RELATNSHIPS AND THEIR VICTIMS ME UP. ROYCE REMEMBERED ONE TIME WHEN WILLIAM INGE ME TO THE HOE AND GRANT ASKED HIM TO LEAVE THE ROOM SO GRANT ULD TALK TO INGE PRIVATELY.ROYCE AND GRANT EVEN HAD A NVERSATN ABOUT SEX. AFTER ROYCE UNBURNED HIMSELF ABOUT HIS AFFAIRS WH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, GRANT RPOND BY IMPLYG HE HAD BEEN BASILLY GAY AS A YOUNG MAN, LATER BISEXUAL, STILL LATER STRAIGHT. RANDY STT, HE SAID, HAD SEEN THEIR RELATNSHIP AS “LOCKER-ROOM PLAYG AROUND.” IT HAD NOTHG TO DO WH HOW A MAN SHOULD LEAD HIS LIFE. BIS THAT, AT ONE POT DARRYL ZANUCK HAD TAKEN RANDY ASI AND TOLD HIM THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.GRANT EXPLAED SEXUALY TERMS OF PERFORMANCE, OF ACTG. HE TOLD ROYCE THAT TO NOT PLETELY EXPLORE ONE’S SEXUALY WOULD BE LIKE AN ACTOR PLAYG ONLY ONE CHARACTER FOR LIFE. EVERYBODY, HE SAID, HAD MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER SI THEM. HE DIDN’T THK HOMOSEXUAL ACTS WERE ANYTHG TO BE ASHAMED OF, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, PROUD OF. THEY SIMPLY WERE—PART OF THE JOURNEY, NOT NECSARILY THE FAL STATN. ADVERTISEMENT I THK CARY SAW THE SEARCHG I WAS DOG AND TSTED ME. HE HAD BEEN FLUENCED BY THE KSEY REPORT AND SAW SEX AS A SPECTM. MOST PEOPLE THK ’S EHER/OR. AND THERE ARE MEN LIKE THAT, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MEN WHO ARE OCSNALLY GAY AND OCSNALLY STRAIGHT. I REMEMBER ONE THG CARY SAID: “ENGLAND IS VICTORIAN, BUT AMERI IS MORE VICTORIAN THAN ENGLAND.”MY SENSE OF WAS THAT HE FOUND HOMOSEXUAL LIFE UNREWARDG. AS HE GOT OLR, HE WANTED CHILDREN, AND HE DIDN’T THK HE HAD ANY CHANCE AT A CHILD AS LONG AS HE WAS LIVG THAT LIFE. HIS NVERSATN WH GRANT MA ROYCE CUR ABOUT RANDY STT. HE WAS AT THE BEVERLY HILLS POST OFFICE ONE DAY WHEN STT ME TO PICK UP SOME MAIL. HE WAS DRSED TWEEDS, AN AST, HAD STEEL GRAY HAIR AND SPORTED A EP TAN, JT LIKE GRANT. ROYCE WALKED OVER AND TRODUCED HIMSELF. “MR. STT, MY NAME IS BILL ROYCE. I HELP CARY GRANT WH HIS PLACE OFF BENEDICT AND JT WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR MOVI.” “MY SENSE OF WAS THAT HE FOUND HOMOSEXUAL LIFE UNREWARDG. AS HE GOT OLR, HE WANTED CHILDREN, AND HE DIDN’T THK HE HAD ANY CHANCE AT A CHILD AS LONG AS HE WAS LIVG THAT LIFE.” STT SED AND SAID “WELL, I HAVEN’T SEEN HIM A WHILE. TELL CARY I SAID HELLO.” ROYCE THOUGHT STT WAS STUNNG; HE WENT BACK TO THE HOE AND TOLD GRANT ABOUT HOW STT HAD LOOKED. “YEAH, HE WAS REALLY SOMETHG,” GRANT SAID, A TONE THAT BED TEEM, FONDNS, AND SADNS. GRANT’S HOE AT 9966 BEVERLY GROVE WAS BETIFULLY SUATED, WH A VIEW OF THE ENTIRE SHG CY OF LOS ANGEL. BEYOND THE ONT DOOR WAS THE LIVG ROOM. OFF TO THE LEFT WAS THE KCHEN, WHILE THE BEDROOMS AND BATHROOMS WERE OFF TO THE RIGHT. GRANT’S OWN BEDROOM WAS MOST, ALTHOUGH THE BED FEATURED MONOGRAMMED WHE SHEETS BENEATH AN ELECTRIC BLANKET. ON BOTH SIS OF THE BED WERE BOOKSHELV, WH PICTUR OF JENNIFER AS WELL AS PICTUR OF YOUNG ARCHIE WH HIS MOTHER. THERE WAS HIS OSR, AS WELL AS THE DI DONATELLO AWARD HE’D RECEIVED ITALY. THE BEDROOM LED TO HIS OFFICE, AND BEYOND THE OFFICE WAS THE TERRACE WHERE HE LIKED TO EAT. JT SI THE ONT DOOR WAS A FIREPROOF VLT, WHICH WAS FULL OF MEMORABILIA OF HIS AND JENNIFER’S LIFE. THERE WERE HIS OLD PASSPORTS, AN OLD JACKET OM HIS GRA SCHOOL DAYS, ELIAS LEACH’S MONOGRAMMED WATCH, HIS MOVI ON 16MM. TRANSCENDG ALL THIS WERE THE HUNDREDS OF TAPE RERDGS AND THOANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS WH WHICH HE HAD DOCUMENTED JENNIFER’S LIFE SCE HER BIRTH. IT ALSO NTAED TOGRAPHED GIFTS HE HAD REQUTED OM OTHER FAMO PEOPLE HE MET HIS TRAVELS—A SIGNED BASEBALL OM HANK AARON, A SIGNATURE OM NEIL ARMSTRONG, A SIGNED PICTURE OM THE BEATL. JENNIFER HAD NO PARTICULAR TERT THE HOME MOVI GRANT HAD TAKEN OF HER, BUT HE LOVED TO WATCH THEM. ADVERTISEMENT THE VLT WAS HIS WAY OF DOCUMENTG THEIR LIV, AND A ROUND- ABOUT WAY HE SEEMS TO HAVE FELT WAS PROOF OF HIS LOVE FOR HER. BILL ROYCE THOUGHT WENT EPER THAN THAT. “NEXT TO JENNIFER, THE VLT SEEMED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THG CARY’S LIFE,” SAID ROYCE. “HE WAS TERRIFIED THAT HE WOULD DIE AND JENNIFER WOULD NOT REMEMBER HIM.”“I’M JT AN OLD, OLD MAN,” HE SAID ONE DAY WHEN HE WAS SEVENTY. “MY LIFE IS REALLY VOTED TO JENNIFER. SHE IS GOG TO HAVE THE KD OF CHILDHOOD I NEVER HAD. SHE’S GOG TO KNOW AT ALL TIM WHERE HER MOTHER AND FATHER ARE, AND SHE WILL BE TOTALLY SECURE OUR LOVE FOR HER, EVEN IF WE ARE DIVORCED.” CIR 1935: CARY GRANT WH RANDOLPH STT. THE TWO STARS SHARED A BEACH HOE DURG THE 1930S, WHICH WAS JOKGLY KNOWN AS "BACHELOR HALL." JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATN/GETTY LEFT UNANSWERED WERE THE QUTNS PROVOKED BY THIS OBSSIVE DOCUMENTATN OF HIS DGHTER’S LIFE. WHO TAP AND PRERV THE MEANRG SPEECH OF THEIR SMALL CHILD? HOW N ANY CHILD LIVE UP TO SUCH ADMIRATN? ALL THE LOVE AND PASSN THAT HAD BEEN STORED UP FOR A LIFETIME, THAT HE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO EELY BTOW ON PARENTS OR WIV WAS RELEASED A NTUG LUGE UPON HIS DGHTER.THE PROBLEM WH THE BEVERLY GROVE HOE WAS THAT GRANT HAD ED AS A RENTAL OFF AND ON FOR YEARS, AND WAS SAD SHAPE. THE ROOF LEAKED, THE CEILG WAS FULL OF WATER STAS, AND PATCH OF PLASTER SAGGED DOWN. THE FRENCH DOORS LEADG ONTO THE TERRACE HAD BEE WARPED BY RA AND CRACKS HAD OPENED UP LARGE ENOUGH TO ALLOW STREAMS OF WATER ONTO THE FLAGSTONE FLOOR. GRANT DISVERED SOME RDBOARD BOX HE HAD LONG FOTTEN NTAG A BOUD PATG AND TWO TIEPOLO SKETCH THAT HAD BEEN A GIFT OM BARBARA HUTTON. AFTER POSNG A NUMBER OF POTS AND PANS UNR THE LEAKS, GRANT REALIZED HE WOULD HAVE TO SPEND SOME MONEY ON THE HOE WHETHER HE LIKED OR NOT. AND SO BEGAN YEARS OF SELF-PARODY THAT MA MR. BLANDGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOE LOOK LIKE A MOL OF NSTCTN EFFICIENCY. GRANT’S SECRETARY REPORTED THAT TWO ELECTRICIANS, EACH EARNG $20 AN HOUR, SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY CHANGG THE POSN OF A SGLE LIGHT PLUG WHILE GRANT PONRED THE PERFECT LOTN. THE LIGHT PLUGS WEREN’T THE ONLY THGS THAT GOT SWCHED—SO DID SIGNERS AND NTRACTORS.IT UNDOUBTEDLY SEEMED ODD TO THE NTRACTORS, BUT WASN’T REALLY. GRANT RELENTLSLY SEND-GUSED MOST OF HIS CREATIVE CHOIC, SO DHERG ENDLSLY OVER RATG A HOE WAS VERY MUCH CHARACTER. THIS OVERSENSIVY TO OPTNS WAS WHY THE IA OF AN TOBGRAPHY WAS IMPOSSIBLE, SPE THE SIZE OF THE ADVANC THAT WERE OFFERED—HE WOULD NEVER HAVE STOPPED REWRG. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER REASON—OR ANOTHER FEAR: HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE RRIED HIS STORY TO THE DAY OF WRG WOULD MEAN HIS OWN END WAS NEAR. “THE DROWNG MAN SE HIS LIFE GO BY AS HE GO DOWN, AND SO DO THE MAN WHO GO BACK OVER HIS MEMORI TO WRE ABOUT THEM.” ADVERTISEMENT AS HE AGED, HE NATURALLY THOUGHT ABOUT ATH AND MA PREPARATNS. WHEN LORD MOUNTBATTEN WAS MURRED BY THE IRA AUGT 1979, HE WAS VISIBLY VASTATED. AFTER THE FUNERAL, HE LLED A IEND AND ANNOUNCED, “I’M ABSOLUTELY POOPED, AND I’M SO GODDAMNED OLD . . . I’M GOG TO LIE BED . . . I SHALL JT CLOSE ALL DOORS, TURN OFF THE TELEPHONE AND ENJOY MY LIFE.” HE MA MREEN DONALDSON PROMISE THAT IF HE SHOULD DIE DURG THE NIGHT, SHE WAS NOT TO LL THE POLICE OR EVEN AN AMBULANCE, BUT RATHER STANLEY FOX. “I’VE GONE OVER THIS WH HIM MANY TIM. HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO. I N TST HIM TO FOLLOW MY STCTNS TO THE LETTER.” “ROYCE THOUGHT STT WAS STUNNG; HE WENT BACK TO THE HOE AND TOLD GRANT ABOUT HOW STT HAD LOOKED. ‘YEAH, HE WAS REALLY SOMETHG,’ GRANT SAID, A TONE THAT BED TEEM, FONDNS, AND SADNS.” MOSTLY, HOWEVER, HE EXHIBED A BLHE GRACE THAT RETIREMENT HAD HELPED CREATE. PETER BOGDANOVICH WNSED AN AMG SCENE 1973, WHEN HE AND GRANT BOTH ATTEND THE AMERIN FILM INSTUTE’S LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOHN FORD. GRANT HAD FOTTEN HIS TICKET AND ASKED THE LADY AT THE RECEPTN FOR SOME HELP. NAME? SHE ASKED, LOOKG DOWN AT HER LIST. “CARY GRANT,” HE SAID. SHE LOOKED UP AND WASN’T SURE ABOUT WHAT SHE SAW. “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE CARY GRANT.”“I KNOW,” HE SAID WH A SE. “NOBODY DO.”OCSNALLY THERE WOULD BE A TAC MOMENT OF E. AT A PARTY, GAZG AT THE STUNNG WOMEN CLTERED AROUND WARREN BEATTY, HE NODD AND SAID, “SEE THAT GUY? THAT ED TO BE ME.” BEATTY HAD BEEN OBSERVG GRANT AT CLOSE RANGE SCE VISG LLIE CARON DURG THE SHOOT OF FATHER GOOSE, AND IS PROBABLE THAT BEATTY’S GENERAL RA OF A MEGASTAR FLOATG ABOVE THE SEEDY MISHEGOSS OF THE MOVIE BS RIVED OM THE OLR ACTOR’S ATTU.PL SYLBERT WORKED WH BEATTY AND SAID, “HE LEARNED OM GRANT . . . PICKG UP THE DO’S AND DON’TS OM HANGG AROUND THE PEOPLE AND SEEG HOW THEY OPERATE.” FOR A TIME, BEATTY SISTED ON G MASRA TO ACCENT HIS EY, AND HE WOULD ADOPT A TRICK OFTEN ED BY AGG ACTRS, AS WELL AS ACTORS—PUT THE MERA FIFTEEN FEET AWAY AND SHOOT CLOSE-UPS WH A LONG LENS, WHICH SLIGHTLY SOFTENS THE FOC WHOUT BEG OBV ABOUT . ADVERTISEMENT IN THE FALL OF 1968, GRANT WROTE AN EXUBERANT SELF-ANALYSIS REDOLENT OF SCROOGE AFTER HIS ENLIGHTENMENT: I AM A SIXTY-FIVE YEAR OLD PROFSNAL MAN, RECENTLY DIVORCED FOR THE FOURTH TIME, AND FATHER OF A TWO-AND-A-HALF YEAR OLD DGHTER. I AM HAPPIER THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN, YET NOT AS HAPPY AS I TEND TO BE.I AM OFTEN PSIMISTIC, YET MALY OPTIMISTIC. I NO LONGER RIST, OR HIB, THE PERATN OF KNOWLEDGE WHICH I TST WILL EVENTUALLY RULT WISDOM!I ENJOY THE BOUNDLS FEELG OF LOVE AND TEND TO LET GROW FOREVER ME. I TEND TO TRY TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE TO, AND LIVE WH NSIRATN OF, OTHERS.LOOKG BACK ON MY LIFE, I OCSNALLY WISH I HAD KNOWN ENOUGH TO CHOOSE A PROFSN THAT ULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIRECTLY BENEFICIAL TO OTHERS. BUT, SCE I DIDN’T, I MT TAKE THAT TO NSIRATN ALL FUTURE ENAVORS. . . .IT’S A GOOD DAY AND A GOOD LIFE! GRANT’S IENDSHIP WH HAROLD LLOYD REMAED STRONG. “HAROLD HAD A PRIVATE N UPSTAIRS, WH A PHONE THAT ONLY RANG THAT ROOM,” REMEMBERED LLOYD’S GRANDDGHTER SUE. I HUNG AROUND UP THERE A LOT. ONE DAY THE PHONE RGS, AND WAS THAT DISTCTIVE VOICE: “OH, HEL-LO. THIS IS CARY GRANT. IS HAROLD THERE?”AND I SAID, “OH YEAH. DAD’S HERE, BUT HE’S ON THE THRONE.” AND THEN I ULDN’T TALK TO HIM ANYMORE. I’D SEEN AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER AND WAS JT HERENT ABOUT . I THREW THE PHONE DOWN AND RAN DOWN THE HALL.“DAD, ’S CARY GRANT.”“OKAY, LM DOWN. JT TELL HIM I’M ON THE THRONE AND I’LL LL HIM BACK A MUTE.”SO AFTER THAT, I BEGGED HIM TO LET ME GO TO LUNCH WH THE TWO OF THEM, AND HAROLD SAID, “IF YOU N POSE YOURSELF, WE’RE GOG TO GO TO THE POLO LOUNGE.” BUT AT THAT POT HE DIDN’T THK I WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL MYSELF TOGETHER.THE FIRST TIME THAT I REALLY HAD A NVERSATN WH CARY WAS WHEN WE WERE LONDON. I WAS SEVENTEEN OR EIGHTEEN, AND WE WERE STAYG AT THE INN AT THE PARK. WE WENT TO DNER WH CARY AT THE WHE ELEPHANT. HAROLD AND CARY WERE VERY TERTG TOGETHER. YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN THEY WERE EDIANS. SER. NO JOKG AROUND. THEY LOOKED LIKE BSMEN, AND THEY ACTED LIKE BSMEN. SUS AND GLASS.AND Y, CARY WAS CHARMG. HE ASKED ABOUT WHAT I DID WH DAD. I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE SHRER HOSPALS, AND THAT I WENT TO WTLAKE, I READ DAD’S LIGHT METER FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS TAKG PICTUR AND SO FORTH. CARY HAD A KD OF A WARMTH WHEN HE TALKED TO YOU. HE REALLY LOOKED AT YOU. HE WASN’T GRAND AT ALL. HE WAS FORTABLE HIS SK AND TERTED YOU. IN THKG ABOUT , HE WAS A LOT LIKE HAROLD. SUE LLOYD’S EXPERIENC WH GRANT WERE ALMOST ENTIRELY WH THE PROFSNAL ASPECT OF HIS PERSONALY, BUT THERE WAS ONE TIME WHEN SHE GOT A GLIMPSE OF HIS MORE RMAL SI. THE BISEXUAL THG. I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT . I N TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T MAKE A BIG AL ABOUT . I N SEE , KD OF. MY IEND RICHARD CORRELL AND I WENT TO A PARTY ONCE. MY UNCLE WAS THERE WH HIS BOYIEND, AND CARY WAS THERE AS WELL, SWIRLG AROUND A FTAN. AND I WAS BLOWN BACK. OH, HAD AN EFFECT ON ME. HE WAS SWISHG AROUND THE PARTY. I SAW THAT SI OF HIM, AND I SAW THE BSMAN SI AS WELL. LET ME TELL YOU, THERE WAS A REAL NTRAST. STT EYMAN
- BEFORE STANFORD: MEET CARRIE BRADSHAW'S FIRST GAY BTIE
- EVERYONE KNOWS TRAVOLTA IS GAY, SAYS CARRIE FISHER
A TRIBUTE TO NORMA ‘CARRIE,’ A TE GAY IN FOR HORROR CEMA
* was carrie gay *
Horror movi have always been hugely popular wh gay dienc, for reasons that make a lot of sense when you thk about . It gets real easy to draw parallels between horror-movie characters and a subtextual gayns.
We jt spent the whole summer turng the Babadook gay bee seemed funny, but that meme was based on somethg real: horror characters speak to outsirs a way other characters might not. Carrie’s entire story uld be read as a gay allegory.
WHEN SEX AND THE CY RETURNS, WILL IT FALLY GET QUEER PEOPLE RIGHT?THE CLASSIC EDY HAS A TERRIBLE TRACK RERD ON QUEER ISSU, PECIALLY FOR A SHOW WRTEN BY WOMEN AND GAY MEN.BY CASSIE DA COSTAJANUARY 13, 2021FROM GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEON SUNDAY, HBO MAX NFIRMED THAT A SEX AND THE CY REBOOT LLED AND JT LIKE THAT… IS OFFICIALLY THE WORKS—AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SPIRED FERVENT SPECULATN AMONG FANS AND CRICS. (NOT LEAST BEE THE SHOW IS, TRAGILLY, DOWN ONE LEAD: KIM CATTRALL’S SAMANTHA.) THE ORIGAL SERI WAS FAMOLY NDID, AND OFTEN CLEVER, AS FOLLOWED FOUR IENDS—SAMANTHA, SARAH JSI PARKER’S CARRIE, CYNTHIA NIXON’S MIRANDA, AND KRIST DAVIS’S CHARLOTTE—SNAPPILY DISCSG THE TAILS OF THEIR SEX LIV, DATG PREFERENC, AND PERSONAL ASPIRATNS. BUT S QUIPPY, CY-GIRL TONE HAS AGED UNEVENLY. THOUGH THAT APPROACH WAS WELL-SUED TO A STORY ABOUT PROUDLY IMPERFECT WOMEN, THE SHOW ALSO ED AS A CHEAP EXCE TO CENTER A VERY SPECIFIC VIEWPOT: STRAIGHT WHE AFFLUENCE, AS WRTEN BY STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN AND GAY WHE MEN.FOR THOSE WHO STILL WATCH THE ORIGAL SERI WHENEVER THEY’VE GOT FIVE HOURS TO WASTE AWAY ON THE UCH, ’S NOT HARD TO ACKNOWLEDGE S WRONGHEADNS WHILE ENJOYG S TENACY AND EXTREME WATCHABILY. MUCH LIKE S SCENDANT GIRLS, SATC DRILLED TO EVEN THE MOST SHARPLY CRIL LENNIALS THAT MAY BE ELS TO TRY TO UNTANGLE THOSE CHARACTERISTICS—AND ANYWAY, ’S ALL JT TELEVISN, RIGHT? WHO DON’T ENJOY AN ELEVATED MS?NEWS OF A REBOOT, THOUGH, V TO RENSIR THE SHOW’S TONE AND IAS—AND OFTEN, SEX AND THE CY’S JIB TOOK THE FORM OF HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA. THROUGHOUT THE URSE OF THE SERI, SAMANTHA GLEEFULLY ED A TRANSPHOBIC SLUR A DIG AGAST SEX WORKERS; CARRIE DOUBTED THE VALIDY OF BISEXUAL MEN; MORE THAN ONE EPISO, LBIANS WERE PORTRAYED AS EXCLIVELY WHE, RICH, AND POWER-HUNGRY. STANFORD (WILLIE GARSON), CARRIE’S TOKEN GAY MALE IEND, WAS MORE OF AN ACCSORY THAN A PERSON; THE SEND SEX AND THE CY MOVIE, HE END UP MARRYG THE ANCHISE’S ONLY OTHER GAY MALE REGULAR, EVEN THOUGH HIS FUTURE HBAND ONCE CHASTISED HIS IEND CHARLOTTE FOR ASSUMG HE’D EVEN BE TERTED STANFORD. (“WHY, BEE HE’S GAY AND I’M GAY?” MAR CANTONE’S ANTHONY ASKED SEASON FOUR. “CHARLOTTE, LET ME CLEAR SOMETHG UP FOR YOU…I ULD DO A LOT BETTER.”)EVEN WHEN SAMANTHA, THE MOST SEXUALLY ADVENTURO OF THE BUNCH, DATED A WOMAN (PLAYED BY THE BELOVED BRAZILIAN ACTOR SôNIA BRAGA), SEX AND THE CY FUMBLED. THE SHOW ED LBIANISM AS A NARRATIVE VICE, PATG AS A STRATEGY BORN OUT OF DATG FATIGUE; THE POSSIBILY THAT SAMANTHA WAS LEGIMATELY CUR OR BISEXUAL WAS NEVER EXPLORED. HER IENDS’ SLY, SELF-CENTERED MENTARY ABOUT HER NEW RELATNSHIP—THAT SAMANTHA WAS SIMPLY A PHASE, THAT SHE WAS DOG THIS FOR ATTENTN—WAS AMED NOT AS GOSSIP, BUT SIGHT.TO THOSE OUTSI OF QUEER MUNI, SUCH A READG MAY E AS A SURPRISE; HOW ULD SEX AND THE CY GET GAY PEOPLE SO WRONG? HOW ULD S OPENLY GAY WRERS—PRIMARILY CREATOR DARREN STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MICHAEL PATRICK KG—SORELY MISREPRENT A GROUP THEY’RE A PART OF?BUT ’S OLD NEWS TO NOTE THAT (UALLY UPPER-CLASS) WHE GAY MEN HAVE A SERVED REPUTATN FOR TAKG NSERVATIVE AND EVEN BIGOTED POSNS ABOUT THEIR TRANS, BLACK, LBIAN, OR FAT BRETHREN, ACTG AS IF A MIX OF SELF-HATRED AND DISDA OF THE OTHER IS A CHARMG PERSONALY TRA. ACRDGLY, SEX AND THE CY’S MOST REACTNARY PERSPECTIV ARE NEVER PORTRAYED AS A SOURCE OF SHAME FOR THE CHARACTERS OR THEIR ACQUATANC; THEY’RE ALWAYS MEANT AS LIGHT ENTERTAMENT. SIARLY, STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN—LIKE THE BULK OF SEX AND THE CY’S WRERS—N OFTEN ACT AS ACPLIC AND AVATARS FOR THIS EXCLN. IN MANY WAYS, SEX AND THE CY ED THE MUCH-STEREOTYPED DYNAMIC OF IENDSHIP BETWEEN STRAIGHT WHE WOMEN AND GAY MEN TO PROP UP SELF-ASSUREDLY IGNORANT WORLDVIEWS.IT’S THIS AGE-OLD MIX OF GAY PATRIARCHY AND WHE SUPREMACY THAT ADDS A LAYER OF TREPIDATN TO ANYONE ANTICIPATG HBO’S LIMED-SERI REVIVAL OF THE SHOW. STAR, NOW HELMG THE POPULARLY HATE-WATCHED EY PARIS, IS OUT, WHILE KG, WHO WROTE AND DIRECTED SATC’S CRILLY MALIGNED BUT LUCRATIVE FILM SEQUELS, IS . STAR AND KG WORKED ALONGSI EACH OTHER FOR YEARS ON THE ORIGAL SERI; THE TERIM, KG PRODUCED THE CBS S 2 BROKE GIRLS, WHICH RECEIVED CRICISM FOR BLATANT RACISM. THE SKILL WILL TAKE TO ISSUE A REBOOT THAT IS SELF-AWARE WHOUT BEG SELF-NSC REQUIR MORE THAN EXPERIENCE OR SELF-HELP REVELATNS—IMAGATN IS SENTIAL.BUT AND JT LIKE THAT… WILL BE A H CREATN, EXISTG FIRMLY THE PRENT—A PRENT WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, CYNTHIA NIXON IS NOW MARRIED TO A WOMAN AND THE MOTHER TO A TRANS CHILD. IT’S UNLIKELY THAT SHE, AT LEAST, WOULD SIGN ONTO AND JT LIKE THAT… IF S SCRIPTS WERE AS VALIER ABOUT QUEER ISSU AS THE ORIGAL SERI SO OFTEN WAS. COULD A REPRISAL FORCE KG TO EXAME HOW HIS CHARACTERS’ FLAWS WERE OFTEN ROOTED AN ANTI-QUEER MENTALY? OR WILL THE NEW SERI SIMPLY PAPER OVER THE SHOW’S HISTORY BY MAKG CARRIE, MIRANDA, AND CHARLOTTE PARAGONS OF MIDLIFE EMOTNAL AND MORAL GROWTH? PERHAPS, THE END, OUR FAN FICTN ABOUT A LBIAN NEW YORK ERNOR MIRANDA HOBB ULD E TO UN—AS AN DIENCE-PANRG PLOT THAT ATON FOR SEX AND THE CY’S PAST SS.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— INSI BRIDGERTON’S SEXY, MORN MAKEOVER OF THE REGENCY PERD DRAMA— BORAT’S MARIA BAKALOVA HAD A SWEET RNN WH JEANISE JON— TA FEY AND ROBERT CARLOCK WRTLE CLUMSILY WH POLICS MR. MAYOR— BLAZG BLON BOMBSHELL: BARBARA PAYTON’S BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS— BRYAN CRANSTON DANC WH THE DEVIL YOUR HONOR— MEET BRIDGERTON’S DREAMBOAT DE, REGé-JEAN PAGE— STEPHEN COLBERT ANSWERS THE PROT QUTNNAIRE— FROM THE ARCHIVE: SAN SIMEON’S CHILD— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO AND THE PLETE ONLE ARCHIVE NOW.MOST POPULAR21 OF LDA EVANGELISTA’S GREATT BETY MOMENTSBY HANNAH COATTHE SUPERS 9 QUTSENTIAL VOGUE IMAGBY IVAN SHAW5 LSONS AUTHENTIC ’90S GLAMOUR FROM THE ORIGAL SUPERMOLSBY DANIEL RODGERSRETURN OF THE SUPERS: SEE BEHD THE SCEN AT THE MAKG OF VOGUE’S SEPTEMBER ISSUEBY LAIA GARCIA-FURTADORETURN OF THE SUPERS: SEE BEHD THE SCEN AT THE MAKG OF VOGUE’S SEPTEMBER ISSUENAOMI, CDY, LDA & CHRISTY REMEMBER THE DAWN OF THE SUPERMOL ERACASSIE DA COSTA
Debbie Reynolds: 'Everyone I dated was gay. Except for Robert Wagner' * was carrie gay *
Like the X-Men, one of pop culture’s great gay metaphors, Carrie has a superhuman abily that she n’t que ntrol, but mak her superr to the other kids. But as great a metaphor for gay youth as Carrie Whe is, she’s not the film’s most lible gay in.
Gay dienc tend to flock to the meant girl the movie (Rega Gee; Miranda Pritley; the aforementned Babadook), but Chris isn’t the gay in here. The te gay in is there right om the very begng, seemgly the foc of De Palma’s zoomg mera, before pivots to our tle character ….
WILLIE GARSON, CARRIE'S GAY BTIE ON SEX AND THE CY, HAS DIED
It seems pretty clear that Jim Carrey is a homosexual man. His actg style and personaly seem to dite that he is attracted to men. However, he has never nfirmed or nied that he is gay. It would not surprise me if he eventually out as gay. * was carrie gay *
Our te gay in is Norma. I wasn’t prepared to give Norma her due until my most recent viewg of Carrie, at a Halloween-week sry-movie party a few years go, populated almost exclively by gay men. After a typilly r screeng of Scream (the gay in of Scream is Gale Weathers, but you knew that), we transned to Carrie, a horror classic that some of has seen but all of at least knew about.
) were a signature look that meant that even while gettg progrsively dnker and chattier, the gays attendance never failed to clock her a scene.
So what ma Norma such a magic character for our ptive dience of l-up homos? She was brandg herself s before Instagram allowed every halfway-handsome gay to turn his relatnship to a #goals hashtag.
DEBBIE REYNOLDS: ‘EVERYONE I DATED WAS GAY. EXCEPT FOR ROBERT WAGNER’
Meanwhile, our gay gatherg was on ps and needl wonrg one thg: would Norma wear her red hat to prom? But as anyone who’s gay n regnize Norma the impulse to lgh at an absurd world.
IS JIM CARREY GAY? IS JIM CARREY MARRIED? HERE IS THE TTH
But as a fashn in, queen of sass, and attentn-grabber extraordaire, Norma has earned the right to be not only a horror in, but a gay in as well. Though that approach was well-sued to a story about proudly imperfect women, the show also ed as a cheap exce to center a very specific viewpot: straight whe affluence, as wrten by straight whe women and gay whe those who still watch the origal seri whenever they’ve got five hours to waste away on the uch, ’s not hard to acknowledge s wrongheadns while enjoyg s tenacy and extreme watchabily.
News of a reboot, though, v to rensir the show’s tone and ias—and often, Sex and the Cy’s jib took the form of homophobia and transphobia.
Stanford (Willie Garson), Carrie’s token gay male iend, was more of an accsory than a person; the send Sex and the Cy movie, he end up marryg the anchise’s only other gay male regular, even though his future hband once chastised his iend Charlotte for assumg he’d even be terted Stanford. (“Why, bee he’s gay and I’m gay? Her iends’ sly, self-centered mentary about her new relatnship—that Samantha was simply a phase, that she was dog this for attentn—was amed not as gossip, but those outsi of queer muni, such a readg may e as a surprise; how uld Sex and the Cy get gay people so wrong?
HOLLYWOOD LEGEND CARY GRANT’S BISEXUALY AND LOVE OF LSD REVEALEDICONEXCLIVEGEE HOYNGEN-HUENE/CONDé NAST VIA GETTY IMAGIN THIS EXCLIVE EXCERPT OM STT EYMAN’S NEW BGRAPHY “CARY GRANT: A BRILLIANT DISGUISE,” OUT OCT. 20, THE THOR EXPLOR THE SCREEN IN’S SEXUALY AND MORE. STT EYMANPUBLISHED OCT. 18, 2020 5:16AM EDT CARY GRANT’S MOST PRIZED POSSSN WAS EHER HIS FATHER’S POCKET WATCH, OR A GOLD CHA THAT HE WORE AROUND HIS NECK THAT HELD ONE OF JENNIFER’S BABY TEETH LUCE, AND THREE CHARMS THAT REPRENTED THE THREE RELIGNS OF HIS FOUR EX-WIV: A ST. CHRISTOPHER MEDAL OM THE CATHOLIC VIRGIA CHERRILL, A SMALL CROSS REPRENTG THE PROTTANT RELIGNS OF BARBARA HUTTON AND BETSY DRAKE, AND A STAR OF DAVID FOR THE JEWISH DYAN CANNON. HE NTUED TO EXPOUND ON THE BENEFS OF LSD TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN, AS WELL AS ANYONE WHO WAS DISCLED. HE BEME KNOWN AS THE GO-TO MAN FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE THKG OF EXPERIMENTG WH THE DG. AT ONE POT, THE SCREENWRER IVAN MOFFAT AND CAROLE BLACKWOOD HAD LUNCH WH GRANT. (BLACKWOOD WAS MARRIED TO LUCIAN FRD BUT HAVG AN AFFAIR WH MOFFAT.) GRANT STRONGLY REMEND THAT BLACKWOOD TRY A URSE OF LSD TREATMENT AND REMEND A DOCTOR. BLACKWOOD UNRTOOK TWELVE SSNS, AND MOFFAT BELIEVED THAT “ CERTALY HAD A TREMENDO EFFECT ON CAROLE. SHE SUDNLY BEME MUCH CLEARER THOUGHT, CLEARER OF PURPOSE—AND SHE STARTED TO WRE.” THE TERTG THG ABOUT GRANT’S ATTU TOWARD LSD WAS THAT HE REMAED ROLUTELY ANTIDG. WHEN THIS BLARG NTRADICTN WOULD BE POTED OUT, HE WOULD EXPLA THAT WASN’T A NTRADICTN AT ALL: “LSD IS A CHEMIL, NOT A DG. PEOPLE WHO TAKE DGS ARE TRYG TO PE OM THEIR LIV. LSD IS A HALLUCOGEN, AND PEOPLE WHO TAKE ARE TRYG TO LOOK WH THEIR LIV.” WHEN SOMEBODY WOULD LL HIM ON ONE OF THE NVENIENT DISPOSNS THAT SUPPORTED HIS PREJUDIC, HE WOULD SAY, “I’M NOW 70 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE LIVED A LOT LONGER THAN YOU HAVE.” AND THAT WOULD BE THAT. AGE AND EXPERIENCE, HOWEVER SUBJECTIVE, TMPED LOGIC OR FACTS. IN SHORT, HE WAS WHAT HE SELF-DIAGNOSED AS A “SERI OF NTRADICTNS”—TENSELY HUMAN, OFTEN MADNGLY SO. HE KNEW THE STORI THAT HAD BEEN FLOATG AROUND HOLLYWOOD FOR FORTY YEARS, AND THEY BOTHERED HIM . . . BUT NOT TOO MUCH. “THAT I’M A HOMOSEXUAL AND THAT I’M A MISERABLE TIGHTWAD. AND I RE BEE HURTS. YOU N’T JT WAVE AWAY BLHELY WHAT PEOPLE SAY OR DON’T SAY.”PRE-ORDER ‘CARY GRANT: A BRILLIANT DISGUISE’ HERE SIMON & SCHTER HE BEGAN GOG OUT WH MREEN DONALDSON 1973. SHE WAS A YOUNG ENGLISH WRER WHO WORKED FOR RONA BARRETT AND WAS PRECISELY FORTY-THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN GRANT. THEY WERE TOGETHER FOR FOUR YEARS, AND WAS GRANT’S URGG THAT NVERTED HER TO A PHOTOGRAPHER. DONALDSON FOUND HIM AN ARNT, TENR LOVER, AT FIRST SHY ABOUT SEX WH THE LIGHTS ON. HE EXPLAED THAT WAS HIS “CHICKEN SK. YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THAT WHILE WE’RE MAKG LOVE. BUT THE DARK YOU N IMAGE I’M ONE OF THOSE YOUNG MEN YOUR AGE.” HE NTUALLY RETURNED TO THE AGE DISPARY—SECURY TGED WH SPICN. WHAT WAS SHE DOG WH AN OLD MAN? THERE MT BE OTHER, YOUNGER MEN HER LIFE. DONALDSON WORKED ON OPENG HIM UP. THE LIGHTS ME ON, AND THEY EVEN SHOWERED TOGETHER. HE ALWAYS HAD A TRIPWIRE WHERE CHILDREN OR TENTNAL CELTY WERE NCERNED. THEN, HE WOULD ALLOW ALL HIS PREJUDIC ABOUT ANIMALS TO BE QUICKLY FILED AWAY. HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR TERT ANIMALS, BUT HE DREW THE LE AT HURTG THEM—THE FLICTN OF PA WAS THE RED LE. ONE DAY HE WAS GOG TO A POLYNIAN RTRANT WH DONALDSON WHEN THEY SAW A DNK ABG A DOG. GRANT PROMPTLY WALKED UP TO THE MAN AND OFFERED HIM A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE DOG. THE DNK UPPED THE PRICE TO TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHICH GRANT PROMPTLY HAND OVER, GRABBG THE LEASH AS THE MONEY CHANGED HANDS.“WHAT ARE WE GOG TO DO WH THIS MUTT?” HE ASKED DONALDSON AS THEY WALKED AWAY.“I DON’T KNOW, BUT I LOVE YOU,” SHE SAID. “GOOD. THEN YOU FD A HOME FOR THIS ANIMAL.” ADVERTISEMENT SIARLY, A WOODPECKER TOOK UP RINCE ON THE ROOF OF HIS HOE, AND DROVE EVERYBODY MAD WH THE CSANT HAMMERG. GRANT’S SECRETARY OFFERED TO GET A GUN AND KILL THE BIRD, BUT GRANT WOULDN’T HEAR OF . INSTEAD, HE ORRED THE SECRETARY TO TAP BACK THE HOPE THAT THE WOODPECKER WOULD BE STARTLED AND LEAVE. THERE WAS MUCH BACK-AND-FORTH TAPPG, UNTIL THE BIRD MAGILLY FLEW AWAY TO HARASS SOMEONE ELSE.ONE OF DONALDSON’S IENDS WAS BILL ROYCE, WHO WAS SLOWLY BROUGHT TO GRANT’S CIRCLE BY HOE-STG WHEN GRANT AND DONALD- SON WERE OUT ON THE TOWN—GRANT WAS ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT THIEV, BUT REFED TO STALL A SECURY SYSTEM.“HE WAS A MUCH MORE PLEX MAN THAN HE SEEMED ON-SCREEN,” SAID ROYCE. AND MUCH MORE NTRADICTORY. I’M AN ADULT CHILD OF ALHOLICS, AND THAT TEACH YOU TO BE HYPER-VIGILANT. MOST DAYS, HE WOULD BE SUPER-CHEERFUL, EVERYTHG POSIVE. IF I LLED HIM AND I’D SAY DO YOU NEED ANYTHG? OR WANT ME TO DROP BY WH FOOD? I ULD TELL WH THREE WORDS IF HE WAS ANOTHER EMOTNAL STATE. USUALLY HE WOULD GET SEVERELY PRSED ABOUT HIS RELATNSHIP WH DYAN OR HIS ACCS TO HIS CHILD. JENNIFER WAS THE ABSOLUTE CENTER, THE PRRY OF HIS LIFE. IF THAT WASN’T GOG WELL, OR IF HE THOUGHT MIGHT NOT GO WELL, HE WOULD BE A BLUE FUNK. HIS MOOD WOULD BE ONE OR THE OTHER. I ULD BE WH HIM FOR HOURS, BUT I NEVER SAW A GOOD MOOD TURN DARK.I DON’T THK JENNIFER EVER EXPERIENCED THE DARKNS WH HIM. HE ALWAYS PRENTED A HAPPY PICTURE WH HER. HE WANTED HIS LIMED VISS WH HER TO BE UP, UP, UP, SO SHE WOULD ALWAYS WANT TO E BACK. AS FAR AS HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS MOTHER, I THK HE FELT ABANDONED BY HER TILL THE DAY HE DIED. HE TRIED SPERATELY TO HAVE A GOOD RELATNSHIP WH HER AND SHE ALWAYS RISTED HIS ATTEMPTS AT AFFECTN. IF HE BROUGHT HER GIFTS, SHE WOULD ST THEM ASI. DONALDSON AND ROYCE WERE GIVEN CREASED ACCS TO THE HOE AND GRANT, AND THEIR MARCHG ORRS ME, NOT OM GRANT, BUT OM STANLEY FOX. MREEN DONALDSON HAD PLAYFULLY PLANTED MARIJUANA GRANT’S GARN, AND FOX POTED OUT THAT BIS DAMAGG GRANT’S REPUTATN, A BT ULD AFFECT HIS ALREADY LIMED VISATN RIGHTS WH JENNIFER. “HE MA CLEAR TO MREEN AND I THAT THERE WAS TO BE NO FUNNY STUFF. NO IENDS, NO WEED, NO DRKG UNLS CARY VED . HE SAID ALL THIS POT BLANK. FOX REMD ME OF [ELVIS PRLEY’S MANAGER] COLONEL TOM PARKER.”LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF THIS EXCERPT HERE: ADVERTISEMENT ROYCE SERVED AS A GO-BETWEEN WH GRANT AND DONALDSON AS WELL AS AN EMISSARY TO LIFE ON THE SUNSET STRIP—GRANT VELOPED AN UNRSTANDABLE FASCATN WH PAM GRIER AND ROYCE ACPANIED HIM TO SEVERAL OF HER MOVI. ROYCE GRADUALLY VELOPED A RELATNSHIP WH GRANT THAT WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FILIAL AND PATERNAL, WH A SGLE EMBARRASSG EXCEPTN. THE TWO MEN WERE THE SWIMMG POOL, WHEN GRANT GOT OUT AND WAS TOWELG HIMSELF OFF. WATCHG GRANT, ROYCE REALIZED HE WAS HAVG AN VOLUNTARY PELVIC RPONSE TO GRANT’S UNSELFNSC BETY. GRANT NOTICED AND SAID, “WELL, YOU TAKE RE OF THAT, AND I’M GOG UP TO GET SOME WE AND YOU N E UP WHEN YOU’RE DRIED OFF.”“IT DIDN’T ANGER OR EMBARRASS HIM THE SLIGHTT,” REMEMBERED ROYCE. “HIS REACTN WAS SO ELEGANT.”GRANT’S OK AND HOEKEEPER WAS AN AIN-AMERIN WOMAN NAMED WILLIE WATSON. “HE ADORED WILLIE,” SAID ROYCE. “HE STOLE HER OM DYAN. SHE WAS CHARMG AND SHE WAS SMART; THERE WAS SOMETHG MYSTER ABOUT HER—YOU ALWAYS FELT SHE HAD SECRETS. CARY SPOILED HER. NOT TERMS OF SALARY, BUT TRIPS HE WOULD PAY FOR, OR TICKETS TO DODGER GAM. WILLIE MASTERED THE TURKEY SANDWICH HE LOVED. HE HAD GOTTEN THE RECIPE OM DORIS DAY, AND THEY BEME HIS GO-TO FOOD. THE CST WAS SLICED OFF, AND THERE WAS A TH SLICE OF WATERCRS WH THE TURKEY.” ROYCE SHARED WH GRANT A CHILDHOOD THAT ULD BE TERMED UNNVENTNAL—HE HAD BEEN ADOPTED BY A MARRIED UPLE WHO WERE BOTH ALHOLICS, AND HE HAD BEEN RELATNSHIPS WH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. “AS I PEELED OFF ONE LAYER OF MY ONN, HE WOULD DO THE SAME.”LIKE MOST ADOPTE, ROYCE WAS CUR ABOUT HIS BIRTH PARENTS. GRANT WENT BEHD ROYCE’S BACK, HIRED A PRIVATE TECTIVE TO FD ROYCE’S MOTHER, AND HAD HER BROUGHT TO THE HOE ON BEVERLY GROVE. THE EXPECTED MOTHER AND CHILD RNN WAS HAMPERED BY ROYCE’S FEELG OF ABANDONMENT AND A RULTG EMOTNAL NFN. “CARY SAW MY AMBIVALENCE AND TOOK ME ASI. HE TOLD ME SHE WAS ONLY GOG TO BE AROUND A SHORT TIME—SHE HAD PANCREATIC NCER. HE TOLD ME THAT IF I DIDN’T MAKE RIGHT, I WOULD REGRET TO MY DYG DAY. AND THEN HE FLEW HER TO JOHNS HOPKS TO SEE IF THEY ULD DO ANYTHG FOR HER.“PEOPLE ALWAYS SAID CARY WAS CHEAP. HE WASN’T CHEAP, HE WAS UGAL. HE RPECTED THE VALUE OF MONEY. CARY WAS NEVER CHEAP WHEN UNTED.” ADVERTISEMENT ROYCE WAS WORKG FOR A HOLLYWOOD FAN MAGAZE, AND GRANT URGED HIM TO TRAVEL, TO GET OUT OF TOWN. “IT’S TOO SULAR,” HE SAID. “YOUR VALUE SYSTEM GETS SKEWED.” HE SISTED ROYCE READ NATHANAEL WT’S DAY OF THE LOCT. “I TOLD HIM I HAD SEEN THE MOVIE, BUT HE SAID, ‘NO, YOU HAVE TO READ THE BOOK.’” GRANT DIDN’T READ THAT MUCH AT THIS POT, ALTHOUGH HE HAD A HARD TIME WH SOMNIA AND OCSNALLY TOOK SENAL TO GET SOME SLEEP. “HE STILL READ JOHN O’HARA; ONE TIME I SAW HIM REREADG A RAGE TO LIVE, AND HE SAID THAT O’HARA ‘HAD NYMPHOMANIACS ON THE BRA.’” GRANT’S PLAYFUL SPIR ME OUT REGULARLY. HE AND ROYCE WOULD PLAY THE PIANO TOGETHER—GRANT ULD PLAY A BOUNCY VVILLE STYLE, WHILE ROYCE WAS LIMED TO TWO FGERS. WHEN THEY WERE FISHED, THEY WOULD TRAIPSE OUT TO THE PAT AND PRETEND TO TAKE BOWS ONT OF A HOLLYWOOD BOWL DIENCE. GRANT WOULD BOW ROYCE’S DIRECTN AND SAY “YOU FIRST,” POTG TO THE IMAGARY THRONG. “OH, NO,” ROYCE WOULD REPLY. “I SIST.” AND SO ON, BACK AND FORTH, UNTIL ONE OF THEM BROKE OUT LGHG. “IT WAS JT AS SILLY AS SOUNDS, BUT GAVE BOTH GREAT PLEASURE,” SAID ROYCE. THE LIGHTHEARTED FUN WOULD ALWAYS BE PUT ASI WHENEVER THE SUBJECT OF ACTURED FAY RELATNSHIPS AND THEIR VICTIMS ME UP. ROYCE REMEMBERED ONE TIME WHEN WILLIAM INGE ME TO THE HOE AND GRANT ASKED HIM TO LEAVE THE ROOM SO GRANT ULD TALK TO INGE PRIVATELY.ROYCE AND GRANT EVEN HAD A NVERSATN ABOUT SEX. AFTER ROYCE UNBURNED HIMSELF ABOUT HIS AFFAIRS WH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, GRANT RPOND BY IMPLYG HE HAD BEEN BASILLY GAY AS A YOUNG MAN, LATER BISEXUAL, STILL LATER STRAIGHT. RANDY STT, HE SAID, HAD SEEN THEIR RELATNSHIP AS “LOCKER-ROOM PLAYG AROUND.” IT HAD NOTHG TO DO WH HOW A MAN SHOULD LEAD HIS LIFE. BIS THAT, AT ONE POT DARRYL ZANUCK HAD TAKEN RANDY ASI AND TOLD HIM THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.GRANT EXPLAED SEXUALY TERMS OF PERFORMANCE, OF ACTG. HE TOLD ROYCE THAT TO NOT PLETELY EXPLORE ONE’S SEXUALY WOULD BE LIKE AN ACTOR PLAYG ONLY ONE CHARACTER FOR LIFE. EVERYBODY, HE SAID, HAD MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER SI THEM. HE DIDN’T THK HOMOSEXUAL ACTS WERE ANYTHG TO BE ASHAMED OF, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, PROUD OF. THEY SIMPLY WERE—PART OF THE JOURNEY, NOT NECSARILY THE FAL STATN. ADVERTISEMENT I THK CARY SAW THE SEARCHG I WAS DOG AND TSTED ME. HE HAD BEEN FLUENCED BY THE KSEY REPORT AND SAW SEX AS A SPECTM. MOST PEOPLE THK ’S EHER/OR. AND THERE ARE MEN LIKE THAT, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MEN WHO ARE OCSNALLY GAY AND OCSNALLY STRAIGHT. I REMEMBER ONE THG CARY SAID: “ENGLAND IS VICTORIAN, BUT AMERI IS MORE VICTORIAN THAN ENGLAND.”MY SENSE OF WAS THAT HE FOUND HOMOSEXUAL LIFE UNREWARDG. AS HE GOT OLR, HE WANTED CHILDREN, AND HE DIDN’T THK HE HAD ANY CHANCE AT A CHILD AS LONG AS HE WAS LIVG THAT LIFE. HIS NVERSATN WH GRANT MA ROYCE CUR ABOUT RANDY STT. HE WAS AT THE BEVERLY HILLS POST OFFICE ONE DAY WHEN STT ME TO PICK UP SOME MAIL. HE WAS DRSED TWEEDS, AN AST, HAD STEEL GRAY HAIR AND SPORTED A EP TAN, JT LIKE GRANT. ROYCE WALKED OVER AND TRODUCED HIMSELF. “MR. STT, MY NAME IS BILL ROYCE. I HELP CARY GRANT WH HIS PLACE OFF BENEDICT AND JT WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR MOVI.” “MY SENSE OF WAS THAT HE FOUND HOMOSEXUAL LIFE UNREWARDG. AS HE GOT OLR, HE WANTED CHILDREN, AND HE DIDN’T THK HE HAD ANY CHANCE AT A CHILD AS LONG AS HE WAS LIVG THAT LIFE.” STT SED AND SAID “WELL, I HAVEN’T SEEN HIM A WHILE. TELL CARY I SAID HELLO.” ROYCE THOUGHT STT WAS STUNNG; HE WENT BACK TO THE HOE AND TOLD GRANT ABOUT HOW STT HAD LOOKED. “YEAH, HE WAS REALLY SOMETHG,” GRANT SAID, A TONE THAT BED TEEM, FONDNS, AND SADNS. GRANT’S HOE AT 9966 BEVERLY GROVE WAS BETIFULLY SUATED, WH A VIEW OF THE ENTIRE SHG CY OF LOS ANGEL. BEYOND THE ONT DOOR WAS THE LIVG ROOM. OFF TO THE LEFT WAS THE KCHEN, WHILE THE BEDROOMS AND BATHROOMS WERE OFF TO THE RIGHT. GRANT’S OWN BEDROOM WAS MOST, ALTHOUGH THE BED FEATURED MONOGRAMMED WHE SHEETS BENEATH AN ELECTRIC BLANKET. ON BOTH SIS OF THE BED WERE BOOKSHELV, WH PICTUR OF JENNIFER AS WELL AS PICTUR OF YOUNG ARCHIE WH HIS MOTHER. THERE WAS HIS OSR, AS WELL AS THE DI DONATELLO AWARD HE’D RECEIVED ITALY. THE BEDROOM LED TO HIS OFFICE, AND BEYOND THE OFFICE WAS THE TERRACE WHERE HE LIKED TO EAT. JT SI THE ONT DOOR WAS A FIREPROOF VLT, WHICH WAS FULL OF MEMORABILIA OF HIS AND JENNIFER’S LIFE. THERE WERE HIS OLD PASSPORTS, AN OLD JACKET OM HIS GRA SCHOOL DAYS, ELIAS LEACH’S MONOGRAMMED WATCH, HIS MOVI ON 16MM. TRANSCENDG ALL THIS WERE THE HUNDREDS OF TAPE RERDGS AND THOANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS WH WHICH HE HAD DOCUMENTED JENNIFER’S LIFE SCE HER BIRTH. IT ALSO NTAED TOGRAPHED GIFTS HE HAD REQUTED OM OTHER FAMO PEOPLE HE MET HIS TRAVELS—A SIGNED BASEBALL OM HANK AARON, A SIGNATURE OM NEIL ARMSTRONG, A SIGNED PICTURE OM THE BEATL. JENNIFER HAD NO PARTICULAR TERT THE HOME MOVI GRANT HAD TAKEN OF HER, BUT HE LOVED TO WATCH THEM. ADVERTISEMENT THE VLT WAS HIS WAY OF DOCUMENTG THEIR LIV, AND A ROUND- ABOUT WAY HE SEEMS TO HAVE FELT WAS PROOF OF HIS LOVE FOR HER. BILL ROYCE THOUGHT WENT EPER THAN THAT. “NEXT TO JENNIFER, THE VLT SEEMED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THG CARY’S LIFE,” SAID ROYCE. “HE WAS TERRIFIED THAT HE WOULD DIE AND JENNIFER WOULD NOT REMEMBER HIM.”“I’M JT AN OLD, OLD MAN,” HE SAID ONE DAY WHEN HE WAS SEVENTY. “MY LIFE IS REALLY VOTED TO JENNIFER. SHE IS GOG TO HAVE THE KD OF CHILDHOOD I NEVER HAD. SHE’S GOG TO KNOW AT ALL TIM WHERE HER MOTHER AND FATHER ARE, AND SHE WILL BE TOTALLY SECURE OUR LOVE FOR HER, EVEN IF WE ARE DIVORCED.” CIR 1935: CARY GRANT WH RANDOLPH STT. THE TWO STARS SHARED A BEACH HOE DURG THE 1930S, WHICH WAS JOKGLY KNOWN AS "BACHELOR HALL." JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATN/GETTY LEFT UNANSWERED WERE THE QUTNS PROVOKED BY THIS OBSSIVE DOCUMENTATN OF HIS DGHTER’S LIFE. WHO TAP AND PRERV THE MEANRG SPEECH OF THEIR SMALL CHILD? HOW N ANY CHILD LIVE UP TO SUCH ADMIRATN? ALL THE LOVE AND PASSN THAT HAD BEEN STORED UP FOR A LIFETIME, THAT HE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO EELY BTOW ON PARENTS OR WIV WAS RELEASED A NTUG LUGE UPON HIS DGHTER.THE PROBLEM WH THE BEVERLY GROVE HOE WAS THAT GRANT HAD ED AS A RENTAL OFF AND ON FOR YEARS, AND WAS SAD SHAPE. THE ROOF LEAKED, THE CEILG WAS FULL OF WATER STAS, AND PATCH OF PLASTER SAGGED DOWN. THE FRENCH DOORS LEADG ONTO THE TERRACE HAD BEE WARPED BY RA AND CRACKS HAD OPENED UP LARGE ENOUGH TO ALLOW STREAMS OF WATER ONTO THE FLAGSTONE FLOOR. GRANT DISVERED SOME RDBOARD BOX HE HAD LONG FOTTEN NTAG A BOUD PATG AND TWO TIEPOLO SKETCH THAT HAD BEEN A GIFT OM BARBARA HUTTON. AFTER POSNG A NUMBER OF POTS AND PANS UNR THE LEAKS, GRANT REALIZED HE WOULD HAVE TO SPEND SOME MONEY ON THE HOE WHETHER HE LIKED OR NOT. AND SO BEGAN YEARS OF SELF-PARODY THAT MA MR. BLANDGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOE LOOK LIKE A MOL OF NSTCTN EFFICIENCY. GRANT’S SECRETARY REPORTED THAT TWO ELECTRICIANS, EACH EARNG $20 AN HOUR, SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY CHANGG THE POSN OF A SGLE LIGHT PLUG WHILE GRANT PONRED THE PERFECT LOTN. THE LIGHT PLUGS WEREN’T THE ONLY THGS THAT GOT SWCHED—SO DID SIGNERS AND NTRACTORS.IT UNDOUBTEDLY SEEMED ODD TO THE NTRACTORS, BUT WASN’T REALLY. GRANT RELENTLSLY SEND-GUSED MOST OF HIS CREATIVE CHOIC, SO DHERG ENDLSLY OVER RATG A HOE WAS VERY MUCH CHARACTER. THIS OVERSENSIVY TO OPTNS WAS WHY THE IA OF AN TOBGRAPHY WAS IMPOSSIBLE, SPE THE SIZE OF THE ADVANC THAT WERE OFFERED—HE WOULD NEVER HAVE STOPPED REWRG. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER REASON—OR ANOTHER FEAR: HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE RRIED HIS STORY TO THE DAY OF WRG WOULD MEAN HIS OWN END WAS NEAR. “THE DROWNG MAN SE HIS LIFE GO BY AS HE GO DOWN, AND SO DO THE MAN WHO GO BACK OVER HIS MEMORI TO WRE ABOUT THEM.” ADVERTISEMENT AS HE AGED, HE NATURALLY THOUGHT ABOUT ATH AND MA PREPARATNS. WHEN LORD MOUNTBATTEN WAS MURRED BY THE IRA AUGT 1979, HE WAS VISIBLY VASTATED. AFTER THE FUNERAL, HE LLED A IEND AND ANNOUNCED, “I’M ABSOLUTELY POOPED, AND I’M SO GODDAMNED OLD . . . I’M GOG TO LIE BED . . . I SHALL JT CLOSE ALL DOORS, TURN OFF THE TELEPHONE AND ENJOY MY LIFE.” HE MA MREEN DONALDSON PROMISE THAT IF HE SHOULD DIE DURG THE NIGHT, SHE WAS NOT TO LL THE POLICE OR EVEN AN AMBULANCE, BUT RATHER STANLEY FOX. “I’VE GONE OVER THIS WH HIM MANY TIM. HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO. I N TST HIM TO FOLLOW MY STCTNS TO THE LETTER.” “ROYCE THOUGHT STT WAS STUNNG; HE WENT BACK TO THE HOE AND TOLD GRANT ABOUT HOW STT HAD LOOKED. ‘YEAH, HE WAS REALLY SOMETHG,’ GRANT SAID, A TONE THAT BED TEEM, FONDNS, AND SADNS.” MOSTLY, HOWEVER, HE EXHIBED A BLHE GRACE THAT RETIREMENT HAD HELPED CREATE. PETER BOGDANOVICH WNSED AN AMG SCENE 1973, WHEN HE AND GRANT BOTH ATTEND THE AMERIN FILM INSTUTE’S LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOHN FORD. GRANT HAD FOTTEN HIS TICKET AND ASKED THE LADY AT THE RECEPTN FOR SOME HELP. NAME? SHE ASKED, LOOKG DOWN AT HER LIST. “CARY GRANT,” HE SAID. SHE LOOKED UP AND WASN’T SURE ABOUT WHAT SHE SAW. “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE CARY GRANT.”“I KNOW,” HE SAID WH A SE. “NOBODY DO.”OCSNALLY THERE WOULD BE A TAC MOMENT OF E. AT A PARTY, GAZG AT THE STUNNG WOMEN CLTERED AROUND WARREN BEATTY, HE NODD AND SAID, “SEE THAT GUY? THAT ED TO BE ME.” BEATTY HAD BEEN OBSERVG GRANT AT CLOSE RANGE SCE VISG LLIE CARON DURG THE SHOOT OF FATHER GOOSE, AND IS PROBABLE THAT BEATTY’S GENERAL RA OF A MEGASTAR FLOATG ABOVE THE SEEDY MISHEGOSS OF THE MOVIE BS RIVED OM THE OLR ACTOR’S ATTU.PL SYLBERT WORKED WH BEATTY AND SAID, “HE LEARNED OM GRANT . . . PICKG UP THE DO’S AND DON’TS OM HANGG AROUND THE PEOPLE AND SEEG HOW THEY OPERATE.” FOR A TIME, BEATTY SISTED ON G MASRA TO ACCENT HIS EY, AND HE WOULD ADOPT A TRICK OFTEN ED BY AGG ACTRS, AS WELL AS ACTORS—PUT THE MERA FIFTEEN FEET AWAY AND SHOOT CLOSE-UPS WH A LONG LENS, WHICH SLIGHTLY SOFTENS THE FOC WHOUT BEG OBV ABOUT . ADVERTISEMENT IN THE FALL OF 1968, GRANT WROTE AN EXUBERANT SELF-ANALYSIS REDOLENT OF SCROOGE AFTER HIS ENLIGHTENMENT: I AM A SIXTY-FIVE YEAR OLD PROFSNAL MAN, RECENTLY DIVORCED FOR THE FOURTH TIME, AND FATHER OF A TWO-AND-A-HALF YEAR OLD DGHTER. I AM HAPPIER THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN, YET NOT AS HAPPY AS I TEND TO BE.I AM OFTEN PSIMISTIC, YET MALY OPTIMISTIC. I NO LONGER RIST, OR HIB, THE PERATN OF KNOWLEDGE WHICH I TST WILL EVENTUALLY RULT WISDOM!I ENJOY THE BOUNDLS FEELG OF LOVE AND TEND TO LET GROW FOREVER ME. I TEND TO TRY TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE TO, AND LIVE WH NSIRATN OF, OTHERS.LOOKG BACK ON MY LIFE, I OCSNALLY WISH I HAD KNOWN ENOUGH TO CHOOSE A PROFSN THAT ULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIRECTLY BENEFICIAL TO OTHERS. BUT, SCE I DIDN’T, I MT TAKE THAT TO NSIRATN ALL FUTURE ENAVORS. . . .IT’S A GOOD DAY AND A GOOD LIFE! GRANT’S IENDSHIP WH HAROLD LLOYD REMAED STRONG. “HAROLD HAD A PRIVATE N UPSTAIRS, WH A PHONE THAT ONLY RANG THAT ROOM,” REMEMBERED LLOYD’S GRANDDGHTER SUE. I HUNG AROUND UP THERE A LOT. ONE DAY THE PHONE RGS, AND WAS THAT DISTCTIVE VOICE: “OH, HEL-LO. THIS IS CARY GRANT. IS HAROLD THERE?”AND I SAID, “OH YEAH. DAD’S HERE, BUT HE’S ON THE THRONE.” AND THEN I ULDN’T TALK TO HIM ANYMORE. I’D SEEN AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER AND WAS JT HERENT ABOUT . I THREW THE PHONE DOWN AND RAN DOWN THE HALL.“DAD, ’S CARY GRANT.”“OKAY, LM DOWN. JT TELL HIM I’M ON THE THRONE AND I’LL LL HIM BACK A MUTE.”SO AFTER THAT, I BEGGED HIM TO LET ME GO TO LUNCH WH THE TWO OF THEM, AND HAROLD SAID, “IF YOU N POSE YOURSELF, WE’RE GOG TO GO TO THE POLO LOUNGE.” BUT AT THAT POT HE DIDN’T THK I WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL MYSELF TOGETHER.THE FIRST TIME THAT I REALLY HAD A NVERSATN WH CARY WAS WHEN WE WERE LONDON. I WAS SEVENTEEN OR EIGHTEEN, AND WE WERE STAYG AT THE INN AT THE PARK. WE WENT TO DNER WH CARY AT THE WHE ELEPHANT. HAROLD AND CARY WERE VERY TERTG TOGETHER. YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN THEY WERE EDIANS. SER. NO JOKG AROUND. THEY LOOKED LIKE BSMEN, AND THEY ACTED LIKE BSMEN. SUS AND GLASS.AND Y, CARY WAS CHARMG. HE ASKED ABOUT WHAT I DID WH DAD. I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE SHRER HOSPALS, AND THAT I WENT TO WTLAKE, I READ DAD’S LIGHT METER FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS TAKG PICTUR AND SO FORTH. CARY HAD A KD OF A WARMTH WHEN HE TALKED TO YOU. HE REALLY LOOKED AT YOU. HE WASN’T GRAND AT ALL. HE WAS FORTABLE HIS SK AND TERTED YOU. IN THKG ABOUT , HE WAS A LOT LIKE HAROLD. SUE LLOYD’S EXPERIENC WH GRANT WERE ALMOST ENTIRELY WH THE PROFSNAL ASPECT OF HIS PERSONALY, BUT THERE WAS ONE TIME WHEN SHE GOT A GLIMPSE OF HIS MORE RMAL SI. THE BISEXUAL THG. I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT . I N TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T MAKE A BIG AL ABOUT . I N SEE , KD OF. MY IEND RICHARD CORRELL AND I WENT TO A PARTY ONCE. MY UNCLE WAS THERE WH HIS BOYIEND, AND CARY WAS THERE AS WELL, SWIRLG AROUND A FTAN. AND I WAS BLOWN BACK. OH, HAD AN EFFECT ON ME. HE WAS SWISHG AROUND THE PARTY. I SAW THAT SI OF HIM, AND I SAW THE BSMAN SI AS WELL. LET ME TELL YOU, THERE WAS A REAL NTRAST. STT EYMAN
How uld s openly gay wrers—primarily creator Darren Star and executive producer Michael Patrick Kg—sorely misreprent a group they’re a part of? But ’s old news to note that (ually upper-class) whe gay men have a served reputatn for takg nservative and even bigoted posns about their trans, Black, lbian, or fat brethren, actg as if a mix of self-hatred and disda of the Other is a charmg personaly tra.
BEFORE STANFORD: MEET CARRIE BRADSHAW'S FIRST GAY BTIE
In many ways, Sex and the Cy ed the much-stereotyped dynamic of iendship between straight whe women and gay men to prop up self-assuredly ignorant ’s this age-old mix of gay patriarchy and whe supremacy that adds a layer of trepidatn to anyone anticipatg HBO’s limed-seri revival of the show.
EVERYONE KNOWS TRAVOLTA IS GAY, SAYS CARRIE FISHER
Willie Garson, the actor known for playg Carrie Bradshaw's gay bt iend, Stanford Blatch, on Sex and the Cy, has died at age died "after a short illns, " People reports. His character, a talent agent, was always well-drsed and ready wh a wty was straight but stayed the closet about his sexualy durg the n of the show, sayg he didn't want to offend gay people.
In a Page Six terview last year, he referred to "people playg gay characters jumpg up and down screamg that they're not gay, like that would somehow be a bad thg if they were. Garson played Stanford Blatch, a gay talent agent and the pendable, wty and always well-drsed nfidant of Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jsi like the four lead characters (some fans lled him “the fifth lady”), Stanford was put through the datg rger. He was one of the few openly gay characters on TV at the time.
Garson, who was not gay, told The Huffgton Post. “But the gay muny really rose up, and said ‘We know people like this, this is real. ”He said another terview: “I always felt that there’s nothg worse than straight actors playg gay characters televisn and then dog rtwheels to tell people that they’re straight all the time — as if they were gay, that’d be a bad thg.