50 Years Later, the Film 'Gay Deceivers' Is Still Very Gay, Very Bad

Contents:

• 50 YEARS LATER, THE FILM GAY DECEIVERS IS STILL VERY GAY, VERY BAD
• THE GAY DECEIVERS
• THE GAY DECEIVERS (1969) TRAILER
• 'PASSAG' DIRECTOR NOUNC 'DANGERO' NC-17 RATG ON A FILM PICTG A GAY LOVE STORY

50 YEARS LATER, THE FILM GAY DECEIVERS IS STILL VERY GAY, VERY BAD

The last year of the 1960s also broke ground when me to film, wh a movie about a d gay iendship between a htler and a grifter (Midnight Cowboy) wng the Bt Picture Osr the followg year. When me to paradigm-shiftg films of 1969, The Gay Deceivers do not qualify. Centered on two bonehead straight guys (played by Kev Coughl and Larry Casey) who pretend to be gay to avoid the draft, The Gay Deceivers was a precursor to shows like Bosom Buddi and Three's Company and movi like Mrs.

Doubtfire and I Now Prounounce You Chuck and the jok are broad and stupid, the puns obv (a character brgs a u basket to the tular ceivers), the women eher cluels, lechero, or ceful (but always sexy and ually half-naked), and the antigay slurs ubiquo, the movie has several fun flash of gay culture that mastream Ameri was not at all ed the ceivers rent an L.

Apartment lord over by a swishy landlord named Mallm (Michael Greer), 's adorned wh homoerotic art that is still rigur Palm Sprgs and Provcetown. Gay men the film ll each other "she" whout a bat of the eye, drag is held up as an art form, and two men even dance together. In one scene, a gay man miserat to Casey's character of Ellt how straight people believe gays are animals and how unfair is that they are routely fired om their jobs.

THE GAY DECEIVERS

Of urse, that potential is wasted when Ellt punch the man for g on to the gay men are universally portrayed as sex-obssed, most e off as likable (albe silly). Greer, an openly gay ic at the time, reportedly worked wh director Bce Ksler to make the movie more sympathetic to the gay characters.

"While this movie tragilly reflects s era's mastream attus toward queer people, what mak The Gay Deceivers worth watchg for a ntemporary LGBTQ dience is the great Michael Greer as landlord Mallm DeJohn, " says Alonso Dural, a film cric for TheWrap and -host of the podst Lolm Knife. The rt of the movie is an object lson of tablishment homophobia actn, but Greer's performance allows a ltle rebelln and realy to elbow s way .

Whout spoilg too much, the screenwrers and Ksler imply that not all gay people are swishy, snarky, and fashnable; anyone your orb uld be queer. Though that msage don't make up for The Gay Deceivers' many, many fics, was one very seldom exprsed The Gay Deceivers below.

THE GAY DECEIVERS (1969) TRAILER

Two men mt pose as gay lovers to avoid gettg drafted. Danny Devl and his woman-chasg iend Ellt Crane ci to pose as homosexuals to avoid ductn to the Army. Sce Danny is nvced that he and Ellt mt appear to live together as homosexuals to nfirm the Army's judgment, they rent a one-bedroom apartment an area popular wh the gay set.

Eventually, Ellt's married and unmarried girl iends, Danny's father, and even Karen herself bee nvced that the men are actually homosexual. Two men try to avoid ary service by pretendg to be gay, but they mt act the part when the recg officer don't buy .

'PASSAG' DIRECTOR NOUNC 'DANGERO' NC-17 RATG ON A FILM PICTG A GAY LOVE STORY

What if we pretend to be a gay uple to eva the draft... And we nvced everyone our liv that we were gay... It don't have any overt pro-gay msag, necsarily, but as a movie also don't nounce homosexualy as evil eher.

Sure, a bunch of the characters do but the movie do we have here is a edy about two (very handsome) guys who pretend to be boyiends to dodge the draft and end up havg to move together and actually live like gays so that Uncle Sam don't fd out their dirty ltle secret (the dirty ltle secret beg that they're borg straight people) the entire urse of the movie I was tryg really hard to figure out what the pot of the…. Succeeds not bee of s silly storyle or eher of s two leads, but bee of the openly gay Michael Greer's hand rhapg the script and givg a performance that's illy swishy, yet not gradg. Try to work posive and polil msag to what otherwise uld've been a gross, homophobic ms.

I’ll still take his ultra-homoerotic Simon, Kg of the Wch over this, though. Ok but they were actually gay, right? Be gay, do crim, avoid the draft.

Dad I swear I'm not gay 's jt a prank to avoid the draft!

Obvly the gays were waaay over the top (everyone say thank you michael greer) but was surprisg to see that they weren’t portrayed as evil or bad this one, but warm and iendly (md you ’s the 60’s and homosexualy was still seen as a mental illns). I thought I was gonna hate-watch this bee would be super homophobic and I'd have to wre a big thg about how straight ppl suck but like damn this movie is a good time, like the openg creds of them answerg qutns back and forth was hysteril nglThis is the sort of movie that was probably ma for straighti but is absolutely the sort of ntent that gay bch would love bc I know I doLike yeah 's obvly not tellectual cema but sometim you jt have to be a dramatic gay man the 1960's and scream 'LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY PEONIES' bee be gay do crim y'know??

Reviewed the Uned Stat on June 7, 2018From 1969, this is the tale of two men tryg to get out of the Vietnam draft by pretendg to be gay. Chock full of jt about every gay stereotype imagable.

A edy of errors as were as Danny and Ellt try to "fake" beg gay, and do so well no one believ that they're not, rultg lost relatnships, employment, and rpectabily. The punch le at the end beg (spoiler) that the draft board didn't want them bee they weren't gay. Two Guys tryg to get out of gog to the army, pose as a gay uple at the Army Inductn Center.