Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-1998

Amazon.com

If David Ehrenstein's Open Secret says that somebody is gay, you can safely assume that he or she is (which is why the chapter on Tom Cruise reveals nothing more than reasons why people believe--or want to believe--he might be gay). Interviews with contemporary "out" stars, writers, and studio execs are balanced against the reminiscences of those who spent Tinseltown's golden age in the closet. This reveals how open Hollywood's tolerance of its gay and lesbian members has become, but it also shows the lack of similar progress in how the press deals with potential celebrity queerness. There isn't much difference, for example, between the scandal sheet Confidential's 1955 exposé of Tab Hunter's bust at a "pajama party ... for the boys" and the 1997 "Kevin Spacey Has a Secret" cover story in the ostensibly more respectable Esquire.

Open Secret flits from a visit to the set of the Ian McKellen-Brendan Fraser film Father of Frankenstein (based on the novel by Christopher Bram) to an analysis of Ellen DeGeneres's protracted coming-out process, from an overview of the impact of AIDS on the entertainment industry to the story of how Gus Van Sant almost made a movie of Randy Shilts's The Mayor of Castro Street. But the intersection of queer sexuality and Hollywood admittedly covers a lot of territory, and Ehrenstein does an admirable job of providing an overview. One bit of advice: skip over the very brief prologue, which tries a bit too hard to convince readers of the book's seriousness, and allow the informative and entertaining stories here to speak for themselves. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

Hollywood isn't just a place or an industry -- it's a fantasy that unfolds in the minds of moviegoers the world over. And talking about "who's gay in Hollywood" has always been the most socially acceptable way of talking about homosexuality period.But times have changed for gays and lesbians inside Hollywood and in the culture at large. Ellen DeGeneres "came out" to a world quite different from the one that allowed Marlene Dietrich to "stay in." And while Rupert Everett may be called "the gay Cary Grant," the real Cary Grant would never have described himself as gay -- even though he was.So what has it meant to be gay in Hollywood, not just as a star but behind the scenes as well? How homosexual actors and actresses came to define straight America's sexual self-image is only one of the paradoxical and provocative questions explored in Open Secret, a revealing cultural chronicle of gay Hollywood. From the silent era to the age of the multiplex and beyond, homosexuality has been a fact of life in the film industry, and scores of important personalities -- stars, writers, directors, producers -- have enjoyed long and spectacular careers on both sides of the camera, despite mainstream America's professed bias against gays.

Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this entertaining book spans seventy years, painting knowing and vivid portraits of many of Hollywood's foremost gays and lesbians, often in the words of eyewitnesses or the principals themselves. Veteran entertainment journalist David Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation from an era when gays and lesbians had no public profile in "polite" society to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are not merely comfortable with their sexuality but actually celebrate it -- and are in turn celebrated for it. In the process, he presents a unique reflection of American society as a whole and its ever-changing attitudes and values.

Customer Reviews:

Dull, Dull and Dreadful.......2005-11-12

This book has no life to it---I mean the writing--it is redundant, heavy, lackluster. Reads like a boring college research textbook. The author repeats and repeats and is consumed and obsessed with Ellen Degeneres over and over again. It is not like a book, but an overblown article. There is nothing new in the book--it is a historical account of gay and lesbians in Hollywood and boring as can be. Sorry I bought it but am thankful I got a used copy and did not pay much. I could hardly wait to finish it to throw it out as I did not even want to keep it. Forget this dull and dreadful book!

Much Ado about Nothing.......2003-03-05

It seems odd that this book, with its good intentions, would just be so unsatisfying as a read. You almost get the feeling that the author is on the outside of Hollywood looking in. He seems to be obsessed with Ellen. The book has a certain bitterness to it that doesn't play well.

I couldn't in all honesty recommend purchasing this book. Though if you find it at a public library, might be worth flipping through- but not checking out.

By no means a serious study of GayHollywood, but a good read.......2000-03-25

...nonetheless. This book is not a distasteful one unlike a vast majority of books about gays in Hollywood. It is also quite entertaining and should be regarded only as such: an entertaining book on a summer's day... In this case it does not really matter, whether the material is credible or not. If you do not take what you read TOO SERIOUSLY, then you will enjoy this book. If you want some serious study about gay actors, then look some place else for it.

Beef Jerky for the Brain.......1999-07-13

As one reader comments, this book is "a must for any serious Hollywood History library." Yes--in the same sense that the complete works of Ed Wood belong in every comprehensive home video collection.

Deeper analysis of being gay in Hollywood.......1999-06-18

If you want gossip, get a tabloid. If you'd rather read a thoughtful analysis of "gay Hollywood" in a social/historical context, get this book. This is not a list of who's gay and who isn't; Ehrenstein has chosen to write about what happened (and happens) to gays who are part of the Hollywood machine. He demonstrates, through first-person interviews and anecdotal accounts, in what ways Hollywood--the studios, the executives, the media, the audience--is and is not accepting of homosexuals. Not everyone in his book is famous, or a big time movie star, but they all have something to say or show about the difference between the gay Hollywood of the Cary Grant and Rock Hudson era and the gay Hollywood of the Ellen Degeneres and Tom Cruise era.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Revelations.......2007-02-28

What fascinating revelations! I read this book from cover to cover and repeatedly said to myself, "Well, I'll be..." I grew up watching most of the people portrayed and never dreamed at the time what was going on behind the scenes. I would have loved the movies and shows even more had I known the whole story.

I rank the contents in reverse order of interest as follows: 3: interviews; 2: author's narrative; 1: index. Reading it all in context was fun. After that, I spent a couple of hours looking at the names in the index and flipping to the page references to zero in on what those people had to say.

This book entertained me for hours and I consider it well worth the cost.

What a boreing read!.......2006-08-02

Being a Hollywood gossip hound, I found this book basicly a waste of time to read. None of the interviewed women ever come out of the closet. And most refuse to discuss other people. An admirable quality but not something that makes for a good read.

we really had fun with this.......2005-11-18

We love reading about our community, and we have to confess we enjoy gossip! Not the best written book ever, but loads of dirt!

Apparently EVERYONE on earth is gay according to this author.......2004-04-02

I read this book primarily for the interview with Barbara Stanwyck, who I adore. What a book. The author seems to believe that it is his calling in life to FORCE people, primarily the dead ones, to admit that they are gay, whether or not they are, mainly because HE is. Barbara Stanwyck had class, was intensely private, and so what? If people want to discuss their sex lives and have the information published for the world to see, fine. Personally, I have a lot more respect for people, gay or otherwise, who mind their own business and expect the rest of the world to do the same. I have yet to see a connection between one's sexuality and one's artistic ability. (...) I'm honestly ashamed I read the damned thing.

A good read.......2003-07-08

Let me tell you, it was a lot easier to get through this invasion than "Hollywood Gays!" It was an OK read, full of facts about classic stars' sexuality, but, just as in the male version, I would have liked to know more about these women. The interviews are good and revealing, which is a plus, but something is definitely missing here.

Exile in Guyville: How a Punk-Rock Redneck Faggot Texan Moved to West Hollywood And Refused to Be Shiny And Happy

Average customer rating:

Very Funny take on Moving to LA!!
Please sir, can I have some more?
Brilliant
Funniest Book I've Read Recently
Hilarious!

Exile in Guyville: How a Punk-Rock Redneck Faggot Texan Moved to West Hollywood And Refused to Be Shiny And Happy
Dave White
Manufacturer: Alyson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1555839320

Book Description

Here's the diary of a man who in mid-life found himself uprooted and dumped into West Hollywood, an unfamiliar place not exactly known for stability. White explores his neighborhood ? "queens: 6 percent; cranky 70-year-old Russians who give you the evil eye when you walk past: 2 percent; blonde girls with big, round, hard fakeys who think Jennifer Anniston just got lucky: 10 percent; miscellaneous cool kids, hustlers, and actual crazy people: 5 percent."

White gets gigs as a freelance writer, goes to the grocery store where his Russian neighbors ask him questions because they think he's from the old country; and encounters Sara Gilbert at the Laundromat, Leonard Maltin at the movies, and Ben Affleck driving a Rolls-Royce so ridiculously conspicuous he might as well be driving Chitty-Chitty, Bang-Bang.

What began as weekly diaries emailed to out-of-state family and friends evolved into a blog called "Dave White Knows" and in 2003 became a monthly column in Instinct called "Exile in Guyville." Alyson Books now presents White's blogs in expanded form with loads of new material that will be even more irritating to the Instinct readers who didn't like his column. "They requested more fashion and skin-care features in its place, which makes me kind of proud."

Dave White is a freelance journalist specializing in music. His reviews and features have been seen in E! Online, IFILM, LA Weekly, Dallas Observer, Instinct, The Advocate, Glue, Cybersocket, Total Movie, Unzipped, and Frontiers. White lives in West Hollywood with his boyfriend, the Morocco Mole, and is locally esteemed as the "King of Pancakes."

Customer Reviews:

Very Funny take on Moving to LA!!.......2007-06-21

As a native Angeleno, I was ready to take offense at Dave's experience of Los Angeles, but I was laughing too hard. He's had some pretty interesting experiences of LA. A very light, fun read.

Please sir, can I have some more?.......2007-06-12

I loved this book, I loved Dave's unapologetic ranting and whining about LA and its inhabitants (a**holes!!). I loved his special brand of 'gayness' and his queeny categorisations of the OTHER brands of gayness he is forced to interact with in rainbow flagged West Hollywood. For all the other non-shinyhappy people who inhabit (yes they do!!!) anywhere out of the LA geographical area, this book is a refreshing take on the whole stereotypical celeb seething wannabe clusterf*** that is 'reality' for anyone LIVING in LA and earning less than mega squillions a year. If you enjoy reading books like "Chorewhore", or relate to the hispanic domestics everpresent in the background in any LA-based flick, you'll also enjoy Exile in Guyville.

It'd be great to see a follow up, or even a collection of Dave's columns. His observations of his grudgingly adopted home town resonate at the same frequency as Henry Rollins occasionally do: they both live there because they have to but they aren't going down without a fight goddarnit! These are witnesses to the flabbergasting proliferation of acceptable a**holeness which is flourishing in places like LA: road rage, blithe and rampant consumerism, self-centredness, rudeness and downright unfriendliness. Dave observes the LA reactions to his natural Texan inclination to greet a stranger or passer-by with a wave or a smile and he comments also that the people of LA regard themselves, and not the sun, as the centre of the universe.

I like that people like Dave and Henry are documenting and commenting. And congratulations Dave, you did it stylishly and with humour. It'd be good to see some more.

Brilliant.......2007-03-28

White's brilliance lies in the fact that the review by "Aniston Obsessed" is a compliment to "Exile."

Funniest Book I've Read Recently.......2007-03-08

Homophobes stay away - as one should gather from the title. That being said - this book had me laughing out loud. It's a must buy. I've already bought a copy for one of my friends.

Hilarious! .......2007-01-06

I discovered Dave White because he writes an American Idol blog which I look forward to each and every week.

Exile in Guyville did not disappoint. Dave chronicles his first year in the hell that is LA. Despite that fact that he has serious trouble adjusting, he never loses his keen sense of humor. There are many many laugh out loud moments.

I loved it!

Obviously, this book isn't for everybody. So if the title offends you, move along. But if you consider whining a hobby, and other people's crabbiness makes you laugh, you will love Exile in Guyville!

Nicole Del Sesto, author of All Encompassing Trip

Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors, Vol. 1: From the Silent Era to 1965

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Best of All!

Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors, Vol. 1: From the Silent Era to 1965
Barry Monush
Manufacturer: Applause
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1557835519

Book Description

For decades, Screen World has been the film professional's, as well as the film buff's, favorite and indispensable annual screen resource, full of all the necessary statistics and facts. Now Screen World editor Barry Monush has compiled another comprehensive work for every film lover's library. In the first of two volumes, this book chronicles the careers of every significant film actor, from the earliest silent screen stars - Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks - to the mid-1960s, when the old studio and star systems came crashing down. Each listing includes: a brief biography, photos from the famed Screen World archives, with many rare shots; vital statistics; a comprehensive filmography; and an informed, entertaining assessment of each actor's contributions - good or bad! In addition to every major player, Monush includes the legions of unjustly neglected troupers of yesteryear. The result is a rarity: an invaluable reference tool that's as much fun to read as a scandal sheet. It pulsates with all the scandal, glamour, oddity and glory that was the lifeblood of its subjects. Contains over 1,000 photos!

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2005-03-10

At first, I was very pleased with this directory, and I gave it a glowing review with 4 stars. I had deducted a star because of the bad editing, i.e. lots of typos and factual errors. There seems to be not one page where there aren't lots of typos, and the factual errors reflect a biogrsapher who seems to be just faking it. For example, Nina Foch's entry states that she played the secretary to a "suicidal businessman" in Executive Suite. This is incorrect - the businessman died of a heart attack, the daughter, played by Barbara Stanwyck, was suicidal. And this popped up on the first browse through the book.

Now, I must deduct still another star. I had compared this book favorably to the David Thomson "Biographical Dictionary," because Thomson's is neither biographical nor a dictionary, filled with the unauthoritative, opinions of a phony movie critic, and a mean spirited one at that. Well, alas, upon further reading, I found Monush's work to be equally mean spirited. For example, Mounsh gratuitously mentions a particular actor's homosexuality - something which had absolutely no bearing on his career or work. Of another actor's homosexuality which was was notorious and indeed affected his career, Monush makes no mention. Why Monush chooses to stigmatize one actor and then cover up for another I can only explain as personal favor.

Equally mystifying is are the omissions. Why does Monush include obscure character actors but exclude well-known feature players? For example, why does he exclude Erik Rhodes, who gained immortality in the Astair-Rogers classics Top Hat and Gay Divorcee ("Your wife is safe with Tonetti, he prefers spaghetti.")

Why does Monush exclude Bruce Bennett? Bennett wasn't just a player - he was a star - a minor star, but a star, one of those Olympic Athletes who, as Herman Brix, played Tarzan (some say superior to Weismuller), then changed his name and eventually became a headliner, co-starring with the likes of Crawford and Bogart. Couldn't Monush find a photo?

This directory claims to be encyclopedic, but it definitely is not. It has bad editing, poor fact-checking and unexplained omissions. Still, it is the only directory I know of, extant, which contains photos with the entries, and it does attempt to flesh out the entries. It is superior to the pretentious Thomson and perhaps less dry of a read than the essential and comprehesive (fewer omissions) "Filmgoer's Encyclopedia" by Ephraim Katz. This is a useful reference, but let us hope a better one comes along. So far, if you can dispense with the photos, the Katz is the best.

Best of All!.......2003-12-17

Barry Monush's "Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors" is the best volume of its type. Other guides to performers tend either to be mean spirited or incomplete. This book is witty, informative and comprehensive. Each entry has some unusual or fascinating fact. This book has more complete credits information than most reference works, but this one is also fun to read. All the stars who became famous before 1965, including many of today's great stars, are here. Actors who came to prominence 1965->present will be covered in Vol. 2. The rare "headshot" photos alone are worth the price of purchase. If you know anyone who enjoys movies, they'll love this amazing book!

Uninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability (Theories of Representation and Difference)

Average customer rating:

excellent film theory
Couldn't put it down

Uninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability (Theories of Representation and Difference)
Patricia White
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0253213452

Book Description

Lesbian characters, stories, and images were barred from onscreen depiction in Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s, together with all forms of "sex perversion." Looking at the lure of some of the great female stars and at the visual coding of supporting actresses, the book identifies lesbian spectatorial strategies.

Customer Reviews:

excellent film theory .......2006-07-10

applicable to literary theory as well. so well written, especially for a scholarly book! don't miss the conclusion, where you will be blown away. and the intense reading of "all about eve" will take your breath away.

Couldn't put it down.......2006-04-12

This book is fascinating and compelling to read. I am thankful to Patricia White for doing all this research. I can't wait to watch these films.

Average customer rating:

For the aficionados.
Worthy of a magazine
Very intelligent and insightful
Still the same
Unsightful paste job

Open Secret: Gay Hollywood--1928-2000
David Ehrenstein
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0688175856
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Book Description

Part social history and part exposé, this revealing, entertaining, and provocative book spans nearly seventy years as it explores the lives and careers of some of the silver screen's foremost gays and lesbians and the effect of their high-profile lifestyles on the general public. From Charles Laughton and Greta Garbo to Nathan Lane and Ellen DeGeneres, David Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation of Hollywood from a time when it was box-office poison to be publicly gay to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are celebrating their gay sexuality--and are in turn celebrated for it. Updated, Open Secret reveals what has happened to the key players in gay Hollywood since the original hardcover publication.

Customer Reviews:

For the aficionados........2004-06-07

This book lifts a veil on a still rather taboo issue. A lot of well known people are mentioned in it, but I felt that most of the chapters were written more for insiders.
Fortunately, this book contains some other important movie items which tell a lot about the Pharisaic mentality of the people who ran the studios.
Hollywood's success story is built on its star system. A big panic broke out in the fifties of last century when one of Hollywood's superstars Ingrid Bergman left the US to marry the Italian director Roberto Rossellini. The movie bosses were shattered and thought that they would lose a big part of their public (box office). They launched a big smear campaign against the actress (adulteress...) and forced the movie critics to criticize heavily her new movies. The not so 'orthodox' behaviour of other superstars was left unblemished.
The author unveils the real role of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons as the 'Big Sisters' of Hollywood, spying on the stars and employees on behalf of the studio bosses. If the crew didn't behave as the bosses wanted they 'were called on the carpet and told - Unless you show yourself as a respectable person, you'll lose your contract'.

I found this book a decent work on a difficult subject.

Worthy of a magazine.......2001-12-24

After a quick glance of my friend's copy, I picked this up, curious to find out more about the current state of affairs for gays and lesbians in Hollywood. While it's certainly encouraging that many lesbian and gay writers/producers/et al are now able (thanks to Ms. DeGeneres) to live their lives more openly, the book itself offers little insight other than Ellen DeGeneres and a couple of other passing (gay) cultural moments, such as Howard Ashman's lover's acceptance of his posthumous Academy Award. Being a supposed historical exploration, the book flips back and forth in time and era, never focusing on one person or subject long enough to discover anything insightful. Its coverage of the early part of Hollywood's gay history is slight at best, focusing mostly on Rock Hudson, and offers little to illuminate that situation. It has the depth and tone of a good magazine article, but as a book it doesn't offer enough: it seems padded, and interviews are quoted verbatim with every bit of bad syntax and "you know"'s intact. I learned nothing from this book that I wasn't aware of through soundbites on entertainment news shows. I really don't like writing a negative review, but reading this was increasingly frustrating and ultimately unsatisfying.

Very intelligent and insightful.......2001-07-07

The author examines Hollywood like it is a set decoration being used in a movie. He shows us the attractive scenery (the Hollywood that middle America sees every day), as well as behind the scenes: the nails, glue, and sandbags that hold the set in place. In this case, however, the nails, glue, and sandbags are decades of deception, denial, and hushed tones that the industry continues to use. Ehrenstein writes with a knowledgeable pen, yet rarely if ever comes across as smug or elitest. His narrative is conversational, but structured. It allows the reader to understand better many individual stories in Hollywood's past and present while showing them in context relative to time and social acceptance. "Open Secret" is well-written and comprehensive.

Still the same.......2000-07-30

This book may as well be a horror novel in that Hollywood is still the same as it was in the 1920's. Cowardace, politics and money are still keepin celebrities in the closet while teenagers are still taking their own lives because they think they are alone. This book details what can happen to a person in Hollywood when they chose to STOP living a lie (Ellen, Geffen et al), but also how being out and themselves can never equal a dollar amount. Great Book!

Unsightful paste job.......2000-07-07

This book talks alot and shows very little for it. Ehrenstein loves to gab and rehash tired rumors, but the point gets lost time and again as you slog thru this poorly written mess that's part trash, part trashy sociology. Really shoddy work. An annoying read.

Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969

Average customer rating:

Fascinating & Filled With Wonderful Stories
Could have been better...
Excellent study of gays and lesbians in Hollywood
Interesting, but almost too exhaustive
Almost Too Much .....

Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969
William Mann
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142001147

Amazon.com

If your last piece of golden-era Hollywood gossip is that Greta Garbo and Cecil Beaton kissed at a rooftop party, you need to steep yourself in William J. Mann's social history of gay Hollywood, a treasure trove of fresh anecdotes and observations of a period and place in which homosexuals enjoyed tremendous freedom and influence--within certain obvious limits. In choosing subjects for his study, Mann cast his net widely, hauling in a great number of uncelebrated but essential workers in the "queer" areas of the film industry--mainly costume design and props, but also writing, directing and acting. This is not principally a look at famous figures, in other words, but at a subculture as a whole, in which Dorothy Arzner, George Cukor, and Charles Laughton are just part of larger circles of gay life and work. Certain to become essential to gay film studies, Behind the Scenes provides a rich, accessible history of pre-Stonewall Hollywood. --Regina Marler

Book Description

Whether in or out of the closet, gays and lesbians played an essential role in shaping studio-era Hollywood. Gay actors (J. Warren Kerrigan, Marlene Dietrich, Rock Hudson), gay directors (George Cukor, James Whale, Dorothy Arzner), and gay set and costume designers (Adrian, Travis Banton, George James Hopkins) have been among the most influential individuals in Hollywood history and literally created the Hollywood mystique. This landmark study-based on seven years of exacting research and including unpublished memoirs, personal correspondence, oral histories, and scrapbooks-explores the experience of Hollywood's gays in the context of their times. Ranging from Hollywood's working conditions to the rowdy character of Los Angeles's gay underground, William J. Mann brings long overdue attention to every aspect of this powerful creative force.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating & Filled With Wonderful Stories.......2006-12-18

This book is another winner by William Mann. His research and attention to detail is mind boggling. He takes us behind the PR and secrets of gay Hollywood and gives us a look at a sexy, provocative world. I couldn't put this book down. It is proof that if it weren't for gay men and lesbians Hollywood would have been lost and the movies we now treasure as classics would never have been made. Bravo again, Mr. Mann.

Could have been better..........2005-05-11

Much of this book is of the "he said/she said" mentality. Despite what the author claims, there isn't much to back up alot of what he claims are "facts." I was disappointed.

Excellent study of gays and lesbians in Hollywood.......2004-01-08

I found this book to be extremely interesting, and, ultimately, hard to forget. It is a well-researched account of what life was like in Hollywood for gays and lesbians, both pre-Code and post. While it is true that the book is comprehensive, and many, many people are discussed, I didn't find this to be problematic. They were not necessarily names which I recognized, but that was why I was reading the book. If I had a little trouble remembering who he was referring to in a given section, I let that go and read for content. What the people experienced. Why they did. How they felt about it.

The sheer volume of research Mr. Mann did is overwhelming, and necessary for this topic to be taken seriously. Very often, critics of gay and lesbian history books will claim that nothing is substantiated. Given the fact that some of these people were in the closet, therefore have left no documentation themselves, in my opinion, looking to other people who lived at the same time, who knew the people in question is just as valid as having a piece of paper which says, "I am gay/lesbian, and I loved 'X,' and I hid my orientation for 'Y' reason." It is unrealistic, in many cases, to expect that level of documentation, particularly with the generation of people the book talks about. Putting oneself into the closet in, say, 1935 (post-Hayes Code) meant that you *stayed* in the closet, for the rest of your life. That doesn't invalidate the experiences of the people who knew you, took photos of you, saw you and your lover behind closed doors, or at a party.

Mr. Mann put in untold hours of research, and when you look at the chapter notes, it's clear that the whole picture he presents is exactly that. He doesn't print mere rumour--there are a number of times when he doesn't "name names." What he does do is present his information, substantiated by any number of disparate sources, and gives it to the reader, straight out (so to speak). All of which, to me, is a valid way to deal with this subject. All of which made the book that much more valuable.

I found this book to be eminently readable. I could not put it down. I found a number of the stories heart-wrenching, and terribly sad (for example, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott's relationship). I found others to be uplifting. I learned about people I'd never heard of, and now, when I watch a movie from the 1930's, or 40's, I recognize names of set designers, and writers, and costume designers as *my* forefathers and foremothers (as Mr. Mann calls them).

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, for those of you who want to know more about gay and lesbian history, and how the shaping of Hollywood (by gays and lesbians) influenced the general American culture, and vice versa. It's fascinating.

Interesting, but almost too exhaustive.......2003-02-14

I found the thesis of this book to be worthy of attention, but perhaps the extent to which the author evaluates the subject is a bit much. The book is not an easy read, at times it feels like a laundry-list of the life and times of EVERY SINGLE gay man or woman involved in the hollywood scene. The upshot of this approach is that the text is not bogged down with modern lore and urban legends about the great gay stars. They get about as much attention as everyone else, from cameramen to set decorators. The result is an absolutely comprehensive account of the lives of some very interesting men and women. Part of the theme of the text is the similarity of experience between the working/middle-class derived gay population. Perhaps that is what makes the text seem a little repetitive, so many of these people have such similar stories that you forget where you are in the book! As you can probably tell, I'm torn about this review, but all that said, this book has been an interesting read and will be a valuable reference in my library of books on film and filmmakers.

Almost Too Much ............2002-08-31

I found this book sort of a difficult read. I can usually zip through a book very quickly, but I found myself hanging on every other sentence. The author seemed to cram almost too much meaningful information into every paragraph.
From start to finish, this book chronicled the influence of a somewhat externally closeted gay Hollywood community on the total output of work from the film industry. This wasn't all that much of a revelation to me. On one level or another a lot of film historians and movie hounds have always pretty much assumed that fact.
My biggest problem with this book was that it really was two or three separate books crammed under one title. It was almost too much to absorb on the first take. I kept re-reading chapters to make the connections complete. If I had been the editor working on this book I would have divided this book by decades and gone with at least two separate volumes and had it fleshed out with additional supporting information.
I recommend this book as an insightful study of the gay Hollywood film community and their contributions to the motion picture industry. I also caution most potential readers that this book will not be necessarily a quick take. You will miss a lot unless you proceed with caution. It is a lot like a runaway train moving at a very fast speed.

Average customer rating:

Low-grade RPS that got published
Salacious, gossipy, interesting.
the "BEST" or....?????
Like No Other Book I Have Ever Read
Early Hollywood in a Lavender Light

Hollywood's Silent Closet
Darwin Porter
Manufacturer: Georgia Literary Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0966803027

Book Description

Compiled from hundreds of interviews with survivors of the Silent Screen era, this is the most intimate and most realistic novel ever written about sex, murder, blackmail, and degradation in early Hollywood.

It's based on the loose-lipped gossip that was articulated within the drunken dinner parties of 1920s-era Hollywood. Many of the stories were committed to memory by some of the listeners, and recited, years later, to celebrity interviewer Darwin Porter.

Are all of the anecdotes in this info-novel true? Only the participants in those long-ago power struggles will ever really know. But if you believe, like Truman Capote, that "the artful presentation of gossip will become the literature of the 21st century," then this is a highly irreverent and juicy read."

Customer Reviews:

Low-grade RPS that got published.......2007-09-06

If anyone is familiar with the fanfiction genre, RPS is "Real Person Slash" - a story written by someone who wants to have famous guys (or gals) getting it on with each other. Sometimes the author wishes to become part of the story (called "self-insert") and so an original character has sex with famous people. There are fics aplenty out there about some dazzled fangirl making it with Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp or the entire cast of Lord of the Rings. There's also fics about Eric Bana and Brad Pitt finding true love on the set of "Troy" or Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert being more than just reporting buddies. This is what Darwin Porter's written, only it's about the stud stable of Silent Hollywood.

Now I'm not blaming Porter for wanting to scribble out his little fantasies or the fantasies of this Stanley Mills Haggart who served as his muse. Crikey, I did the same thing when I was 16 and hormonal. My character romped through the beds of Hollywood and German WWI aces with as much aplomb and shamlessness as Porter's Durango Jones. Alas, she was a girl and therefore my little effort apparently has no chance of getting published. Is the title pool of gay lit really so small that this doorstopper is a welcome addition to the genre?

Yet this was a hilarious read simply because the book was full of crap. Aimee Semple McPherson's Angelus Temple wasn't dedicated until 1923. It was not a beacon of Pentecostal excess in late 1918 the way Porter has written it. Still, I overlooked egregious historical errors like that just because it was so hilariously awful.

If you're an MST3K fan and don't mind reading badly-written gay porn, this book isn't a total waste of time. I recommend reading it in doses because the unimaginative prose becomes extremely tedious after a dozen pages. (ETA: And the "voices" of all the characters are pretty much the same. The men have one personality and voice, and ditto for the women.)

And it's inspired me! I'm off to write a story about Lon Chaney and Erich von Stroheim doing it in the backseat of a Stutz Bearcat while Wallace Beery and Ronald Colman 69 it on the roof. It can't lose! It's Literary Gold!

ETA: Ah, I've discovered that Blood Moon Productions/Georgia Literary Assc. is basically a vanity press for Porter and Danforth Prince. Now it makes sense why this book saw the light of day. I believe it's possible to write good erotic fiction using these real-life people, however this isn't anywhere close to it.

Salacious, gossipy, interesting........2007-06-22

So is it fiction? Is it Non Fiction? Is it hearsay and gossip? After completing this lengthy tome I'm still not sure. The sex lives and quirks of most of Hollywood's silent era power players male and female but mostly male are revealed in exquisite and somewhat salacious detail in this tale of one 'Durango Jones' as he attempts and succeeds in becoming the "most notorious faggot" in all of Hollywood. What starts off as an interesting novel in part one unfortunately becomes rather boring as it progressed with each 'sexual encounter' revealed in detail. However it remains a page turner as you cant wait to see which star is going to be outed next.

the "BEST" or....?????.......2007-01-26

.. though i have to admit that the graphic details overstays its welcome...

Still it is full of interest because it succeeds in portraying young Hollywood....

The photos are all ace:-)))

There are errors concerning the real-life-stars(I pretty much suspect that Valentino didn`t possess such a vocabulary that he is given credit for here), but on the whole - the best semi-autobiography(hehehe) I have read:-) What does drag down is that it is filled with rumours and legends that have eventually been denied(an example is the murder of Novarro and how he was found....)

Another major error is the account on Swedish actor Lars Hanson. He starred with Garbo in Gøsta Berlings Saga 1924 and Die Freudlose Strasse 1925... The author is well-reseached, but fails painfully on the Hanson subject since he died i 1965 - not in the 20s in a carcrash and had a wife¨- Karin Molander... Also, Garbo called Mauritz Stiller "Moje" and never possessed the language expressed in this book...
The author will also never have a lawsuit since his real-life characters are long gone... He never attemps a "scandal" with stars who are still with us...

But if u give away to the world of imagination and let the author carry you were he wants you.... (with a little dash of rememberance that this IS a fictional account), it is highly enjoyable... (though I suspect a character like Durango Jones never would have succeeded in Hollywood as long as he did...)

What sabotages midtrough is that Durango is in center of every scandal from the late teens through the 20s... It "excells" in being over-the-top and unfortunately, in a tiresome way...

The fact that he throws the remaining copy of the film "Vampira"
right where the Titanic sunk is just too much and leaves us cold with the book...

I only flipped the pages after that one and I`m surprised if I missed anything...

A nice twist is that his teenagefriend Frank turns out to be none other than Gary Cooper a decade later...

The millennium party is a clever 1 and bring tears to the eyes)

BUT read it for the first 300 pages - those alone - make this a treat.

Updated Sunday, February 25 2007.

Like No Other Book I Have Ever Read.......2005-11-26

This book is from another planet. It is like no other book I have ever read in my life. First of all, don't be intimidated by its number of pages--almost 800--a very long read with double sided columns. It is massive. I could not put this book down and read it almost constantly over four days long into the early hours of the morning. It is a scandalous book about the early days of the silent screen era in Hollywood. If you are interested in that era, this is a must read, otherwise this is not for you and you will be sorry. It is the autobiography so to speak of a make believe character called Durango Jones a gay man who seems to be involved and present in every early Hollywood scandal. Of course the book is fiction, but most, if not all, of the incidents are true to life. Fascinating to read. Shocking to discover what went on back then, and probably still does. I highly recommend it. Great fun and entertainment. The book is so massive that my hands hurt from holding it up to read. You will be amazed to find out that some of the biggest and brightest stars were homosexual or had many, many homosexual experiences---Clark Gable, Ramon Novarro, Gary Cooper, so many, many more, and the star of them all, Rudolph Valentino. Get this book.

Early Hollywood in a Lavender Light.......2002-06-16

I'm an ardent fan of Hollywood's earliest days, and as a gay man, I always felt tugs on my heartstrings and groin-strings whenever Rudolph Valentino made eyes at me across the silent screen.

But not until I read Darwin Porter's important work on behind-the-scenes early Hollywood did I realize how earthy, how horny, and how promiscuous the pre-Talkie film industry's sex gods and goddesses really were.

Narrated by the "intensely ambitious first sexual social climber in the history of Hollywood" Porter based his book, artfully, on hundreds of interviews with aged (and in some cases, dying) bit players from the Silent Era.

Many of these interviews were compiled back in the 1960s, when they were seasoned with steamy (and sometimes downright raunchy) recitations of early Hollywood gossip that were relayed generations later by men and women who survived the slander. And thanks to their stories, generations of whitewash and saccharine, most of it deliberately misleading, and most of it produced by the film industry's publicity machines, get washed away.

Porter repackages these histories and anecdotes into a swelling good read with enough erotica to keep the sexual sophisticates intrigued, and enough meaty facts to impress the most demanding Hollywood historian.

Don't take this book lightly, and by all means, don't underestimate its cultural importance. HOLLYWOOD'S SILENT CLOSET represents an impressive contribution to our understanding of the American experience.

And be warned in advance--the material is NOT dry and dusty. It reads like a high-camp gender-inspecific romp through the boudoirs of every star who ever batted his or her eyelids at viewers across the screeen. And twinned with the humor is an overwhelming sense of the tragic endings that befell celebrities who were sometimes more famous (in their words) "than Jesus Christ himself."

For Porter's gift to Hollywood scholarship, and for his unvarnished insistence on ripping away commonly accepted veils and shrouds, I sincerely thank him for this enlightenment and liberation.

SILENT CLOSET is an amazing and startling book--One which had it been indexed for easier access to its hundreds of references to the sexy, the powerful, and the promiscuous, would probably be configured onto the shelves of university libraries across the country as an indispensable reference source.

Amazon.com

The debut volume from the new L.A. Weekly imprint at St. Martin's Press, Diana McLellan's witty and penetrating study of the golden age of Hollywood sapphism will delight the armchair detective as well as the lavender movie buff. Thanks to McLellan's obsessive sleuthing, The Girls offers not only the most detailed biography of Mercedes de Acosta, seducer of the stars, but provides tantalizing evidence of an early affair in Germany between Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, women who in later life claimed never to have met. Much of the book is devoted to Garbo--another sign of the author's good taste--and revelations abound. Sadly, the golden age gave way to McCarthyism. Even the "gayest" of Hollywood lesbians retreated into the closet, or, like de Acosta, left for Europe. McLellan tracks their disappearance in the 1950s and 1960s against the first stirrings of the gay rights movement, providing a satisfying conclusion to a fascinating but not always happy tale. --Regina Marler

Book Description

From the complex love life of the elegant Mercedes de Acosta through Isadora Duncan and Tallulah Bankhead to Garbos lover Salka Viertel, McLellan untangles a passionate skein of connections that stretches from the theater to brazenly bisexual socialites deep into the heart of the film industry.

Customer Reviews:

McLellan's tone makes the book.......2006-11-19

Homosexual activity in Old Hollywood was wrapped in such a thick shroud of secrecy, it's doubtful there will ever be a "definitive" book on the subject. The reviewers who criticize this book as being too speculative miss the point that, with so little provable fact to work with, any book on the subject winds up being speculative. (Even interviewing surviving family and friends doesn't guarantee the researcher will avoid opinions, lies and personal agendas.)

Since there are so many holes chroniclers must fill in, the books end up being more of a Rorschach test of the authors than an objective presentation of the history. (And in reading the reviews here, I'd hazard the opinion that it becomes a Rorschach of the READERS, too!)

Here's my personal Rorschach:

I couldn't disagree more with the comment that McLellan's tone was off-putting. Her tone was precisely what I liked best about this---yes---speculative romp. (The term "my girls" is patronizing? Funny, I felt the author's distinctive *affection* for her subjects with that phrase.)

I have read far too many Old Hollywood biographies written by disapproving authors. In these books, lesbianism was presented as a seedy, shamefaced, sideline activity which resulted from either inebriation or narcissistic hedonism.

However, McLellan dares to create a tone of celebration when talking of her subjects and their attraction to each other. Yes, these women were catty and manipulative and their affairs were short-lived and often shallow. However, throughout the book, McLellan creates the feeling that these women were capable of genuinely loving life and each other between melodramas. Wow. Women-loving-women being portrayed as actually being FUN? How radical is that? (wink)

Take the book with a grain of salt, (like all other books on the subject, even William J. Mann,) but enjoy the fact that women-loving-women in Old Hollywood DID exist and that some of it was actually a celebration.

Herta von Walther was in Joyless Street, not Dietrich.......2006-07-15

`"I'm of course aware that some believe that Herta von Walther played the Dietrich role in the Garbo film Die freudlose Gasse, "The Joyless Street",' so writes Diana McLellan.

Despite the author's claim that Marlene was in Pabst 's "The Joyless Street," there is absolutely no evidence that any actress other than Herta von Walther played the part of the woman in the butcher line.

McLellan certainly has no proof that Marlene played the part. Therefore any thing she says about her in that role is opinionated speculations.

There is, however, much evidence that Herta von Walther was in that role.

Marlene and Herta did appear together in one film in 1923, Tragödie der Liebe.

There is no evidence that Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich ever appeared in any films together.

The fact is that Herta made four films with the director of The Joyless street between the years 1925 and 1928. The four are Joyless Street, Secrets of a Soul, Love of Jeanne Ney, Abwege.

There is no record of director Georg Wilhelm Pabst having ever made any films with Marlene Dietrich.

Too much conjecture.......2005-10-07

Interesting book, a quick read, and an interesting perspective about the evil influence of Salka Viertel on the career of Greta Garbo. Ironic that the only friend she ever trusted ruined her career (Salka Viertel). I did not like Greta Garbo's treatment of her loyal friend/lover Mercedes. Greta Garbo is depicted as a young woman who developed some strange coping mechanisms in order to survive in Hollywood. Some things that the author wrote about seem fictional or conjecture, for example, Greta stripped down to nothing in front of Georges Schlee for a fitting by his designer wife. How could the writer know such things unless she interviewed Mr or Mrs. Schlee themselves?

Fun, But Too Many Flaws.......2004-08-16

Sure, I had fun reading this book. But the Amazon reviewer who termed it "highly speculative" is understating the case. Opinion, conjecture, hearsay, and speculation too often take the place of thorough, solid documentation. And unlike many other Amazon reviewers, I found McLellan's tone off-putting. She alternates between patronizing her subjects (the very notion of calling them "my girls," for instance) and setting them up primarily as sources of voyeuristic thrills for the herself and the reader. Is the book dishy and intriguing and flamboyant? You bet. But is the topic of lesbianism in Hollywood well-served here? I don't think so.

Excellent Survey!.......2003-07-08

Now this book on stars' sexuality was definitely worth buying! I could not even put it down. Miss McLellan does a superb job in revealing the true side of many of Hollywood's top female stars. And, let me tell you, some of the pictures were unbelievable! It was great fun to read about Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead, as well as others such as Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert and Judy Garland. This is a must for any classic film buff, and anyone interested in sociological or sexual topics. A+

The Sewing Circle: Hollywood's Greatest Secret: Female Stars Who Loved Other Women

Average customer rating:

Rumored-filled; Gay Bar Gossip instead of Facts
Entertaining and Thorough
Not bad
So much promise . . . ah, well.
Fascinating subject, sloppy book

The Sewing Circle: Hollywood's Greatest Secret: Female Stars Who Loved Other Women
Axel Madsen
Manufacturer: Robson Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1861052057

Customer Reviews:

Rumored-filled; Gay Bar Gossip instead of Facts.......2006-11-14

I question some of the author's claims. Many things he stated was not backed up by additional proof or facts, and I have yet to find these statements in other biographies I've read of some of these women he mentioned. He claims Betty Asher introduced Judy Garland to drugs and drink, which was wrong. Judy was already into drugs well before Asher was assigned her publicist. It was true Asher did encourage Garland to drink booze and possibly Saphhic love, but nothing has been solidly substantiated about that in other books, only speculations. He also claims Garland married the homosexual Minelli so she could continue her liasions with women on the side. With what women? Whom? The other Garland biographies state Judy did experiment, but it was not a consistent or permanent thing in her life. The author also claims Garland enjoyed watching two gay men go at it. WTF??!!! Where on earth did he get that information? Sounds like gossipy bragging from people desperate to have some connection with Garland. No other Garland biographer EVER brought up this predilection of Judy's, so I can't believe it is true. Who is his source?
In addition to the outrageous fabrications, there was sloppy editing and typos in this book. Basically this book is about Mercedes de Acosta with the other Hollywood Lesbians thrown in. De Acosta deserves a much better, more accurate biography. What might have been an interesting historical look at Hollywood's prominent lesbians turned into nothing but sensationalistic, tabloid trash.

Entertaining and Thorough.......2004-02-01

This book did a good job of capturing a time when the film and the art world hadn't completely disconnected, the biggest stars were women, and to be a movie star was still considered a little shady. The studios covered up drug addiction and homosexuality and other scandals and arranged marriages for their stars so they could appear normal to the public.
This book focuses a lot on Greta Garbo and her girlfriend Mercedes de Acosta, (a woman who really got around, female movie star-wise), but it also devotes chapters to familiar names like Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, Barbara Stanwick, and Joan Crawford. During the 20s and 30s, most of them were able to carry out discreet affairs much like many male homosexuals as at that time Hollywood was such a different place, full of artists and forward-thinking people. "The Sewing Circle" focuses on a fascinating era in film hustory that existed before the forced conformity and communist wicth-hunting of the 1950's.

Not bad.......2003-07-08

This book was pretty good. I think that Mr. Madsen is a good author and he should be commended. I believe there is a fair amount of information given about the characters in this survey, although the book "The Girls" is much better at covering Hollywood's lesbianism. It is a good read anyway, and I would recommend it. Oh, and I LOVE the cover photo! Too-shay!

So much promise . . . ah, well........2000-09-20

When I first came across this book, I was very excited, because I am interested in all aspects of how the various entertainment media manipulate the world and present only a selected vision of what it's really like. I looked forward to reading a detailed account of life in Hollywood and how hard it was to deal with oppression and prejudice and have to live a secret life. Instead of an inspiring, enlightening read, I got a scatter-brained, typo-laden gossip column. I can't believe, as was stated in another review, that the typos were the fault of the printer. The amount of effort put into researching and writing this book is reflected in the quality of the copy editing.

It could have been worth my money. Oh well. I'm glad I bought it from the Quality Paperback Book Club and not at retail price.

Fascinating subject, sloppy book.......2000-06-21

The subject of famous Hollywood starlets who were, in fact, deep in the closet is certainly a fascinating one--imagine the harsh, paranoid life one would have to lead, hiding one's true feelings and lying to protect one's careers while still seeking love. And I'd really love to read a well-executed, thoughtful study of this subject.

This isn't it, kids.

Axel Madsen's "The Sewing Circle" is, at best, a sloppy book, with plenty of rumor & opinion presented as fact & more typos than I've ever seen in any other "professionally published" book. For crying out loud, they misspelled Greta Garbo's name--at the head of the chapter dealing with her childhood!

There are some interesting tidbits here--the speculation as to why Garbo ended her career when she did, the behind-the-scenes gays & lesbians who drove the creative engines of Hollywood, the sad, ultimately lonely endings that many of these women met--but the presentation is so haphazard that it's difficult to get anything useful out of it. And if every mention of Mercedes de Costa were deleted, this wouldn't be a book--it would be a pamphlet.

This book sorely needed an editor, a fact-checker, a proofreader...it needed help. Had such help arrived, this might have been an interesting, trashy read. As it stands, it's just trash--recycle it & move on.

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