Open­and­shut

Hollywood secret

by Gregg Shapiro

The subject of gay Hollywood, a topic almost as hot as a presidential sex scandal, was addressed in numerous books this year, and rightfully so. After all, average (and above average) gay and lesbian characters have become increasingly popular in mainstream movies and on prime­time television. Actors and actresses are coming out as gay or lesbian (some with more reticence than others) and continuing to get film and television work.

Doug Guinan´s wickedly funny and erotically charged California Screaming (Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 1998, $24, 304pp) and Matthew Rettenmund´s Blind Items (St. Martin´s Press, New York, NY, 1998, $22.95, 272pp) each, in their own way, attempt to add some levity to a subject that is still as sensitive as a recently healed broken bone on a rainy day. In his memoir In The Flesh (Barricade Books, New York, NY, 1998, $23.95, 249pp), openly gay naked poet Gavin Geoffrey Dillard recalls his years in Hollywood in shaded detail. Readers longing for more will find that the promise of David Ehrenstein´s Open Secret (Gay Hollywood 1928�) (Morrow, New York, NY, 1998, $25, 372pp) is never quite fulfilled. Ehrenstein writes that "Naming names wasn´t what" Vito Russo´s book The Celluloid Closet was all about. Neither is Open Secret. There is very little new information revealed (although I did learn that British actress Miriam Margolyes is a lesbian), especially for culturally savvy gay or lesbian readers, who, in addition to devouring their Girlfriends, Out and Advocate subscriptions cover to cover, probably also read the gayest magazine of all, Entertainment Weekly, on a regular basis, as well. That´s not to say that the interviews with out Hollywood movers and shakers aren´t interesting, they´re just not new. There is, however, a timeliness associated with Open Secret that works in its favor. For instance, the chapter "Nobody Said Anything" deals mainly with the subject of director James Whale who was openly gay in Hollywood during the 1930s, long before it was fashionable or reasonably safe to be. Whale is also the subject of the acclaimed new movie Gods And Monsters, in which Sir Ian McKellen plays the director at the end of his life. "Hollywood lies about homosexuality" is, to Ehrenstein´s credit, one of the many right­on­target observations that he makes. According to Ehrenstein, "For all that´s happened to alter gay and lesbian life across America over the past two decades, same­sexuality is still regarded as an acceptable ´secret´ in Hollywood."

On the subject of fence­sitting actors such as Andy Dick and Sandra Bernhard, Ehrensteinwrites "bisexuality­presumably constituting a smaller degree of ´sin´­has been viewed less as an actual sexual identity than as a public relations tool for negotiating degrees of homosexual disclosure." As for actually being openly gay in Hollywood, Ehrenstein says, "homosexuality in Hollywood isn´t a cultural phenomenon whose history moves in a straight line. It zigs and zags, moving back and forth through times, places, and people­and back and forth again."

Inroads are being made for gays and lesbians in Hollywood everyday, but the process is a slow and tedious one. Writing about the degree of success achieved by Lea DeLaria, Ehrenstein states, "as far as Broadway is concerned, there´s no limit as to what a singing, dancing, wise­cracking, and very butch lesbian can do. Hollywood is another story." Ehrenstein also observes that in "the new gay Hollywood in which being out has replaced coming," that television may be the new queer frontier. "When it comes to sitcoms," he writes, "gays rule." Additionally, one of the most powerful sections of the book, the chapter "Death and Transfiguration," is a potent reminder of the devastating effect that the AIDS crisis has had on Hollywood.

Donald F. Reuter´s Heartthrob: A Hundred Years of Beautiful Men (Universe Publishing, New York, NY, 1998, $29.95, 160pp) beautifully illustrates the magnetism and appeal of the Hollywood heartthrob (gay or straight). There are also images of male beauty from the worlds of fashion, music, athletics, and even literature, to name a few. This meticulously assembled coffeetable (or bedside table) book features more tha 200 color and black­and­white photographs and text by contributors such as Gloria Steinem, Herb Ritts, Nancy Friday, Isaac Mizrahi, Isabella Rossellini, Greg Louganis, Donna Karan, Tab Hunter, Olivia Goldsmith and Michelangelo Signorile.

* Lambda Publications, The Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community,1115 W. Belmont 2D, Chicago, IL 60657; PH (773) 871-7610; FAX (773) 871-7609. See Outlines, Nightlines, Out Resource Guide, Clout! Business Report, Blacklines and En La Vida on the web at http://www.suba.com/~outlines/. E-mail feedback to outlines@suba.com!