Whitleystreibers

James Dean, Giant (1956) // dir. George Stevens

"𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟎𝐬, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 '𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫' 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐫. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭-𝐚𝐬𝐤, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭-𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞." -𝐓𝐚𝐛 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 Vintage articles from Photoplay and Modern Screen magazines published during the 1950s featuring stories about Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift, Anthony Perkins, James Dean, Tab Hunter, Sal Mineo, and George Nader (with a quick nod to Marlon Brando) illustrating how closeted lgbtq+ actors were written about in fan magazines. Though the truth about their private lives was never specifically stated and the articles were largely puff-pieces designed to deceive the public and keep the actors bankable, it's of interest to note that many of the headlines alluded to the gossip and whispers that were pervasive at the time, dangling hints about what was really going on behind the scenes.

EAST OF EDEN (1955) — dir. Elia Kazan

Cruising (1980) // dir. William Friedkin

Ronette Polaski in Flesh World 

Sheryl Lee | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

(x)

BILLY BRANDT for UNZIPPED magazine NOVEMBER 2001. $6.95 US

Greta Garbo in THE MYSTERIOUS LADY 1928 | Fred Niblo

Gummo (1997)