Hollywood's Golden Age Gays. The list is LONG.

I think some of those people were just slutty drunks who slept with anyone who happened to be seated next to them at a party.

Clark Gable was hot.

However, I've learned from Datalounge that he had horrible breath.

James Dean = James Franco.

Yes, OP, you left out Katharine Hepburn and Charles Laughton.

Katherine is #3 on the list, R4.

Never heard of Walter Pidgeon.

Sigh (heavy)

Marilyn Monroe wasn't gay. She was practically asexual as a result of being sexually abused during childhood.

Someone kindly left a copy of Hollywood Babylon in our building's paper recycling area, so had to take it for a quick read.

Have no idea who F.W. Murnau was, but apparently every on in 1930's Hollywood knew he was gay. His death (automobile accident) was rumored to have occurred when Muranu was giving his handsome fourteen year old Filipino boy toy a BJ while he was driving.

Garbo, Dietrich, LIli Damita are old news. But was surprised to see a cartoonish sort of advertisement for Cary Grant staring in "Who's a Fairy?". Image of CG has him wearing eye make-up, and with overly full lips (always a sign of being gay back then).

Randolph Scott

"All of them!" is long?

R5

Mr. Walter Pigeon had a long and full film/television career. You may have seen him on either screen and just didn't know his name.

Could have left Clark Gable off that list (don't believe he was gay or even bi for a moment), and easily slipped in Van Johnson.

That being said if fresh freckled faced all American redheads are your thing; then young Van Johnson was your man.

In his day Van Johnson was something, am sure there are tales out there yet untold.

Danny Kaye

I have never heard and would have a hard time believing that Monroe was gay. Gable either.

Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner never struck me as anything other than straight.

If Bette Davis ever had a lesbian impulse I doubt she acted on it. Not sure about Rita Hayworth or Veronica Lake.

However you did leave out Mae West and Rudolph Valentino.

What's the word on John Wayne? He seemed completely sexless.

R8, you might want to listen to the Fact-Checking Kenneth Anger season of You Must Remember This. Other than the annoying Angerbot, it is a great revisit of Hollywood Babylon. And it does indeed fact-check that book.

John wayne

The greatest thing on television I ever saw was Van Johnson playing Charro's long-lost father on Fantasy Island, where she sang Chichiquita to him while strumming her guitar. How gay and campy is that?

R17

Thank you , will have to check out your recommendation.

Reading Hollywood Babylon am struck at all the suicides, murders (unsolved) and other criminal activity (including drugs). Knew hard core drugs were around since late 1800's or so, but had no idea so much of Hollywood were dope fiends.

The unsolved murders are also striking. More so since people called the studios, other actors, and everyone else first before LE. By time LE did arrive the crime scene was often not only contaminated but things missing.

Some quick fact checking already proves Kenneth Anger played fast and lose with the truth. His gory account of Marie Prevost's death is largely fiction.

Cool thing, to me anyway is many of the places where various Hollywood stars committed suicide are still around. Wonder if any are haunted?

[quote] Hollywood pimp Scotty Bowers who met the film diva Hepburn at a Hollywood party as he was amazed that she was wearing a suit and very short hair with a side parting.

If anyone needed a proof of Bowers' pure bulshit: Hepburn had this haircut back in 1935, filming Sylvia Scarlett, about 20 years before she allegedly met Bowers. Other than that time, she had her shoulder length hair, usually tied in a bun, all through her adult life.

Missing from the list - Paul Newman, Burt Lancaster, Errol Flynn, John Barrymore, silent actor William S. Hart (gay)

Marlene Dietrich liked the pole and the hole.

Has anyone said Lassie yet? I heard it through the grapevine she was a tranny.

The list is long cause half of those weren't gay

I always heard that Clark Gable was straight, but had peddled his mussy before making it in film.

One of his clients when the was a hustler was George Cukor.

This created tension on Gone with the Wind and Cukor was replaced.

Who was Scotty Bowers anyway? That name keeps popping up over and over with "golden age" Hollywood.

Gary Cooper. I doubt any of the top actors is straight. Burt Reynolds was the biggest surprise. Henry Fonda and Stewart I suspect. Jon voight I suspect. Randolph Scott . I'm fascinated by the idea that there is a straight actor because they would have to constantly rub shoulders with gays all day. I guess mel gibson may be the rare straight actor. Prolly Woody Allen. You know David letterman is straight. Some ugly comedians are straight. Martin short gay. Might date Steve martin.??

Tab Huntah, hunty!

R20, I remember an interview with one actress saying that it was the talkies that changed everything. You could stay out all night and come in hung over in the silent era. One reason was that the actors were so young (many in their teens) but the other part was that if you were going to speak you had to learn your lines. And no one could stand off camera yelling to you what to do next. The talkies also brought in more stage actors who had a different ethic and discipline.

^^^not clear. In the silent era you had very young actors. But in talkies you had to learn your lines the night before.