ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED (2023, doc)

June 28, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. Actors earn a living thanks to their ability to perform in front of the camera (or a live audience) as someone else … making the audience believe they are a particular character of interest. But what happens when an actor must continue acting once the cameras stop rolling? Such was the life of Roy Fitzgerald, a man known worldwide as Rock Hudson. Documentarian Stephen Kijak chronicles the complications faced by Rock Hudson – maintaining the All-American public persona, while hiding a personal life that likely would have ended his career had his secret life as a gay man been publicized.

Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the secret was kept for decades, even though so many in the industry were well aware. The answer to ‘why’ this wasn’t a big deal at a time it certainly would have been a big deal is likely related to just how likeable and nice Rock Hudson was. Not only did he have incredible appeal to both men and women, he was also an extraordinarily nice man … a matinee idol with the real life personality of Tom Hanks. Of course, here we are almost 40 years later, and Rock Hudson’s legacy is often boiled down to the fact that he was the first true celebrity to go public with his AIDS diagnosis, ultimately passing away from the disease in 1985 at age 59.

As is often the case, there is much more to the man than the headlines. After serving in the Navy during WWII, it was 1946 when he headed to Hollywood. There he met Ken Lodge who helped him get his start, and it was industry big-wig Henry Wilson who thought ‘Roy Fitzgerald’ was a pleasant enough name, but “Rock Hudson” was much better. And it was Wilson who molded Hudson into the ‘ladies man’ Adonis we grew accustomed to seeing on screen. Wilson even taught him how to come across as “hetero”, and stressed the importance of not being photographed with his ‘friends’ while in public. We even hear candid interviews from George Nader and Mark Miller who were very close friends of Hudson’s, and we understand how “The Castle” became the hangout to avoid public scrutiny.

Director Kijack is very clever in his use of archival movie clips that now can be interpreted much differently than when Hudson’s movies first played. When clumped together like this, we wonder how the clues were missed, and just how intentional some of the dialogue and situations were. We hear from the doctor who diagnosed Hudson with AIDS, and the importance of Reagan politics in the era is emphasized. One of the most heart-wrenching sequences revolves around the “Dynasty” episode where Hudson, knowing he was infected with AIDS, had to kiss series star Linda Evans. We also see how his long-time friends Doris Day and Elizabeth Taylor rallied around him when he went public.

Classic film lovers know Rock Hudson received his only Oscar nomination for GIANT (1957), and it should be noted that his thirty year career spanned just about every genre: the iconic Rom-Coms with Doris Day (PILLOW TALK, 1959); dramas (ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, 1955); war (A GATHERING OF EAGLES, 1963); westerns (BEND OF THE RIVER, 1952); science-fiction (“The Mirror Crack’d”); crime-mysteries (PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW, 1971); and thrillers (ICE STATION ZEBRA, 1968). He also starred alongside Susan Saint James and Nancy Walker in one of my favorite TV series from the 1970’s, “McMillan and Wife.” Yet, despite so many terrific performances, shows, and films, Rock Hudson’s most challenging and impressive role was certainly that of Rock Hudson.

Premiering on HBO and MAX on June 28, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

ELIZABETH TAYLOR remembered

March 23, 2011

Even though she flirted with illness and death countless times over the last 50 years, it still came as a shock to hear the morning news of Elizabeth Taylor‘s passing.  Unless you are a movie buff or over 40 years old, you can’t understand what a glamorous, elegant movie star she was.  She truly was the last of Hollywood’s Golden Era.

She burst onto the scene as a 12-year-old in 1944’s National Velvet, but with the current release of Jane Eyre hitting theatres, it should be noted that she had a small, yet eye-opening role as a dying girl in the 1943 version with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine.  For the next 68 years, Elizabeth Taylor never stopped opening eyes!

 Don’t make the mistake of thinking her popularity and notoriety came only from her beauty.  She was an immensely talented actress who received 5 Oscar nominations and won the award twice.  At the age of 18, she seduced (onscreen) Montgomery Clift into killing his girlfriend (Shelley Winters) in A Place in the Sun.  Movie watchers totally understood why he did it.  Those unique violet eyes set off by rare double eye-lashes (a genetic mutation), made her a stunning beauty to go along with her captivating spirit.

 She sizzled onscreen in back-to-back Tennessee Williams scripts: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly Last Summer (1959).  In 1963, her life changed dramatically.  When approached to play the title role in Cleopatra, she laughed off the producers and told them “only for a million dollars”, which was an unheard of salary for an actress in the day.  When they agreed, she became the first million dollar actress, and more importantly, met and fell in love with Richard Burton during filming.  “Liz and Dick” became worldwide phenomenons as stars and celebrities.  Living the “high life” was a normal day for these two.

 1966 brought about what I call the first Reality Show … Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?  With an explosive performance by Liz,  many assumed their characters mirrored the couple in real life.  The film received a dazzling 13 nominations, including a win for Ms. Taylor.  There were many additional performances after this, but by 1967’s The Taming of the Shrew, she had a 20 year career that was multi-dimensional and astounding.

Speaking of astounding, the only thing more amazing than her career was Elizabeth Taylor’s personal life.  She grew up in the public eye and never left.  EIGHT marriages, including two to Mr. Burton.  When husband Mike Todd was killed in a plane crash, she fell into the arms of his best friend, Eddie Fisher.  Unfortunately, Mr. Fisher was married at the time to American icon Debbie Reynolds (Singin’ in the Rain) and they had a daughter, Carrie Fisher (the future Princess Leia of Star Wars).  Of course, Mr. Fisher ended up on the short end after Liz met Burton … but you start to get the idea.

After she divorced Burton the second time, she married U.S. Senator John Warner and became a true politician’s wife.  Her final starring role was in 1981, but she became renowned for her charity work … best known for her tireless fundraising for AIDS research – stemming from the loss of her friend, Rock Hudson.  They remained close after filming Giant (James Dean‘s last role).  Later, she became a friend and trusted advisor to the enigmatic Michael Jackson.  She was probably one of the few who could relate to his level of fame and the baggage it brought.

 While there will be no shortage of obituaries and tributes to Ms. Taylor, this may be one of the few that ends with a SPORTS story.  In 1989, Jerry Jones invited Elizabeth Taylor to perform the official coin toss at a Dallas Cowboys – Washington Redskins football game.  Ms. Taylor flubbed the moment when she actually called “heads” after flipping the coin … thereby requiring a re-toss.  Even at mid-field, she was a star!

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Posted by David Ferguson