Rock Hudson (Core Post)

Shh... Don’t ask, don’t tell could have been the tag line for many of Hollywood’s most successful actors in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Homosexuality was a concept that movie studios tried to keep hidden from the public through the use of lawyers and skeptical marriages. Rock Hudson was just one of many actors to have lived this life of secrecy. His good looks, charm, and masculinity launched Hudson’s career. However, gossip surrounded Hudson and when his homosexuality was going to be exposed he hastily married. The industry kept it quiet and the public didn’t care to confront this screen icon’s life off the big screen. Within a few years this marriage ended. Although his early movies didn’t prove to be blockbuster hits, his star persona kept him in front of the camera. Hudson was best known for his roles in romantic comedies. It was here where he felt most comfortable. He presented his studio-manufactured image, that of the handsome, ladies’ man while also showing his somewhat whimsical side. An excellent example is the movie Pillow Talk, starring Hudson and Doris Day. Hudson’s character, Brad Allen, has a fascination with interior decorating and is seen raising his pinkie finger while sipping tea. Although these traits do not mean one is homosexual; society has often assigned these activities as extremely effeminate characteristics. Is it possible that Hudson used these subtle ways to show his homosexual leanings without opening admitting them? Eventually, Hudson opened up to the public about his homosexuality and his diagnosis of being HIV positive.