WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:12.470 --> 00:00:18.476 (ethereal music) 4 00:00:18.518 --> 00:00:20.145 Peter Kevoian: We were sitting at the pool 5 00:00:20.186 --> 00:00:22.856 just sunbathing and talking. 6 00:00:22.939 --> 00:00:25.775 I was a young gay man who was 7 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:28.903 questioning all kinds of things. 8 00:00:29.654 --> 00:00:31.948 We talked about being gay in Hollywood 9 00:00:31.990 --> 00:00:35.326 and how difficult it was to have a career. 10 00:00:35.368 --> 00:00:40.165 And I asked him how he knew that he was gonna make it, 11 00:00:40.206 --> 00:00:43.501 because I wasn't sure that I ever would. 12 00:00:43.543 --> 00:00:46.504 And he told me about a dream that he had. 13 00:00:46.588 --> 00:00:50.675 He dreamt that there was a perfectly cut diamond 14 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:54.179 sitting on velvet 15 00:00:54.220 --> 00:01:01.144 in a room that was lit with pin spots. 16 00:01:01.186 --> 00:01:03.229 And every one of the lights 17 00:01:03.313 --> 00:01:07.859 were pointed into the center of the diamond. 18 00:01:07.901 --> 00:01:09.819 ♪♪ 19 00:01:09.861 --> 00:01:12.364 He thought he was the diamond. 20 00:01:12.447 --> 00:01:15.658 He said, "That's the dream 21 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:20.205 "that made me believe that I could do this. 22 00:01:20.246 --> 00:01:23.958 That's how I knew I was gonna be a star." 23 00:01:24.042 --> 00:01:27.212 (dramatic music) 24 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:33.884 -Your name is Roy Fitzgerald? -That's right. 25 00:01:33.968 --> 00:01:36.221 Well, come up on our stage, young man. 26 00:01:36.304 --> 00:01:38.932 This is your life! 27 00:01:39.015 --> 00:01:40.265 Come along here. 28 00:01:40.350 --> 00:01:42.811 -(laughing) -♪ fanfare playing ♪ 29 00:01:42.894 --> 00:01:44.604 Hey! 30 00:01:47.107 --> 00:01:48.441 You see, folks, this young man, 31 00:01:48.525 --> 00:01:50.610 whose name really is Roy Fitzgerald, 32 00:01:50.694 --> 00:01:54.239 is known to you and to movie fans all over the world as... 33 00:01:54.322 --> 00:01:57.325 Narrator: Rock Hudson. Was he the cat's pajamas! 34 00:01:57.408 --> 00:01:59.202 Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am. 35 00:01:59.244 --> 00:02:00.662 Kevoian: Well, Rock was an icon. 36 00:02:00.745 --> 00:02:02.330 Alan Shayne: You couldn't take your eyes 37 00:02:02.414 --> 00:02:04.124 off Rock on the screen, you really couldn't. 38 00:02:04.207 --> 00:02:05.583 Robert Hofler: Not only was he 39 00:02:05.667 --> 00:02:07.168 the biggest star at Universal, 40 00:02:07.210 --> 00:02:08.752 he was by far the biggest star in Hollywood. 41 00:02:08.836 --> 00:02:13.091 Ken Maley: There was that period where he was the king. 42 00:02:13.174 --> 00:02:14.759 Carole Cook: The Tom Cruise of his day. 43 00:02:14.801 --> 00:02:17.262 Maley: Women were swooning, men were swooning. 44 00:02:17.345 --> 00:02:18.930 Armistead Maupin: Rock was everybody's type. 45 00:02:19.014 --> 00:02:21.599 Howard McGillin: (laughing) You couldn't invent a name 46 00:02:21.683 --> 00:02:26.312 that was better for a heterosexual leading man than Rock Hudson. 47 00:02:26.396 --> 00:02:27.439 Maley: Not only did women say, 48 00:02:27.522 --> 00:02:29.274 "That's the man I want to marry," 49 00:02:29.357 --> 00:02:31.776 many men said, "That's the man I'd like to be." 50 00:02:31.818 --> 00:02:35.113 McGillin: He was like a granite facade, 51 00:02:35.196 --> 00:02:36.489 just impenetrable. 52 00:02:36.573 --> 00:02:39.284 Alice Waier: He was a great performer, 53 00:02:39.325 --> 00:02:42.245 not only in acting, but in life. 54 00:02:42.287 --> 00:02:44.539 Why aren't you married, Jordan? 55 00:02:44.622 --> 00:02:46.416 Maley: He had more than one world. 56 00:02:46.458 --> 00:02:48.335 He had the studio world. 57 00:02:48.418 --> 00:02:50.420 He had this gay world. 58 00:02:50.462 --> 00:02:52.297 -You'll come? -I'd be delighted. 59 00:02:52.339 --> 00:02:53.965 Well, good-o, sport! 60 00:02:54.007 --> 00:02:56.301 Maupin: I thought I was the last man in California 61 00:02:56.384 --> 00:02:58.345 to go to bed with Rock Hudson when I finally did. 62 00:02:58.428 --> 00:03:00.638 He was a sort of sexual gladiator. 63 00:03:00.722 --> 00:03:03.975 The lash for you, betrayer of women. 64 00:03:04.059 --> 00:03:05.643 David Thomson: He was closeted, 65 00:03:05.727 --> 00:03:08.146 but there was every reason to be closeted back then. 66 00:03:08.228 --> 00:03:11.691 If the truth had come out, that would've been the end of his career. 67 00:03:11.775 --> 00:03:13.735 It's as simple as that. 68 00:03:13.818 --> 00:03:16.654 Kevoian: The public perception of Rock 69 00:03:16.696 --> 00:03:19.991 was so very masculine and straight. 70 00:03:20.075 --> 00:03:22.077 Privately, he was very free. 71 00:03:22.160 --> 00:03:25.704 Carol Burnett: He loved to laugh. He was also a bit of a devil. 72 00:03:25.789 --> 00:03:28.833 Ken Jillson: The people that he had around him 73 00:03:28.875 --> 00:03:31.211 were very trusted friends. 74 00:03:31.294 --> 00:03:33.463 I think maybe that's the key. 75 00:03:33.505 --> 00:03:35.048 Shayne: People loved him, you know? 76 00:03:35.131 --> 00:03:38.510 He was just a decent, wonderful guy. 77 00:03:38.593 --> 00:03:40.762 And that's unusual in Hollywood. 78 00:03:40.845 --> 00:03:44.015 I hate to say that, but it's true. 79 00:03:48.144 --> 00:03:50.063 He was a quiet man. 80 00:03:50.146 --> 00:03:53.692 I think the thing I most remember him for were his silences. 81 00:03:53.775 --> 00:03:54.817 It was... 82 00:03:54.859 --> 00:03:56.736 (contemplative music) 83 00:03:56.820 --> 00:03:59.989 ...as if he were always listening to something inside. 84 00:04:00.990 --> 00:04:02.701 Some voice. 85 00:04:04.119 --> 00:04:06.830 He never talked about it, so... 86 00:04:06.871 --> 00:04:09.374 I never knew what it was. 87 00:04:09.416 --> 00:04:11.376 Oh, he was a good man. 88 00:04:12.377 --> 00:04:14.546 He lived as if he were a stranger here. 89 00:04:14.629 --> 00:04:16.714 I mean, he never let anything touch him. 90 00:04:16.798 --> 00:04:20.885 Became absorbed in things. His job mostly. 91 00:04:22.053 --> 00:04:24.597 He worked hard, he... 92 00:04:24.681 --> 00:04:27.767 always a look around his eyes as if he were 93 00:04:27.851 --> 00:04:30.895 trying to say something. 94 00:04:30.937 --> 00:04:32.105 ♪♪ 95 00:04:32.188 --> 00:04:33.606 I don't know what... 96 00:04:33.690 --> 00:04:37.527 protest against what he'd surrendered his life to. 97 00:04:37.569 --> 00:04:39.696 ♪♪ 98 00:04:39.738 --> 00:04:41.656 I never knew what he wanted... 99 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:44.826 -(distant clatter) -...and I don't think he ever knew. 100 00:04:44.909 --> 00:04:46.036 ♪♪ 101 00:04:46.077 --> 00:04:48.246 Well, I... 102 00:04:48.288 --> 00:04:50.999 guess I can't tell you much more. Enough? 103 00:04:51.082 --> 00:04:52.917 (contemplative music continues) 104 00:04:54.753 --> 00:04:56.588 Rock Hudson: Should be going. 105 00:04:58.840 --> 00:05:02.677 Reporter 1: Rock Hudson died peacefully in his sleep from AIDS, 106 00:05:02.761 --> 00:05:05.180 the first well-known person to publicly acknowledge 107 00:05:05.263 --> 00:05:06.973 his struggle with that fatal disease. 108 00:05:07.057 --> 00:05:10.852 Norman Sunshine: He signaled this catastrophe called AIDS, 109 00:05:10.935 --> 00:05:13.563 but Rock was an activist without knowing it. 110 00:05:13.605 --> 00:05:16.358 Reporter 2: Since AIDS is primarily a disease 111 00:05:16.441 --> 00:05:17.859 associated with homosexuals, 112 00:05:17.942 --> 00:05:20.695 talk of Hudson's lifestyle has surfaced. 113 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:23.615 Maupin: They needed someone to say that he was gay, 114 00:05:23.698 --> 00:05:26.993 and the story would be told, and I didn't want it to be told 115 00:05:27.077 --> 00:05:30.955 in the way that the people in Hollywood wanted it told. 116 00:05:36.169 --> 00:05:38.797 Ronald L. Davis: This is an interview with actor Rock Hudson 117 00:05:38.880 --> 00:05:42.175 taped in his home in Beverly Hills, California, 118 00:05:42.258 --> 00:05:46.638 on August 24th, 1983. 119 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:48.765 Well, I'm wondering, first of all, 120 00:05:48.807 --> 00:05:50.433 how an Illinois boy like yourself 121 00:05:50.475 --> 00:05:52.477 became interested in acting. 122 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:54.604 Hudson: I wanted to be an actor all my life. 123 00:05:54.646 --> 00:05:57.941 That has always hypnotized me. 124 00:05:57.982 --> 00:06:00.235 Davis: Did you have acting training as a boy? 125 00:06:00.318 --> 00:06:03.738 Hudson: No. I could never freely say, 126 00:06:03.822 --> 00:06:05.824 "I'm going to be an actor when I grow up." 127 00:06:05.865 --> 00:06:06.825 Davis: Yeah. 128 00:06:06.908 --> 00:06:08.493 Hudson: Because that's sissy stuff. 129 00:06:08.535 --> 00:06:10.453 You oughta be a policeman or a fireman. 130 00:06:10.495 --> 00:06:12.747 So I never said anything. Kept my mouth shut. 131 00:06:12.831 --> 00:06:15.500 Nor did I enter in the drama society or anything like that. 132 00:06:15.542 --> 00:06:17.335 I had to work all the time, so I couldn't do 133 00:06:17.419 --> 00:06:19.796 any form of extracurricular activity. 134 00:06:19.838 --> 00:06:21.589 I had to make a living for myself. 135 00:06:21.673 --> 00:06:23.717 And then I went in the Navy in World War II 136 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:25.593 and went back home for a summer, 137 00:06:25.677 --> 00:06:28.346 and I thought, "This place is not for me. 138 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:31.182 Now is the time to do what I want to do." 139 00:06:31.266 --> 00:06:33.685 (mellow jazz music) 140 00:06:33.727 --> 00:06:37.689 I did know one person in Los Angeles, 141 00:06:37.772 --> 00:06:38.606 my father. 142 00:06:38.690 --> 00:06:39.691 My parents divorced, 143 00:06:39.733 --> 00:06:41.776 and so he was living out here. 144 00:06:41.818 --> 00:06:43.278 So I came out 145 00:06:43.361 --> 00:06:44.738 and stayed with him. 146 00:06:44.821 --> 00:06:47.574 It was very difficult for me to make friends out here. 147 00:06:47.657 --> 00:06:48.783 Then I got to know 148 00:06:48.867 --> 00:06:51.411 a guy who was an older brother 149 00:06:51.494 --> 00:06:54.247 of a guy I was overseas with. 150 00:06:54.330 --> 00:06:55.665 And it was one of those things, 151 00:06:55.707 --> 00:06:57.792 "If you're ever in Los Angeles, look me up." 152 00:06:57.876 --> 00:06:59.461 So I called him and he said, 153 00:06:59.544 --> 00:07:00.879 "Come on up for Sunday dinner." 154 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:03.798 So I did, met his brother, who lived in Long Beach, 155 00:07:03.882 --> 00:07:06.718 who used to be a radio producer. 156 00:07:06.760 --> 00:07:08.219 He began inviting me down 157 00:07:08.303 --> 00:07:10.055 to his place down in Long Beach. 158 00:07:10.138 --> 00:07:12.349 We became best friends. 159 00:07:12.390 --> 00:07:14.976 Richard Hodge: Kenneth Hodge was my uncle. 160 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:16.519 A man of the arts. 161 00:07:16.561 --> 00:07:20.023 Somebody that really loved to help people. 162 00:07:20.106 --> 00:07:22.525 It was never, ever spoken of 163 00:07:22.567 --> 00:07:24.569 that, you know, he might be gay. 164 00:07:24.611 --> 00:07:27.781 I'd never heard that word at that point in time. 165 00:07:27.864 --> 00:07:31.159 Being gay was considered, you know, a neurosis. 166 00:07:31.242 --> 00:07:35.538 It was just a subject that, uh, that was off the table. 167 00:07:36.915 --> 00:07:39.376 Rock was just getting out of the Navy 168 00:07:39.417 --> 00:07:42.087 and hadn't been into the pictures yet. 169 00:07:42.128 --> 00:07:44.130 So Kenneth was really enthralled with him 170 00:07:44.214 --> 00:07:49.052 and was sort of "love at first sight," I think for, for Ken. 171 00:07:49.135 --> 00:07:52.389 They were very much lovers. 172 00:07:52.430 --> 00:07:54.808 Kenneth had a big Hollywood job. 173 00:07:54.891 --> 00:07:57.435 He was a director in radio, and he had a good network. 174 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.939 He had plenty of people to introduce Rock to, 175 00:08:01.022 --> 00:08:06.111 and he helped facilitate some of Rock's early career. 176 00:08:06.778 --> 00:08:09.739 Hudson: He suggested that I get some pictures taken 177 00:08:09.781 --> 00:08:11.616 and send them around to agents. 178 00:08:11.700 --> 00:08:12.951 I said, "What's an agent?" 179 00:08:12.992 --> 00:08:16.246 Now I'm Midwestern hick. Please understand. 180 00:08:16.287 --> 00:08:18.081 Not knowing anything at all. 181 00:08:18.123 --> 00:08:22.210 Anyway, I had one response, that's all. 182 00:08:22.293 --> 00:08:23.795 And that was Henry Willson. 183 00:08:23.878 --> 00:08:25.463 Davis: Is that right? 184 00:08:25.547 --> 00:08:27.966 Hodge: Rock was very ambitious. 185 00:08:28.008 --> 00:08:30.927 He got scooped up with a big-time agent 186 00:08:30.969 --> 00:08:34.764 who really accelerated Rock's career. 187 00:08:34.806 --> 00:08:36.975 And from what I know is, 188 00:08:37.017 --> 00:08:40.227 he kind of dropped Ken on the spot. 189 00:08:40.270 --> 00:08:43.690 I think it ended really abruptly. 190 00:08:46.234 --> 00:08:50.196 I never really saw my uncle in love again. 191 00:08:51.698 --> 00:08:54.367 And I think Rock broke his heart. 192 00:08:54.451 --> 00:08:56.661 (audience applauding) 193 00:08:56.703 --> 00:08:59.372 (indistinct chatter) 194 00:08:59.456 --> 00:09:02.917 And the fella sitting next to you in the audience down there, 195 00:09:03.001 --> 00:09:04.836 there's the man who gave you that name, 196 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:07.547 your good friend and personal manager, Mr. Henry Willson. 197 00:09:07.630 --> 00:09:10.300 Henry, stand up, please, let the folks see you. 198 00:09:10.342 --> 00:09:12.177 (Rock laughing) 199 00:09:12.260 --> 00:09:15.180 Matter of fact, uh, Henry discovered Rock 200 00:09:15.221 --> 00:09:17.974 and fostered his rapid rise in pictures. 201 00:09:18.016 --> 00:09:19.184 Hudson: Mm-hmm. 202 00:09:19.267 --> 00:09:21.936 Hofler: In the '40s, Henry Willson went to work 203 00:09:22.020 --> 00:09:24.564 for David O. Selznick right after David O. Selznick 204 00:09:24.647 --> 00:09:26.691 finished "Gone With the Wind." 205 00:09:26.733 --> 00:09:29.194 Henry and Rock met at a party 206 00:09:29.235 --> 00:09:34.532 that this boyfriend-agent of Rock's took him to. 207 00:09:34.574 --> 00:09:37.160 Rock realized, "I'm going with the guy 208 00:09:37.202 --> 00:09:40.663 who's the head of talent for Selznick Studios!" 209 00:09:40.705 --> 00:09:43.540 So Rock was one of his first clients, 210 00:09:43.583 --> 00:09:46.211 and there were dozens of other men 211 00:09:46.252 --> 00:09:48.880 who have been completely forgotten, 212 00:09:48.922 --> 00:09:52.759 who had crazy names like "Race Gentry." 213 00:09:52.842 --> 00:09:55.220 You only have to look at the silent movies, 214 00:09:55.303 --> 00:09:58.807 where you would have these men like Ramon Novarro 215 00:09:58.890 --> 00:10:00.767 or Rudolph Valentino. 216 00:10:00.850 --> 00:10:03.395 And they were considered way too effeminate 217 00:10:03.478 --> 00:10:05.397 by the late '30s. 218 00:10:06.106 --> 00:10:08.566 As we come out of World War II, 219 00:10:08.650 --> 00:10:11.611 our icons, particularly in the movies, 220 00:10:11.695 --> 00:10:13.822 become more butch. 221 00:10:13.905 --> 00:10:16.157 A more masculine man 222 00:10:16.241 --> 00:10:19.369 in the stereotypical way took over. 223 00:10:19.411 --> 00:10:23.206 There were all these photographs of soldiers and sailors. 224 00:10:23.248 --> 00:10:27.460 And so that kind of upped the ante of 225 00:10:27.544 --> 00:10:32.090 this macho quality that people wanted in a movie star. 226 00:10:32.132 --> 00:10:36.636 And so the physique became more important 227 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:41.141 and you had more taking off of the shirt. 228 00:10:42.142 --> 00:10:45.395 And that's where Henry Willson really came in. 229 00:10:45.437 --> 00:10:48.481 He groomed the male stars 230 00:10:48.565 --> 00:10:51.776 to be more butch, frankly. 231 00:10:51.818 --> 00:10:53.486 And he did it with, 232 00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:54.988 you know, a number of these guys 233 00:10:55.071 --> 00:10:56.823 who were ex-soldiers and sailors, 234 00:10:56.906 --> 00:10:58.950 and Rock Hudson was one of them. 235 00:10:59.034 --> 00:11:01.619 -Actress: You are divine. -I know, but I'm in training. 236 00:11:01.661 --> 00:11:03.663 (women laughing) 237 00:11:03.747 --> 00:11:05.123 Hudson: So then I started 238 00:11:05.206 --> 00:11:06.958 going to class and going to diction lessons, 239 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:08.501 learning how to lower my voice, 240 00:11:08.585 --> 00:11:09.919 learning how to horseback ride, 241 00:11:09.961 --> 00:11:11.629 learning anything I could, 242 00:11:11.713 --> 00:11:16.801 'cause something within this Midwestern hick stupidity of mine 243 00:11:16.843 --> 00:11:19.554 told me that if you're gonna do something, do it, 244 00:11:19.637 --> 00:11:21.348 and do it the best you can and learn. 245 00:11:21.431 --> 00:11:23.433 I knew that, at least. 246 00:11:23.475 --> 00:11:27.354 Mark Griffin: Henry Willson was very shrewd in knowing 247 00:11:27.437 --> 00:11:30.273 that if there is even a trace of effeminacy, 248 00:11:30.315 --> 00:11:32.817 whether it's a giggle or a flutter, 249 00:11:32.901 --> 00:11:34.944 that that's going to read on screen. 250 00:11:34.986 --> 00:11:37.864 Hofler: He showed them how to do their hair, 251 00:11:37.947 --> 00:11:39.657 what to wear, all of that. 252 00:11:39.699 --> 00:11:42.660 You know, he was a real grooming school. 253 00:11:42.702 --> 00:11:46.706 He taught them how to be heterosexual. 254 00:11:46.790 --> 00:11:51.044 (jazz singer vocalizing) 255 00:11:53.838 --> 00:11:56.549 Griffin: So, Kathleen, I wanted to begin by asking 256 00:11:56.633 --> 00:11:59.594 about the screen test that you appeared in with Rock. 257 00:11:59.678 --> 00:12:01.179 -Kathleen Hughes: Oh, yes. -(knocking) 258 00:12:01.221 --> 00:12:03.306 Griffin: I was just wondering, had you met Rock 259 00:12:03.348 --> 00:12:05.558 prior to appearing in the test with him? 260 00:12:05.642 --> 00:12:07.185 Hughes: No, I hadn't. 261 00:12:07.227 --> 00:12:09.479 Griffin: What was your initial impression of him? 262 00:12:09.521 --> 00:12:12.190 Hughes: Well, he was certainly very handsome... 263 00:12:12.232 --> 00:12:14.693 (laughs) ...no question of that. 264 00:12:14.776 --> 00:12:17.821 And he was very pleasant, very nice. 265 00:12:17.862 --> 00:12:19.531 Honey, I'm gonna tell you something. 266 00:12:19.572 --> 00:12:22.033 You can believe it or not, but it's the truth. 267 00:12:22.075 --> 00:12:24.911 The last winter of the war over in Germany... 268 00:12:24.994 --> 00:12:31.042 Hughes: He did not appeal to me as a man or as a date. 269 00:12:31.084 --> 00:12:36.047 He was very nice, but I... there was no spark. 270 00:12:36.131 --> 00:12:39.092 -(peaceful piano music) -Director: Cut! 271 00:12:39.175 --> 00:12:42.387 Hudson: I was under contract with Universal Pictures. 272 00:12:42.429 --> 00:12:44.806 And then I was with them 17, 18 years. 273 00:12:44.848 --> 00:12:47.225 Universal in those days, it was a wonderful studio. 274 00:12:47.267 --> 00:12:50.395 They took care of everything for the actor. 275 00:12:50.478 --> 00:12:52.147 The house you live in, 276 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:53.773 the shopping, your meals, a cook. 277 00:12:53.857 --> 00:12:56.568 It was all done for you. 278 00:12:56.651 --> 00:13:02.240 So that the only thing you had to be concerned about was your performance. 279 00:13:02.323 --> 00:13:03.783 ♪♪ 280 00:13:03.867 --> 00:13:06.036 Piper Laurie: See that little glint of fear 281 00:13:06.077 --> 00:13:08.705 in his eyes, the insecurity? 282 00:13:08.747 --> 00:13:11.166 Rock and I had both been signed 283 00:13:11.249 --> 00:13:14.002 to be under contract to Universal. 284 00:13:14.085 --> 00:13:16.212 One of the things that we had to do 285 00:13:16.254 --> 00:13:18.298 after we were all under contract was 286 00:13:18.381 --> 00:13:21.259 be a part of a theatrical presentation 287 00:13:21.343 --> 00:13:26.264 for all the studio heads and producers and agents. 288 00:13:27.098 --> 00:13:30.393 And he'd never been on the stage before. 289 00:13:30.435 --> 00:13:35.357 And, and I saw that he was physically out of control. 290 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:38.318 He was just, he was very much like a child 291 00:13:38.401 --> 00:13:42.113 and just shaking visibly and perspiring 292 00:13:42.155 --> 00:13:45.492 and looked like he couldn't stand on his feet. 293 00:13:45.575 --> 00:13:49.496 And I embraced him, and I held him like I was his mother 294 00:13:49.579 --> 00:13:54.959 and tried to infuse some strength in him, courage. 295 00:13:55.043 --> 00:13:57.128 But he was so frightened. 296 00:13:58.672 --> 00:14:01.424 Hughes: My best friend at the time, 297 00:14:01.466 --> 00:14:04.636 who was also under contract, Susan Cabot. 298 00:14:04.719 --> 00:14:07.055 Well, she was always telling me 299 00:14:07.138 --> 00:14:09.224 how madly in love with him she was. 300 00:14:09.307 --> 00:14:14.354 And she told me that he took her home to meet his mother once. 301 00:14:14.437 --> 00:14:18.358 She was really hoping to end up with him. 302 00:14:18.441 --> 00:14:22.487 And I had already heard that he was gay. 303 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:27.409 And I said, "Um, I don't think it's gonna happen." 304 00:14:27.492 --> 00:14:30.995 "Oh, yes, yes. It's just got to happen." 305 00:14:31.079 --> 00:14:33.957 Well, it didn't happen. 306 00:14:33.998 --> 00:14:35.959 I can't marry you. 307 00:14:36.001 --> 00:14:38.878 Why not, darling? Why not? 308 00:14:42.924 --> 00:14:46.386 For a moment, I, I forgot what I am. 309 00:14:48.096 --> 00:14:50.181 (mellow jazz music) 310 00:14:50.265 --> 00:14:52.017 Hofler: There's a womanizer 311 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:53.977 and Henry Willson was a manizer. 312 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:57.939 And he was pretty straightforward about, 313 00:14:58.023 --> 00:15:01.192 "Well, I'll sign you and you'll sleep with me," 314 00:15:01.234 --> 00:15:04.529 and there was even kind of negotiations that went on, 315 00:15:04.612 --> 00:15:08.283 and he quickly gained a reputation for it. 316 00:15:08.366 --> 00:15:12.454 And young, good-looking men went to him 317 00:15:12.537 --> 00:15:16.708 using their sex to be signed by him. 318 00:15:16.750 --> 00:15:18.376 They knew what they were doing. 319 00:15:18.460 --> 00:15:21.463 I don't think, when it came to sex, 320 00:15:21.546 --> 00:15:26.301 Rock was ever innocent by the time he arrived in Hollywood. 321 00:15:26.384 --> 00:15:29.554 Actress: The next time we saw Roy was over a week later, 322 00:15:29.596 --> 00:15:31.556 only you wouldn't know it was the same man. 323 00:15:31.598 --> 00:15:32.891 Hello. 324 00:15:32.974 --> 00:15:35.226 Griffin: In 1951, Henry Willson 325 00:15:35.310 --> 00:15:38.104 introduces his most promising client, Rock Hudson, 326 00:15:38.188 --> 00:15:41.649 to an aspiring actor named Bob Preble. 327 00:15:42.525 --> 00:15:45.570 Soon these two eligible bachelors are living together 328 00:15:45.653 --> 00:15:50.367 in a one-bedroom house off Mulholland Drive. 329 00:15:50.408 --> 00:15:52.202 (cool jazz music) 330 00:15:52.243 --> 00:15:55.538 "Photoplay" magazine publishes this article, 331 00:15:55.580 --> 00:15:58.165 and we're allowed to peek through the window, 332 00:15:58.249 --> 00:16:02.921 as it were, into Rock and Bob's private sanctuary. 333 00:16:03.004 --> 00:16:04.923 ♪♪ 334 00:16:05.006 --> 00:16:10.595 What's being depicted is almost sort of like this marital intimacy. 335 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:15.016 And yet every effort is made to portray Rock and Bob as like 336 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:17.352 wholesome all-American boys. 337 00:16:17.435 --> 00:16:20.271 Preble later admitted to some quote, unquote, 338 00:16:20.313 --> 00:16:21.940 "experimenting" with Rock 339 00:16:21.981 --> 00:16:24.067 when they were roommates. 340 00:16:24.109 --> 00:16:25.652 But "Photoplay" magazine would have us believe 341 00:16:25.735 --> 00:16:28.738 that the only reason these two hunks are living together 342 00:16:28.780 --> 00:16:30.615 is to save a buck. 343 00:16:31.616 --> 00:16:34.994 Look, baby, there's no strings on me. 344 00:16:35.078 --> 00:16:36.913 I do what I like. 345 00:16:36.955 --> 00:16:39.249 And the same thing goes for you. 346 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:43.628 And we got music. 347 00:16:43.670 --> 00:16:47.674 (contemplative music) 348 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:56.975 Griffin: In 1951, Rock meets fellow actor George Nader 349 00:16:57.058 --> 00:17:02.689 and Nader's long-term partner, Mark Miller. 350 00:17:02.772 --> 00:17:04.398 And for the next 34 years, 351 00:17:04.482 --> 00:17:07.609 this trio is virtually inseparable. 352 00:17:08.236 --> 00:17:11.196 The bond is forged through, you know, things like 353 00:17:11.281 --> 00:17:13.366 a similar sense of humor 354 00:17:13.450 --> 00:17:16.286 and this tendency towards mischief. 355 00:17:16.327 --> 00:17:20.623 There's also this shared misery of the closet. 356 00:17:20.665 --> 00:17:25.337 There are countless lovers, short-term boyfriends, 357 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:30.675 and weekend flings that pass through Rock Hudson's life. 358 00:17:30.717 --> 00:17:35.138 But the friendship with Nader and Miller endured. 359 00:17:37.515 --> 00:17:39.517 Ain't he the sweetest player you ever saw? 360 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.353 He is not. 361 00:17:42.020 --> 00:17:45.482 Thomson: I think that Hudson was regarded 362 00:17:45.523 --> 00:17:49.486 as a big, strong, handsome guy. 363 00:17:49.527 --> 00:17:53.198 And the natural instinct was to put him 364 00:17:53.281 --> 00:17:56.951 in a lot of cheap adventure films. 365 00:17:57.035 --> 00:18:00.663 It took time for the studio to see 366 00:18:00.747 --> 00:18:04.209 that what they really had there 367 00:18:04.250 --> 00:18:05.960 was a subtler actor 368 00:18:06.044 --> 00:18:07.545 than they ever guessed. 369 00:18:07.962 --> 00:18:09.923 Johash! The horses! 370 00:18:10.006 --> 00:18:13.968 (band playing "Has Anybody Seen My Gal") 371 00:18:14.052 --> 00:18:15.387 Narrator: Yes, here they are, 372 00:18:15.428 --> 00:18:17.389 those wild and wonderful '20s, 373 00:18:17.472 --> 00:18:19.557 the years of speakeasies and hot jazz. 374 00:18:19.641 --> 00:18:23.269 (upbeat jazz music) 375 00:18:23.353 --> 00:18:25.563 (speaking German) 376 00:18:38.243 --> 00:18:40.620 -Will I see you tonight? -You bet, Millie, 8 o'clock. 377 00:18:40.704 --> 00:18:42.622 -There's a good-- Yes, sir. -A double bromo. 378 00:18:42.706 --> 00:18:44.749 One double bromo. There's a good movie... 379 00:18:44.791 --> 00:18:47.419 Laurie: I personally felt that part was beneath him. 380 00:18:47.502 --> 00:18:49.587 I thought he was miscast. 381 00:18:49.629 --> 00:18:53.091 You know, he was a 6'4" hunk, 382 00:18:53.174 --> 00:18:55.969 and to be playing lines 383 00:18:56.052 --> 00:18:58.555 that belonged in a teenager's mouth. 384 00:18:58.596 --> 00:19:01.099 Watch me! One strawberry surprise. 385 00:19:01.766 --> 00:19:05.937 Laurie: I just thought it was beneath him, and he was a good sport. 386 00:19:06.438 --> 00:19:09.566 Did you know that in the drugstore scenes, uh... 387 00:19:09.607 --> 00:19:11.443 Griffin: Is it the young Jimmy Dean? 388 00:19:11.484 --> 00:19:13.278 Laurie: Yeah, yeah. He was sitting at the counter. 389 00:19:13.361 --> 00:19:15.864 Nobody paid any attention, nobody knew him then. 390 00:19:15.947 --> 00:19:18.616 Two scoops of vanilla ice cream, one mixed up with the rest. 391 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:20.201 And, uh, one floating. 392 00:19:20.285 --> 00:19:22.162 (moody jazz music) 393 00:19:22.245 --> 00:19:24.456 (Sirk speaking German) 394 00:19:57.072 --> 00:19:58.948 Announcer: Film producer Ross Hunter, 395 00:19:58.990 --> 00:20:01.826 who not only is one of the most successful producers in town, 396 00:20:01.868 --> 00:20:03.787 but one of the best liked. 397 00:20:03.828 --> 00:20:07.040 I believe in, you know, authenticity, real flowers and real paintings. 398 00:20:07.123 --> 00:20:10.210 And there's a million dollars' worth of jewels here tonight. 399 00:20:10.835 --> 00:20:13.505 Ross Hunter: The studio asked, "What would you like to do?" 400 00:20:13.546 --> 00:20:15.715 And I said, "Well, I would like to do something 401 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:18.301 "that I believe is very much needed in this industry, 402 00:20:18.343 --> 00:20:19.636 and that is to bring back glamor." 403 00:20:19.678 --> 00:20:22.347 So I said, "Let's do some love stories." 404 00:20:22.389 --> 00:20:25.350 (expansive symphonic music) 405 00:20:31.606 --> 00:20:35.235 Douglas Sirk: I only can say I smelled something 406 00:20:35.318 --> 00:20:37.696 interesting in the film. 407 00:20:37.737 --> 00:20:41.783 Something which I would call metaphysical. 408 00:20:41.866 --> 00:20:45.203 You know, it's very strange knowing you only like this. 409 00:20:45.245 --> 00:20:47.580 So well, it seems, and... 410 00:20:47.664 --> 00:20:49.457 and yet... 411 00:20:50.375 --> 00:20:52.419 I've never seen your face. 412 00:20:52.502 --> 00:20:55.296 Hunter: The studio thought my ideas were crazy. 413 00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:57.340 I told them that I believe strongly 414 00:20:57.382 --> 00:20:59.175 in a man called Rock Hudson. 415 00:20:59.217 --> 00:21:01.886 And I would like to be able 416 00:21:01.928 --> 00:21:05.682 to use him as the young man in "Magnificent Obsession." 417 00:21:05.724 --> 00:21:09.102 He's a good-looking, clean-cut man 418 00:21:09.185 --> 00:21:11.479 that young people all over the world 419 00:21:11.563 --> 00:21:13.356 will fantasize about. 420 00:21:14.649 --> 00:21:17.402 Oh, I'm so glad you're here. 421 00:21:17.444 --> 00:21:19.696 You must have known how much I need you now. 422 00:21:19.738 --> 00:21:21.031 Darling. 423 00:21:21.072 --> 00:21:22.490 Griffin: Ross Hunter is kind of 424 00:21:22.574 --> 00:21:24.409 the one that clues into the fact 425 00:21:24.451 --> 00:21:27.370 that Rock is Prince Charming. 426 00:21:27.412 --> 00:21:30.123 You know, let's put him in some 427 00:21:30.206 --> 00:21:32.876 glossy romantic melodramas. 428 00:21:32.917 --> 00:21:35.378 That proved to be the winning formula 429 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:37.547 for the beginning of Rock's career. 430 00:21:37.589 --> 00:21:41.217 I love you, and I wanna marry you. 431 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:43.261 Hunter: Oh, the picture was probably 432 00:21:43.345 --> 00:21:44.888 one of the biggest moneymakers 433 00:21:44.971 --> 00:21:46.431 that Universal had ever had. 434 00:21:46.514 --> 00:21:49.434 Sirk: Rock Hudson became a star, 435 00:21:49.517 --> 00:21:52.771 just on account of this film. 436 00:21:52.854 --> 00:21:57.108 Announcer: Based on votes of moviegoers all over the nation, 437 00:21:57.192 --> 00:21:58.693 most popular actor of the year. 438 00:21:58.777 --> 00:22:00.528 (fans chanting "We want Rock!") 439 00:22:00.612 --> 00:22:03.198 Rock, take another bow. Take another bow. 440 00:22:03.281 --> 00:22:05.950 Take a bow, just take a bow. 441 00:22:06.034 --> 00:22:09.204 (Latin jazz music) 442 00:22:09.245 --> 00:22:12.123 -Aren't you Mrs. Ricky Ricardo? -Yeah-- Yes. 443 00:22:12.207 --> 00:22:13.917 -Well, I'm Rock Hudson. -Oh, yeah. 444 00:22:13.958 --> 00:22:16.544 -Well, I know that. -(audience laughing) 445 00:22:16.628 --> 00:22:19.089 Announcer: W ell, this is the second year in a row 446 00:22:19.130 --> 00:22:21.466 that Mr. Hudson has been picked by "Modern Screen" 447 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:23.593 as most popular actor. 448 00:22:23.635 --> 00:22:25.637 Top honors for a top star. 449 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:28.890 (spirited jazz music concludes) 450 00:22:28.932 --> 00:22:31.017 (sweeping romantic music) 451 00:22:39.317 --> 00:22:42.529 But I'd be running away if I turn my back on everything I've known. 452 00:22:42.612 --> 00:22:45.699 Ron. Isn't it enough that we love each other? 453 00:22:47.992 --> 00:22:51.579 No, Cary, it isn't. 454 00:23:00.505 --> 00:23:02.340 Illeana Douglas: Sirk is German. 455 00:23:02.382 --> 00:23:04.300 He's making these movies 456 00:23:04.342 --> 00:23:10.515 as an outsider about our American values 457 00:23:10.557 --> 00:23:13.018 and kind of poking holes in them. 458 00:23:13.101 --> 00:23:15.687 Narrator: Their lives were worlds apart. 459 00:23:15.770 --> 00:23:18.732 Cary's world was bound by the country club set, 460 00:23:18.815 --> 00:23:21.609 their smug pretensions and their spiteful gossip. 461 00:23:21.693 --> 00:23:23.695 Ron's world was boundless. 462 00:23:23.737 --> 00:23:26.239 The great outdoors, the things that grow 463 00:23:26.322 --> 00:23:28.408 and real people who give and take 464 00:23:28.491 --> 00:23:29.659 all that heaven allows 465 00:23:29.701 --> 00:23:31.619 of love and happiness. 466 00:23:31.703 --> 00:23:35.331 (upbeat piano and accordion music) 467 00:23:35.373 --> 00:23:39.085 Douglas: Sirk created a signature style, 468 00:23:39.169 --> 00:23:41.379 which is, it's so beautiful, 469 00:23:41.421 --> 00:23:44.549 but if you look underneath the surface, 470 00:23:44.632 --> 00:23:46.801 under the white picket fences, 471 00:23:46.885 --> 00:23:51.890 you're gonna see how torrid and ugly everything is. 472 00:23:51.973 --> 00:23:54.059 -Howard, you're drunk. -Why, Cary! 473 00:23:54.100 --> 00:23:56.603 -(glass shatters) -Isn't one man enough for you? 474 00:23:56.686 --> 00:23:59.230 Maybe you'd better stay right where you are. 475 00:23:59.606 --> 00:24:01.733 Douglas: Rock Hudson is just a... 476 00:24:01.816 --> 00:24:06.529 a perfect example of a male Adonis, 477 00:24:06.571 --> 00:24:11.242 but he's also sensitive, well-rounded guy. 478 00:24:11.284 --> 00:24:16.081 You know, he's not strictly a sex object for Jane Wyman. 479 00:24:16.790 --> 00:24:22.504 He was the perfect man for women of that era 480 00:24:22.587 --> 00:24:26.424 that maybe were trapped in lonely marriages 481 00:24:26.466 --> 00:24:30.303 with insensitive, unfeeling men. 482 00:24:30.762 --> 00:24:33.598 Look, Mick, I told her that I love her. 483 00:24:33.682 --> 00:24:35.642 I asked her to marry me. I can't force her. 484 00:24:35.725 --> 00:24:37.143 She has to make up her own mind. 485 00:24:37.227 --> 00:24:40.397 She doesn't wanna make up her own mind, no girl does. 486 00:24:40.438 --> 00:24:42.107 She wants you to make it up for her. 487 00:24:42.148 --> 00:24:43.817 Come on, let's go. 488 00:24:44.275 --> 00:24:51.032 Douglas: Rock Hudson is playing a man called Rock Hudson, 489 00:24:51.116 --> 00:24:57.288 who is the personification of Americana. 490 00:24:57.372 --> 00:25:01.459 (contemplative music) 491 00:25:01.543 --> 00:25:04.254 The identity was given to him... 492 00:25:04.295 --> 00:25:06.381 ♪♪ 493 00:25:06.464 --> 00:25:10.802 ...and he slipped into it and he played it for the rest of his life. 494 00:25:10.844 --> 00:25:13.013 (contemplative music continues) 495 00:25:20.145 --> 00:25:22.647 Actor: This is the biggest thing that's ever happened to you. 496 00:25:22.731 --> 00:25:24.274 -Yeah? -Yeah. 497 00:25:24.315 --> 00:25:26.609 That's why it was such a hurry for me to get over here 498 00:25:26.651 --> 00:25:27.777 and clean up your image. 499 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:29.821 What's wrong with my image? 500 00:25:29.863 --> 00:25:32.490 You make it sound like I've just been named Leper of the Year. 501 00:25:32.574 --> 00:25:34.117 Well, you know the mentality of that board, 502 00:25:34.159 --> 00:25:35.994 they're hipped on the idea of a corporate image, 503 00:25:36.036 --> 00:25:38.913 solid American gentry, family respectability. 504 00:25:38.997 --> 00:25:41.750 For their top executives, there are not 10 commandments, only one: 505 00:25:41.833 --> 00:25:44.627 "Thou shalt be married, happily and respectably married." 506 00:25:44.669 --> 00:25:46.671 -Whether you like it or not. -That's right. 507 00:25:46.713 --> 00:25:48.340 From now on you're gonna have a new look. 508 00:25:48.381 --> 00:25:50.008 No more gay married bachelor. 509 00:25:50.091 --> 00:25:52.677 It's got to be Carter Harrison, family man. 510 00:25:53.470 --> 00:25:55.680 Male Chorus: ♪ Maybe I'm right ♪ 511 00:25:55.722 --> 00:25:59.351 ♪ And maybe I'm wrong ♪ 512 00:25:59.434 --> 00:26:01.811 ♪ Maybe I'm weak ♪ 513 00:26:01.853 --> 00:26:04.439 ♪ And maybe I'm strong ♪ 514 00:26:04.522 --> 00:26:06.733 ♪ But nevertheless ♪ 515 00:26:06.816 --> 00:26:09.861 ♪ I'm in love... ♪ 516 00:26:09.903 --> 00:26:12.322 Griffin: By the late 1950s, 517 00:26:12.405 --> 00:26:14.741 Rock Hudson had really arrived. 518 00:26:14.824 --> 00:26:17.869 Rock's great popularity as a matinee idol 519 00:26:17.952 --> 00:26:20.205 poses this significant problem 520 00:26:20.246 --> 00:26:22.707 for his handlers and studio executives. 521 00:26:22.791 --> 00:26:25.335 On the screen, he's wooing women 522 00:26:25.377 --> 00:26:27.170 like Jane Wyman and Piper Laurie 523 00:26:27.212 --> 00:26:29.839 and the fans are really eating it up. 524 00:26:29.881 --> 00:26:32.050 But he's nearly 30 years old 525 00:26:32.133 --> 00:26:34.803 and he's sort of suspiciously unmarried. 526 00:26:34.886 --> 00:26:36.721 ♪ ...with you ♪ 527 00:26:36.805 --> 00:26:39.224 Griffin: In the days when you were working with Rock, 528 00:26:39.307 --> 00:26:41.518 the fan magazines like "Photoplay" and "Modern Screen" 529 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:42.727 started to print articles 530 00:26:42.811 --> 00:26:44.729 in which Betty Abbott was described 531 00:26:44.813 --> 00:26:46.481 as "Rock Hudson's best girl." 532 00:26:46.564 --> 00:26:47.691 Betty Abbott Griffin: Oh, I know. 533 00:26:47.732 --> 00:26:49.401 We would laugh our heads off. 534 00:26:49.442 --> 00:26:51.903 -(Griffin laughs) - Abbott Griffin : I mean, it was publicity. 535 00:26:51.986 --> 00:26:55.198 I mean, we knew what they were trying to do 536 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:56.991 and we'd sit there and laugh it off. 537 00:26:57.075 --> 00:26:59.077 ♪ A life of regret... ♪ 538 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:02.580 Hofler: No one cared what you really did in Hollywood. 539 00:27:02.622 --> 00:27:05.917 It's just as long as you played along 540 00:27:05.959 --> 00:27:09.921 and you presented a facade to the public. 541 00:27:10.005 --> 00:27:14.884 So living with another man is not kind of playing the game. 542 00:27:14.926 --> 00:27:18.221 Playing the game is getting married. 543 00:27:18.263 --> 00:27:20.724 ♪ But nevertheless ♪ 544 00:27:20.765 --> 00:27:23.476 ♪ I'm in love ♪ 545 00:27:23.560 --> 00:27:25.270 ♪ With ♪ 546 00:27:25.353 --> 00:27:29.107 ♪ You ♪ 547 00:27:29.149 --> 00:27:31.109 It's about time you got hitched, isn't it? 548 00:27:33.236 --> 00:27:34.612 No, I... 549 00:27:34.654 --> 00:27:36.906 I have trouble enough finding oil. 550 00:27:36.990 --> 00:27:37.907 (chuckles) 551 00:27:37.949 --> 00:27:40.702 Griffin: Enter Phyllis Gates. 552 00:27:40.785 --> 00:27:43.621 Not only is she Henry Willson's secretary, 553 00:27:43.705 --> 00:27:45.957 but she's really heaven sent. 554 00:27:46.041 --> 00:27:48.460 It's like direct from central casting 555 00:27:48.543 --> 00:27:50.462 to play Mrs. Rock Hudson. 556 00:27:50.545 --> 00:27:53.423 In November of 1955, 557 00:27:53.465 --> 00:27:55.050 Rock and Phyllis are married 558 00:27:55.133 --> 00:27:57.802 at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara. 559 00:27:57.886 --> 00:28:00.764 The ceremony took place only eight days 560 00:28:00.805 --> 00:28:03.308 before Hudson's 30th birthday. 561 00:28:03.350 --> 00:28:05.935 And not surprisingly, Henry Willson, 562 00:28:05.977 --> 00:28:08.980 the omnipresent, tended to every detail. 563 00:28:09.022 --> 00:28:11.649 Though he does stop short of joining the newlyweds 564 00:28:11.691 --> 00:28:13.943 when they honeymoon in the Caribbean. 565 00:28:13.985 --> 00:28:16.780 I tend to believe that it was arranged, 566 00:28:16.863 --> 00:28:20.158 that Henry Willson paired off an essentially gay man 567 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:23.995 and a woman rumored to be bi or gay herself. 568 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:26.456 Both participants may have agreed to play house 569 00:28:26.498 --> 00:28:30.251 in the name of keeping Hudson's career blazing. 570 00:28:30.335 --> 00:28:32.921 Hofler: Oh, it was totally engineered by Henry. 571 00:28:32.962 --> 00:28:37.967 You know, and the, the thing that was such a joke about it 572 00:28:38.009 --> 00:28:41.096 is that Rock didn't look any further 573 00:28:41.179 --> 00:28:43.139 than his agent's secretary. 574 00:28:44.182 --> 00:28:48.687 Griffin: In some ways, Rock is the most successful creation 575 00:28:48.770 --> 00:28:50.939 of that golden age of Hollywood, 576 00:28:51.022 --> 00:28:54.859 the last of those really manufactured stars 577 00:28:54.943 --> 00:28:56.069 where every aspect 578 00:28:56.152 --> 00:28:59.739 of what we think to be their private life 579 00:28:59.823 --> 00:29:03.368 has been built by other people. 580 00:29:09.708 --> 00:29:11.042 (crowd cheering) 581 00:29:11.084 --> 00:29:13.753 Hudson: I like to lean upon a director, 582 00:29:13.837 --> 00:29:17.841 and if I can't lean on him, I'm rather lost. 583 00:29:17.882 --> 00:29:19.968 And I am forced to rely on myself. 584 00:29:20.051 --> 00:29:22.846 And that's not a comfortable feeling. 585 00:29:22.887 --> 00:29:25.306 (expansive orchestral theme) 586 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:32.230 Interviewer: When the opportunity came for you to work 587 00:29:32.272 --> 00:29:33.898 with George Stevens, what was your...? 588 00:29:33.940 --> 00:29:36.192 Hudson: Oh, well, scrape me off the ceiling. 589 00:29:36.234 --> 00:29:38.403 I mean, the thrill of a lifetime for me. 590 00:29:38.486 --> 00:29:40.613 But it was really true what everybody said, 591 00:29:40.697 --> 00:29:43.575 make yourself a piece of putty and put yourself in his hands 592 00:29:43.616 --> 00:29:45.201 and rely on him. 593 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:49.414 Allison Anders: George Stevens is one of those classic 594 00:29:49.497 --> 00:29:51.249 American filmmakers, 595 00:29:51.332 --> 00:29:54.002 and no story I know is as big as "Giant." 596 00:29:54.085 --> 00:29:56.171 It spans so many decades. 597 00:29:56.254 --> 00:29:59.299 It spans so many sensibilities. 598 00:29:59.382 --> 00:30:04.971 Just the photography alone is so magnificent. 599 00:30:05.055 --> 00:30:08.892 I've probably seen "Giant" hundreds of times. 600 00:30:09.434 --> 00:30:11.436 I lost one friend I had in this place 601 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:13.104 and I know it too. 602 00:30:13.188 --> 00:30:15.315 So I quit. I'm dead quit. 603 00:30:15.398 --> 00:30:17.108 Don't have to say another word to me. 604 00:30:17.150 --> 00:30:18.735 Nobody's firing you, Jett. 605 00:30:18.777 --> 00:30:21.446 Davis: What kind of memories do you have of James Dean? 606 00:30:21.488 --> 00:30:25.283 Hudson: George used Jimmy because Jimmy was new and hot. 607 00:30:25.367 --> 00:30:27.494 -Davis: Mm-hmm. Yes. -Hudson: Hot-hot. 608 00:30:27.577 --> 00:30:30.747 I didn't particularly like him, personally. 609 00:30:30.789 --> 00:30:32.123 -Would you excuse me? -Davis: Sure. 610 00:30:32.207 --> 00:30:33.958 Hudson: I'm wanna go get a pack of cigarettes. 611 00:30:35.752 --> 00:30:36.961 (men clamoring) 612 00:30:37.003 --> 00:30:38.505 Griffin: According to some accounts, 613 00:30:38.588 --> 00:30:42.342 James Dean was rather disdainful of Hudson. 614 00:30:42.884 --> 00:30:45.053 Dean considered it hypocritical 615 00:30:45.136 --> 00:30:48.640 that Rock was maintaining this hetero facade in public 616 00:30:48.723 --> 00:30:51.059 while privately hitting on Dean, 617 00:30:51.142 --> 00:30:53.019 if we're to believe the rumor mill. 618 00:30:53.103 --> 00:30:56.690 Some might say that that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black. 619 00:30:56.773 --> 00:31:00.402 You know, it's pretty well documented that early in his career, 620 00:31:00.485 --> 00:31:04.030 James Dean was kept by a gay radio executive 621 00:31:04.114 --> 00:31:07.575 who was indeed friends with Rock's agent, Henry Willson. 622 00:31:07.659 --> 00:31:10.328 If you're talking about shrouded sexuality, 623 00:31:10.412 --> 00:31:12.330 they weren't all that different. 624 00:31:12.372 --> 00:31:14.416 Davis: While we're talking about James Dean, 625 00:31:14.499 --> 00:31:16.668 I don't know whether you had anything else you wanted to... 626 00:31:16.710 --> 00:31:19.713 Hudson: As I say, I didn't like the fella too much. 627 00:31:19.796 --> 00:31:22.132 I don't know as I should say any more. 628 00:31:22.173 --> 00:31:24.342 Uh, Jimmy was dead before the picture was over. 629 00:31:24.384 --> 00:31:27.262 -Davis: Yes. -Hudson: I don't like to talk against anybody. 630 00:31:27.345 --> 00:31:29.305 And I don't like to talk against the dead. 631 00:31:29.347 --> 00:31:31.516 -Davis: Mm-hmm. -Hudson: So I think I should shut up. 632 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:33.351 -Davis: Yeah, all right. Okay. -(Rock laughs) 633 00:31:33.435 --> 00:31:35.979 Hudson: Where do you think you're going with my automobile? 634 00:31:36.021 --> 00:31:37.856 -(engine stops) -Just hold on. 635 00:31:37.939 --> 00:31:42.444 Griffin: Hudson has definite negative feelings about James Dean, 636 00:31:42.527 --> 00:31:45.363 but those feelings are sharply contrasted 637 00:31:45.447 --> 00:31:49.659 with how much he loved and cherished leading lady Elizabeth Taylor. 638 00:31:49.701 --> 00:31:51.327 I'm a tough Texian. 639 00:31:51.369 --> 00:31:54.039 Anders: It never ceases to amaze me about Rock Hudson, 640 00:31:54.122 --> 00:31:56.041 how fully he gives himself 641 00:31:56.082 --> 00:31:58.793 to these heterosexual romances. 642 00:31:58.877 --> 00:32:00.587 (cattle bellowing) 643 00:32:00.670 --> 00:32:04.132 I mean, that scene when they wake up on the train, 644 00:32:04.215 --> 00:32:07.218 they've been fucking from Maryland all the way, you know, 645 00:32:07.302 --> 00:32:10.513 to Texas, and I believe it! 646 00:32:11.181 --> 00:32:12.974 What's that? A wolf? 647 00:32:13.516 --> 00:32:17.729 No, honey, just a little old coyote. 648 00:32:17.812 --> 00:32:19.522 (sighs) 649 00:32:19.564 --> 00:32:21.066 (contemplative music) 650 00:32:21.149 --> 00:32:23.860 Griffin: It's no secret that throughout her whole life, 651 00:32:23.902 --> 00:32:28.490 Elizabeth Taylor had many close friendships with gay men. 652 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:32.410 Echoing her role in "Giant," Taylor often gravitated 653 00:32:32.452 --> 00:32:35.872 toward social outcasts or misfits. 654 00:32:35.914 --> 00:32:38.083 Hudson: We became close friends. 655 00:32:38.124 --> 00:32:39.584 We are close friends today, 656 00:32:39.626 --> 00:32:42.045 and I think she is one of the best people. 657 00:32:42.712 --> 00:32:45.382 Griffin: That kind of loving bond between them, 658 00:32:45.423 --> 00:32:47.217 the soulmate connection, if you will, 659 00:32:47.258 --> 00:32:50.595 becomes all the more important later in life. 660 00:32:51.554 --> 00:32:55.558 Anders: George Stevens had complicated characters 661 00:32:55.600 --> 00:33:00.146 and he cared about those characters within society 662 00:33:00.230 --> 00:33:02.982 in a way that's different from how Sirk did. 663 00:33:03.900 --> 00:33:05.694 Now look here, Sarge. 664 00:33:05.777 --> 00:33:09.239 I'd sure appreciate it if you were a little more polite to these people. 665 00:33:09.280 --> 00:33:11.199 Oh, you would, would you? 666 00:33:11.282 --> 00:33:12.951 Anders: By the end of that movie, 667 00:33:13.034 --> 00:33:15.036 Rock Hudson is our American hero 668 00:33:15.120 --> 00:33:19.290 because he's inclusive and he's a feminist, 669 00:33:19.332 --> 00:33:22.127 and then he's got grandkids that are mixed. 670 00:33:22.210 --> 00:33:24.879 Hudson: Those kids in their infinite wisdom 671 00:33:24.963 --> 00:33:26.297 are smarter than we are. 672 00:33:26.381 --> 00:33:28.174 Anders: That's America, you know, to me. 673 00:33:28.258 --> 00:33:30.218 So he is America. 674 00:33:30.260 --> 00:33:31.302 (lowing) 675 00:33:31.344 --> 00:33:33.805 Sure, even the calf's got my number. 676 00:33:33.847 --> 00:33:35.640 (cool jazz music) 677 00:33:35.724 --> 00:33:38.435 Narrator: In Hollywood, a new high for glamor is reached 678 00:33:38.476 --> 00:33:42.564 as Warner Bros. premieres George Stevens' production, "Giant." 679 00:33:42.647 --> 00:33:44.649 Rock Hudson and his charming wife Phyllis 680 00:33:44.733 --> 00:33:47.777 expressed their happiness about the brilliant premiere. 681 00:33:47.819 --> 00:33:49.362 -Hey, Sugar! -Yes? 682 00:33:49.446 --> 00:33:51.573 Here is a guy that's as big as Texas in "Giant." 683 00:33:51.656 --> 00:33:53.950 -It's such a performance. -Host: Rock Hudson. 684 00:33:53.992 --> 00:33:55.744 Hello. How are you? Nice to see you again. 685 00:33:55.827 --> 00:33:58.496 -Nice to see you again. -I wanna meet your wife. Hello. 686 00:33:58.538 --> 00:34:02.083 So nice to meet you, Phyllis. You wanna step in here? 687 00:34:02.167 --> 00:34:03.960 I never heard such screams in my life 688 00:34:04.002 --> 00:34:05.837 as when you got outta the car tonight. 689 00:34:05.879 --> 00:34:07.422 Davis: Well, you received 690 00:34:07.505 --> 00:34:09.382 an Academy Award nomination for the film. 691 00:34:09.466 --> 00:34:11.009 Hudson: Mm-hmm, so did Jimmy. 692 00:34:11.051 --> 00:34:12.969 Davis: Is that right? I'd forgotten. 693 00:34:13.011 --> 00:34:15.554 The nominees for best actor are: 694 00:34:15.638 --> 00:34:18.141 Yul Brynner in "The King and I," 695 00:34:18.183 --> 00:34:20.310 Rock Hudson in "Giant," 696 00:34:20.351 --> 00:34:22.437 James Dean in "Giant," 697 00:34:22.520 --> 00:34:24.688 Kirk Douglas in "Lust for life," 698 00:34:24.731 --> 00:34:28.735 and Sir Laurence Olivier in "Richard III." 699 00:34:28.818 --> 00:34:32.697 The winner is Yul Brynner. 700 00:34:34.866 --> 00:34:40.871 Anders: Boy, it is really sad to me that he lost 701 00:34:40.914 --> 00:34:45.043 because it's such a tour de force performance. 702 00:34:45.627 --> 00:34:49.672 When do you get that chance again? 703 00:34:49.714 --> 00:34:51.549 He did not. 704 00:34:52.842 --> 00:34:55.469 (contemplative music) 705 00:34:55.553 --> 00:34:58.056 Lee Garlington: I wanted to be a Western movie actor. 706 00:34:58.139 --> 00:35:03.311 So I landed in Hollywood in 1961 707 00:35:03.395 --> 00:35:07.023 and realized that I was kind of pretty, 708 00:35:07.065 --> 00:35:09.359 but, uh, what I didn't realize was 709 00:35:09.401 --> 00:35:11.236 I didn't have any talent. 710 00:35:11.277 --> 00:35:15.365 Fortunately, when I finally got with Rock, 711 00:35:15.407 --> 00:35:17.534 I realized I really didn't want to be an actor. 712 00:35:17.575 --> 00:35:19.911 I didn't want any part of that business. 713 00:35:19.953 --> 00:35:21.955 ♪♪ 714 00:35:22.038 --> 00:35:24.666 (Stephen Kijak speaking) 715 00:35:26.084 --> 00:35:27.377 (Garlington laughs) 716 00:35:27.419 --> 00:35:30.213 Uh, yes. I remember very well. 717 00:35:30.255 --> 00:35:31.589 (Kijak chuckles) 718 00:35:31.631 --> 00:35:35.093 Garlington: I got a job at Universal Studios, 719 00:35:35.176 --> 00:35:37.721 and I wanted to see what he looked like. 720 00:35:37.762 --> 00:35:41.391 So I went over beside his cottage, 721 00:35:41.433 --> 00:35:45.437 and he walked out and walked down the street, 722 00:35:45.478 --> 00:35:48.023 and he turned and looked back. 723 00:35:48.106 --> 00:35:50.525 And, of course, I was... whew! 724 00:35:51.818 --> 00:35:53.611 He was incredible. 725 00:35:53.695 --> 00:35:58.158 He made a big splash, let's put it that way. 726 00:35:58.783 --> 00:36:03.788 And I got a phone call from someone on his staff. 727 00:36:03.830 --> 00:36:07.834 Did I want to come up and visit with Rock Hudson? 728 00:36:07.917 --> 00:36:09.544 And... 729 00:36:10.378 --> 00:36:13.256 I wasn't gonna say no. 730 00:36:13.298 --> 00:36:15.383 (cool jazz music) 731 00:36:19.429 --> 00:36:21.765 What is there to talk about, my dear husband? 732 00:36:21.806 --> 00:36:23.641 Judith, please. You're in no condition... 733 00:36:23.683 --> 00:36:26.603 Divorce. That's what you wanna talk about, isn't it? 734 00:36:26.644 --> 00:36:28.646 Well, let me tell you right now, 735 00:36:28.688 --> 00:36:31.983 my gallant, silent suffering spouse, you'll never get one! 736 00:36:32.025 --> 00:36:35.111 Our marriage was a mistake. Yours as well as mine. 737 00:36:35.153 --> 00:36:38.740 Was it? You didn't think so when you thought I could make a gentleman out of you. 738 00:36:38.823 --> 00:36:42.786 Well, you married me and you're going to stay married to me. 739 00:36:42.827 --> 00:36:45.997 So sneak around back alleys if that's the kind of man you are. 740 00:36:46.039 --> 00:36:47.832 I doubt that I could stop you. 741 00:36:47.916 --> 00:36:50.502 (somber music) 742 00:36:50.585 --> 00:36:52.462 Griffin: When he was on location 743 00:36:52.504 --> 00:36:56.174 for the epic remake of "A Farewell to Arms," 744 00:36:56.257 --> 00:36:59.511 Rock's marriage to Phyllis began to fall apart. 745 00:37:02.681 --> 00:37:04.474 You're going down to town tomorrow 746 00:37:04.516 --> 00:37:06.559 and find yourself some gay young playmate. 747 00:37:06.643 --> 00:37:09.688 -I don't wanna be with anybody else, I tell you. -Yes, you do. 748 00:37:10.355 --> 00:37:12.357 Griffin: Three years after she exchanged 749 00:37:12.440 --> 00:37:14.192 marriage vows with Rock, 750 00:37:14.275 --> 00:37:16.528 Phyllis files for divorce. 751 00:37:16.569 --> 00:37:18.655 Phyllis complained that he was always away. 752 00:37:18.697 --> 00:37:20.865 Well, hello. You're married to a major movie star 753 00:37:20.949 --> 00:37:24.119 who's shooting films in exotic locations. 754 00:37:24.202 --> 00:37:27.539 Garlington: She really took him to the cleaners when she divorced him. 755 00:37:27.622 --> 00:37:29.374 He lost practically everything. 756 00:37:29.416 --> 00:37:32.544 He had a sailboat that was his pride and joy, 757 00:37:32.585 --> 00:37:34.879 and he had to sell that to pay her off. 758 00:37:34.921 --> 00:37:37.632 And, uh, he was really angry about that. 759 00:37:37.716 --> 00:37:41.386 Griffin: In a memoir published two years after Rock's death, 760 00:37:41.469 --> 00:37:43.221 Phyllis claimed that 761 00:37:43.304 --> 00:37:45.223 she was entirely duped, 762 00:37:45.306 --> 00:37:47.350 manipulated into participating 763 00:37:47.392 --> 00:37:49.436 in this sham marriage with Rock. 764 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:53.481 And she claims she had no idea that Hudson is gay, 765 00:37:53.565 --> 00:37:56.067 which is really hard to swallow, 766 00:37:56.109 --> 00:38:00.071 given the fact that virtually every bit player, makeup man, 767 00:38:00.113 --> 00:38:02.198 assistant gofer at Universal, 768 00:38:02.240 --> 00:38:05.368 knew the score about Rock Hudson. 769 00:38:05.410 --> 00:38:07.704 How did she possibly miss the memo? 770 00:38:07.746 --> 00:38:10.915 It's just kind of inconceivable. 771 00:38:10.999 --> 00:38:13.418 (mellow jazz music) 772 00:38:13.501 --> 00:38:16.379 (telephone ringing) 773 00:38:22.218 --> 00:38:23.595 Colonel Farr. 774 00:38:23.636 --> 00:38:25.513 I thought we could get together, 775 00:38:25.597 --> 00:38:27.515 have a cup of coffee, maybe, 776 00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:29.184 uh, get acquainted. 777 00:38:29.267 --> 00:38:31.978 We might find we have a lot in common. 778 00:38:32.062 --> 00:38:33.438 I'm on my way. 779 00:38:37.525 --> 00:38:40.028 Doris Day: ♪ Pillow talk ♪ 780 00:38:40.111 --> 00:38:41.821 ♪ Pillow talk ♪ 781 00:38:41.905 --> 00:38:44.199 ♪ Another night I hear myself ♪ 782 00:38:44.282 --> 00:38:45.533 ♪ Talk, talk, talk, talk ♪ 783 00:38:45.617 --> 00:38:47.702 Look, I don't know what's bothering you, 784 00:38:47.786 --> 00:38:50.121 but don't take your bedroom problems out on me. 785 00:38:50.163 --> 00:38:51.664 I have no bedroom problems. 786 00:38:51.748 --> 00:38:54.125 There's nothing in my bedroom that bothers me. 787 00:38:54.167 --> 00:38:56.252 Oh, that's too bad. 788 00:38:56.294 --> 00:38:57.879 "Pillow Talk" seems very tame now 789 00:38:57.962 --> 00:39:02.467 by comparison with, um, today's more explicit standards. 790 00:39:02.509 --> 00:39:05.887 We almost didn't do it because it was too dirty. 791 00:39:05.970 --> 00:39:09.140 (cool jazz music) 792 00:39:09.182 --> 00:39:12.477 Hudson: So that's the other end of your party line. 793 00:39:12.936 --> 00:39:15.814 Hunter: It was fun and, and, and it was fluff, 794 00:39:15.897 --> 00:39:19.275 and it was wonderful to look at, and you laughed. 795 00:39:19.317 --> 00:39:21.444 I'm so sick of seeing the ugliness. 796 00:39:21.486 --> 00:39:22.862 We all know it's there. 797 00:39:22.946 --> 00:39:24.447 I don't hide my head in the sand 798 00:39:24.489 --> 00:39:25.949 and say that it's not there. 799 00:39:25.990 --> 00:39:29.452 But I believe that motion pictures are an escape. 800 00:39:29.494 --> 00:39:32.330 (couple laughing) 801 00:39:32.414 --> 00:39:35.000 Day: What a marvelous-looking man. 802 00:39:35.083 --> 00:39:37.794 I wonder if he's single. 803 00:39:39.421 --> 00:39:43.174 Hudson: I don't know how long I can get away with this act. 804 00:39:44.884 --> 00:39:45.885 (chuckles) 805 00:39:45.969 --> 00:39:48.471 Tom Santopietro: You know, the deception 806 00:39:48.513 --> 00:39:51.474 is an interesting artifact of the times. 807 00:39:51.516 --> 00:39:55.854 You have a gay actor playing a straight man 808 00:39:55.895 --> 00:39:58.481 impersonating a possibly gay man. 809 00:39:58.523 --> 00:39:59.649 It's a house of mirrors. 810 00:39:59.691 --> 00:40:01.860 Tell me about your job. 811 00:40:01.901 --> 00:40:04.362 Must be very exciting working with 812 00:40:04.404 --> 00:40:07.365 all them colors and fabrics and all. 813 00:40:07.449 --> 00:40:09.534 (cool jazz continues) 814 00:40:09.617 --> 00:40:11.619 Maupin: In those Doris Day movies, 815 00:40:11.703 --> 00:40:13.705 he's always pretending to be gay 816 00:40:13.788 --> 00:40:16.207 in order to get Doris into bed. 817 00:40:16.249 --> 00:40:18.460 That's the joke always. 818 00:40:18.543 --> 00:40:20.920 Why can't you get married? 819 00:40:21.755 --> 00:40:23.214 That's the sort of thing a man 820 00:40:23.256 --> 00:40:25.467 doesn't discuss with a nice woman. 821 00:40:25.550 --> 00:40:27.093 Maupin: That was almost a device 822 00:40:27.177 --> 00:40:29.220 to keep anybody from asking questions about him. 823 00:40:29.304 --> 00:40:31.514 Ye gods, you've got cold feet! 824 00:40:31.556 --> 00:40:33.767 Complaints, complaints, nothing but complaints! 825 00:40:33.850 --> 00:40:36.019 Maupin: It was kind of an evil gag, actually. 826 00:40:36.061 --> 00:40:39.814 And I hold Ross Hunter largely responsible for that, 827 00:40:39.898 --> 00:40:41.399 the producer of those films. 828 00:40:41.483 --> 00:40:44.069 I know for a fact that Ross Hunter was gay. 829 00:40:44.110 --> 00:40:46.654 (dramatic jazz music) 830 00:40:46.696 --> 00:40:48.323 Linus! 831 00:40:48.406 --> 00:40:50.575 What are you doing here? 832 00:40:51.076 --> 00:40:53.578 Where am I? 833 00:40:54.662 --> 00:40:57.707 Why, this is Jerry Webster's apartment! 834 00:40:57.749 --> 00:41:00.251 Day: Nothing was ever talked about 835 00:41:00.335 --> 00:41:02.087 as far as his private life. 836 00:41:02.170 --> 00:41:03.546 (groans) 837 00:41:03.588 --> 00:41:06.466 Day: Many, many people would ask me, 838 00:41:06.549 --> 00:41:08.927 you know, "Is Rock Hudson really gay?" 839 00:41:08.968 --> 00:41:13.556 And I said, "It's something that I will not discuss." 840 00:41:13.598 --> 00:41:17.811 I mean, first of all, I know nothing about his private life. 841 00:41:17.894 --> 00:41:20.021 And if I did, I wouldn't discuss it. 842 00:41:20.105 --> 00:41:21.231 Look at me. 843 00:41:21.272 --> 00:41:24.984 I can't. I'm too ashamed. 844 00:41:25.068 --> 00:41:26.653 Forget me, Carol. 845 00:41:26.736 --> 00:41:30.699 You deserve a man, not a mass of neurotic doubts. 846 00:41:31.324 --> 00:41:35.328 Day: So I can't tell you one thing about him except that he is a nice man. 847 00:41:35.787 --> 00:41:37.580 You're tearing yourself apart! 848 00:41:37.622 --> 00:41:39.040 Mr. Allen. 849 00:41:39.124 --> 00:41:42.127 Let's try to be adult about this and work out 850 00:41:42.168 --> 00:41:43.878 some sort of schedule where I can... 851 00:41:43.962 --> 00:41:46.172 Jillson: It's funny when I see him 852 00:41:46.256 --> 00:41:47.507 smoking in that movie, 853 00:41:47.590 --> 00:41:49.801 it was so him, because he chain smoked. 854 00:41:49.843 --> 00:41:52.470 It's like he's not even acting. 855 00:41:52.512 --> 00:41:55.724 (perky jazz music) 856 00:41:55.807 --> 00:41:57.475 Jillson: Mark and George were 857 00:41:57.559 --> 00:41:59.310 really good friends with me 858 00:41:59.394 --> 00:42:01.104 and my partner, Al Roberts, 859 00:42:01.146 --> 00:42:02.605 and that's how I met Rock. 860 00:42:02.647 --> 00:42:05.191 And we, we just really 861 00:42:05.275 --> 00:42:06.735 hit it off because 862 00:42:06.818 --> 00:42:09.195 I didn't treat him like a movie star. 863 00:42:09.279 --> 00:42:11.906 I-- We were just cool friends. 864 00:42:12.824 --> 00:42:15.660 Our social life with him was very private. 865 00:42:15.744 --> 00:42:18.663 I mean, we didn't go out to restaurants. 866 00:42:18.705 --> 00:42:20.832 We would go to Rock's house. 867 00:42:20.915 --> 00:42:23.418 It was called "The Castle." 868 00:42:23.501 --> 00:42:24.753 It was breathtaking. 869 00:42:24.836 --> 00:42:27.297 It looked like a hacienda. 870 00:42:27.339 --> 00:42:31.634 You just felt so welcome when you came to that home. 871 00:42:31.676 --> 00:42:34.721 The house was very casual. 872 00:42:34.804 --> 00:42:38.308 It wasn't stiff. And that's how he was. 873 00:42:38.350 --> 00:42:40.352 He was very, very casual. 874 00:42:40.435 --> 00:42:44.356 And then, of course, when he'd come to Laguna, it was really, really fun too. 875 00:42:45.106 --> 00:42:48.526 I think he could breathe a lot easier in Laguna. 876 00:42:48.610 --> 00:42:53.365 And because Mark and George had a home here, he did come down a lot. 877 00:42:54.157 --> 00:42:58.078 The gay beach was to the left of the lifeguard tower. 878 00:42:58.161 --> 00:43:02.791 And it was magical because you could play volleyball on the beach 879 00:43:02.874 --> 00:43:04.417 and just without a shirt on, 880 00:43:04.501 --> 00:43:06.169 just step up into the bar 881 00:43:06.211 --> 00:43:08.213 on a hot summer Sunday 882 00:43:08.254 --> 00:43:09.714 and have a beer, 883 00:43:09.756 --> 00:43:12.717 and it was very erotic. 884 00:43:12.801 --> 00:43:15.512 Yeah, I mean, like big time. 885 00:43:15.553 --> 00:43:16.638 Yeah. 886 00:43:16.721 --> 00:43:20.100 (relaxing jazz music) 887 00:43:20.183 --> 00:43:21.685 Do you love me, Mitch? 888 00:43:21.726 --> 00:43:23.269 Like a brother. 889 00:43:25.563 --> 00:43:27.440 I don't want you as a brother. 890 00:43:27.524 --> 00:43:29.901 Can't be any other way, Marylee. 891 00:43:32.404 --> 00:43:34.948 Don't... please don't... 892 00:43:35.031 --> 00:43:38.410 waste your life away waiting for me. 893 00:43:42.872 --> 00:43:45.125 Griffin: You have the movie magazines 894 00:43:45.208 --> 00:43:46.751 propping up this fantasy 895 00:43:46.793 --> 00:43:49.963 that everyone is straight and looking for love and marriage, 896 00:43:50.046 --> 00:43:53.717 while the tabloids are obsessed with homosexuals 897 00:43:53.758 --> 00:43:57.303 and trying to dig up as much dirt as they can. 898 00:43:57.387 --> 00:44:00.640 This, of course, was during the era of J. Edgar Hoover. 899 00:44:00.724 --> 00:44:04.602 So there's an obsessive interest in anything homosexual. 900 00:44:04.644 --> 00:44:06.604 Policy of the department is 901 00:44:06.688 --> 00:44:09.149 that we do not employ homosexuals knowingly. 902 00:44:09.232 --> 00:44:12.736 And that if we discover homosexuals in our department, we discharge them. 903 00:44:13.903 --> 00:44:17.490 Griffin: Given all that was going on in Rock Hudson's private life, 904 00:44:17.574 --> 00:44:22.370 it's not surprising that the FBI was keeping a close watch. 905 00:44:22.454 --> 00:44:25.623 The lieutenant wants to ask you some questions. 906 00:44:26.458 --> 00:44:29.085 Like where you've been spending your evenings lately, 907 00:44:29.127 --> 00:44:31.171 staying out till three and four in the morning. 908 00:44:33.631 --> 00:44:35.133 Griffin: There was this catchphrase 909 00:44:35.216 --> 00:44:36.843 about "Confidential" magazine: 910 00:44:36.926 --> 00:44:40.722 "They trade in nymphos, pinkos, winos and homos." 911 00:44:40.805 --> 00:44:42.599 And it's got a subscription base 912 00:44:42.640 --> 00:44:44.351 of three million at that point. 913 00:44:44.434 --> 00:44:46.227 It's got a huge readership. 914 00:44:46.311 --> 00:44:50.732 "Confidential" started to move in on Rock Hudson 915 00:44:50.815 --> 00:44:53.818 and Henry Willson certainly did not wanna lose 916 00:44:53.860 --> 00:44:55.111 this golden goose. 917 00:44:55.153 --> 00:44:57.238 They say that there was this tradeoff 918 00:44:57.322 --> 00:44:59.032 where Tab Hunter, who was indeed 919 00:44:59.115 --> 00:45:01.493 a Henry Willson client, was offered up 920 00:45:01.534 --> 00:45:02.869 sacrificially 921 00:45:02.952 --> 00:45:04.829 to save Rock Hudson. 922 00:45:04.913 --> 00:45:07.123 "Confidential" printed a story 923 00:45:07.165 --> 00:45:08.833 about Tab Hunter being arrested 924 00:45:08.875 --> 00:45:12.128 at what was called an "all-male pajama party." 925 00:45:12.170 --> 00:45:14.214 That kind of salacious exposé 926 00:45:14.297 --> 00:45:17.092 could wipe out an entire career. 927 00:45:17.884 --> 00:45:19.678 We being followed? 928 00:45:19.719 --> 00:45:20.970 Probably not, 929 00:45:21.012 --> 00:45:23.348 but the general always goes on that assumption. 930 00:45:24.057 --> 00:45:27.102 Griffin: It really is a miracle that Rock Hudson 931 00:45:27.185 --> 00:45:30.480 never got caught by the tabloids. 932 00:45:33.566 --> 00:45:35.610 Well, you know, I never met Rock. 933 00:45:35.694 --> 00:45:37.987 Uh, he died in October of '85, 934 00:45:38.029 --> 00:45:41.241 and I came into Lee's life in May of '86. 935 00:45:41.324 --> 00:45:45.120 Lee Garlington: Rock took that photo in the early '70s. 936 00:45:45.203 --> 00:45:47.956 That's completely in a different era. 937 00:45:48.039 --> 00:45:51.876 We enjoyed traveling together. 938 00:45:51.918 --> 00:45:55.380 (Latin jazz music) 939 00:45:55.463 --> 00:45:59.426 He drove the management at Universal crazy 940 00:45:59.509 --> 00:46:02.429 by taking off, he and I, 941 00:46:02.512 --> 00:46:05.557 without telling them where he was going. 942 00:46:05.640 --> 00:46:08.184 And they really got upset, 943 00:46:08.226 --> 00:46:11.855 and he just said, "Screw it, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do." 944 00:46:11.896 --> 00:46:15.400 (Latin jazz continues) 945 00:46:20.780 --> 00:46:24.075 We spent some time in New Orleans 946 00:46:24.159 --> 00:46:27.037 and the Ford Motor Company lent him 947 00:46:27.078 --> 00:46:29.956 a brand-new convertible. 948 00:46:30.040 --> 00:46:32.417 And we had a blast in that car. 949 00:46:32.500 --> 00:46:35.128 ♪♪ 950 00:46:37.630 --> 00:46:40.008 We were in Pat O'Brien's 951 00:46:40.091 --> 00:46:43.303 where they have a special drink, the Hurricane, 952 00:46:43.386 --> 00:46:48.099 and somebody came by and snapped a picture of us. 953 00:46:49.601 --> 00:46:52.771 Then they offered the picture for sale, of course, 954 00:46:52.812 --> 00:46:59.819 and we got it because this was the only picture of both of us together. 955 00:46:59.903 --> 00:47:02.322 We were ordered by Henry Willson, 956 00:47:02.405 --> 00:47:04.783 that evil agent of his, 957 00:47:04.824 --> 00:47:07.952 never to have our picture taken together 958 00:47:08.036 --> 00:47:10.622 because somebody would see it 959 00:47:10.663 --> 00:47:14.334 and know that we were gay. 960 00:47:15.710 --> 00:47:18.046 (Kijak speaking) 961 00:47:24.135 --> 00:47:26.471 Yes, that was a lot of sneaking around. 962 00:47:26.513 --> 00:47:28.306 We'd drive up to a motel. 963 00:47:28.348 --> 00:47:31.017 I would go in and ask if there was any rooms. 964 00:47:31.101 --> 00:47:34.229 Paul Garlington: Did you get, let's say, two single beds 965 00:47:34.312 --> 00:47:37.649 or one... queen-size bed, pardon the pun? 966 00:47:37.691 --> 00:47:39.234 Or... 967 00:47:39.317 --> 00:47:40.944 Don't remember. 968 00:47:40.985 --> 00:47:42.737 Uh, but, uh... 969 00:47:42.821 --> 00:47:46.074 it ended up by being one bed. 970 00:47:47.534 --> 00:47:49.035 (Kijak speaking) 971 00:47:59.170 --> 00:48:03.216 There should have been, but there wasn't. 972 00:48:03.299 --> 00:48:07.137 There was a part of him that was very straitlaced 973 00:48:07.178 --> 00:48:11.182 and understanding of the previous generation. 974 00:48:11.266 --> 00:48:13.852 He never mentioned, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice 975 00:48:13.935 --> 00:48:16.980 if we could just hold hands in public?" 976 00:48:17.022 --> 00:48:21.776 He was so inured of, uh... 977 00:48:21.860 --> 00:48:23.987 being closeted 978 00:48:24.029 --> 00:48:26.698 that he never mentioned it. 979 00:48:29.576 --> 00:48:31.870 Forget for a moment that I'm your doctor 980 00:48:31.911 --> 00:48:34.789 and, uh, let me give you some advice as a friend. 981 00:48:34.873 --> 00:48:36.666 Marry him. 982 00:48:37.208 --> 00:48:40.545 So, what good was your noble sacrifice? 983 00:48:40.587 --> 00:48:43.381 If you'd loved him, you'd have gone to him. 984 00:48:43.465 --> 00:48:46.676 Let's face it, you were ready for a love affair, 985 00:48:46.718 --> 00:48:48.553 but not for love. 986 00:48:48.636 --> 00:48:50.597 (romantic piano music) 987 00:49:01.900 --> 00:49:04.861 Oh, my darling! Oh, my darling. 988 00:49:04.903 --> 00:49:06.488 Are you having another nightmare? 989 00:49:06.571 --> 00:49:07.822 Uh, no, I, I... 990 00:49:07.906 --> 00:49:09.449 Hudson: I'm sort of, I don't know. 991 00:49:09.532 --> 00:49:12.243 We have to talk about that thing called image, uh, 992 00:49:12.285 --> 00:49:14.204 whatever that is, uh... 993 00:49:14.245 --> 00:49:15.830 and I sort of represent 994 00:49:15.914 --> 00:49:17.499 a comedy image 995 00:49:17.582 --> 00:49:20.085 in dinner jacket or something, you know? 996 00:49:20.126 --> 00:49:21.920 It might be a lot of fun to do a horror story. 997 00:49:22.003 --> 00:49:23.505 I'd love to. 998 00:49:23.588 --> 00:49:25.048 (eerie organ music) 999 00:49:25.090 --> 00:49:27.133 Narrator: Bold. 1000 00:49:27.759 --> 00:49:30.053 Bizarre. 1001 00:49:31.137 --> 00:49:33.473 Terrifying. 1002 00:49:35.308 --> 00:49:38.603 Rock Hudson, in an astonishing change of pace, 1003 00:49:38.645 --> 00:49:41.564 stars in "Seconds." 1004 00:49:42.315 --> 00:49:46.277 Hudson: It's certainly, uh, a different type of picture 1005 00:49:46.319 --> 00:49:49.656 and certainly a different role for me. 1006 00:49:49.739 --> 00:49:52.033 It's almost a horror movie, 1007 00:49:52.117 --> 00:49:54.202 certainly a suspenseful movie, 1008 00:49:54.285 --> 00:49:56.579 and certainly very dramatic. 1009 00:49:56.621 --> 00:50:01.084 Narrator: Rock Hudson as a man who buys for himself a totally new life, 1010 00:50:01.126 --> 00:50:03.336 a chance to begin again. 1011 00:50:03.420 --> 00:50:07.090 Every man's dream since time began. 1012 00:50:07.132 --> 00:50:09.467 Doctor: Bandages are removed. 1013 00:50:09.509 --> 00:50:12.095 I think you'll be more than pleased. 1014 00:50:12.137 --> 00:50:17.017 In fact, I expect you to be prancing around here like a stud bull. 1015 00:50:18.476 --> 00:50:19.894 Good work. 1016 00:50:19.978 --> 00:50:22.564 Griffin: Well, I tend to think that Rock Hudson understood 1017 00:50:22.647 --> 00:50:27.152 that in some ways this film was reflecting the whole Hollywood star trip 1018 00:50:27.235 --> 00:50:29.320 and how he had been completely transformed 1019 00:50:29.404 --> 00:50:31.489 and marketed for the public. 1020 00:50:31.573 --> 00:50:34.200 Uh, that couldn't have been lost on him. 1021 00:50:34.284 --> 00:50:38.496 Anders: There's never a time that I don't feel at home 1022 00:50:38.580 --> 00:50:43.668 in a performance by Rock Hudson except "Seconds." (laughs) 1023 00:50:43.710 --> 00:50:45.337 Doctor: All right, son. 1024 00:50:45.378 --> 00:50:47.505 Anders: He's so uncomfortable. 1025 00:50:47.589 --> 00:50:52.344 There is a real shadow side here that he's playing. 1026 00:50:52.969 --> 00:50:54.637 (inhales sharply) 1027 00:50:54.679 --> 00:50:56.681 The years I've spent 1028 00:50:56.765 --> 00:50:58.683 trying to get all the things 1029 00:50:58.725 --> 00:51:01.895 I was told were important, 1030 00:51:01.978 --> 00:51:05.940 that I was supposed to want... 1031 00:51:06.024 --> 00:51:09.027 and California was the same. 1032 00:51:09.110 --> 00:51:10.403 They... 1033 00:51:10.487 --> 00:51:12.697 made the same decisions for me 1034 00:51:12.781 --> 00:51:13.948 all over again. 1035 00:51:14.032 --> 00:51:16.826 And they were the same things, really. 1036 00:51:18.161 --> 00:51:21.956 Hey, John, why are they staring at me like that? 1037 00:51:22.040 --> 00:51:23.500 They know. 1038 00:51:23.541 --> 00:51:27.337 Hudson: (laughing, slurring) They know what? 1039 00:51:27.379 --> 00:51:30.006 John: They're like you. 1040 00:51:30.048 --> 00:51:32.717 (screaming) Oh, Nora! 1041 00:51:33.343 --> 00:51:35.804 Douglas: Hudson's performance is astonishing. 1042 00:51:35.887 --> 00:51:40.016 Is Rock Hudson kind of decoding himself on screen? 1043 00:51:40.058 --> 00:51:42.185 Yeah, it certainly looks like it. 1044 00:51:42.227 --> 00:51:46.564 Anders: It's a weird thing to make your living 1045 00:51:46.648 --> 00:51:48.400 creating characters. 1046 00:51:48.441 --> 00:51:51.736 It's weird from my side of the camera 1047 00:51:51.820 --> 00:51:54.823 and it must be even weirder on the other side 1048 00:51:54.906 --> 00:51:57.909 because I think there is always a sense of like, 1049 00:51:57.992 --> 00:51:59.911 "Who am I really?" You know? 1050 00:51:59.953 --> 00:52:01.621 (rain falling) 1051 00:52:01.705 --> 00:52:03.915 Somewhere in the man, 1052 00:52:03.957 --> 00:52:07.460 there is still a key unturned. 1053 00:52:08.044 --> 00:52:10.630 Griffin: In order to become Rock Hudson, 1054 00:52:10.714 --> 00:52:15.301 he really had to destroy Roy Fitzgerald, 1055 00:52:15.385 --> 00:52:19.764 the gay boy with an inferiority complex from Winnetka. 1056 00:52:19.806 --> 00:52:23.768 But even if millions of fans are believing the lie, 1057 00:52:23.852 --> 00:52:28.606 Roy Fitzgerald still knows the truth about Rock Hudson. 1058 00:52:28.690 --> 00:52:32.610 Wait a minute, what's happening? 1059 00:52:32.652 --> 00:52:36.448 Douglas: When "Seconds" first came out, it was trashed. 1060 00:52:36.531 --> 00:52:39.993 Nobody wanted to see Rock Hudson depressed. (laughs) 1061 00:52:40.076 --> 00:52:42.287 Griffin: What's really sad to me about Rock's career 1062 00:52:42.328 --> 00:52:43.580 is that the audiences 1063 00:52:43.621 --> 00:52:46.249 don't like it when Rock Hudson steps out of, 1064 00:52:46.291 --> 00:52:48.918 kind of, the way that they prefer to see him. 1065 00:52:48.960 --> 00:52:52.756 They don't want to see him do anything radically different. 1066 00:52:52.797 --> 00:52:55.675 (Rock screaming) 1067 00:52:56.301 --> 00:52:58.970 (somber music) 1068 00:52:59.012 --> 00:53:00.638 Hudson: Being an actor, 1069 00:53:00.680 --> 00:53:03.975 there are so many disappointments and frustrations, 1070 00:53:04.059 --> 00:53:06.895 and you think, "Hell, what am I doing all this for? 1071 00:53:06.978 --> 00:53:09.314 I'm gonna hop the next freight out of town," or whatever. 1072 00:53:09.356 --> 00:53:12.150 You get blue and you get whatever. 1073 00:53:12.233 --> 00:53:14.194 And I think that because of that, 1074 00:53:14.277 --> 00:53:17.447 I think "this too shall pass" works for me. 1075 00:53:18.073 --> 00:53:21.618 Host: "This too shall pass" is a great consolation, 1076 00:53:21.659 --> 00:53:25.997 I mean, in terms of what, crises or adverse reviews or anything? 1077 00:53:26.081 --> 00:53:29.459 Yes, anything negative. Any, you know... 1078 00:53:30.877 --> 00:53:33.088 (upbeat jazz music) 1079 00:53:33.171 --> 00:53:35.507 Joe Carberry: I was born in Iowa, 1080 00:53:35.548 --> 00:53:38.677 and then I came to Los Angeles and never left. 1081 00:53:38.718 --> 00:53:39.969 Why? 1082 00:53:40.011 --> 00:53:42.555 Well, I went to my first gay bar. 1083 00:53:42.639 --> 00:53:46.393 It was in, uh, Long Beach at a drag bar. 1084 00:53:46.476 --> 00:53:49.145 I didn't particularly like the drag queens, 1085 00:53:49.187 --> 00:53:53.900 but I sure liked the fact that there was somebody in this world 1086 00:53:53.983 --> 00:53:55.360 that was gay besides me . 1087 00:53:55.402 --> 00:53:57.362 (jazz music continues) 1088 00:53:57.445 --> 00:54:00.198 Kijak: How did you meet Rock Hudson? 1089 00:54:00.281 --> 00:54:01.908 Carberry: I don't know what year it was, 1090 00:54:01.991 --> 00:54:06.204 but one of my best friends brought him over for dinner. 1091 00:54:06.246 --> 00:54:09.582 We played bridge all the time. 1092 00:54:09.666 --> 00:54:12.711 We, uh, did a lot of things together. 1093 00:54:12.794 --> 00:54:16.798 I took trips with him and we went skiing. 1094 00:54:16.881 --> 00:54:21.219 I watched "Giant" more times than I care to remember. 1095 00:54:21.261 --> 00:54:22.554 (Turner chuckles) 1096 00:54:22.637 --> 00:54:26.349 Those were good times that can't be repeated. 1097 00:54:26.391 --> 00:54:29.561 I felt closer to him than anybody else. 1098 00:54:29.644 --> 00:54:31.563 If you say, "Who's your closest friend?" 1099 00:54:31.646 --> 00:54:34.941 I mean, his name would come out first, I think. 1100 00:54:35.567 --> 00:54:37.902 Tab Hunter was a good friend of mine, 1101 00:54:37.944 --> 00:54:39.487 but he wasn't very social. 1102 00:54:39.571 --> 00:54:41.573 He didn't like a crowd, 1103 00:54:41.614 --> 00:54:43.908 but it didn't bother Rock. 1104 00:54:44.576 --> 00:54:47.287 At that time, nobody lived openly. 1105 00:54:47.370 --> 00:54:49.205 He wanted to. 1106 00:54:49.247 --> 00:54:52.417 I ran a hospital laboratory, you know. 1107 00:54:52.459 --> 00:54:55.545 I can walk into any place and nobody knows who I am, 1108 00:54:55.587 --> 00:54:58.423 but he couldn't do any of that. 1109 00:54:58.506 --> 00:55:00.800 Yeah. That bothered him. 1110 00:55:00.884 --> 00:55:02.594 (Kijak speaking) 1111 00:55:04.929 --> 00:55:06.264 Well, he had boyfriends. 1112 00:55:06.348 --> 00:55:10.185 They were mostly young and pretty, 1113 00:55:10.268 --> 00:55:13.938 and showed huge baskets. 1114 00:55:14.773 --> 00:55:18.401 I don't recall him ever having a very long relationship 1115 00:55:18.443 --> 00:55:20.779 with anybody, 1116 00:55:20.862 --> 00:55:22.989 other than friends. 1117 00:55:24.032 --> 00:55:25.617 (Kijak speaking) 1118 00:55:25.700 --> 00:55:28.119 -Yeah. -Kijak: Oh, okay. 1119 00:55:28.203 --> 00:55:32.290 Rock had a sizable dick, 1120 00:55:32.374 --> 00:55:35.126 but he tried to put that thing up my ass 1121 00:55:35.210 --> 00:55:37.212 and I couldn't do it. (laughs) 1122 00:55:37.295 --> 00:55:40.674 (mellow jazz music) 1123 00:55:40.757 --> 00:55:42.842 For a while, you had the whole field to yourself. 1124 00:55:42.926 --> 00:55:44.886 -For a while you were the... -I did? 1125 00:55:44.969 --> 00:55:46.137 -Oh, yes. -Did I? 1126 00:55:46.221 --> 00:55:48.014 Oh, yes, yes. Am I right? 1127 00:55:48.098 --> 00:55:50.642 There was only, you know, Rock Hudson, pant-pant... 1128 00:55:50.725 --> 00:55:52.811 -(audience applauding) -And a lot of "ugs." 1129 00:55:52.894 --> 00:55:55.689 You know, the Pacinos and the strangies were coming up, and then... 1130 00:55:55.772 --> 00:55:58.108 -(laughter) -Well, you know what I'm saying. 1131 00:55:58.149 --> 00:56:01.569 You don't say my, you know, "I wanna be on a desert island with Al Pacino," 1132 00:56:01.653 --> 00:56:03.822 you know, we'll talk, but, um... 1133 00:56:03.863 --> 00:56:06.991 Does it ever upset you when you're in something like the "Enquirer"? 1134 00:56:07.075 --> 00:56:08.493 Uh, no. I don't read it, so... 1135 00:56:08.535 --> 00:56:10.328 I read it all the time. You're always in it. 1136 00:56:10.412 --> 00:56:12.247 -Am I? -Yeah. 1137 00:56:12.330 --> 00:56:13.998 First, I had asked him whether the press 1138 00:56:14.040 --> 00:56:17.085 had ever really hurt him, and it was interesting. 1139 00:56:17.168 --> 00:56:19.796 He said, "Yes, it was a terrible review I received in London." 1140 00:56:19.838 --> 00:56:22.257 I said, "You mean that was the worst thing 1141 00:56:22.340 --> 00:56:24.843 that the press has ever done to you, Rock?" 1142 00:56:24.926 --> 00:56:26.845 And he said, "Yes," and I remember 1143 00:56:26.928 --> 00:56:30.473 it was very difficult for me to face, look into his eyes. 1144 00:56:30.515 --> 00:56:34.602 And I said, "Could you explain to us 1145 00:56:34.686 --> 00:56:38.690 what happened between you and Mr. Jim Nabors?" 1146 00:56:39.524 --> 00:56:42.235 Griffin: In 1971, 1147 00:56:42.318 --> 00:56:43.820 a couple of gay guys said, 1148 00:56:43.862 --> 00:56:48.366 "Wouldn't it be fun if we sent out these invitations 1149 00:56:48.450 --> 00:56:50.535 "to a fabricated wedding 1150 00:56:50.577 --> 00:56:54.789 between Rock and 'Gomer Pyle' star Jim Nabors?" 1151 00:56:54.873 --> 00:56:59.002 And the tipoff that this is like an over-the-top gay Fantasia 1152 00:56:59.044 --> 00:57:02.547 is that Truman Capote would be officiating 1153 00:57:02.630 --> 00:57:04.674 and Liberace would be providing 1154 00:57:04.716 --> 00:57:06.760 the musical accompaniment. 1155 00:57:06.843 --> 00:57:09.929 And the story starts to spread like wildfire. 1156 00:57:10.013 --> 00:57:12.807 The story lands on the front page 1157 00:57:12.891 --> 00:57:14.893 of the "National Examiner." 1158 00:57:14.976 --> 00:57:16.561 Now I've read some pretty weird things about you 1159 00:57:16.644 --> 00:57:18.563 in the fan magazines. 1160 00:57:18.646 --> 00:57:21.441 Uh, have you ever filed a libel suit for anything 1161 00:57:21.524 --> 00:57:24.861 that's ever been written or said about you? Have you wanted to? 1162 00:57:25.945 --> 00:57:28.073 And why didn't you? I've always wondered. 1163 00:57:28.114 --> 00:57:30.825 Because it calls attention to it and only makes it worse. 1164 00:57:30.909 --> 00:57:34.496 Aside from the McCarthy era nonsense that went on in the '50s, 1165 00:57:34.579 --> 00:57:37.457 I think that this was one of the worst stories 1166 00:57:37.540 --> 00:57:39.793 that ever emanated from a community. 1167 00:57:39.876 --> 00:57:42.921 He has never done a bad thing to anyone. 1168 00:57:42.962 --> 00:57:45.590 It would be terrific to say the guy is 1169 00:57:45.674 --> 00:57:47.926 "you know what," but he is not. 1170 00:57:48.760 --> 00:57:51.846 Griffin: What's funny is tabloids aren't leaking a story 1171 00:57:51.930 --> 00:57:55.100 about one of Rock's real gay relationships. 1172 00:57:55.141 --> 00:57:58.561 They're leaking it about a completely fabricated 1173 00:57:58.603 --> 00:58:01.398 and fantasized one. 1174 00:58:01.439 --> 00:58:04.526 -(line ringing) -Friend: March 1st, 1974. 1175 00:58:04.609 --> 00:58:06.945 -Rock, how are you? -Hudson: I'm fine. 1176 00:58:06.986 --> 00:58:08.863 Friend: Haven't talked to you in a very long time. 1177 00:58:08.947 --> 00:58:10.615 Hudson: I know it. I know it. 1178 00:58:10.657 --> 00:58:12.659 -Friend: And you've been busy. -Hudson: Yeah. 1179 00:58:12.742 --> 00:58:16.329 Friend: My friend would like very much to meet you one of these days 1180 00:58:16.413 --> 00:58:17.664 if you have some free time. 1181 00:58:17.747 --> 00:58:19.207 Hudson: Tell me about him. 1182 00:58:19.290 --> 00:58:21.876 Friend : He works at Paramount and he's, uh... 1183 00:58:21.960 --> 00:58:25.088 -oh, 6'2", I guess, something like that. -Hudson: Yeah. 1184 00:58:25.171 --> 00:58:28.258 Friend : And he works out, just an all-round good boy, you know? 1185 00:58:28.299 --> 00:58:31.928 -Hudson: Uh-huh. -Friend: So I just thought I'd drop you the note 1186 00:58:31.970 --> 00:58:34.973 and see if you did want to say hello to him, because, uh... 1187 00:58:35.056 --> 00:58:39.144 -Hudson: Yeah. Well... -Friend: He's just a damn fun boy, you know? 1188 00:58:39.185 --> 00:58:40.520 Hudson: Mm-hmm. 1189 00:58:40.603 --> 00:58:42.605 Uh-huh. 1190 00:58:42.647 --> 00:58:44.983 How's the equipment? (chuckles) 1191 00:58:45.025 --> 00:58:47.485 Friend: Well, the equipment is about, oh, 1192 00:58:47.527 --> 00:58:49.195 about nine inches, I guess. 1193 00:58:49.279 --> 00:58:52.365 And he's, he's, uh, very good 1194 00:58:52.449 --> 00:58:55.493 -in that department too. -Hudson: Yeah. 1195 00:58:55.577 --> 00:58:58.663 -Friend: When's coming some free time for you? -Hudson: Well, most any day. 1196 00:58:58.747 --> 00:59:01.875 Friend: Well, my friend, I'll get on the horn and give him your number. 1197 00:59:01.958 --> 00:59:03.960 -Hudson: Okey-doke. -Friend: And nice talking to you. 1198 00:59:04.002 --> 00:59:05.628 -Hudson: All right, thank you. -Friend: Bye-Bye. 1199 00:59:05.670 --> 00:59:07.339 (phones click) 1200 00:59:07.380 --> 00:59:09.924 Interviewer: Mr. Maupin, you are, um, 1201 00:59:10.008 --> 00:59:13.053 a well-known writer here in this, uh, Bay Area. 1202 00:59:13.136 --> 00:59:16.681 You have written, um, regular columns for the newspapers. 1203 00:59:16.765 --> 00:59:18.516 Your books have been published. 1204 00:59:18.600 --> 00:59:20.727 I guess you'd call yourself a gay writer. 1205 00:59:20.810 --> 00:59:22.771 Maupin: I'm a writer who is gay. 1206 00:59:22.854 --> 00:59:25.190 My ability to write, for instance, 1207 00:59:25.231 --> 00:59:26.441 about a heterosexual romance 1208 00:59:26.524 --> 00:59:29.986 increased considerably after I was willing to acknowledge 1209 00:59:30.028 --> 00:59:32.947 the nature of my romantic involvements. 1210 00:59:33.031 --> 00:59:35.367 I met Rock when he came to San Francisco. 1211 00:59:35.408 --> 00:59:37.035 (funky music) 1212 00:59:37.077 --> 00:59:39.204 He was up doing something with "McMillan & Wife:... 1213 00:59:39.245 --> 00:59:41.122 (gun firing) 1214 00:59:44.834 --> 00:59:46.753 ...and he invited a bunch of us 1215 00:59:46.836 --> 00:59:48.922 to come up to his suite at the hotel. 1216 00:59:49.005 --> 00:59:52.509 And at a certain point, he rose and said, 1217 00:59:52.550 --> 00:59:54.135 "I have a little reading I want to do." 1218 00:59:54.219 --> 00:59:58.139 And he read the first chapter of "Tales of the City" 1219 00:59:58.223 --> 01:00:00.725 to the assembled crowd. 1220 01:00:00.767 --> 01:00:03.978 It was Mary Ann, the newcomer in town, 1221 01:00:04.062 --> 01:00:06.856 telling her mother that she was gonna live in San Francisco. 1222 01:00:06.898 --> 01:00:09.150 And her mother freaks out and says, 1223 01:00:09.234 --> 01:00:10.902 "Well, you can't, but I was just watching 1224 01:00:10.944 --> 01:00:12.404 "'McMillan & Wife' last night, 1225 01:00:12.445 --> 01:00:15.407 and the place is running over with serial killers." 1226 01:00:16.241 --> 01:00:18.827 -You all right, Commissioner? -Yeah, I'm fine. 1227 01:00:20.286 --> 01:00:21.413 Is this the gun he used? 1228 01:00:21.454 --> 01:00:23.039 Maupin: That was so bizarre. 1229 01:00:23.081 --> 01:00:27.002 You can imagine, McMillan himself was reading this to me. 1230 01:00:27.085 --> 01:00:29.379 You know, he could have been a little less drunk 1231 01:00:29.421 --> 01:00:30.588 when he read the thing, 1232 01:00:30.672 --> 01:00:33.174 but, uh, he was somewhat slurred, 1233 01:00:33.258 --> 01:00:37.846 but it was Rock Hudson reading my work. 1234 01:00:37.929 --> 01:00:40.807 I think he sort of expected it to charm the pants off of me. 1235 01:00:40.890 --> 01:00:43.685 And, uh, it more or less did. 1236 01:00:43.768 --> 01:00:45.395 (cool jazz music) 1237 01:00:45.437 --> 01:00:48.940 We got up to the Fairmont Hotel, the Diplomat Suite, 1238 01:00:49.024 --> 01:00:52.777 and Rock led me into the living room 1239 01:00:52.861 --> 01:00:55.196 and we're sort of at each other right away. 1240 01:00:55.280 --> 01:01:00.076 And, uh, every movie I'd ever seen him in was playing before my eyes. 1241 01:01:00.118 --> 01:01:04.748 You know, I really was not up to the task. 1242 01:01:04.789 --> 01:01:06.750 I think that's the best way to put it. 1243 01:01:06.791 --> 01:01:09.627 In an effort to console me, he said, 1244 01:01:09.711 --> 01:01:12.380 "You know, I'm just a normal guy like you." 1245 01:01:12.422 --> 01:01:14.966 And I said, "And I'm Doris Day." 1246 01:01:15.050 --> 01:01:17.927 (laughs) I saw him off and on after that 1247 01:01:17.969 --> 01:01:21.139 from times he would come and visit in San Francisco, 1248 01:01:21.222 --> 01:01:23.975 or he'd invite me down to "The Castle," as they called it. 1249 01:01:24.059 --> 01:01:26.353 And, uh, the friendship kind of grew 1250 01:01:26.436 --> 01:01:28.855 over that period of time. 1251 01:01:28.938 --> 01:01:31.816 But I never considered him boyfriend material 1252 01:01:31.858 --> 01:01:33.693 or he me, for that matter. 1253 01:01:33.777 --> 01:01:35.445 We were playmates. 1254 01:01:35.487 --> 01:01:38.448 And that was fine with me, just the way that worked. 1255 01:01:40.658 --> 01:01:42.369 I had a bee in my bonnet at the time. 1256 01:01:42.452 --> 01:01:44.829 I said, "You need to come out of the closet, 1257 01:01:44.871 --> 01:01:46.539 and I'm the guy that can help you with that. 1258 01:01:46.623 --> 01:01:50.752 I'll know how to do that, not in a sensationalist way." 1259 01:01:50.835 --> 01:01:54.673 And Rock listened. He was really listening to me. 1260 01:01:54.714 --> 01:01:57.842 Um, but... (chuckles) 1261 01:01:57.926 --> 01:02:00.470 Tom, his partner at the time, 1262 01:02:00.512 --> 01:02:03.431 said, "Not until my mother dies." 1263 01:02:04.099 --> 01:02:07.560 Um... and I thought, "What an odd thing to say." 1264 01:02:07.644 --> 01:02:09.354 If I was fucking Rock Hudson, 1265 01:02:09.437 --> 01:02:12.691 I would want my mother to know immediately. (chuckles) 1266 01:02:12.732 --> 01:02:16.611 Oh, it's you! I, I wasn't sure. 1267 01:02:16.695 --> 01:02:20.073 Hiding in closets isn't going to cure you. 1268 01:02:20.699 --> 01:02:22.200 (serene music) 1269 01:02:22.283 --> 01:02:24.202 Maupin: Mark and George and Rock, 1270 01:02:24.244 --> 01:02:27.664 and Tom I guess, they were slightly ridiculous to me. 1271 01:02:27.706 --> 01:02:30.834 The pride they took in hiding. 1272 01:02:30.875 --> 01:02:35.088 I felt like I was a member of a new generation that wanted to show them, 1273 01:02:35.171 --> 01:02:37.716 it doesn't have to be that way. 1274 01:02:37.757 --> 01:02:39.384 (contemplative music) 1275 01:02:39.426 --> 01:02:42.762 In the book, I depicted a guy that was kind of fascinated 1276 01:02:42.846 --> 01:02:44.431 by the idea of gay liberation, 1277 01:02:44.514 --> 01:02:46.016 but couldn't quite do it himself. 1278 01:02:46.057 --> 01:02:48.727 I tried to capture his humanity, 1279 01:02:48.810 --> 01:02:51.521 his big, sweet, loving heart. 1280 01:02:51.563 --> 01:02:53.106 And I think I did. 1281 01:02:53.189 --> 01:02:55.233 I often did that, uh, with "Tales of the City." 1282 01:02:55.316 --> 01:02:59.029 I sometimes put real people into it with their permission. 1283 01:02:59.070 --> 01:03:01.656 I knew he wasn't gonna give me my permission, 1284 01:03:01.740 --> 01:03:04.367 so I just did it and blanked out the name 1285 01:03:04.451 --> 01:03:06.244 in the Victorian tradition. 1286 01:03:06.578 --> 01:03:08.788 I'm so glad I did, actually, 1287 01:03:08.872 --> 01:03:12.292 because I established that character in the books 1288 01:03:12.375 --> 01:03:17.088 before Rock died, saying, this person exists, 1289 01:03:17.130 --> 01:03:19.257 but he can't show you who he is 1290 01:03:19.299 --> 01:03:22.093 because his life is shut off in this way. 1291 01:03:22.177 --> 01:03:26.264 Hudson: Hey, Freddy, you're really gonna love San Francisco. 1292 01:03:26.306 --> 01:03:27.557 Yeah? 1293 01:03:27.599 --> 01:03:30.518 I want you to know you can change your mind at any time. 1294 01:03:30.602 --> 01:03:32.354 Ah, don't worry about me, baby. 1295 01:03:32.437 --> 01:03:35.190 I've been missing the ring. I'm ready for a little action. 1296 01:03:35.273 --> 01:03:37.233 Masseur: That about does it, Commissioner. 1297 01:03:37.275 --> 01:03:39.944 Yeah, sure does. 1298 01:03:39.986 --> 01:03:42.447 -Thanks. -You're welcome, sir. 1299 01:03:42.489 --> 01:03:45.450 -See you in the shower. -Freddy: Okay, baby. 1300 01:03:50.914 --> 01:03:54.376 (Kijak speaking) 1301 01:03:55.210 --> 01:03:57.754 Maley: I probably wasn't wearing a bathing suit. 1302 01:03:57.796 --> 01:03:59.172 (Kijak and Maley laughing) 1303 01:03:59.255 --> 01:04:02.550 Maley: I was working a lot all through the '70s 1304 01:04:02.634 --> 01:04:04.719 in various gay rights issues. 1305 01:04:04.803 --> 01:04:06.846 And I was the point person 1306 01:04:06.930 --> 01:04:08.598 for international and national media 1307 01:04:08.640 --> 01:04:14.104 who came to San Francisco to do stories about gay rights. 1308 01:04:15.146 --> 01:04:19.192 Fairly early on in having met Rock, I suggested that, 1309 01:04:19.275 --> 01:04:23.988 "Maybe you'd like to go out and to a sex club." 1310 01:04:24.030 --> 01:04:25.949 "Oh, well, of course." (laughs) 1311 01:04:25.990 --> 01:04:27.325 There was no hesitation. 1312 01:04:27.367 --> 01:04:30.495 Like, "Are you sure? No, I shouldn't--" No. 1313 01:04:30.537 --> 01:04:33.498 So there was this place down on Sixth Street 1314 01:04:33.581 --> 01:04:34.916 called The Glory Holes. 1315 01:04:35.000 --> 01:04:37.752 And so we go in and we walk around 1316 01:04:37.794 --> 01:04:40.672 and sort of explain how it all works. 1317 01:04:40.714 --> 01:04:43.174 And there was a balcony 1318 01:04:43.258 --> 01:04:45.760 that you could go up above 1319 01:04:45.844 --> 01:04:49.014 and look out over the whole enterprise. 1320 01:04:49.097 --> 01:04:52.517 You can see all the traffic around the aisleways. 1321 01:04:52.559 --> 01:04:57.689 And so we watched Rock walk around and go in a booth 1322 01:04:57.772 --> 01:04:59.858 and you could hear this scream, 1323 01:04:59.941 --> 01:05:02.360 "Oh, my God, it's Rock Hudson!" (laughs) 1324 01:05:02.444 --> 01:05:04.946 And it went all throughout the place. 1325 01:05:04.988 --> 01:05:07.449 It obviously didn't bother him because we didn't leave, 1326 01:05:07.532 --> 01:05:10.577 and we stayed, stayed quite a while. 1327 01:05:11.578 --> 01:05:16.958 I think he became so comfortable with the dual life, 1328 01:05:17.042 --> 01:05:20.712 but I think that he found a way to be comfortable with both lives. 1329 01:05:20.754 --> 01:05:23.882 -You've gotta tell them the truth. -Do you know what'll happen? 1330 01:05:23.923 --> 01:05:25.842 I know it'll mean you'll lose your job 1331 01:05:25.884 --> 01:05:27.552 and your customers and everything, but... 1332 01:05:27.594 --> 01:05:28.970 you've got to do that. 1333 01:05:29.054 --> 01:05:30.847 Once you start fooling people, you have to go on 1334 01:05:30.889 --> 01:05:33.266 and keep on fooling them and, and... 1335 01:05:33.350 --> 01:05:37.562 you're too nice a guy to, to, to be a phony 1336 01:05:37.604 --> 01:05:39.898 and keep on being a phony. 1337 01:05:39.939 --> 01:05:41.691 (sighs) 1338 01:05:42.650 --> 01:05:45.236 You know, Hollywood at night can be a fascinating place, 1339 01:05:45.278 --> 01:05:48.448 but Hollywood in the daytime can be a lot of fun too. 1340 01:05:48.531 --> 01:05:51.368 Come on, follow me and I'll show you what I mean. 1341 01:05:51.409 --> 01:05:52.243 (cool jazz music) 1342 01:05:52.327 --> 01:05:54.537 Maupin: Rock had a contact. 1343 01:05:54.579 --> 01:05:56.790 Somebody in West Hollywood that could round up 1344 01:05:56.873 --> 01:05:59.751 gorgeous men at a moment's notice. 1345 01:05:59.834 --> 01:06:02.837 Wes Wheadon: I knew a lot of folks in the community. 1346 01:06:02.921 --> 01:06:04.130 I had a lot of friends. 1347 01:06:04.214 --> 01:06:05.715 And so I would just call up, you know, 1348 01:06:05.757 --> 01:06:08.343 whoever I'd get my hands on that was available 1349 01:06:08.426 --> 01:06:10.261 and say, "Here's the deal, here's the address, 1350 01:06:10.345 --> 01:06:12.013 "show up, it'll be a lovely time, 1351 01:06:12.097 --> 01:06:14.933 "and you can have a nice day swimming and carrying on with drinks, 1352 01:06:14.974 --> 01:06:16.935 and you'd get to meet Rock." 1353 01:06:17.018 --> 01:06:20.563 Maley: Then it would just be chaise lounges 1354 01:06:20.605 --> 01:06:23.149 and boys in the pool. 1355 01:06:23.233 --> 01:06:25.443 It was clothing optional. 1356 01:06:25.485 --> 01:06:28.947 And a lot of 'em, fortunately, did take the option. 1357 01:06:28.988 --> 01:06:30.448 (chuckles) 1358 01:06:30.490 --> 01:06:34.285 Maupin: You know, even for an ordinary gay man like me, 1359 01:06:34.327 --> 01:06:36.204 that was an amazing thing to see 1360 01:06:36.287 --> 01:06:37.872 all these beauties gathered around the pool. 1361 01:06:37.956 --> 01:06:40.333 Wheadon: If you're gonna have a party with a bunch of young men, 1362 01:06:40.417 --> 01:06:42.419 you want to bring up the eye candy, if you will. 1363 01:06:42.460 --> 01:06:45.547 Maley: It was a lot of beefcake, 1364 01:06:45.630 --> 01:06:48.550 and it would last all afternoon. 1365 01:06:48.633 --> 01:06:51.177 Endless, you know, food and drink, 1366 01:06:51.261 --> 01:06:55.098 and Rock sort of just strolling through. 1367 01:06:55.140 --> 01:06:56.224 It was theater. 1368 01:06:56.307 --> 01:07:01.146 (upbeat jazz music) 1369 01:07:01.187 --> 01:07:02.731 (sign creaking) 1370 01:07:02.814 --> 01:07:06.109 (peaceful music) 1371 01:07:06.151 --> 01:07:10.864 Kevoian: In 1976, I was cast in a play called "John Brown's Body." 1372 01:07:10.947 --> 01:07:14.784 It starred Rock Hudson, Claire Trevor, and Leif Erickson. 1373 01:07:14.826 --> 01:07:20.665 It was a really beautiful mix of music and dance and vocal. 1374 01:07:20.707 --> 01:07:24.544 So that's, you know, that's how I came to meet Rock Hudson. 1375 01:07:24.627 --> 01:07:28.465 Hudson: Armies of shadows and the shadow-sound. 1376 01:07:28.506 --> 01:07:32.177 Male Chorus: ♪ Captain Ball was a Yankee slaver ♪ 1377 01:07:32.260 --> 01:07:33.553 ♪ Blow, blow... ♪ 1378 01:07:33.636 --> 01:07:38.183 He really showed a lot of people something new, 1379 01:07:38.224 --> 01:07:42.020 and it felt good to him as a performer on stage. 1380 01:07:42.103 --> 01:07:44.981 He was really happy. 1381 01:07:45.023 --> 01:07:48.318 It was supposed to be a fabulous big tour, 1382 01:07:48.360 --> 01:07:52.197 and we had a lot of cities set, 1383 01:07:52.280 --> 01:07:57.744 but, um, some people started to cancel the production. 1384 01:07:57.827 --> 01:08:01.414 I think the people that wanted to see Rock Hudson 1385 01:08:01.498 --> 01:08:04.751 wanted to see "McMillan" or "Pillow Talk," 1386 01:08:04.834 --> 01:08:08.713 and the people that wanted to see "John Brown's Body," 1387 01:08:08.755 --> 01:08:12.801 because it was so lyrical in its speech, 1388 01:08:12.884 --> 01:08:15.220 wanted Laurence Olivier. 1389 01:08:15.261 --> 01:08:16.720 (mellow jazz music) 1390 01:08:16.763 --> 01:08:20.392 We remained friends for several years afterwards. 1391 01:08:20.433 --> 01:08:22.560 He helped me start a television career 1392 01:08:22.644 --> 01:08:27.357 on the last season of "McMillan" in 1976 1393 01:08:27.399 --> 01:08:30.026 and changed the trajectory of my life. 1394 01:08:30.068 --> 01:08:32.112 Man (on radio): You got Big Smokey there? 1395 01:08:32.194 --> 01:08:34.072 Uh, here beside me. 1396 01:08:34.154 --> 01:08:35.740 "Big Smokey"? 1397 01:08:35.823 --> 01:08:37.742 That's you, sir. It's CB talk. 1398 01:08:37.826 --> 01:08:41.287 Kevoian: And he didn't cast me from a casting couch. 1399 01:08:41.371 --> 01:08:43.915 There was only one time that he ever, 1400 01:08:43.997 --> 01:08:47.585 um, asked me to possibly be intimate. 1401 01:08:47.627 --> 01:08:52.006 And I, I chose, um, the different path. 1402 01:08:52.090 --> 01:08:53.966 (chuckles) 1403 01:08:54.050 --> 01:08:57.429 I was 23 and a lot cuter. 1404 01:08:58.971 --> 01:09:01.265 He was fun and then he was elegant, 1405 01:09:01.349 --> 01:09:07.063 and, you know, I only saw him pee in the bushes once. 1406 01:09:07.104 --> 01:09:09.441 (chuckling) 1407 01:09:11.151 --> 01:09:14.738 Hey! What's going on here? 1408 01:09:14.779 --> 01:09:16.531 (wolf whistle) 1409 01:09:16.613 --> 01:09:18.116 Observe. 1410 01:09:18.198 --> 01:09:20.743 Hmmph! 1411 01:09:20.785 --> 01:09:22.578 (lyrical music) 1412 01:09:22.620 --> 01:09:26.875 McGillin: I was one of the members of the last dying gasp 1413 01:09:26.957 --> 01:09:28.335 of the studio system, 1414 01:09:28.417 --> 01:09:30.377 which was Universal Studios. 1415 01:09:30.462 --> 01:09:33.548 I'll never forget this great head of the talent department. 1416 01:09:33.631 --> 01:09:37.301 She's on the phone, "Darling, are you sitting down?" 1417 01:09:37.385 --> 01:09:39.679 And I said, "Yes, I'm sitting down." 1418 01:09:39.763 --> 01:09:44.309 She says, "Rock Hudson, you're going to be playing his son." 1419 01:09:44.350 --> 01:09:47.604 (upbeat theme playing) 1420 01:09:47.645 --> 01:09:50.774 It was a 10-hour epic mini-series 1421 01:09:50.814 --> 01:09:53.484 that they were doing tons of at that time. 1422 01:09:53.568 --> 01:09:57.197 And Rock plays a designer of automobiles in Detroit. 1423 01:09:57.280 --> 01:09:59.616 Dad, I'm telling you, I can handle this by myself. 1424 01:09:59.657 --> 01:10:01.076 I know you can. 1425 01:10:01.159 --> 01:10:02.494 I'm proud that you want to. 1426 01:10:02.535 --> 01:10:04.746 McGillin: Even though you knew the rumors, 1427 01:10:04.829 --> 01:10:08.541 you still couldn't erase the false narrative 1428 01:10:08.625 --> 01:10:10.460 of that straight leading man. 1429 01:10:10.502 --> 01:10:13.421 That was the message that was given to all of us 1430 01:10:13.505 --> 01:10:15.048 growing up in that time, 1431 01:10:15.131 --> 01:10:19.302 young men, and certainly young men who aspired to be actors. 1432 01:10:19.344 --> 01:10:21.346 For gay men like me, 1433 01:10:21.429 --> 01:10:25.350 there was absolutely zero permission to be gay. 1434 01:10:25.392 --> 01:10:27.936 It was just not going to be allowed. 1435 01:10:28.019 --> 01:10:30.480 So I carried that with me. 1436 01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:35.777 Well, the time has come. You've seen the map. 1437 01:10:35.860 --> 01:10:38.363 Reagan is our projected winner. 1438 01:10:38.405 --> 01:10:41.074 A sports announcer, a film actor, 1439 01:10:41.157 --> 01:10:42.575 a governor of California. 1440 01:10:42.659 --> 01:10:45.328 We have projected Ronald Reagan the winner. 1441 01:10:45.370 --> 01:10:47.831 Did you ever think a few years ago 1442 01:10:47.872 --> 01:10:50.500 that Ronald Reagan, fellow actor, would be president? 1443 01:10:50.542 --> 01:10:52.544 I mean, is that, an actor being president? 1444 01:10:52.585 --> 01:10:54.671 -No, I, I didn't. -Pretty amazing, huh? 1445 01:10:54.713 --> 01:10:56.798 Yeah, it's terrific, as a matter of fact. 1446 01:10:56.881 --> 01:10:58.758 Lee Garlington: Well, Rock was a Republican. 1447 01:10:58.842 --> 01:11:00.802 I can't believe it, but he was. 1448 01:11:00.885 --> 01:11:03.722 Yeah, but that was a different generation Republican. 1449 01:11:03.763 --> 01:11:05.223 Yes. 1450 01:11:05.306 --> 01:11:08.601 Uh, he was a Republican primarily because 1451 01:11:08.685 --> 01:11:11.062 he was friends with Nancy Reagan. 1452 01:11:11.146 --> 01:11:12.939 Apparently pretty close friends. 1453 01:11:13.023 --> 01:11:17.777 But she couldn't get Reagan to say anything about AIDS 1454 01:11:17.861 --> 01:11:22.782 until finally at one point he gave in. 1455 01:11:22.866 --> 01:11:24.743 But that was after... 1456 01:11:24.826 --> 01:11:28.204 -That was after he died, I think, right? -After he died. 1457 01:11:28.246 --> 01:11:29.664 The Centers for Disease Control 1458 01:11:29.748 --> 01:11:32.125 reports that six gay men in Los Angeles 1459 01:11:32.208 --> 01:11:35.086 have fallen ill from a strange and mysterious pneumonia. 1460 01:11:35.128 --> 01:11:39.174 Scientists at the National Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta today 1461 01:11:39.257 --> 01:11:40.884 released the results of a study, 1462 01:11:40.925 --> 01:11:44.763 which shows that the lifestyle of some male homosexuals 1463 01:11:44.804 --> 01:11:47.807 has triggered an epidemic of a rare form of cancer. 1464 01:11:47.891 --> 01:11:49.642 Reporter: Researchers are now studying 1465 01:11:49.726 --> 01:11:51.394 blood and other samples from the victims, 1466 01:11:51.436 --> 01:11:53.396 trying to learn what is causing the disease. 1467 01:11:53.438 --> 01:11:55.774 So far, they have had no luck. 1468 01:11:55.815 --> 01:11:58.485 Rock, can you believe the things that are happening today? 1469 01:11:58.568 --> 01:12:00.653 (chuckles) Oh, it's pretty crazy, all right. 1470 01:12:00.737 --> 01:12:03.865 I mean, the way everyone dresses, the lifestyles, 1471 01:12:03.948 --> 01:12:05.200 the, the new morality. 1472 01:12:05.283 --> 01:12:07.577 Yeah. Maybe we're getting old. 1473 01:12:07.619 --> 01:12:10.288 Look, Rock, if you can't say anything constructive... 1474 01:12:10.372 --> 01:12:12.665 -(audience laughs) -Okay... 1475 01:12:12.749 --> 01:12:13.541 I'm getting old. 1476 01:12:13.625 --> 01:12:14.959 That's constructive. 1477 01:12:15.043 --> 01:12:16.294 (laughter) 1478 01:12:16.920 --> 01:12:20.715 Griffin: When you consider Rock Hudson's lifestyle choices: 1479 01:12:20.799 --> 01:12:23.968 overwork, stress, chain smoking, 1480 01:12:24.052 --> 01:12:25.428 the alcohol intake... 1481 01:12:25.470 --> 01:12:27.430 -You wanna smoke a cigarette? -Yes. 1482 01:12:27.472 --> 01:12:29.099 Why do you wanna smoke a cigarette? 1483 01:12:29.140 --> 01:12:31.559 It's not good for you, but you can smoke a cigarette. 1484 01:12:31.643 --> 01:12:32.811 -You want a lecture? -Yeah. 1485 01:12:32.894 --> 01:12:35.271 -Okay. You got it. -I'm thinking of quitting. 1486 01:12:35.313 --> 01:12:36.981 -And then you'll do it? -I have to quit. 1487 01:12:37.065 --> 01:12:41.027 Griffin: All of that results in quintuple bypass surgery 1488 01:12:41.111 --> 01:12:42.821 in 1981. 1489 01:12:42.862 --> 01:12:45.115 I don't know if I could ask everybody to let us see your scar. 1490 01:12:45.156 --> 01:12:47.867 -But I don't think that's the right thing to do. -(laughing) 1491 01:12:47.951 --> 01:12:50.495 You're looking really terrific. When are you going back to work? 1492 01:12:50.537 --> 01:12:52.330 I think around mid-January. 1493 01:12:52.831 --> 01:12:55.041 Dr. Michael Gottlieb: By 1982, 1494 01:12:55.125 --> 01:12:56.626 we saw how devastating 1495 01:12:56.668 --> 01:12:58.837 AIDS could be for a person, 1496 01:12:58.920 --> 01:13:00.130 how people developed 1497 01:13:00.171 --> 01:13:03.049 one infection after another 1498 01:13:03.133 --> 01:13:05.260 and kind of just wasted away, 1499 01:13:05.343 --> 01:13:06.761 in front of us. 1500 01:13:06.845 --> 01:13:08.555 And it was very frightening. 1501 01:13:08.638 --> 01:13:10.265 There was little happening 1502 01:13:10.348 --> 01:13:12.434 in the way of a public response. 1503 01:13:12.517 --> 01:13:15.812 There was no money available to do research. 1504 01:13:15.854 --> 01:13:18.148 Jane Pauley: You are raising the possibility 1505 01:13:18.231 --> 01:13:21.568 that people are dismissing it because it strikes mostly the gay community? 1506 01:13:21.651 --> 01:13:24.779 There is no question in my mind, if this were happening to you 1507 01:13:24.863 --> 01:13:26.948 and the white, straight, middle-class community, 1508 01:13:27.032 --> 01:13:29.784 it would've been attended to a long time ago. 1509 01:13:29.868 --> 01:13:34.164 Gottlieb: There was all this conservative religious overtones 1510 01:13:34.205 --> 01:13:35.540 in the Reagan administration 1511 01:13:35.623 --> 01:13:39.544 where evangelicals had elected Ronald Reagan 1512 01:13:39.627 --> 01:13:42.130 and in his cabinet were people 1513 01:13:42.213 --> 01:13:43.923 who essentially said, 1514 01:13:44.007 --> 01:13:45.550 "Do nothing." 1515 01:13:48.303 --> 01:13:51.014 Griffin: By this time, Rock had made a lot of money 1516 01:13:51.056 --> 01:13:52.557 working in television. 1517 01:13:52.599 --> 01:13:54.476 He was loaded. 1518 01:13:54.559 --> 01:13:57.771 But old friends Mark and George, not so much. 1519 01:13:57.854 --> 01:14:00.899 George Nader had glaucoma and had stopped acting. 1520 01:14:00.982 --> 01:14:04.903 So Rock hired Mark Miller to be his personal secretary. 1521 01:14:04.986 --> 01:14:07.489 That not only rescued Nader and Miller financially, 1522 01:14:07.572 --> 01:14:12.911 but it would also guarantee that his closest friends would remain close. 1523 01:14:12.952 --> 01:14:16.581 And of course, through all of this, Nader is keeping his diaries, 1524 01:14:16.664 --> 01:14:19.084 which are a veritable gold mine 1525 01:14:19.167 --> 01:14:22.796 of eyewitness accounts. 1526 01:14:22.879 --> 01:14:27.133 Voiceover as Nader: Thursday, May 31st, 1984. 1527 01:14:27.217 --> 01:14:29.260 Mark called at 7 a.m. 1528 01:14:29.344 --> 01:14:30.845 Something seriously wrong! 1529 01:14:30.929 --> 01:14:33.264 Nancy Reagan sent photos from the dinner party 1530 01:14:33.348 --> 01:14:35.975 with a note saying that Rock must have that pimple 1531 01:14:36.059 --> 01:14:37.477 on his neck checked. 1532 01:14:37.560 --> 01:14:39.104 It showed up in the photos. 1533 01:14:39.187 --> 01:14:41.773 Otherwise, the photos are great of Nancy, Ronnie, 1534 01:14:41.815 --> 01:14:43.316 and Rock at the dinner. 1535 01:14:43.400 --> 01:14:45.402 Rock back to Beverly Hills. 1536 01:14:45.443 --> 01:14:46.903 Mark insisted that Rock 1537 01:14:46.945 --> 01:14:48.947 go to see the doctor immediately. 1538 01:14:48.988 --> 01:14:51.741 He agreed. Mark made an appointment. 1539 01:14:51.783 --> 01:14:54.369 Let me begin with the latest figures from Los Angeles County. 1540 01:14:54.452 --> 01:14:57.706 Today they show 56 new cases of AIDS 1541 01:14:57.789 --> 01:14:59.874 diagnosed here locally last month. 1542 01:14:59.958 --> 01:15:03.420 That brings the national total now to about 10,000 cases 1543 01:15:03.461 --> 01:15:05.672 cases of AIDS. 1544 01:15:05.755 --> 01:15:08.842 Voiceover as Nader: Tuesday, June 5th, 1984. 1545 01:15:08.925 --> 01:15:12.554 Mark called and asked me to note the time and date 1546 01:15:12.637 --> 01:15:14.305 of all of the following: 1547 01:15:14.389 --> 01:15:18.476 At 2:25 p.m., driving Rock home from the doctor's, 1548 01:15:18.518 --> 01:15:23.773 he was told by Rock that Rock has AIDS and possible cancer. 1549 01:15:23.815 --> 01:15:27.569 A lymph gland in his neck had just been removed. 1550 01:15:27.652 --> 01:15:29.821 Around 6:30 p.m.-ish, 1551 01:15:29.863 --> 01:15:31.990 I dialed Rock at The Castle and said, 1552 01:15:32.073 --> 01:15:35.118 if there was anything at all, let me know. 1553 01:15:35.160 --> 01:15:38.079 He said, the only thing was silence. 1554 01:15:38.163 --> 01:15:40.999 I said, "Of course," and thought, 1555 01:15:41.082 --> 01:15:43.501 "Who in the hell am I gonna call and talk about it to?'" 1556 01:15:43.543 --> 01:15:46.588 Interviewer: Are you the big macho type that nothing's gonna get? 1557 01:15:46.671 --> 01:15:48.298 No, not at all. Not at all. 1558 01:15:48.340 --> 01:15:52.385 I am, I have, like everybody else, weaknesses and strengths. 1559 01:15:52.469 --> 01:15:54.179 But... 1560 01:15:54.262 --> 01:15:58.683 one of the strengths, I suppose, perhaps stupidly so, 1561 01:15:58.767 --> 01:16:01.102 is that I will not be sick. 1562 01:16:01.186 --> 01:16:03.730 I will not be dependent upon anybody else, 1563 01:16:03.813 --> 01:16:06.358 and I simply won't have it. 1564 01:16:06.399 --> 01:16:08.443 Gottlieb: In 1984, 1565 01:16:08.526 --> 01:16:10.195 I was asked to see 1566 01:16:10.278 --> 01:16:12.072 a celebrity patient, 1567 01:16:12.155 --> 01:16:16.034 Rock Hudson, and determined in fact that he did have AIDS. 1568 01:16:16.076 --> 01:16:20.580 I guided him as best I could and sent him to France 1569 01:16:20.663 --> 01:16:24.709 to participate in a clinical trial of an antiviral drug. 1570 01:16:26.836 --> 01:16:30.131 Most people are born gulls and judge a man by his dress. 1571 01:16:30.215 --> 01:16:32.550 We live in a world of phantasmagoria, 1572 01:16:32.634 --> 01:16:34.678 false forms and false faces. 1573 01:16:34.719 --> 01:16:37.389 Each man wears a mask against his fellows. 1574 01:16:37.472 --> 01:16:39.432 Well, have you nothing to say? 1575 01:16:39.516 --> 01:16:41.685 Aye, gimme a light. 1576 01:16:42.102 --> 01:16:45.563 Esther Shapiro: Rock Hudson was in a different league. 1577 01:16:45.605 --> 01:16:48.233 I always liked him. 1578 01:16:48.316 --> 01:16:52.445 He seemed to fulfill all the dreams that, you know, 1579 01:16:52.529 --> 01:16:55.490 I would have for a star. 1580 01:16:55.573 --> 01:16:57.742 When the time came to find 1581 01:16:57.826 --> 01:17:00.912 a person to play opposite Linda Evans, 1582 01:17:00.954 --> 01:17:03.081 I thought about Rock Hudson. 1583 01:17:03.123 --> 01:17:08.503 So I and my publicist, we flew to Paris to meet him. 1584 01:17:08.586 --> 01:17:11.006 I hadn't seen him for a few years. 1585 01:17:11.089 --> 01:17:13.925 He might have been five pounds thinner, I don't know. 1586 01:17:13.967 --> 01:17:17.095 But he seemed incredible. 1587 01:17:17.137 --> 01:17:21.224 When he turns on that smile, it's unbelievable. 1588 01:17:21.933 --> 01:17:24.769 He met us and I had the script. 1589 01:17:24.811 --> 01:17:27.731 I just wanted him to read the script and say yes. 1590 01:17:27.772 --> 01:17:31.568 And then he said, "Well, why don't we have dinner?" So I said, "Okay." 1591 01:17:31.609 --> 01:17:33.278 So we went with him, 1592 01:17:33.319 --> 01:17:35.989 and it was the most marvelous night. 1593 01:17:36.072 --> 01:17:39.951 He was so energetic and he went from restaurant 1594 01:17:39.993 --> 01:17:41.911 to bar to restaurant. 1595 01:17:41.953 --> 01:17:44.122 He kept drinking more and more vodka 1596 01:17:44.164 --> 01:17:46.458 and he got bawdier and bawdier. 1597 01:17:46.541 --> 01:17:49.586 And I thought, "Oh, my God, is this ever gonna end?" 1598 01:17:49.627 --> 01:17:51.880 He held out that whole night. 1599 01:17:51.963 --> 01:17:54.674 I mean, you have no idea what it was like. 1600 01:17:55.884 --> 01:17:58.887 And at 2:30 in the morning, he said, 1601 01:17:58.970 --> 01:18:02.265 "I read the script and I loved it and I will do it." 1602 01:18:02.766 --> 01:18:07.187 Reporter: This winter finds Hudson on location with ABC's "Dynasty." 1603 01:18:07.270 --> 01:18:10.023 You've said before that you really didn't have any interest 1604 01:18:10.106 --> 01:18:12.150 in coming back to doing series television. 1605 01:18:12.233 --> 01:18:15.028 What did "Dynasty" offer that made you reconsider that? 1606 01:18:15.111 --> 01:18:17.072 Well, I'm not on every week, 1607 01:18:17.155 --> 01:18:20.408 and, uh, uh... 1608 01:18:20.492 --> 01:18:22.160 it's a good show, obviously. 1609 01:18:22.202 --> 01:18:26.373 I mean, it's, uh, very popular all over the world, 1610 01:18:26.456 --> 01:18:30.168 so why not to do six or so shows? 1611 01:18:30.251 --> 01:18:34.339 Reporter: So, for six or so shows, nobody's saying exactly how many, 1612 01:18:34.381 --> 01:18:37.050 Rock Hudson is playing the role of Daniel Reece, 1613 01:18:37.133 --> 01:18:39.844 a sophisticated horse breeder with romantic designs 1614 01:18:39.886 --> 01:18:41.554 on Krystle Carrington. 1615 01:18:41.638 --> 01:18:43.515 I think he's a divine actor. 1616 01:18:43.556 --> 01:18:45.350 He's wonderfully romantic. 1617 01:18:45.433 --> 01:18:47.185 He's a lovely man. 1618 01:18:47.769 --> 01:18:49.979 Well, they told us they had 1619 01:18:50.021 --> 01:18:53.692 some superstars they were gonna have on the show, 1620 01:18:53.775 --> 01:18:57.862 which we thought, great, this is fun. (laughs) 1621 01:18:57.946 --> 01:18:59.864 I, of course, was thrilled 1622 01:18:59.948 --> 01:19:02.283 because I did a "McMillan & Wife." 1623 01:19:02.367 --> 01:19:04.369 Aquarius. How do you do, Commissioner? 1624 01:19:04.452 --> 01:19:05.787 Nicole, what a lovely name. 1625 01:19:05.870 --> 01:19:08.498 Linda Evans: And I thought, how fantastic 1626 01:19:08.581 --> 01:19:11.376 to be able to work with him again. 1627 01:19:11.418 --> 01:19:13.128 But he was so much thinner 1628 01:19:13.211 --> 01:19:16.881 and didn't look like he felt good. 1629 01:19:16.965 --> 01:19:20.010 I think he even said he'd been traveling a lot 1630 01:19:20.051 --> 01:19:22.095 and he inferred that, you know, 1631 01:19:22.178 --> 01:19:23.847 "We've all been away on a trip 1632 01:19:23.888 --> 01:19:25.807 and caught something somewhere." 1633 01:19:25.849 --> 01:19:29.394 So I went, "Oh, you know, life does that to us." 1634 01:19:29.477 --> 01:19:33.815 And, uh, that's about as much as I thought about it. 1635 01:19:35.650 --> 01:19:38.903 Voiceover as Nader: Wednesday, December 19th, 1984. 1636 01:19:38.945 --> 01:19:41.489 "Dynasty." Rock's debut. 1637 01:19:41.573 --> 01:19:44.534 Merry Christmas, Krystie, it's good to see you. 1638 01:19:44.576 --> 01:19:46.995 Voiceover as Nader: Did well, but looked bad, 1639 01:19:47.078 --> 01:19:48.788 very bad in a couple of shots. 1640 01:19:48.872 --> 01:19:50.915 I'm here to return this. 1641 01:19:52.459 --> 01:19:56.087 How dare you come back into my life after what you did. 1642 01:19:57.088 --> 01:19:59.674 Voiceover as Nader: Cameraman could have helped more with lighting, 1643 01:19:59.758 --> 01:20:02.427 I think, but perhaps no time. 1644 01:20:09.934 --> 01:20:13.480 Tuesday, February 5th, 1985. 1645 01:20:13.563 --> 01:20:15.023 Tonight "Dynasty," 1646 01:20:15.106 --> 01:20:18.193 and we get to watch Rock give Linda Evans a dose 1647 01:20:18.276 --> 01:20:20.945 of some virus in a kissing scene. 1648 01:20:21.029 --> 01:20:22.947 I will tape the fateful footage, 1649 01:20:22.989 --> 01:20:25.116 if not too frozen in horror, 1650 01:20:25.200 --> 01:20:28.036 akin to watching someone receive a possible lethal injection. 1651 01:20:28.119 --> 01:20:29.579 You look more frightened than I was... 1652 01:20:29.621 --> 01:20:32.582 Voiceover as Nader: Morally, how guilty are we 1653 01:20:32.624 --> 01:20:37.212 for not having said something to someone, anyone? 1654 01:20:39.798 --> 01:20:42.467 Rock returned from work the day they shot the kiss scene 1655 01:20:42.509 --> 01:20:45.637 and said to Mark, "This has been the worst day of my life. 1656 01:20:45.679 --> 01:20:49.474 "I used every possible type of mouthwash known to man. 1657 01:20:49.516 --> 01:20:51.142 An awful day.' 1658 01:20:51.226 --> 01:20:55.522 He also said, "I kept my mouth closed and so did she." 1659 01:20:56.564 --> 01:21:01.027 Evans: When we had that scene we had to do with the kiss, 1660 01:21:01.111 --> 01:21:03.196 that was a pivotal moment. 1661 01:21:03.279 --> 01:21:06.491 We showed up that day and shot that scene 1662 01:21:06.574 --> 01:21:10.161 and it didn't turn out like they wanted. 1663 01:21:10.203 --> 01:21:14.165 Nobody quite knew what to do. 1664 01:21:14.207 --> 01:21:17.168 I mean, I knew he could deliver that kiss. 1665 01:21:17.252 --> 01:21:19.713 It's not up to me to say anything. 1666 01:21:19.796 --> 01:21:22.298 And I let the director handle it, 1667 01:21:22.340 --> 01:21:24.592 and we did it over and we did it over. 1668 01:21:24.676 --> 01:21:27.887 And he did it consistently. 1669 01:21:27.971 --> 01:21:30.682 (Evans weeping off-screen) 1670 01:21:30.765 --> 01:21:35.812 It makes me cry because I know he was protecting me. 1671 01:21:35.854 --> 01:21:37.897 I mean, I didn't know that at the time. 1672 01:21:37.981 --> 01:21:39.983 I was confused at the time. 1673 01:21:40.025 --> 01:21:41.860 But in thinking back, 1674 01:21:41.901 --> 01:21:45.405 part of the reason that I get so upset 1675 01:21:45.488 --> 01:21:50.035 is that he was doing everything he could do 1676 01:21:50.118 --> 01:21:52.037 to make it all right for me, in case. 1677 01:21:52.120 --> 01:21:55.498 'Cause nobody knew in those days about that. 1678 01:21:55.540 --> 01:21:57.292 Touches my heart. 1679 01:21:57.375 --> 01:21:59.461 Even now, when I think about it. 1680 01:22:01.421 --> 01:22:04.466 Voiceover as Nader: Saturday, April 6th, 1985. 1681 01:22:04.549 --> 01:22:07.218 The three of us drove through Joshua Tree 1682 01:22:07.302 --> 01:22:09.596 where Rock had never been before. 1683 01:22:09.679 --> 01:22:13.308 On the way there, the old song "Mockin' Bird Hill" came on. 1684 01:22:13.433 --> 01:22:17.312 ♪ Tra-la-la twittle-dee-dee-dee, it gives me... ♪ 1685 01:22:17.395 --> 01:22:19.189 Voiceover as Nader: We all roared with laughter. 1686 01:22:19.230 --> 01:22:22.442 Thirty years before, the song had been our favorite, 1687 01:22:22.525 --> 01:22:25.111 and we sang it in unison with the singer on the radio. 1688 01:22:25.195 --> 01:22:27.739 ♪ Tra-la-la twittle-dee-dee-dee ♪ 1689 01:22:27.822 --> 01:22:30.408 ♪ There's peace and goodwill ♪ 1690 01:22:30.450 --> 01:22:33.328 ♪ You're welcome as the flowers ♪ 1691 01:22:33.411 --> 01:22:36.539 ♪ On Mockin' Bird Hill... ♪ 1692 01:22:36.581 --> 01:22:38.583 Voiceover as Nader: By the time we finished the song, 1693 01:22:38.625 --> 01:22:39.751 we were all in tears. 1694 01:22:39.834 --> 01:22:41.628 Mark and I knew for sure 1695 01:22:41.711 --> 01:22:46.049 Rock had come down to the desert on Easter to say goodbye. 1696 01:22:46.091 --> 01:22:49.469 Even if we see him again, this is still it. 1697 01:22:49.552 --> 01:22:51.388 A farewell. 1698 01:22:51.471 --> 01:22:54.557 ♪ song ends ♪ 1699 01:22:54.599 --> 01:22:56.893 (telephone rings) 1700 01:22:56.935 --> 01:22:58.395 Hello. 1701 01:22:58.436 --> 01:22:59.813 I love my roses! 1702 01:22:59.896 --> 01:23:01.231 Well, hiya. 1703 01:23:01.272 --> 01:23:04.109 I am thrilled that you are gonna do my show. 1704 01:23:04.192 --> 01:23:06.277 -I am too. -You're my first guest. 1705 01:23:06.319 --> 01:23:08.113 -Is that right? -Very first one. 1706 01:23:08.196 --> 01:23:09.781 'Cause you're a very special guest. 1707 01:23:09.823 --> 01:23:11.616 Well, I am delighted about that. 1708 01:23:12.951 --> 01:23:14.911 Maley: The public started seeing 1709 01:23:14.953 --> 01:23:18.540 a major decline in his appearance. 1710 01:23:18.623 --> 01:23:22.919 That's when we began to understand what it was. 1711 01:23:22.961 --> 01:23:25.422 Even we thought it was AIDS. 1712 01:23:25.714 --> 01:23:27.674 All right, how did you know? 1713 01:23:27.757 --> 01:23:29.592 I saw his hand. 1714 01:23:30.218 --> 01:23:32.887 -What did you see? -The beginning of a lesion. 1715 01:23:32.971 --> 01:23:34.472 Discoloration. Softness of tissue. 1716 01:23:34.556 --> 01:23:37.100 That could have been anything-- yaws, psoriasis, 1717 01:23:37.142 --> 01:23:39.310 the beginning of any ordinary skin rash. 1718 01:23:39.394 --> 01:23:41.104 What made you so certain? 1719 01:23:41.146 --> 01:23:43.148 I just knew, that's all. 1720 01:23:43.231 --> 01:23:46.651 -You mean you guessed. -No, I knew. 1721 01:23:46.735 --> 01:23:48.111 Hmm. 1722 01:23:48.153 --> 01:23:51.531 Voiceover as Nader: Thursday, July 18th, 1985. 1723 01:23:51.614 --> 01:23:55.994 Rock exhausted and really downhill and a mess. 1724 01:23:56.036 --> 01:23:57.871 "He looks awful," Mark says. 1725 01:23:57.954 --> 01:23:59.831 Mark broached subject of Paris, 1726 01:23:59.873 --> 01:24:01.875 got Rock to listen. 1727 01:24:01.958 --> 01:24:03.543 Rock heaved a sigh and said, 1728 01:24:03.626 --> 01:24:07.172 "Well, okay, I guess I'd better go back over there." 1729 01:24:07.255 --> 01:24:09.507 Reporter: Just what is wrong with Rock Hudson? 1730 01:24:09.549 --> 01:24:11.384 Tonight, the 59-year-old actor 1731 01:24:11.468 --> 01:24:13.720 remains in a Paris hospital undergoing tests, 1732 01:24:13.803 --> 01:24:16.306 but the nature of his illness has become clouded 1733 01:24:16.348 --> 01:24:17.932 in mystery and confusion. 1734 01:24:17.974 --> 01:24:19.392 Yesterday, it was reported that Hudson 1735 01:24:19.476 --> 01:24:21.394 had liver cancer and possibly AIDS, 1736 01:24:21.478 --> 01:24:24.105 but today the hospital denied the cancer story 1737 01:24:24.189 --> 01:24:26.358 and said nothing about the AIDS rumor. 1738 01:24:26.399 --> 01:24:28.651 A spokesman just said Hudson was tired. 1739 01:24:29.444 --> 01:24:31.363 Maupin: At that point, I don't know what degree 1740 01:24:31.446 --> 01:24:33.907 Rock was actually making decisions, 1741 01:24:33.990 --> 01:24:37.369 but Ross Hunter was still saying 1742 01:24:37.410 --> 01:24:42.499 Rock had anorexia and a lot of feeble excuses. 1743 01:24:42.540 --> 01:24:43.917 (siren wailing) 1744 01:24:44.000 --> 01:24:46.419 Griffin: After collapsing at the Ritz, 1745 01:24:46.503 --> 01:24:49.964 Hudson is rushed to the American Hospital of Paris. 1746 01:24:50.048 --> 01:24:52.509 And at that point, it's determined 1747 01:24:52.550 --> 01:24:54.469 that Hudson could be better cared for 1748 01:24:54.552 --> 01:24:57.180 at a nearby military hospital. 1749 01:24:57.263 --> 01:25:00.141 So Rock's publicist, Dale Olson, sends a telegram 1750 01:25:00.225 --> 01:25:01.893 to Reagan's press secretary, 1751 01:25:01.976 --> 01:25:05.313 in which he explains that time is running out for Rock. 1752 01:25:05.397 --> 01:25:08.274 And Percy Hospital will not admit him 1753 01:25:08.358 --> 01:25:10.777 because Hudson isn't a French citizen. 1754 01:25:10.860 --> 01:25:14.906 Would the White House be willing to intervene? 1755 01:25:14.948 --> 01:25:17.242 Nancy Reagan declines. 1756 01:25:18.576 --> 01:25:21.204 You know, I think that non-responsiveness 1757 01:25:21.246 --> 01:25:23.540 to the personal plea from the publicist 1758 01:25:23.581 --> 01:25:27.085 encapsulates the entire Reagan administration's 1759 01:25:27.127 --> 01:25:29.796 non-responsiveness to the epidemic. 1760 01:25:29.879 --> 01:25:34.926 Man: His hands will be stained forever with innocent blood. 1761 01:25:36.886 --> 01:25:38.013 (breaks glass) 1762 01:25:38.096 --> 01:25:39.639 (Reporter speaking) 1763 01:25:39.723 --> 01:25:42.100 Nothing. He looks wonderful, I must say. 1764 01:25:42.183 --> 01:25:43.893 -Reporter: Did he talk to you? -Yes, he did. 1765 01:25:43.935 --> 01:25:46.521 -Reporter: What did he say? -He said, "How are you?" 1766 01:25:46.604 --> 01:25:48.773 I said, "I'm fine." (laughs) 1767 01:25:49.315 --> 01:25:53.028 Voiceover as Nader: Thursday, July 25th, 1985. 1768 01:25:53.111 --> 01:25:55.780 Big day in Paris, France. 1769 01:25:55.822 --> 01:25:59.617 The orchestrated ruination of Rock Hudson's life. 1770 01:25:59.659 --> 01:26:01.953 (somber music) 1771 01:26:02.037 --> 01:26:03.872 Yanou Collart: I was sent to his room 1772 01:26:03.955 --> 01:26:06.207 to read the statement and have his approval. 1773 01:26:06.291 --> 01:26:10.128 And that's one of the weirdest things I did in my life, 1774 01:26:10.170 --> 01:26:14.007 because I know that if Rock would've been strong enough 1775 01:26:14.090 --> 01:26:17.886 to decide not to tell the world that he had AIDS, he would do it. 1776 01:26:18.595 --> 01:26:23.975 He looked at my eyes and, uh, he say, 1777 01:26:24.017 --> 01:26:25.643 "That's what they want, Yanou. 1778 01:26:25.685 --> 01:26:28.480 Go and give that to the dogs." 1779 01:26:28.521 --> 01:26:32.484 Mr. Rock Hudson has Acquired 1780 01:26:32.567 --> 01:26:35.028 Immunodeficiency Syndrome... 1781 01:26:35.111 --> 01:26:36.321 (camera shutters clicking) 1782 01:26:36.404 --> 01:26:38.656 ...which was diagnosed 1783 01:26:38.740 --> 01:26:40.784 over a year ago 1784 01:26:40.825 --> 01:26:42.452 in the United States. 1785 01:26:42.535 --> 01:26:45.330 Voiceover as Nader: Mark watched and listened from a lounge 1786 01:26:45.413 --> 01:26:48.500 and sobbed all the way through Yanou's statement. 1787 01:26:48.541 --> 01:26:52.128 When it was over, he went up and told Rock. 1788 01:26:52.212 --> 01:26:56.007 Rock said, "God, what a way to end a life." 1789 01:26:56.758 --> 01:26:59.094 Hudson: Is this what you call news? 1790 01:26:59.177 --> 01:27:01.179 You know what I call it? 1791 01:27:01.221 --> 01:27:03.390 I call it the dead facts. 1792 01:27:03.473 --> 01:27:05.266 The dead facts strung together 1793 01:27:05.350 --> 01:27:07.769 by a deaf-dumb-blind editor! 1794 01:27:07.852 --> 01:27:09.521 Reporter 1: After three days of confusion 1795 01:27:09.604 --> 01:27:11.481 at the American Hospital in Paris, 1796 01:27:11.523 --> 01:27:14.025 a spokesperson for Rock Hudson... 1797 01:27:14.067 --> 01:27:15.735 ...American actor Rock Hudson... 1798 01:27:15.819 --> 01:27:18.321 Reporter 2: ...American Hospital in Paris, France, 1799 01:27:18.363 --> 01:27:20.657 for treatment of an inoperable liver cancer... 1800 01:27:20.699 --> 01:27:24.369 I've got the story. I've got it in my aching heart, 1801 01:27:24.411 --> 01:27:26.371 and you want to know how I got it? 1802 01:27:26.413 --> 01:27:29.749 By crawling through dirt and filth 1803 01:27:29.833 --> 01:27:31.543 and muck and smut. 1804 01:27:31.584 --> 01:27:33.211 By finding truth and beauty 1805 01:27:33.294 --> 01:27:35.130 where you'd never expect to find it. 1806 01:27:35.213 --> 01:27:36.756 Another case of AIDS has been confirmed, 1807 01:27:36.840 --> 01:27:39.175 affecting the most well-known victim yet. 1808 01:27:39.217 --> 01:27:41.344 He forsook all earthbound vanities, 1809 01:27:41.386 --> 01:27:43.972 home, family and love. 1810 01:27:44.055 --> 01:27:45.223 Why? 1811 01:27:45.306 --> 01:27:47.392 Because deep down he knew 1812 01:27:47.475 --> 01:27:49.394 that a man without blood in his veins 1813 01:27:49.436 --> 01:27:52.480 has got to fall down sooner or later. 1814 01:27:52.564 --> 01:27:54.524 Actor Rock Hudson has AIDS, 1815 01:27:54.566 --> 01:27:56.735 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. 1816 01:27:57.944 --> 01:27:59.571 I feel empty. 1817 01:28:00.905 --> 01:28:02.073 Dead. 1818 01:28:02.157 --> 01:28:03.700 I just feel dirty. 1819 01:28:03.742 --> 01:28:04.909 I feel unclean. 1820 01:28:06.161 --> 01:28:08.705 Filthy business we're in. 1821 01:28:11.041 --> 01:28:13.043 Time will wash it clean. 1822 01:28:13.626 --> 01:28:15.962 Who knows how much time there is left? 1823 01:28:18.757 --> 01:28:21.718 McGillin: I do remember, uh, when I first came to New York, 1824 01:28:21.760 --> 01:28:23.928 I was walking through Greenwich Village 1825 01:28:24.012 --> 01:28:27.390 and I passed a newsstand and the headline said, 1826 01:28:27.432 --> 01:28:29.392 "Rock Hudson has AIDS." 1827 01:28:29.434 --> 01:28:33.313 And it... I absolutely, I stopped breathing. 1828 01:28:33.396 --> 01:28:36.358 I will never, ever, ever forget that moment 1829 01:28:36.441 --> 01:28:39.819 of just, this can't be. 1830 01:28:39.903 --> 01:28:43.490 It was everything kind of wrapped up in one. 1831 01:28:43.573 --> 01:28:46.117 It was Hollywood and the closet 1832 01:28:46.201 --> 01:28:48.286 and the fact that Rock 1833 01:28:48.370 --> 01:28:50.288 had lived his life not able 1834 01:28:50.330 --> 01:28:52.374 to express who he was. 1835 01:28:52.457 --> 01:28:53.792 And it had come to that. 1836 01:28:53.875 --> 01:28:56.252 It scared the shit out of me. 1837 01:28:56.294 --> 01:28:58.755 It made me terrified 1838 01:28:58.797 --> 01:29:02.926 of contemplating being out in the gay world, 1839 01:29:02.967 --> 01:29:09.724 and, um, that, I think, delayed my coming out. 1840 01:29:09.808 --> 01:29:11.851 Announcer: What's the shocking reason 1841 01:29:11.935 --> 01:29:13.812 Rock Hudson hid his tragic illness? 1842 01:29:13.853 --> 01:29:16.314 Why has the news terrified his "Dynasty" costars? 1843 01:29:16.398 --> 01:29:18.692 -Inquiring minds want to know. -I want to know. 1844 01:29:20.110 --> 01:29:23.446 Evans: There were, to my shock, 1845 01:29:23.488 --> 01:29:25.323 people on the set 1846 01:29:25.365 --> 01:29:28.493 who wouldn't come into the makeup room when I was there. 1847 01:29:28.576 --> 01:29:29.953 There were people 1848 01:29:29.994 --> 01:29:31.496 who wouldn't work with me, 1849 01:29:31.579 --> 01:29:33.373 and so they had to change scenes 1850 01:29:33.456 --> 01:29:36.126 because I might have AIDS. 1851 01:29:37.168 --> 01:29:39.754 I had personal friends 1852 01:29:39.838 --> 01:29:42.257 who wouldn't come over to dinner. 1853 01:29:42.340 --> 01:29:44.426 I mean, people went into fear. 1854 01:29:44.509 --> 01:29:46.594 Tremendous fear. 1855 01:29:46.678 --> 01:29:48.680 I was never afraid I would have AIDS, 1856 01:29:48.722 --> 01:29:52.017 no matter what they printed, what science they told me. 1857 01:29:52.058 --> 01:29:55.186 I thought, "Where's your humanity or where's your compassion? 1858 01:29:55.270 --> 01:29:58.189 You know, what's wrong with this world right now?" 1859 01:29:58.273 --> 01:30:00.108 (frightful fanfare) 1860 01:30:00.191 --> 01:30:01.651 (masked figure laughing) 1861 01:30:01.693 --> 01:30:04.779 (crowd laughing, blowing horns) 1862 01:30:09.826 --> 01:30:12.162 Collart: The moment it was announced 1863 01:30:12.203 --> 01:30:13.913 that Rock had AIDS, 1864 01:30:13.997 --> 01:30:17.250 the hospital had only one concern: 1865 01:30:17.334 --> 01:30:19.711 get him out of the hospital. 1866 01:30:19.794 --> 01:30:23.131 They didn't want to have any connection, the hospital, with AIDS. 1867 01:30:23.214 --> 01:30:24.841 It was terrible, you know. 1868 01:30:24.883 --> 01:30:28.720 The only concern was, "He must go out of here." 1869 01:30:29.387 --> 01:30:32.307 And I start to call the airline 1870 01:30:32.390 --> 01:30:34.225 to book to fly back to LA. 1871 01:30:34.309 --> 01:30:37.979 And as soon I was giving the name of the traveler, 1872 01:30:38.063 --> 01:30:41.983 the answer was, "We don't take AIDS people on board." 1873 01:30:42.067 --> 01:30:46.154 And that's why I had to rent a plane, 1874 01:30:46.237 --> 01:30:50.450 a 747, for $250,000. 1875 01:30:50.533 --> 01:30:55.663 It was his money, and it was the only way to bring him back home. 1876 01:30:57.415 --> 01:31:01.961 I was made so aware of the silence, 1877 01:31:02.045 --> 01:31:05.882 this huge, loud silence regarding AIDS, 1878 01:31:05.924 --> 01:31:07.717 how no one wanted to talk about it, 1879 01:31:07.759 --> 01:31:10.011 no one wanted to become involved. 1880 01:31:10.095 --> 01:31:14.182 Uh, certainly no one wanted to give money or support. 1881 01:31:14.265 --> 01:31:20.146 And it so angered me that I finally thought to myself, 1882 01:31:20.230 --> 01:31:23.233 "Bitch, do something yourself." 1883 01:31:24.150 --> 01:31:28.363 Bill Misenhimer: I started work with Elizabeth in June of 1985 1884 01:31:28.446 --> 01:31:30.490 for the Commitment to Life event. 1885 01:31:30.573 --> 01:31:32.784 When Rock Hudson announced his illness, 1886 01:31:32.826 --> 01:31:35.036 the demand for tickets 1887 01:31:35.120 --> 01:31:36.329 skyrocketed. 1888 01:31:36.413 --> 01:31:37.664 He made 1889 01:31:37.747 --> 01:31:40.625 an incredible difference 1890 01:31:40.667 --> 01:31:42.210 in our ability to raise money. 1891 01:31:42.293 --> 01:31:44.129 Reporter: Once his condition became public, 1892 01:31:44.212 --> 01:31:46.798 the Hollywood community rallied around one of their own 1893 01:31:46.840 --> 01:31:49.134 and they turned out for a benefit to raise money 1894 01:31:49.175 --> 01:31:50.468 with which to combat AIDS. 1895 01:31:50.552 --> 01:31:52.387 A personal message from Hudson was read 1896 01:31:52.470 --> 01:31:53.805 by actor Burt Lancaster. 1897 01:31:53.847 --> 01:31:56.975 "I'm not happy that I have AIDS, 1898 01:31:57.017 --> 01:31:59.144 "but if that is helping others, 1899 01:31:59.185 --> 01:32:01.896 "I can at least know that my own misfortune 1900 01:32:01.980 --> 01:32:04.649 has had some positive worth." 1901 01:32:05.150 --> 01:32:07.819 Reporter: Just last week, Hudson himself contributed 1902 01:32:07.861 --> 01:32:10.155 $250,000 of his own money 1903 01:32:10.196 --> 01:32:12.240 to start a new foundation for AIDS research. 1904 01:32:12.323 --> 01:32:15.660 Misenhimer: It's tragic when anybody gets sick, 1905 01:32:15.702 --> 01:32:17.662 but his announcement was 1906 01:32:17.704 --> 01:32:19.956 the most profound thing 1907 01:32:19.998 --> 01:32:22.500 that had happened at that point. 1908 01:32:22.584 --> 01:32:25.253 He put a face to it. 1909 01:32:25.295 --> 01:32:27.630 He made a lot of people realize 1910 01:32:27.672 --> 01:32:29.883 that anybody could get this. 1911 01:32:29.966 --> 01:32:32.344 It helped destigmatize a disease. 1912 01:32:32.427 --> 01:32:33.845 It's hard to say 1913 01:32:33.887 --> 01:32:37.599 that he saved anyone because no one was saved. 1914 01:32:37.682 --> 01:32:39.851 Everybody died. 1915 01:32:39.893 --> 01:32:42.645 I'll tell you one thing Rock Hudson's announcement did do, 1916 01:32:42.687 --> 01:32:44.439 it gave people hope. 1917 01:32:44.522 --> 01:32:47.359 Because they were hopeless. 1918 01:32:47.400 --> 01:32:51.654 (peaceful flute music) 1919 01:32:53.531 --> 01:32:55.784 Garlington: He got the diagnosis. 1920 01:32:55.867 --> 01:32:58.203 I was totally shocked. 1921 01:32:58.286 --> 01:33:01.581 Famous people don't get sick, 1922 01:33:01.664 --> 01:33:06.878 uh, in my world of fantasy. 1923 01:33:06.961 --> 01:33:09.798 ♪♪ 1924 01:33:09.881 --> 01:33:11.800 I called up there and said, 1925 01:33:11.883 --> 01:33:15.679 "I want to come see Rock before he passes." 1926 01:33:15.720 --> 01:33:18.723 And I was told, uh, 1927 01:33:18.765 --> 01:33:23.687 "Rock is not capable of knowing who you are 1928 01:33:23.728 --> 01:33:27.232 "and you are better remembering him 1929 01:33:27.273 --> 01:33:29.234 in a better time." 1930 01:33:30.402 --> 01:33:32.904 And in a sense, that was true. 1931 01:33:34.823 --> 01:33:38.785 (contemplative music continues) 1932 01:33:42.747 --> 01:33:47.293 So I did not go see him, uh... 1933 01:33:47.377 --> 01:33:50.046 And I wish I had. 1934 01:33:50.088 --> 01:33:53.425 I feel very guilty for not going up 1935 01:33:53.508 --> 01:33:57.220 and holding his hand one last time. 1936 01:34:02.767 --> 01:34:05.228 What is it you think we saw, Captain? 1937 01:34:05.270 --> 01:34:10.358 The face of the devil? A lost soul? The sinner? 1938 01:34:10.442 --> 01:34:12.235 That's the word, isn't it? 1939 01:34:12.277 --> 01:34:13.611 No, I didn't mean that. 1940 01:34:13.653 --> 01:34:14.904 Why not? 1941 01:34:14.946 --> 01:34:16.990 Let's call a sinner a sinner. 1942 01:34:17.073 --> 01:34:19.451 We're all sinners, aren't we, Captain? 1943 01:34:19.534 --> 01:34:22.203 Sinner or saint, isn't that the choice? 1944 01:34:24.706 --> 01:34:26.833 Reporter: AIDS is primarily a disease 1945 01:34:26.916 --> 01:34:28.418 associated with homosexuals. 1946 01:34:28.460 --> 01:34:29.753 Talk of Hudson's lifestyle 1947 01:34:29.794 --> 01:34:31.129 has surfaced. 1948 01:34:31.171 --> 01:34:32.964 Hollywood columnist Rona Barrett. 1949 01:34:33.006 --> 01:34:34.883 At no time did Rock Hudson 1950 01:34:34.966 --> 01:34:38.845 ever flaunt his alleged homosexuality. 1951 01:34:39.679 --> 01:34:41.723 ♪♪ 1952 01:34:41.806 --> 01:34:43.266 Maupin: Rock was going 1953 01:34:43.308 --> 01:34:44.768 to die of AIDS, and then 1954 01:34:44.809 --> 01:34:46.478 the story would be told, 1955 01:34:46.519 --> 01:34:47.812 and I didn't want it 1956 01:34:47.854 --> 01:34:50.648 to be told in the way that the... 1957 01:34:50.732 --> 01:34:53.485 the people in Hollywood wanted it told. 1958 01:34:53.985 --> 01:34:56.488 So they think I'm a traitor. 1959 01:34:56.571 --> 01:34:58.907 I told you I'd be better off dead. 1960 01:34:58.990 --> 01:35:02.577 No man is better off dead, my friend. 1961 01:35:02.660 --> 01:35:05.455 Maupin: They needed someone to say that he was gay. 1962 01:35:05.497 --> 01:35:07.707 Nobody would say he was gay, 1963 01:35:07.791 --> 01:35:09.125 which was interpreted 1964 01:35:09.167 --> 01:35:11.044 at the time, amongst gay men, 1965 01:35:11.127 --> 01:35:12.921 as a sign of loyalty to someone. 1966 01:35:13.004 --> 01:35:14.756 But it wasn't for me. 1967 01:35:14.798 --> 01:35:18.093 I had to make the decision at that point in my life. 1968 01:35:18.176 --> 01:35:21.471 Uh, I'm supposed to tell the truth about this. 1969 01:35:21.513 --> 01:35:24.432 So I did an interview saying, 1970 01:35:24.516 --> 01:35:25.684 "Of course, he was gay. 1971 01:35:25.725 --> 01:35:27.435 "Everybody in Hollywood knew it 1972 01:35:27.519 --> 01:35:29.604 "and it has to be said. 1973 01:35:29.688 --> 01:35:31.314 And he was a lovely guy." 1974 01:35:31.356 --> 01:35:33.608 I stressed that. 1975 01:35:33.692 --> 01:35:36.528 "And anybody who acts shocked by this 1976 01:35:36.569 --> 01:35:38.405 "should just get over themselves 1977 01:35:38.488 --> 01:35:41.282 "because many, many people have died already 1978 01:35:41.366 --> 01:35:42.701 who were lovely guys." 1979 01:35:43.368 --> 01:35:46.246 Everybody had to learn at that point in history. 1980 01:35:46.329 --> 01:35:48.748 People had to learn how to behave about this subject. 1981 01:35:48.832 --> 01:35:50.834 Like grownups, you know. 1982 01:35:52.377 --> 01:35:54.462 This lamp isn't working now. 1983 01:35:54.546 --> 01:35:56.589 It's cold and it's dark. 1984 01:35:56.673 --> 01:35:57.799 All the parts are there. 1985 01:35:57.882 --> 01:35:59.300 It's a perfect light, but... 1986 01:35:59.384 --> 01:36:00.802 It's just not turned on. 1987 01:36:00.844 --> 01:36:05.306 Right. But if I turn the switch and establish contact, 1988 01:36:05.390 --> 01:36:08.268 the bulb will draw power from the powerhouse down at the dam 1989 01:36:08.351 --> 01:36:11.312 and it'll do what it was meant to do, which is to make light. 1990 01:36:11.396 --> 01:36:14.899 All right, so you're saying that people have a sort of powerhouse too. 1991 01:36:14.983 --> 01:36:16.985 Right. And when you establish contact with that, 1992 01:36:17.068 --> 01:36:18.611 you can do what you're meant to do. 1993 01:36:18.695 --> 01:36:20.697 You can fulfill your destiny. 1994 01:36:21.573 --> 01:36:25.076 The knowledge that this man, this beautiful, handsome man 1995 01:36:25.118 --> 01:36:28.079 that everyone had loved, had AIDS, 1996 01:36:28.163 --> 01:36:29.914 changed things completely. 1997 01:36:29.998 --> 01:36:33.001 It's when I approached him about coming out, uh, 1998 01:36:33.084 --> 01:36:35.628 six or seven years earlier, 1999 01:36:35.712 --> 01:36:39.924 I said, "You'll make a difference in how people perceive gay people." 2000 01:36:41.384 --> 01:36:44.304 Well, goodbye, and thanks for everything. 2001 01:36:44.929 --> 01:36:47.724 (somber music) 2002 01:36:47.766 --> 01:36:49.601 (door closes) 2003 01:36:49.642 --> 01:36:53.646 ♪♪ 2004 01:36:53.730 --> 01:36:56.816 Robert MacNeil: Actor Rock Hudson died today at age 59 2005 01:36:56.900 --> 01:36:59.361 after a year's struggle against AIDS disease. 2006 01:36:59.444 --> 01:37:02.030 His staff said he passed away peacefully in his sleep 2007 01:37:02.113 --> 01:37:04.282 at his home in Beverly Hills. 2008 01:37:05.283 --> 01:37:06.451 So he's dead. 2009 01:37:06.493 --> 01:37:08.953 Yes, we tried everything. 2010 01:37:11.790 --> 01:37:15.085 (soft, indistinct chatter) 2011 01:37:15.126 --> 01:37:17.629 It's just a very sad day. 2012 01:37:17.712 --> 01:37:20.632 Hudson: Don't be afraid. 2013 01:37:21.257 --> 01:37:23.885 Think of life as a shadowy place, 2014 01:37:23.968 --> 01:37:27.055 crowded with people who can't see each other very well. 2015 01:37:27.138 --> 01:37:29.349 -Don't block this. Get outta here. -Hunter: Get outta here. 2016 01:37:29.432 --> 01:37:31.226 Get outta here. What kind of people are you? 2017 01:37:31.309 --> 01:37:33.228 Don't you have family that you love? 2018 01:37:33.311 --> 01:37:35.605 Would you like this to happen to them or to you? Get outta here. 2019 01:37:35.647 --> 01:37:38.983 Hudson: Think also of a door, just beyond. 2020 01:37:40.568 --> 01:37:42.362 When that door opens... 2021 01:37:43.738 --> 01:37:45.031 we pass through 2022 01:37:45.115 --> 01:37:48.201 into a wonderful brightness. 2023 01:37:49.202 --> 01:37:50.662 Reporter: When did he go, roughly? 2024 01:37:50.704 --> 01:37:51.871 Early this morning. 2025 01:37:51.955 --> 01:37:53.665 I'd say about 8:30, 9 o'clock. 2026 01:37:53.748 --> 01:37:55.834 I've gotta go. Please let me go. 2027 01:37:55.917 --> 01:37:59.004 Just a gentle step from darkness to light. 2028 01:38:00.088 --> 01:38:03.008 From darkness to light. 2029 01:38:04.634 --> 01:38:08.471 Reporter: Have you anything to say for the fans? 2030 01:38:08.513 --> 01:38:11.558 Just that he was the best friend I ever had in the world 2031 01:38:11.641 --> 01:38:14.602 and we sort of grew up in this business together. 2032 01:38:15.478 --> 01:38:16.855 He... I can't. 2033 01:38:16.896 --> 01:38:18.690 Reporter: Oh, it's very important, sir. 2034 01:38:23.361 --> 01:38:26.031 And the wind came from the wilderness... 2035 01:38:28.033 --> 01:38:33.955 and it carried me where man can never reach alone. 2036 01:38:40.670 --> 01:38:44.132 (somber violin music) 2037 01:38:46.885 --> 01:38:48.762 Jillson: We lost a lot of friends. 2038 01:38:48.845 --> 01:38:51.139 I would say 150, 2039 01:38:51.222 --> 01:38:53.058 200, um, friends. 2040 01:38:53.099 --> 01:38:55.352 It was horrifying. 2041 01:38:55.393 --> 01:38:58.104 Carberry: Oh, it was terrible. 2042 01:38:59.439 --> 01:39:03.568 All we did do is go to funerals and fundraisers. 2043 01:39:06.196 --> 01:39:08.073 Reporter: Government funding of AIDS research 2044 01:39:08.114 --> 01:39:09.824 has increased $70 million 2045 01:39:09.908 --> 01:39:11.993 in the year since Hudson's death 2046 01:39:12.035 --> 01:39:14.829 and private fundraising for all AIDS organizations 2047 01:39:14.913 --> 01:39:16.706 has tripled. 2048 01:39:19.125 --> 01:39:23.088 Kevoian: His passing was incredibly profound for me. 2049 01:39:23.129 --> 01:39:25.924 And when I got home to LA, 2050 01:39:25.965 --> 01:39:29.094 I went to the Gay Men's Health Clinic 2051 01:39:29.177 --> 01:39:31.971 and I tested positive. 2052 01:39:33.014 --> 01:39:36.559 I was alone 2053 01:39:36.601 --> 01:39:38.228 and scared 2054 01:39:38.269 --> 01:39:41.106 and didn't know how to process it, 2055 01:39:41.189 --> 01:39:46.027 in 1985 when everybody, 2056 01:39:46.111 --> 01:39:48.363 all of my peers, you know, 2057 01:39:48.446 --> 01:39:51.282 people were passing constantly, 2058 01:39:51.366 --> 01:39:57.747 and of course I felt like I was going to pass as well. 2059 01:39:57.831 --> 01:40:02.627 But I started to live my life in a way 2060 01:40:02.669 --> 01:40:06.256 that I would say... 2061 01:40:07.966 --> 01:40:11.219 live life as fully as possible. 2062 01:40:11.302 --> 01:40:14.222 And I don't know how I survived or why I've survived. 2063 01:40:14.305 --> 01:40:16.808 And I keep asking God every day, you know, 2064 01:40:16.850 --> 01:40:18.101 what do you want me to do? 2065 01:40:18.143 --> 01:40:21.938 What, what is there left for me to do before I leave? 2066 01:40:21.980 --> 01:40:25.650 And I'm waiting to find out. 2067 01:40:25.734 --> 01:40:27.569 ♪♪ 2068 01:40:27.652 --> 01:40:30.947 Interviewer: Is there anything you fear in this life at all? 2069 01:40:30.989 --> 01:40:34.117 (laughing) Or the next one, I suppose? 2070 01:40:36.202 --> 01:40:38.246 I don't think so. 2071 01:40:41.041 --> 01:40:43.126 I used to, but I don't anymore. 2072 01:40:43.168 --> 01:40:48.173 And it's a very comforting feeling to not be afraid. 2073 01:40:49.758 --> 01:40:52.302 He died the death of a hero 2074 01:40:52.344 --> 01:40:55.055 and he deserves our tears. 2075 01:40:56.014 --> 01:40:59.684 So throw the dirt gently into his grave. 2076 01:41:01.603 --> 01:41:03.271 Take off your hat, 2077 01:41:04.189 --> 01:41:05.815 bow your head... 2078 01:41:07.108 --> 01:41:10.695 and read kindly his epitaph. 2079 01:41:10.737 --> 01:41:14.532 (contemplative music) 2080 01:41:14.574 --> 01:41:18.161 Reporter 1: He was seen as the All-American boy. 2081 01:41:18.203 --> 01:41:19.871 When the All-American boy gets AIDS, 2082 01:41:19.913 --> 01:41:22.665 it's really changed a lot of people's attitudes. 2083 01:41:22.707 --> 01:41:25.794 Reporter 2: When he died, longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor prayed 2084 01:41:25.877 --> 01:41:28.171 that he had not died in vain. 2085 01:41:28.713 --> 01:41:32.258 Elizabeth Taylor: Art lives on forever. 2086 01:41:32.342 --> 01:41:36.096 Unless we find a cure for AIDS, 2087 01:41:36.179 --> 01:41:39.766 there will be no forever. 2088 01:41:39.849 --> 01:41:41.393 And we will find it. 2089 01:41:41.476 --> 01:41:44.145 We will find it together. 2090 01:41:46.064 --> 01:41:48.900 Maupin: He pretty much did change the course of history around AIDS. 2091 01:41:48.942 --> 01:41:50.652 He didn't intentionally do it, 2092 01:41:50.735 --> 01:41:55.115 but there was no other star that made that kind of impact before. 2093 01:41:55.198 --> 01:41:57.742 There hasn't been one since, really. 2094 01:41:57.784 --> 01:42:00.036 ♪♪ 2095 01:42:00.078 --> 01:42:04.624 Actress: It is beyond your power to change the face of destiny. 2096 01:42:04.708 --> 01:42:07.711 Outside this place, there's a great evil. 2097 01:42:07.752 --> 01:42:11.756 Men speak of hatred and sharpen the knives. 2098 01:42:11.840 --> 01:42:14.384 I will make you well 2099 01:42:14.426 --> 01:42:18.221 and perhaps your life will find a new sweetness. 2100 01:42:20.015 --> 01:42:23.977 Actor: You don't have to prove anything anymore. 2101 01:42:24.060 --> 01:42:28.189 You are accepted. 2102 01:42:28.273 --> 01:42:32.986 You will be in your own new dimension. 2103 01:42:33.069 --> 01:42:35.405 ♪♪ 2104 01:42:35.447 --> 01:42:39.034 Hudson: You'll have to go on asking yourself, 2105 01:42:39.117 --> 01:42:40.869 what's your dream? 2106 01:42:42.746 --> 01:42:44.873 What's your dream today? 2107 01:42:48.376 --> 01:42:50.211 There's an old saying: 2108 01:42:50.295 --> 01:42:53.423 "Nobody really dies till he's forgotten." 2109 01:43:06.728 --> 01:43:09.898 ♪ Barry McGuire playing "So Long, Stay Well" ♪ 2110 01:43:13.943 --> 01:43:17.989 ♪ Little boy, go ride the pale horse in the park ♪ 2111 01:43:18.073 --> 01:43:19.491 ♪ Count the golden butterflies ♪ 2112 01:43:19.574 --> 01:43:21.409 ♪ Stay out till dark ♪ 2113 01:43:21.493 --> 01:43:25.163 ♪ Never mind the grownups who sing their old song ♪ 2114 01:43:25.246 --> 01:43:26.998 ♪ So long ♪ 2115 01:43:27.040 --> 01:43:29.292 ♪ Stay well ♪ 2116 01:43:29.334 --> 01:43:32.337 ♪ Love was here ♪ 2117 01:43:32.379 --> 01:43:36.007 ♪ And gone ♪ 2118 01:43:36.091 --> 01:43:39.928 ♪ Little boy, you're older, keep life while you can ♪ 2119 01:43:40.011 --> 01:43:43.848 ♪ Happy days and holidays so soon escape man ♪ 2120 01:43:43.890 --> 01:43:47.352 ♪ Soon you'll be a grownup and sing your own song ♪ 2121 01:43:47.394 --> 01:43:49.312 ♪ So long ♪ 2122 01:43:49.354 --> 01:43:51.272 ♪ Stay well ♪ 2123 01:43:51.356 --> 01:43:54.818 ♪ Love was here ♪ 2124 01:43:54.859 --> 01:43:58.029 ♪ And gone ♪ 2125 01:43:58.071 --> 01:44:02.450 ♪ Some other autumn will right all the wrongs ♪ 2126 01:44:02.534 --> 01:44:05.912 ♪ So long ♪ 2127 01:44:05.995 --> 01:44:09.958 ♪ Stay well ♪ 2128 01:44:10.041 --> 01:44:13.336 ♪ Love was here ♪ 2129 01:44:13.378 --> 01:44:15.213 ♪ And gone ♪ 2130 01:44:15.296 --> 01:44:17.549 ♪♪