Open Secret: Gay Hollywood--1928-1998
by David Ehrenstein

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Summary of Open Secret: Gay Hollywood--1928-1998

Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this revealing, entertaining, and provocative book explores the lives and careers of some of the silver screen's foremost gays and lesbians and shows the effect of their high-profile lifestyles on a general public still trying to figure out how homosexuality fits into the ever-evolving social landscape. From Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Greta Garbo to contemporary stars such as Nathan Lane, Rupert Everett, and Ellen DeGeneres, Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation from a time when it was box-office poison to be both prominently successful and publicly gay to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are not merely comfortable with their gay sexuality but actually celebrate it -- and are in turn celebrated for it.

If Randy Shilts and Kenneth Anger were to collaborate on a book, this would be it -- a wonderfully readable blend of serious insight and inside scoop that adds a new dimension to our understanding of Hollywood, homosexuality, and ourselves.

Open Secret flits from a visit to the set of the Ian McKellen-Brendan Fraser film Father of Frankenstein (based on the novel by Christopher Bram) to an analysis of Ellen DeGeneres's protracted coming-out process, from an overview of the impact of AIDS on the entertainment industry to the story of how Gus Van Sant almost made a movie of Randy Shilts's The Mayor of Castro Street. But the intersection of queer sexuality and Hollywood admittedly covers a lot of territory, and Ehrenstein does an admirable job of providing an overview. One bit of advice: skip over the very brief prologue, which tries a bit too hard to convince readers of the book's seriousness, and allow the informative and entertaining stories here to speak for themselves. --Ron Hogan

Performing Arts Books

• Books > Subjects > Arts & Photography
• Humor & Entertainment
• Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs
• History
• Nonfiction
• Health, Fitness & Dieting > Sex
• History > Americas > United States > 20th Century
• Social Sciences