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Summary
Summary
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
The definitive biography of the deeply complex and widely misunderstood matinee idol of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Devastatingly handsome, broad-shouldered and clean-cut, Rock Hudson was the ultimate movie star. The embodiment of romantic masculinity in American film throughout the '50s and '60s, Hudson reigned supreme as the king of Hollywood.
As an Oscar-nominated leading man, Hudson won acclaim for his performances in glossy melodramas (Magnificent Obsession), western epics (Giant) and blockbuster bedroom farces (Pillow Talk). In the '70s and '80s, Hudson successfully transitioned to television; his long-running series McMillan & Wife and a recurring role on Dynasty introduced him to a whole new generation of fans.
The icon worshipped by moviegoers and beloved by his colleagues appeared to have it all. Yet beneath the suave and commanding star persona, there was an insecure, deeply conflicted, and all too vulnerable human being. Growing up poor in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson was abandoned by his biological father, abused by an alcoholic stepfather, and controlled by his domineering mother.
Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Hudson was determined to become an actor at all costs. After signing with the powerful but predatory agent Henry Willson, the young hopeful was transformed from a clumsy, tongue-tied truck driver into Universal Studio's resident Adonis. In a more conservative era, Hudson's wholesome, straight arrow screen image was at odds with his closeted homosexuality.
As a result of his gay relationships and clandestine affairs, Hudson was continually threatened with public exposure, not only by scandal sheets like Confidential but by a number of his own partners. For years, Hudson dodged questions concerning his private life, but in 1985 the public learned that the actor was battling AIDS. The disclosure that such a revered public figure had contracted the illness focused worldwide attention on the epidemic.
Drawing on more than 100 interviews with co-stars, family members and former companions, All That Heaven Allows finally delivers a complete and nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating stars in cinema history.
Author Mark Griffin provides new details concerning Hudson's troubled relationships with wife Phyllis Gates and boyfriend Marc Christian. And here, for the first time, is an in-depth exploration of Hudson's classic films, including Written on the Wind, A Farewell to Arms, and the cult favorite Seconds. With unprecedented access to private journals, personal correspondence, and production files, Griffin pays homage to the idol whose life and death had a lasting impact on American culture.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli) meticulously documents Rock Hudson's private life as a closeted gay man against the backdrop of his glittering film career and public persona as a sophisticated ladies' man. All the trappings of a Hollywood success story are present, and Griffin takes a scholarly, carefully researched look at Hudson's early life and upbringing in a small Illinois town near Chicago, his complicated rise to fame, his off-the-books relationships with men, and his death from AIDS-related complications in 1985. The Hudson that emerges is at once a glamorous and tragic figure: constantly in fear of being exposed by the press and even his closest friends, Hudson lived a life of quiet desperation, manipulated by the studio star system, at the mercy of a predatory agent, and pursuing a string of secret and unsuccessful relationships with men. Despite a colorful cast of characters that ranges from Hollywood royalty (Carol Burnett, Doris Day, and Elizabeth Taylor all feature), to Newport Beach party boys, Hudson himself remains a cipher. As a result, film fans will find Griffin's book an informative piece of scholarship, but not a particularly enjoyable story. (Dec.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A thoughtful exploration of the career and elusive private life of Rock Hudson (1925-1985).It's surprising that in the three decades since Hudson's death, there has been little written about him that could be considered comprehensive. Previous biographies came from past lovers and friends, and each seemed to have an agenda, often salacious. Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli, 2010) goes a long way toward rectifying this issue, casting a respectful light on some fresh as well as familiar details. The author begins with Hudson's difficult childhood: Born Roy Scherer, he and his mother were abandoned by his father when he was just 5, and his mother would eventually remarry an abusive alcoholic. Griffin then moves on to his various jobs and his brief stint in the Navy before he arrived in Hollywood. Like Hudson's friend Marilyn Monroe, his early recognition in Hollywood was largely attributed to his exceptional good looks, and he also experienced sexual exploitation on his path to stardom. He was taken under the wing of the powerful yet notoriously lecherous agent Henry Willson. After appearing in several largely forgettable films and signing a long-term contract with Universal Studios, Hudson established his mark as an accomplished actor and romantic lead under the guidance of talented directors such as Douglas Sirk and George Stevens. Yet it wasn't until Pillow Talk (1959) that Hudson found his sweet spot as a versatile comedic actor. In the 1970s, he found renewed fame on TV as the star of the hit series McMillan Wife. Griffin pays equal attention to Hudson's private life as a sexually active yet closeted gay man, and he explores his complex relationships with both sexes. Throughout, he provides a balanced, multifaceted view of his subject. By the end of his life, having disclosed his exposure to HIV, his professional and private lives were forced to merge. Yet his death would bring much-needed recognition and funding to the AIDS epidemic.An engrossing and carefully documented account of a beloved film icon's life. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Tall, chiseled, sultry Rock Hudson was box-office beefcake at the height of Hollywood's Golden Age. Through such epic sagas as Giant and swoon-worthy rom-coms like Pillow Talk, Hudson's debonair good looks, effortless charm, and stereotypical masculine swagger made him the talk of the town. Yet it was frequently what was going on in his off-screen life that threatened to generate headlines, and not in a good way. At a time when anything other than a healthy heterosexual lifestyle was career poison, Hudson's closeted homosexuality was one of Tinseltown's best-kept secrets, so much so that when he finally revealed his AIDS diagnosis shortly before his death in 1985, just before he would have turned 60, shock waves reverberated around the world. From his impoverished upbringing in an abusive, Depression-era home in Winnetka, Illinois, to his indefatigable efforts to forge a worthy career in movies, television, and theater, Hudson's rags-to-riches story is revealed by Griffin's comprehensive overview of Hudson's filmography as well as his frank but objective discussion of Hudson's complicated personal life.--Carol Haggas Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Roy Fitzgerald was christened with one of the most memorable stage names in Hollywood history when at age 22 he became Rock Hudson at the behest of his Machiavellian agent, the infamous but savvy Henry Willson. Persuasively arguing that Hudson should be regarded more seriously, journalist Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli) wends his way through the film icon's 37-year career, paying particular attention to works such as Magnificent Obsession, Giant, A Farewell to Arms, his trilogy of romantic comedies with Doris Day, and the 1966 cult classic Seconds. In addition to examining Hudson's development as an actor, Griffin also explores how the icon, who was gay, was forced to conceal his -sexuality. Relying on a cornucopia of interviews, the author provides trenchant cinematic insight and social criticism along with an equally abundant trove of bon mots and anecdotes. VERDICT Director Douglas Sirk, who worked with Hudson on eight films said, "The only thing which never let me down in Hollywood was my camera. And it was not wrong about Hudson." -Griffin's lens also puts Hudson in beautifully focused light. For all film collections.-Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Author's Note | p. xi |
| Introduction | p. xv |
| 1 Winnetka | p. 1 |
| 2 Green Gin | p. 18 |
| 3 A Unique Appeal | p. 28 |
| 4 Universal | p. 50 |
| 5 "We Want Hudson!" | p. 75 |
| 6 Double Technicolor | p. 93 |
| 7 Is Rock Hudson afraid of Marriage? | p. 110 |
| 8 Giant | p. 134 |
| 9 Written on the Wind | p. 149 |
| 10 A Farewell to Arms | p. 168 |
| 11 The Tarnished Angels | p. 179 |
| 12 Pillow Talk | p. 194 |
| 13 Strange Bedfellows | p. 228 |
| 14 Seconds | p. 260 |
| 15 Whistling away the Dark | p. 283 |
| 16 McMillan & Wife | p. 303 |
| 17 Blue Snow | p. 336 |
| 18 Christian | p. 360 |
| 19 This Is Your Life | p. 391 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 409 |
| Notes | p. 415 |
| Bibliography | p. 451 |
| Index | p. 457 |
