From the 1950s: Tea and Sympathy

1956 Drama

From MGM

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

Starring

Deborah Kerr

John Kerr

Leif Erickson

Edward Andrews

Darryl Hickman

Norma Crane

Dean Jones

Tom Laughlin

Cesar Romero

I saw him in Brentwood, California... several times, in fact.  I was always impressed with his astonishing physical appearance.  He was tall, aristocratic, ramrod-straight posture, handsome with a great amount of silver hair and always dressed as though he was doing a photo shoot.  I remember one time watching a young girl shove an autograph book in his face as she said are you a movie star?  He gave her a huge, welcoming smile as he took the book and pen and said well I've done a few movies.

From the 1990s: Love! Valour! Compassion!

1997 Romance Comedy Drama

From First Line Features

Directed by Joe Mantello

Starring

Jason Alexander

Randy Becker

Stephen Bogardus

John Glover

John Benjamin Hickey

Justin Kirk

Stephen Spinella

Anthony Perkins

Hollywood tried to market him as the All-American boy next door but it was a tough, if not impossible, sale.  He was anything but that.  When his acting was free of his peculiar mannerisms he wasn't a bad actor at all but he had facial tics, darting eyes, halting language, fingernails to chew and long arms and legs that he didn't seem able to control. He was 6'2" and major skinny.  He reminded me of some sort of neurotic crane.

Movie Biographies: Nijinsky

1980 Biography

From Paramount Pictures

Directed by Herbert Ross

Starring

Alan Bates

George De La Peña

Leslie Browne

Alan Badel

Carla Fracci

Colin Blakeley

Jeremy Irons

Janet Suzman

Ronald Pickup

Mart Crowley

Dirk Bogarde

I came to know of Dirk Bogarde later in life... his life, not mine.  I was young.  I knew who he was but as a teenager I was not the least bit interested in English movies.  I wasn't interested in English actors unless, of course, they'd moved over here and made a slew of American films.  I was still in my Troy Donahue phase... what did I know about great English actors?

From the 1960s: Victim

1961 Drama

From Astor Pictures Corp.

From Basil Dearden

Starring

Dirk Bogarde

Sylvia Syms

Dennis Price

John Barrie

Peter Copley

Peter McEnery

Derren Nesbitt

John Cairney

Golden Age Bravado: Lon McCallister and William Eythe

They were both under contract to 20th Century Fox and its boss Darryl F. Zanuck was generally tolerant of having gay men in his employ.  After all, Tyrone Power, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price and Roddy McDowall and a few others collected paychecks at the West Los Angeles studio.  Zanuck was especially fond of Power and Webb.  But those men marched to the tune of their times.  They generally did what they were told and created no fuss.  The one thing they didn't do was live with another man.  That got the boss very angry.