The Gay Aesthetic
@jmlx_john2 • 5,789 subscribers
An appreciation of classic films, vintage photography, and gay influences in literature and the arts.
Videos
23 June 1973 – Bette Midler’s breakout hit, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, hits #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts. Bette’s version of the classic swing tune, originally introduced and popularized in 1941 by the Andrews Sisters, was included on her debut album, The Divine Miss M, which reached Billboard's Top 10 and became a million-selling Platinum-certified album earning her the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Bette x 3 = 🩷
The Gay Aesthetic47,176 views • 18 days ago
In celebration of Pride, we’re remembering those that came before. Our video scrapbook today is dedicated to the men of the war years. For thousands of gay men, World War II served as an unintentional, massive coming out experience. For the first time ever, this “great awakening” allowed homosexuals – from farms, ranches, and small towns across the country – to discover they were not alone. On their way to the front – in cities like New York, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles – they experienced their first contact with other men like themselves. Look at these faces. Romance couldn’t help but blossom. But our hearts break when we contemplate what the future held. Some, separated by the exigencies of war, never knew what happened to their newly discovered “friend”. Some returned home to the life of a deeply closeted “straight” man with a wife and children. Some didn’t return at all. But the very existence of these photos, likely hidden away for years, speaks to the love these men discovered. And perhaps never found again.🏳️🌈
The Gay Aesthetic24,917 views • 27 days ago
![It was the early 70s, and while most people were tuned into The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, and Happy Days, director John Waters (b. 22 April 1946) had the audacity to peel the scrim off the fantasy American family and reveal what was really going on behind those carefully managed facades. And it wasn’t pretty. In this laugh-out-loud clip [watch below] from Female Trouble (1974), high school hellion Dawn Davenport (Divine) goes berserk and bludgeons her mother with the family Christmas tree when she isn’t gifted with the Cha-Cha heels she covets. Happy Holidays from the Davenport Family. And while in my opinion the rest of the film is almost unwatchable, these two scenes are worth the price of admission (and the acquisition of the Criterion Blu-ray). Following his Trash Trilogy (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living), perennial favorites on the weekend Midnight Movie circuit, Waters released his 1981 film Polyester, starring Divine and former teen idol Tab Hunter. In a stylistic tribute to outré director William Castle, with a gimmick called Odorama, moviegoers were provided “scratch-and-sniff” cards with which they could smell what they were viewing on-screen. Trust me, it wasn’t pleasant. The film proved to be a financial success and what one critic called a Waters picture “that can be shown in the daytime.” Following Polyester, John’s movies became less controversial and saw him moving into the mainstream while retaining his edge and inventiveness. Hairspray (1988), his most successful picture, was later adapted into a hit 2002 Broadway musical (the winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical) with a 2nd film version in 2007 (itself an adaptation of the stage show) starring an alarmingly plump John Travolta as Edna Turnblad. Hairspray was followed by Cry-Baby (1990) with Johnny Depp, which also became a Broadway musical nominated for four Tony Awards; Serial Mom (1994) with Kathleen Turner; Pecker (1998) with Edward Furlong and Christina Ricci; Cecil B. Demented (2000) with Melanie Griffith; and A Dirty Shame (2004) with Tracey Ullman (having received mixed reviews and bombing at the box-office, it is his last film so far). So, whenever you feel like thumbing your nose at the sacrosanct, need a laugh or just the tart taste of subversiveness, pop in Hairspray (the original – soon to be released by Criterion) or pull up our favorite scenes from Female Trouble. And to that we’ll add – long live John Waters. And remember Divine.](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2046967269427658865/amplify_video_thumb/2046813927078789120/img/Oc4BHOZxCrQWjd5d.jpg)
It was the early 70s, and while most people were tuned into The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, and Happy Days, director John Waters (b. 22 April 1946) had the audacity to peel the scrim off the fantasy American family and reveal what was really going on behind those carefully managed facades. And it wasn’t pretty. In this laugh-out-loud clip [watch below] from Female Trouble (1974), high school hellion Dawn Davenport (Divine) goes berserk and bludgeons her mother with the family Christmas tree when she isn’t gifted with the Cha-Cha heels she covets. Happy Holidays from the Davenport Family. And while in my opinion the rest of the film is almost unwatchable, these two scenes are worth the price of admission (and the acquisition of the Criterion Blu-ray). Following his Trash Trilogy (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living), perennial favorites on the weekend Midnight Movie circuit, Waters released his 1981 film Polyester, starring Divine and former teen idol Tab Hunter. In a stylistic tribute to outré director William Castle, with a gimmick called Odorama, moviegoers were provided “scratch-and-sniff” cards with which they could smell what they were viewing on-screen. Trust me, it wasn’t pleasant. The film proved to be a financial success and what one critic called a Waters picture “that can be shown in the daytime.” Following Polyester, John’s movies became less controversial and saw him moving into the mainstream while retaining his edge and inventiveness. Hairspray (1988), his most successful picture, was later adapted into a hit 2002 Broadway musical (the winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical) with a 2nd film version in 2007 (itself an adaptation of the stage show) starring an alarmingly plump John Travolta as Edna Turnblad. Hairspray was followed by Cry-Baby (1990) with Johnny Depp, which also became a Broadway musical nominated for four Tony Awards; Serial Mom (1994) with Kathleen Turner; Pecker (1998) with Edward Furlong and Christina Ricci; Cecil B. Demented (2000) with Melanie Griffith; and A Dirty Shame (2004) with Tracey Ullman (having received mixed reviews and bombing at the box-office, it is his last film so far). So, whenever you feel like thumbing your nose at the sacrosanct, need a laugh or just the tart taste of subversiveness, pop in Hairspray (the original – soon to be released by Criterion) or pull up our favorite scenes from Female Trouble. And to that we’ll add – long live John Waters. And remember Divine.
The Gay Aesthetic17,072 views • 2 months ago
With Douglas Sirk’s color-saturated melodramas “Magnificent Obsession” (1954) and “All That Heaven Allows” (released 25 Dec 1955, trailer below), Rock Hudson emerged from leading man status into a bono fide movie star and became the poster boy for 1950s sensitive masculinity.
The Gay Aesthetic28,248 views • 6 months ago
Xmas just ain’t Xmas without this tender mother/daughter scene featuring Constance Ford, Sandra Dee, and the most pathetic Christmas tree ever caught on film. (And BTW, John Hunter is Sandy's step-brother, lover, and baby daddy.) From “A Summer Place” (1959), I give you this --
The Gay Aesthetic24,388 views • 6 months ago
Guy Madison (b. 19 Jan 1922) was an American film, television, and radio actor. Despite making over 70 films, he is best known for starring in the Western TV series, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951 – 1958). So, was he, or wasn’t he? Although married twice and the father of four children, the rumors persist. But I’m sure whoever or whatever Guy Madison wanted was his for the asking. Discovered by the notorious agent and sexual manipulator, Henry Wilson, it’s no wonder his orientation has been the subject of significant posthumous discussion and biographical claims (many of them spurious at best). Wilson himself often repeated a tale involving a liaison between Guy and another of his clients, the darkly handsome and slightly dangerous, Rory Calhoun. But that may have just been Henry’s wishful thinking. Regardless, Guy Madison may not have won any awards for his acting, but, oh my! Here’s TGA’s birthday video tribute to perhaps the best-looking man Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The Gay Aesthetic19,220 views • 5 months ago
![Born 23 March 1906, at only 5’3”, she became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. And she frequently credited her relationships with gay men for making her so. Her support for those relationships stemmed from her own early experience of being "denigrated and despised". Fiercely loyal, a disparaging remark about “homosexuals” would get you shown to the door. And uncommonly devoted, during an era when Hollywood was deeply intolerant, she often protected her gay friends’ privacy and supported them both financially and emotionally. There was Adrian, the costume designer, who taught her style. Cukor, the director, who taught her acting. Ramon Novarro, the star, who took a young ingenue under his wing at the start of her career and who she repaid in kind, decades later, when alcohol and erratic behavior had ended his. Cesar Romero, her escort and dancing partner between husbands. And Billy Haines, her lifelong best friend. When he was blacklisted by MGM in 1933 for refusing to end his relationship with his partner Jimmie Shields, she stood by him and helped him transition into a career as a top interior designer, becoming the first in line to hire him to decorate her homes. And finally, there was Stanwyck, with whom she shared a remarkably deep and enduring friendship that spanned over 50 years, from the 1920s until her death in 1977. Like many of her ardent gay fans, she had escaped a hostile, unforgiving environment to reinvent herself and become who she was always meant to be. Lucille LeSueur. Billie Cassin. Joan Crawford. Legend. [click to play]](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2036098461204975903/amplify_video_thumb/2036098380867530753/img/ht7WHtBs42whFRuN.jpg)
Born 23 March 1906, at only 5’3”, she became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. And she frequently credited her relationships with gay men for making her so. Her support for those relationships stemmed from her own early experience of being "denigrated and despised". Fiercely loyal, a disparaging remark about “homosexuals” would get you shown to the door. And uncommonly devoted, during an era when Hollywood was deeply intolerant, she often protected her gay friends’ privacy and supported them both financially and emotionally. There was Adrian, the costume designer, who taught her style. Cukor, the director, who taught her acting. Ramon Novarro, the star, who took a young ingenue under his wing at the start of her career and who she repaid in kind, decades later, when alcohol and erratic behavior had ended his. Cesar Romero, her escort and dancing partner between husbands. And Billy Haines, her lifelong best friend. When he was blacklisted by MGM in 1933 for refusing to end his relationship with his partner Jimmie Shields, she stood by him and helped him transition into a career as a top interior designer, becoming the first in line to hire him to decorate her homes. And finally, there was Stanwyck, with whom she shared a remarkably deep and enduring friendship that spanned over 50 years, from the 1920s until her death in 1977. Like many of her ardent gay fans, she had escaped a hostile, unforgiving environment to reinvent herself and become who she was always meant to be. Lucille LeSueur. Billie Cassin. Joan Crawford. Legend. [click to play]
The Gay Aesthetic12,992 views • 3 months ago
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Start with a heaping portion of personality, add a big voice, stir in a pinch of pathos, season with sex, fold in generous helpings of nostalgia, costumes, make-up and hair, mix well, then bake for two hours and serve hot as the “Musicals That Made Us Gay!” (1972 – 2002) #film
The Gay Aesthetic37,180 views • 2 years ago
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