I have a blast from the past for you today, Farley Granger, handsome actor from Hollywood's golden age.
We saw his great Hitchcock film
Strangers on a Train over the weekend. Farley plays a tennis star who inadvertently gets mixed up in murder with deranged Robert Walker. Here's Farley in his tennis shorts:
For my money, Farley Granger is one of the best looking men ever to come out of Hollywood. What a dreamboat. Here he is with Robert Walker:
The gay subtext in this film practically leaps off the screen. Two handsome, well groomed men meet on a train, one is a tennis star. They immediately take to each other and their lives will never be the same. You get the point. Several times, I thought they were about to kiss. Farley certainly knows something about a longing glance. If the film were made today, I believe they would have had a crazy affair, or at least a one night stand.
Farley was also in the Hitchcock film
The Rope, shown here with John Dall. That was another film with strong gay subtext. Two handsome, well groomed (notice a trend?) have a sophisticated dinner party in a chic Manhattan apartment. The only problem is, there's a dead body stashed in a trunk. I know, I know, the gays always had to kill somebody. It was the 40s and 50s. Farley appeared on
The Celluloid Closet to discuss Hollywood's treatment of gay characters.
Why was Farley so perfect in these movies? Talent and looks? Of course. Plus - surprise - he's gay. He wrote an autobiography a few years back,
Include Me Out, My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway. He discusses his various love affairs including Leonard Bernstein and Patricia Neal. Maybe it's more accurate to call him bisexual. He's still alive and kicking today. Here he is with his partner of many years, Robert Calhoun:
What a good-looking couple. Reportedly, they're still together today.
10 comments:
I'd like to give credit to one of my favorite actors whom I discovered on TCM. The actor pictured next to Farley is John Dall. John was rumored to be gay and had a short career. The films that he will be remembered for are "Rope" and "Gun Crazy" a little seen film noir movie which has become a cult favorite because of John's performance.
i like this. thanks for sharing. :)
Farley Granger was my very first crush when I was a young, starry eyed 10 year old attending Saturday afternoon matinees at the Roosevelt Theater in Downingtown, PA. Remember all those films he and Shelley Winters starred in together? Every time he came on the screen my breath would catch. I was hooked on Farley until Guy Madison came along in that sexy buckskin outfit on "Wild Bill Hickock.
I crushed hard on Farley Granger in Strangers on a Train. I'm a sucker for a tennis man. :)
I love Farley. But don't watch the Hollywood version of SoaT. Ruins the whole thing.
Patricia Neal was basically a gay man herself so I don't think you'd really have to call dear Farley bi for hitting that.
"Reportedly, they're still together today."
Robert Calhoun died two years ago. But yes, they were still together at the end.
not to nitpick but it's John Dall not Robert Doll
Farley Granger departed the scene on Sunday 27 March 2011 at age 85 ...
His four most well known films were ' The Purple Heart ', ' They Live by Night ', ' Rope ', and ' Strangers on a Train ' ...
He appeared to always be very smooth and relaxed as a performer and was extremely popular in the days of our youth ...
He was always very pleasant and quite agreeable when seen and spoken to on the street.
He is indeed very good looking. I will miss him.farley granger
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