No slash, please...

[mylodon]

We went to see the local amateur dramatcis production of Red, Hot and Cole last night. Nice little production, good ensemble singing, a couple of great soloists.

One thing - how can you do a 'life story' of Cole Porter and not even allude to the fact that he was gay? (And it wasn't just that the production was prudish; they sang the 'King Kong' version of 'You're the Top'.)

Comments

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well exactly. How can you film The Vintner's Luck and remove the ENTIRE gay romance? Knox literally wept buckets about what they did to her book.

I read the other day (Chris Smith gave me the link) about this:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-10/was-a-wwii-classic-too-gay


Although back then, it was not surprising they changed the plot. Nowadays I find it hugely annoying and insulting when they do.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

So do I. I have no idea when this musical dates from - that might explain a lot.

Interesting about From Here to eternity. Plenty of guardsmen have eked out their pay by hanging around London's gay bars doing the same thing.

[cassiopaya.livejournal.com]

"I don't slash - don't ask me, I don't slash - don't ask me, 'cause my pen just won't do what my heart tells it to!"

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

LOL. Nice one.

[jestana.livejournal.com]

What? Seriously? That's just ridiculous! *headdesk* Honestly! I just tried to do a search for it and there doesn't seem to be much information out there about this particular musical. That indicates, to me, that it's fairly recent, which makes the omission all the more glaring and ridiculous.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew more about this musical and its origins. Very odd all round.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I found a listing for this title in 1998-99, so it's been around for awhile. There was also a "Red, Hot, and Blue that seems to be related. But, hell, go back 30 years and that's the way ALL biopics were. Really, it's only since some years after Stonewall that anything other than what you describe was even possible. My gaydar went off in the -- was it Cary Grant? -- film when someone remarked that Porter was 'too much of a gentleman' on a date with her. But the movie ends with him reuniting with his wife. I'll bet you anything most of our parents' generation didn't know about his other interests.

Besides, it's Christmastime, so "family" entertainment is the theme... and for an awful lot of people, still, anything that admits the existence of same-sex attraction isn't for the "family."

(shrug) It's still terrific music.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

Red Hot and Blue was a music project, 1991 ish to raise money for AIDs support.

I'm sure that only people 'in the know' were aware of what cole was like, back in the Cary Grant biopic days, but by the time we hit the 1990's I'd have thought we were more open. well, perhaps over here - I keep forgetting this probably originated in the USA.

'Family' entertainment I get, although seeing as they happily sang the 'high colonic, self abuse' version of 'You're the Top', it seems a bit hypocritical. :)