Bonus video! James Dean's Maybe-Boyfriends ... and Does it Even Matter if he Was Gay?

Elizabeth Taylor mentioned James Dean being gay in her GLAAD Award speech. Great speech from an icon and hero to the LGBTQ community. https://youtu.be/ElSCFzpYWrc?si=LIozydo6PW3ozcOp

You know what, if Sal said he saw JD on the windshield, I wouldn't debate him on that.

James dean said he wasn’t gay but was very open here’s his quote “No, I am not a homosexual. But I'm also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back."

Just checking you’ve seen the James Dean/Paul Newman screen test for East of Eden? A few different versions on YouTube, some a bit out of sync. Lots of chemistry but not very fraternal.

Okay, this one is a bit cheeky, as it’s slightly self-promotional; but it’s in the service of a greater good, I promise! See, I’ve become kind of fixated on this obscure 50s show, The Buccaneers, which I’m convinced is secretly about a gay love story. In fact, I’m so fixated I’ve started to do a blog about it (which is where the self-promotion comes in; here’s the link: https://firstgaytvshow.wordpress.com/). After Zoobilee Zoo, you may be thinking, “What? Again?”, but I swear I don’t do this on the regular. If I had a nickel for every time I came across an obscure kids’ TV show from decades ago and become convinced it was queercoded, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejcpbytf-Dg) But I’m also obsessed with two of the people behind The Buccaneers: Hannah Weinstein, the executive producer (who left America for England to get away from McCarthy), and Sidney Cole, the main non-executive producer (who apparently never married and also is listed on Wikipedia as being the “long-term friend” of director Thorold Dickinson, so… hmm). They also made other shows together, just about all of which do interesting things with the queercoding. In their most successful show, The Adventures of Robin Hood, they really play around with it: queercoded male villains are normally supposed to be cowardly, but oh look, here’s an episode where the Sheriff of Nottingham (who is subtly but distinctly queercoded, and who is also currently wearing a black-leather-and-studs outfit which falls somewhere on the spectrum between “armour” and “fetish gear”) is shown to be braver than any of his soldiers; he’ll go into the plague hospital when they won’t. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZr6tvFGAOg Then there’s another episode where Robin Hood, having trapped the Sheriff in one of his own prison cells, reaches through the bars to pat/stroke him, very briefly, on the cheek. Which does seem to slightly imply that, whatever emotion might be behind the Sheriff’s determined pursuit of Robin, it… may not be entirely unreciprocated. That moment is about 19 minutes in, if you don’t want to watch the whole episode; however, the rest of the episode does have Robin Hood in drag, if that’s something you think you might like to see! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUY7v3bC55M&t=1160s Anyway, do you think there might be a video in that? Like, a proper one, on YouTube and everything? Or if not in that alone, maybe something about the history of queercoding in kids’ media and you could mention Cole and Weinstein in passing? I just really want more people to know about them, and the things that they did. And okay, yes, I do also want more people to read my blog; but I swear, I wouldn’t be pushing for this if it was just me. It’s this show. If I’m right, Cole and Weinstein used The Buccaneers to tell a really amazing story, a love-story for the ages; and no-one ever even noticed. Or if anyone did, they didn’t record it publicly, and the knowledge has been lost. I don’t want it to be lost. I really think this is neglected queer media; you know, like Straight Jacket. Oh, and while I’m frantically chucking things into the mix in an attempt to get you interested in this show, I remember once you mentioned that you liked the geek/jock dynamic in a relationship; well, the couple in The Buccaneers have that going on in absolute spades.

You mention that you have talked about Boze Hadleigh elsewhere. Can you send me in the right direction to see what your observations on him were?

My husband, who’s 14 years older than I, was drafted in the mid 60’s to go to Vietnam. Part of his being drafted was answering a list of questions, one being are you attracted to members of your own sex. My husband had just been in the Seminary for three years on his way to the priesthood, but he couldn’t take the vow of chastity. So, being such an honest person, he answered the draft questionnaire truthfully. He was asked to come into an office, and they questioned him some more and even showed him pictures of naked men and asked if the was attracted to them. He answered truthfully and was 4 F’d. My husband was very brave to be so truthful and admit his orientation at a time when men would rather be drafted and go off and possibly die than admit that truth! And, yes James Dean was quite different for the time period. Also, he made a few huge classic films in a short period of time before his death.

No, can't close the book on that one, at least I can't, because when I first saw the film with james franco, I had already known about that quote for years and was delighted they had included it in the movie. I first read about it in some scandal book or magazine when I was in high school 78-81, so whether or not it was a true quote, the quote was certainly around at least 20 years before the movie was made. I'm trying to remember a likely source, Kenneth Anger, maybe? Oh, I should have read up above first, lol But that second quote you labeled 74 has a print date of 56, so that seems to be pretty close to when the quote was actually made. The "Mutant King" may be where everyone else got the quote. I'm sure I read my version in the sex lives book that came out in 81 and who most likely used the earlier work as it's source.

If he indeed claimed to be gay to avoid registering for the draft, he would have certainly have had to have been interviewed by an Army psychiatrist. It would likely have been THAT doctor that he kissed.

Regarding Dean's claim of getting out of the draft by claiming homosexuality, saying he "kissed the doctor"....YES! A medical exam was absolutely part of the process...and not one's one doctor (ie, getting a doctor's letter), but the local draft boards performed the exams. (this clip is British, but it gives you an idea) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXLf64LrRjw&t=67s

James Dean was a talented and attractive man. One would think many (many) women could speak to dating/relationships over his life.