S20E15: Rock Hudson
Explicit content warning
11/29/23 • 59 min
1 Listener
Hollywood heartthrob Rock Hudson was everywhere on American screens in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the man every woman wanted, and every man wanted to be, but what Hollywood knew and the public didn't was that Rock Hudson was a fabrication, a character in and of himself. Roy Harold Scherer, later Roy Fitzgerald, was turned into Rock Hudson by one of Hollywood's most notorious talent agents, Henry Willson, known as much for taking sexual advantage of the young men he made stars as for the stars themselves. Rock Hudson navigated the difficult waters of being a gay star in a time when that would have destroyed his career; when he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, he made the complicated choice to go public with the news. While he was abandoned by friends Ronald and Nancy Reagan, he became the face of an emerging pandemic so enmeshed with social issues that his candor arguably changed the course not only of the fight against AIDS, but of the gay rights movement in America and worldwide.
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Hollywood heartthrob Rock Hudson was everywhere on American screens in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the man every woman wanted, and every man wanted to be, but what Hollywood knew and the public didn't was that Rock Hudson was a fabrication, a character in and of himself. Roy Harold Scherer, later Roy Fitzgerald, was turned into Rock Hudson by one of Hollywood's most notorious talent agents, Henry Willson, known as much for taking sexual advantage of the young men he made stars as for the stars themselves. Rock Hudson navigated the difficult waters of being a gay star in a time when that would have destroyed his career; when he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, he made the complicated choice to go public with the news. While he was abandoned by friends Ronald and Nancy Reagan, he became the face of an emerging pandemic so enmeshed with social issues that his candor arguably changed the course not only of the fight against AIDS, but of the gay rights movement in America and worldwide.
Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces!
Sponsors
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/trashy today to get 10% off your first month.
To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to [email protected] or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/TrashyDivorces.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
S20E14: Hollywood Legend Loretta Young
Loretta Young's decades-long career, starting in 1917, was lauded in Hollywood. She's the winner of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the recipient of two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was married three times, but it's the affair with - or sexual assault by - Clark Gable, and the resulting child that became her "adopted daughter" that really tells the tale of the moral force that was Loretta Young.
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Sponsors
Get fresh, flavor-packed meals straight to your door from Factor. Head to factormeals.com/trashy50 and use code trashy50 to get 50% off!
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Next Episode
S20E16: "Washington's Greatest Swinger" Henry Kissinger
When the powerful and influential pass, we always like to take a look at their personal stories, and wow is Henry Kissinger's time in the limelight as Secretary of State to Richard Nixon a shocking document of weirdness. Hailed as "Washington's Greatest Swinger" (which meant something a bit more tame than it does these days), the bookish foreign policy expert became an unlikely sex symbol during a time of real tumult. Stacie has the unexpected, but apparently true, story.
Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces!
Sponsors
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/trashy today to get 10% off your first month.
To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to [email protected] or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/TrashyDivorces.
Sample Headlines
Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies (rollingstone.com)
Why Henry Kissinger Was “the Ultimate Starf—er” (hollywoodreporter.com)
Henry Kissinger and the surprising dating life of a West Wing ‘playboy’ - The Washington Post
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