They called them "theatrical" or "perpetual bachelors," but we call them GAY-and we've always been a little baffled looking back at the proto-homos of yore and wondered how their big secret got so well kept. We understand that before AIDS and parades we weren't exactly on the suburban radar, but COME ON NOW. After the jump, we continue our series on pioneering gays who used to be called, simply, "a little funny."
Truman Capote
1924-1984
He started out as a precocious young boy who wrote a novel at the age of nine and inspired the precocious Dill character in friend Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. He became a literary wunderkind and witty New York socialite following the publication of Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948), in which one of the main characters is a tranny. By the 70s he was an alcoholic shadow of himself, trolling Studio 54 and eventually dying in friend Joanne Carson's guest room in 1984 with a stomach full of gin and pills. How did Middle America not know he was a cock smoker?
The Evidence Mom Ignored
Occupation: writer, social butterfly, professional gossip and talk show regular. 8 out of 10 gay points (we added an extra point for Breakfast at Tiffany's and another for the Black and White Ball)
Appearance: a big fan of fedoras, sunglasses and scarves in later life but as a young twink liked to cultivate a more impish, preppy look -- exemplified in this author photo in which the Los Angeles Times said looked like he was "dreamily contemplating some outrage against conventional morality." 9/10
Demeanor: made fey hand gestures, had a lady's voice and nasal delivery-all famously mimicked by Philip Seymour Hoffman. 10/10 Beards: never married a woman, but kept company with a host of New York socialites including Lee Radziwell and Babe Paley. Spent six months of every year in later life living with Joanne Carson (Johnny's ex-wife) but maintained longtime companionship with writer Jack Dunphy. 6/10
Minstrelsy: In the words of Gore Vidal, he served as "amusing pet" to a bevy of wealthies; and he performed regular minstrel duty (much like Charles Nelson Reilly) on The Tonight Show. 9/10
Total: 42 - Steady Blaze (see scale)
How was his out-ness not so out? As one of our own mothers puts it, "He was just a real character... gay wasn't even in the vocabulary." For anyone who was looking, he never much hid his sexuality and was rather bent on raw honesty. In 1980, he wrote: "I'm not a saint yet. I'm an alcoholic. I'm a drug addict. I'm homosexual. I'm a genius. Of course, I could be all four of these dubious things and still be a saint.''
Now, a couple clips from the vault... This first one is a tantalizing bit of backstage footage, allegedly after a Rolling Stones show, including Truman talking about taking everyone to "54" and Andy Warhol making faces for the camera (the YouTuber attributes this to a Rolling Stones tour in '72, however that is clearly wrong as Studio 54 didn't open until 1977).
And in this clip, we have a reluctant Truman lisping through his best rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" in answer to the question "What's your favorite country song?" on The Dean Martin Show.
They called them "theatrical" or "perpetual bachelors," but we call them GAY-and we've always been a little baffled looking back at the proto-homos of yore and wondered how their big secret got so well kept. We understand that before AIDS and parades we weren't exactly on the suburban radar, but COME ON NOW. After the jump, we continue our series on pioneering gays who used to be called, simply, "a little funny."
Truman Capote
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