A CONVENTIONAL DITHER

[bk]

Well, you've read the notes, the notes were in a conventional dither, and now it is time for you to post until the conventional cows come home (in a dither).  

[bk]

And the word of the day is: REDUX!

[DakotaCelt]

hmmm,

TOTD...
Toughie....

I was not aware of Gays until I was almost in college. I first met a gay person when I was in high school when a cousin of mine came out of the closet. Some relatives were  horrified but I shrugged my shoulders, no biggie. He had other qualities... I believe if you treat a person with respect, hopefully they will return that back to you. Not always but one can hope...

On the telly.... that is a bit tougher.... I did not watch a lot of television growing up for living on a farm it was rather frowned on unless chores were done. Listening to radio, etc was much more accepted. Also my grandparents did not let me watch a lot for they did not like the message a lot of shows presented. Too much sex! was her mantra... Usually news and Lawrence Welk on the weekends. Sometimes Jeopardy.

It was actually fun listening to the storytelling ona  summer's night outside on the porch. Taht was a blast... I heard some great tales from my grandfather and his cousins.

I would say the first obviously gay person I saw on the telly was Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served. On the silver screen it was Latrell from Revenge of the Nerds.

Right now I am trying to remember a name of a character taht was gay on General Hospital and he later developed Aids. I can picture him....

[Tomovoz]

TODT:  I don't think I saw "Tea & Sympathy" when it was released .

My memories of "Gay" film characters are both from 1959!
"Suddenly Last Summer" and "Carry On Sergeant".

(Shame and Humour!).

I doubt if I understood much of the former film at 13.

[George]

I can't seem to remember when I was first aware of a blatantly gay character...the earliest one that I can remember wasn't even an actual blatently gay character:  Tony Randall in the TV show "Love, Sidney."  I remember reading that he was supposed to be gay, but that they couldn't actually say that he was.  

[elmore3003]

Good morning, all!  I was up quite early since I have a day in the recording office, working on the handwriting question interrupted yesterday by the discovery of the breakin.

Then, I shall hie myself back here to work on orchestrations for the Men's Chorus concert.

TOD:  SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER and TEA AND SYMPATHY.

[Mike]

It must have been someone like Franklin Pangborn or Edward Everett Horton or any of the other character actors that regularly play the effeminate, snobby type of characters that they played. Couldn't tell you which one but it had to be a film I saw on TV.

The first gay character I remember seeing on screen was in the film Dirty Harry, when the sniper is deciding which person to kill and in his scope he looks at two gay men. I remember them being a little bit "swishy" and over the top. But this was 1972 or so and that was the stereotype I guess.

[DearReaderLaura]

Jody on Soap.

[Jrand62]

Hmmm.....Barbara Rush....oh wait that was yesterday.

Tornado watches here all day, but I have to go to work today (and tomorrow!) so I won't be here much.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Anyway - TOD:

Probably the first gay person I remember in a film was in ADVISE & CONSENT - although everybody talked very fast and it was a short scene.

A lot of times a character would play gay - but then the script would give him a wife and children (Jack Cole in DESIGNING WOMAN).

The first gay character I remember REALLY liking was Billy Cage played by Kevin Coughlin in WILD IN THE STREETS....  And now Max Frost and the Troopers are singing "The Shape of Things to Come" for Target!  Kevin did a nice job, although he didn't look 14 years old....

Don't remember many on TV - although now there are LOTS of gay characters....  

[Jrand62]

Here is a website about Kevin.

http://beshkov.tripod.com/

Some nice BIG pics of Kevin.

He died tragically in a hit and run accident.  Kevin had memorable roles on THE NAME OF THE GAME, JUDD FOR THE DEFENSE, and DRAGNET on tv in the late 60's-early 70's.

[Jrand62]

MBARNUM - I am not sure that Don Burnett is in these photos.  I will scan one tonight and you can let me know if it's him.  I only found some photos from DAMON & PYTHIAS, and it's hard to tell if he is in the ones I have.

[Jrand62]

Off to work.

[Charles Pogue]

First "blatantly" characters in a film or a play were probably those in BOYS IN THE BAND.  I can remember buying a record album( I still have) of the play.

But it was pretty obvious to me long before that that Joel Cairo in THE MALTESE FALCON, played by Peter Lorre, was a homosexual,

[JoseSPiano]

Good Morning!

Blatantly gay character?  Hmm...  The only thing that comes to mind right now was when I did that production of Company twenty years ago.  Almost all the guys in the cast were gay.  The rest were married.  And confused.

[JoseSPiano]

Well, I slept in a bit later than I would have liked to, but since I don't have to be anywhere this morning...

However, I'm going to hie myself down to Ripley-Grier to check in on the auditions for the upcoming non-Eq tour of The Producers.  In fact, DR Jason will be auditioning today!  He just called me, and the turnout it surprisingly light - only about 75 people there right now.  Hmm...  I'm guessing the female call on Wednesday will be a bit busier.  In any case... In any case...

BREAK A LEG, DR JASON!



And then I'll hop on down to the Recording Office and help out DR elmore with some deciphering.  Then a break in the afternoon before heading to the Alvin Ailey building for a one hour work-through of The King & I with the producer of the upcoming Asia tour of that show. And then...

Well... I better get going...

Laters...

[MBarnum]

I think the TV series SOAP was my introduction to a gay character on television...although I had seen Hot L Baltimore some years earlier, but I didn't know from gay at that time.

[DearReaderLaura]

Broken leg vibes to DR Jason!!

[PennyO]

Good audition vibes to DR Jason! And belated ones for DR Matt from yesterday - an email rejection? oy...

And to GEORGE!!! Yes, please, I would love to have NEVER from ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY... Please email me at Malibran@aol.com and we'll work out the details. Bless you, boychik!

[Matt H.]

Thanks, DR PennyO. I am relieved the audition is over. As I've said several times, I never feel sickly anxious before, during, or after a show I'm performing in, but I've NEVER been to an audition where I didn't feel very uneasy before things got started. I hate auditions!

[Matt H.]

Best wishes and crossed fingers to DR Jason on his audition! Break a leg!

[Matt H.]

Good morning!

It was a beautiful spring-like morning when I got up to get the newspaper. As the morning has progressed, the clouds have rolled in (rather than "by"), and it looks like we may have rain later. Still, going to be a warm day - 80 or higher.

[Matt H.]

After reading the play of THE BOYS IN THE BAND, I, too, bought that A&M original cast recording of the play which I also still have.

As far as seeing gay characters for the first time, I guess it was MIDNIGHT COWBOY.

As for as on TV, THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen played lovers in that. I'd love to see it again.)

[Matt H.]

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE premieres tonight with two episodes: at 8:30 and at 9:30 (which will be its regular timeslot). I haven't read a single negative review of the show, so I'm looking forward to seeing the 8:30 premiere episode. I'll be recording the 9:30 one because I'll be watching '24' by then.

I think the show's title is crappy, however.

[FJL]

TOD:  The first I was aware of was in the film SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY.  

But the most noteworthy to me was in FIFTH OF JULY, the first time I saw an entertainment where a lead charcter was gay, and it was pretty much not even an issue in the play - he was just gay, and that was that, everybody accepted it, no angst, no tsouris over it.

[FJL]

Retroactive audition vibes to MattH - wishing you good results out of those auditions.

Audition vibes also to Jason.

[Matt H.]

DR JRand, about that waltzing last night. The choreographer did an entire pattern with turns, shifting positions, and ultimately switching partners. This, of course, is the opening waltz in the show when the characters are switching off always going to the wrong partner.

There weren't enough men to go around last night, so I had to start the pattern with four different women, and only the first one I danced with had mastered the steps. The others I was basically jerking around on the stage.

[Matt H.]

Thank you, DR FJL. Auditions continue tonight, so we'll see what happens. I wanted Mr. Lindquist, so I suspect most the men will be scrapping for those principal parts.

[Matt H.]

Also, new episodes of MEDIUM and CSI: MIAMI tonight. A great night for new '24.'

(Fox is rerunning the last episode of PRISON BREAK before it went on hiatus. It will continue with new episodes next week.)

[Matt H.]

Heading down now to get cleaned up and then to lunch with best friend John.

WBBL.

[vixmom]

Just caught up with the weekend posts


My deepest sympathies to you Danise on the loss of your pet Brandi