MovieChat Forums > LGBT Film > Gayest performance of the Hayes era?

Gayest performance of the Hayes era?

posted 8 years ago by Art Snob
4 replies | jump to latest

Has anyone ever seen a gay actor playing an overtly gay character in a movie from the Hayes era? I've seen a lot of old movies, and I didn't think that there was such a performance. Then I saw Clifton Webb in THE RAZORS EDGE and was amazed at how blatantly he played a gay character. He even mentions that he's "not an ordinary man" while passing a cocktail glass to a friend limp-wristed. Did any other actor push the envelope on gayness during this era?

[–] coldnaps 8 years ago

Laughton, Sign Of The Cross
Lorre, Maltese Falcon

[–] Art Snob 8 years ago

I'll have to check out Laughton, but Lorre's performance was MUCH more subtle than Webb's. I don't think he was gay in real life, either. (Was he?)

[–] coldnaps 8 years ago

I don't believe so. His performance was subtle, but it left no doubt

[–] Art Snob 8 years ago

Webb might as well be wearing a flashing neon sign. Note the 1:23 mark of this two-minute clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyEF3oc09NQ