film typical of sixties stories with gays SPOILERS

FYI, you may already know this as this is an old thread. But the character of Brig Anderson was based on a real person who took his own life based on a similar incident. Per IMDb trivia:

"The blackmail attempt is based on the case of Wyoming Senator Lester C. Hunt, who was blackmailed by members of the Republican Party. Hunt was told by Sen. Styles Bridges that if he ran for re-election that November, the details of his son's arrest (for soliciting prostitution from a male undercover officer) would end up "in every mailbox in Wyoming". Hunt eventually agreed to step down, but eleven days later committed suicide in the Capitol."

You already spoiled this with your heading.. Could please remove "GAYS" from it. This is a great film I understand your anger with it but your headline does spoil a major shock for people who have never seen this film or even "the Celluloid Closet".

Well HONEY - that's the way Hollywood was allowed to present us.

Check out "Children's Hour" with Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn. In that flick, there is an honest attempt to portray same-sex "feelings". Unfortunately, the confessor-ess (MacLaine) ends up killing herself - per the Hollywood Production Code.

"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"

I agree with how the story was told. And I missed a point by the wife in my earlier viewings. She blamed herself for their lackluster sex life. It made me consider today that Brigham might be gay, but wanted to fight it. Something the Code would never state explicitly. Originally, I thought he was looking for comfort, and only had those feelings for Ray. That he chose the life he wanted, instead of having it chosen for him.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

Having been 26 at the time this movie was released, I think the gay issue was treated pretty much the way it was perceived back then. However, director Otto Preminger goes too far at one point and indulges in a gratuitous gay bash.

Brig gives Ray a short punch as the senator is leaving the gay bar, a weak jab that would never send a small man sprawling, much less a big muscular fella like Ray. OK, so it’s just one of thousands of bad fake blows delivered in Hollywood movies. But then comes the shot that would seem to indicate that director Otto Preminger did not like gays one bit: Ray falls flat-faced into the gutter, the length of his body drenched in black muck. I see no reason to close the scene with this ugly image; it served only to humiliate the Ray character.