Boze Hadleigh - Hollywood Lesbians: From Garbo to Foster

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Digital ISBN 978-1-62601-299-8

Print ISBN: 978-1-62601-300-1

First Edition August 2016

Portions of this book originally appeared in 1994 edition of Hollywood Lesbians published by Barricade Books.

Fans of Hollywoods golden age will find this collection of interviews conducted over many years revealing an enlightening picture emerges of Tinseltown, different from that presented in the fanzines. Publishers Weekly

The book is more than it seems because these women are great talkers. Booklist

I was curious about Hollywood Lesbians. I have now read the book. I am still stunned. Bea Arthur of The Golden Girls

Riveting! an eye opener!! Ellen DeGeneres

Part I.

Part II.

Part III.

2016

For years Ive been asked about doing a sequel or update to Hollywood Lesbians. When it was originally published back in 1994, Jodie Foster and Lily Tomlin (to name just two) were still in the closet, Hollywood Lesbians was a pioneering book with the frank title that I chose but which many people considered sensationalistic. It was unapologetic, descriptive, and effectivemore so, thanks to a New York Times ad that focused on the title. (Admittedly, the books ten subjects included bisexual women, but Hollywood Lesbians and Bisexuals would have been long and cumbersome.)

People were curious, so the book became a crossover success here and abroad. It spawned a sequel, Hollywood Gays, that did well, but not as well. The second book appealed primarily to gay men, as expected.

Women in general might be willing to read a book about gay men, but heterosexual men? Not so much. Whereas everybody was potentially interested in a book comprising ten interviews (nine in person) with lesbian and bisexual celebrities.

Women in particular wanted to know about the romantic and/or sexual realities of the actresses theyd seen playing straight in Bewitched and The Beverly Hillbillies, of the individuals behind characters like Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca or Ma Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle movies, as well as Barbara Stanwyck, Sandy Dennis, Capucine, eight-time Oscar winner Edith Head, etc.

Yes, I tried to interview Jodie, Lily, Ellen, Anne Heche, Rosie ODonnell, Bea Arthur, Queen Latifah, Sandra Bernhard, Kaye Ballard, and more. I actually got congratulatory notes or phone calls from a few of them. They read, relished, and appreciated Hollywood Lesbiansbut were glad they werent in it.

I did land a phone interview with Ann B. Davis, better known as Alice, the iconic housekeeper on The Brady Bunch, and its included here. However, that interview, like the one at Barbara Stanwycks house, was suddenly terminated when I got too close for conformist comfort.

Nowadays lesbian and bisexual actresses write their own books upon and after coming out. You can read about Ellen, Rosie, Jane Lynch, Meredith Baxter, and others in their own wordsa books worth each for the confirmed fan. Other celebs who came out since Hollywood Lesbians, like Jodie and Kristy McNichol (whos left the business), remain very private and shun interviews, let alone memoirs.

A new chapter in this updated edition looks at lesbian and bisexual actresses on the small screen. Did you know Grandma Walton and Marcy Darcy on Married with Children were lesbian? That Vivian Vances abusive third husband (she admitted to only two) accused her and Lucille Ball of lesbian behavior? (Vances happiest marriage was her fourth, to a gay man.) Of course you already know that Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City came out.

Back in 1994, nearly all of the following celebrity quotes would have been impossible. But times changethat is, if people push for changeand what you will read in this introduction and the rest of the book makes it clear that women then and especially now are more confidently accepting, courageous, and sharing of their own natural feelings than men are.

* * *

All women have been sexually attracted to another woman I can be attracted to a woman sexually.Cameron Diaz

I have dated women.Sharon Stone

Im dating women now. Its easier and more fun also less stress. And you get to talk about yourself you can discuss your feelings.Tatum ONeal

I think that at some time in every girls life theres another girl in school whom you cannot cease admiring. Shes bright, shes funny, her socks are just right, and if she chooses to walk down the hall with you, you float. And thats a crush, and girls have crushes on other girls in school. Usually women outgrow that. Sometimes they dont.Victoria Principal

Do I like women? I like women. Do I like them sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally Its weird. Women are so much more selective with women than they are with men.Drew Barrymore

Garbo and I starred in Grand Hotel but we had no scenes together. Alas. For her, and her alone, I could have been a lesbian.Joan Crawford

The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.writer-diarist Anais Nin

If I were a guy Id want to sleep with Victoria Beckham.Liz Hurley

If I was a guy Id wanna do Britney Spears.ex Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, who admitted to one lesbian fling

Ive been attracted to every single person Ive done a love scene with.Jennifer Tilly, who costarred with Gina Gershon in the bi-themed movie Bound (directed by the Wachowski brothers, now sisters)

An actress who reveals that she finds other women appealing or has had a same-sex affair may actually expand her fan base by saying so. But an actor has to think twice before allowing that he ever had a crush on, let alone a one-time thing with, any other guy. There is such a ridiculous disparity there.Neil Patrick Harris

She did it on a dare Julia is not gay.Julia Robertss publicist in 1996 after the star was photographed dancing topless in a New York bar and kissing a female patron

I dont want to be the great lesbian of the western world.columnist Liz Smith, comparing herself to Sandra Bernhard

There are lesbians wholl admit to being bionlybecause of their ex-husbands. Otherwise, people will wonder if the guy was gay, and often a lesbians ex-husband is.showbiz columnist Lee Graham

Guess Who/Dont Sue: Dont invite Miss Famous MGM Star to your party, or youll be sorry. Not only does she finish off bottles of wine, but once she gets plastered she starts getting chummy with the young female caterers.The Hollywood Kids in a 1991 column in Movieline magazine

When a woman comes on to a woman, the object may be pleased, secretly or otherwise. She may or may not feel called upon to act indignant.

Theres not the same level of panic as in a male, who if a man finds him attractive, may erupt in anger and violence. I witnessed this at a Hollywood party attended by a married Scientologist movie star whos known for coming onto male caterers and masseurs, etc. The police were almost summoned, and money had to change hands.psychologist-author Dr. Betty Berzon