By Ronald Constantino
STILL ABOUT – Per readers’ requests, it’s still about gay Hollywood.
It’s ironic that Hedda Hopper was such a homophobe. She tried to yank Cary Grant out of the closet and printed that Michael Wilding (Elizabeth Taylor’s second husband) and Stewart Granger had an affair. Yet her only child (actor William Hopper of “Perry Mason”) was in love with Raymond Burr. You know who told me, so? Lucille Ball. Lucy wasn’t right-wing, but she and Hedda Hopper were very good friends, and Hedda told Lucy all the latest gossip – except about Bill Hopper. – gossip columnist JOYCE HABER
That German actress (Marlene Dietrich) wanted to wash my hair. She came into my dressing room – we were both at Paramount – and made the offer. I had to turn her down – I was afraid she didn’t mean the hair on my head. – MAE WEST
Cheetah bit me whenever he could. The (Tarzan) apes were all homosexuals eager to wrap their paws around Johnny Weismuller’s thighs. They were jealous of me, and I loathed them. – MAUREEN “JANE” O’SULLIVAN
I lived with Don Johnson, I discovered him, put him in a play set in prison with a gay theme (“Fortune and Men’s Eyes”). I lived with both Don and his sister, and people imagined all sorts of things. I’ll put it like this: Yes, I’m bisexual, and blond guys are my favorite type, and I did enjoy seeing Don nude on the stage, and on the silver screen, for that matter. Who wouldn’t? So what – SAL MINEO
Johnny Mathis came out of the closet. Why does that seem redundant? – JOHNNIE RAY
You can’t go around getting flowers from a fag like that. – ANDRE AGASSI to Pete Sampras after Sampras received a good-luck bouquet from tennis fan Elton John.
Yeah, I’d like to make movies. Things like “Silence of the Gerbils” with Richard Gere or “Bambi Goes Butch” with Jodie Foster. – JUDY TENUTA
(Source: “Hollywood Babble On” by Boze Hadleigh)
