What do you make of this line?

I think you are seeing the "subtle" gay jokes through too modern a filter. "Beddini" is affirming his opinion that he is more exceptional than any common man, and "Tonetti" is presented throughout the film as being somewhat of a simpleton in his interests. I'm not saying that the writers might not have offered these lines up as double entrendes (nor am I saying that they did,) but audiences of the day would have taken the comments at face value.

Or maybe I'm wrong...who knows? Just sharing my first reaction to your statement.

Other Astaire-Rogers movies do include subtle gay jokes, however, such as in "Top Hat": "I am no man, I am Beddini!" and "The Gay Divorcee": "Your wife is save with Tonetti; he prefers spaghetti!"
=========
If you're looking for not-so-subtle hints about Tonetti in _The Gay Divorcee_, you'd do better to consider Cyril Glossop's (Ginger Rogers's husband) refusal to believe that "that hairdresser" is anything other than a paid co-respondent.

--Balok

I don't think there was anything meant by it. The line was completely sarcastic.

Hollywood has had gay people in its midst since practically the beginning of the film industry in America. By the time of the Astaire/Rogers films, many of the stars, directors, producers, and other workers at the studios were gay. Homosexuality is not a new invention, it's simply that people are mor aware of it now. It is not "coming through modern eyes and ideals". Those "questionable" lines in these films were absolutely double entendres. Since it was impossible to get past the censors to have overt gay characters on screen it had to be done on the sly by using these lines. While I agree that most likely the majority of the "straight" audience took what they heard at face value, the gay of the time definitely knew what was going on and got the jokes.

"So what happened? Well, the government (and censorship) happened. After 1934, movies had to abide by a set of rules called the Hays Code (this was before movie ratings) in order to get a release date."

I don't know if it was your intention, but you make it sound as if the government had something to do with creating the Motion Picture Production Code (popularly called the "Hays Code" after MPAA chairman Will Hays). In fact, the code was enacted and enforced by the movie industry itself, as a way of self-censoring to thwart threats of federal censorship, and to dilute or eliminate the power of state and local movie censor boards which were common at the time. Also, hundreds of low-budget exploitation movies made outside the Hollywood studio system played on theater screens across the country without a Production Code seal of approval.

Although the Production Code was written in 1930, the industry didn't start enforcing it until about halfway through 1934, so movies made before then may properly be referred to as 'Pre-Code."


All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?

Just saw it -- the line is "I think of him constantly" and it seems pretty clear to me that it is sarcastic and meant to mean "I think about how to get rid of him and get you back to your career."

I am alert to the coded references to homosexuality in films of the era, but I just don't think this is one.

Well, there seem to be quite a few different ways to interpret that line.

I had thought that Jerome's character means, "Oh, I'm always thinking about Joe," that poor guy who's stuck with your temperament. Otherwise, why wouldn't he also be captivated by Fred and his dancing instead of joining forces with Edward Everett's character to try to frame Linda and Peter?

Perhaps we may further analyze to end up with quite a list of potential interpretations.

I took the line "Oh, I'm always thinking about Joe." as exactly how to get rid of him as well. He'd previously described the marriage as a potential disaster for his own career.

-being that he didn't even like the guy I doubt he'd be saying he lusted after him!

You need to remember what this movie is: just some G-rated fluff (does anybody even KISS in the entire film?) intended to draw in mainstream audiences and make a ton of money.

At a time when they were concocting fake marriages between gay stars and well paid women to avoid image problems they wouldn't hang it this far over the line.

Controversy could actually shutter this movie from theaters, and before television and home video this was utter death for a movie, it could end careers too.

The actor that said this was either straight or hiding being gay really well. If HE interpreted the line that way I bet he would have refused to say it on camera, at the time rumors of homosexuality could have cost him future roles and income too. -we all have to earn a living!

This is a movie from such an innocent time they proposed that a photo of a guy and girl together in their PJs is PROOF they must be married! (There was just no other possibility...)

-how does that sound to modern sensitivities?