At first I thought Van Heflin's character was just a loyal lieutenant to Johnny. Then when he cried in front of him I thought it turned into a man crush. When he suggested the two of them go out to the Rockies and climb some mountains together I think all doubt was erased. The first openly gay character in Hollywood history?
shareThis is well covered ground. Regardless of the homosexual undertones if you have to ask, is this the "first openly gay character in Hollywood history", then it is not.
shareNo ... Van Heflin plays an alcoholic with a co-dependant relationship to Johnny. There is no suggestion of any kind of sexual relationship between them. People need to get over this tendency to reinterpret every film relationship in the light of gay revisionism.
Unless there are overt references indicating otherwise, we can assume that characters in movies are heterosexual, i.e. like 90% of the general population.
Van Heflin's suggestion that they take a vacation together is just that - nothing suggests it's an invitation to have a gay relationship. Johnny Eager's interest in females is well established throughout the film.
Men can have deep affection for each other without it being sexual.
"gay revisionism"
That's funny!
"Johnny's interest in females is well-established"
An interesting point. He certainly talks a lot about his scoring prowess, and he does kiss Lana Turner (who can blame him) but at the end of the day, he rejects her and dies in Jeff's loving arms. Rejecting Lana Turner would in some circles be considered a 100% confirmation of gayness, but this being a Hollywood story of a confused and flawed protagonist, I guess he gets the benefit of the doubt. Jeff OTOH...
As I've said in another discussion thread: When it comes to movies, we should assume the characters are straight, i.e. heterosexual (just like 90% of the population), unless there is strong evidence that indicates otherwise.
This is particularly true of any movie made prior to, say, the 1990's (before gay marriage and the gay lifestyle became trendy and fashionable). A male character's rejection of a female romantic interest does not indicate that he his "gay."
"Jeff's loving arms ..." Please. An emotional bond between two men does NOT mean that one or the other is a homosexual. That could be the case, of course, but stronger, much more overt evidence is necessary before one can draw that conclusion.
If you don't think that men (or women) can feel deep affection and love for one another without it being a sexual relationship, then maybe you've got a problem.
When a relationship between movie characters "works" and makes sense in a "straight" way, then attempts to reinterpret their relationship as being homoerotic is simply seeing something that isn't there.
Of course there is no lack of "experts" on IMDb discussion boards who think they are smarter and more aware than everyone else and can read the "hidden gay subtext of a movie" that nobody else can see.
Pretty well every classic movie made before the 1980's has one of these "gay subtext" threads now, and frankly it's getting a bit tedious.
It's humorous how threatened you are by the possibility that a film made before 1980 may have a gay subtext. You act as though homosexuality was invented 30 years ago. Read up on Ben Hur (1959), Cabaret (1972), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Spartacus (1960), any play or movie by Tennessee Williams (who was gay), and countless others. There is no doubt that gay subtext exists in many films going back to silent movies. Volumes of books have been written on the subject and it is a legitimate discussion.
Sorry if the truth is "getting a bit tedious". Deal with it.
I agree with you. I didn't see gay undertones. Two guys can be close friends w/o sleeping with each other, even when one is exceptionally handsome.
Anyway, Eager had so many girlfriends, including Ms. Mines (or Miss Mines)(lol), where would he have to time for a homosexual relationship with his only friend- Jeff?
Still there are many people on this board who see the gay overtones. If I were more interested in the subject, I would look at the scenes more closely. But I am not especially interested in any supposed gay relationships between Eager and Jeff. It was a very enjoyable film, it had an oustanding cast, and the performances of the stars and character actors were superlative. Even Gypsy the dog was cute and funny. And Heflin had one of the greatest performances among all actors who won best supporting actor awards.
I usually scoff at the "gay subtext" posts, because usually they are ridiculous. However, in this case, obviously Johnny was not gay, but I think there is at least some possibility that Jeff was in love with Johnny.
share