MovieChat Forums > Mr. and Mrs. North (1943) Discussion > Was the character of 'Stu' Blanton . . .

Was the character of 'Stu' Blanton . . .

posted 15 years ago by iwals
1 reply | jump to latest

supposed to be interpreted as gay? I ask because about 38 minutes in he is being interviewed by the police, and he goes on about how he likes to cook (although this is important because he uses it as an alibi). When he invites the detectives over for dinner, one of the detectives makes a sarcastic face like a girl swooning or something similar. Also, this conversation goes on while he is being massaged by a man, which in itself wasn't unusual then. In addition, he is single and has a man servant. Again, not in itself gay. Please don't think I'm homophobic, it's just that I think it is interesting to have a portrayal of someone who at the time would have been regarded as outside of the mainstream of society, even if only through implication.

Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.

[–] dmh7-1 15 years ago

All the things you mention - in and of themselves (and as you say) - wouldn't make the character gay. But that plus the detective's face obviously makes it plain that he is either gay or (at the least) that the detective thinks he is. I suspect the former. TCM had a special series of films just on this sort of thing: minor characters in films of this time which implied as being homosexual. The interesting thing is that - despite the sarcasm involved in such scenes as this - the character is not portrayed as being horrible, nor are they overly vilified, as is done by the far right religious groups today: they are used comedically, and are still "allowed" some degree of social acceptance - "Stu" is hardly the worst person in the film, and - furthermore - he is part of a greater social group that seems not to be overly concerned with his sexual orientation. In this case, it becomes particularly interesting I think that they only person who appears to notice his nature is a cop, a representative of authority, and of the power elite. But it is still a rather mild noticing. Almost charming...