MovieChat Forums > Lost Boundaries (1949) Discussion > Gay Undertones

Gay Undertones

posted 8 years ago by xdayton
3 replies | jump to latest

Could the flirting between Howard and his buddy Arthur have been any less subtle? When they performed their musical number at the party, the googly eyes were pretty blatant. I suspect the director and producers were signaling that the movie's plea for tolerance wasn't just about race.

And no, I don't think that's a stretch. Consider: The actor playing Howard, Richard Hylton, was long rumored to be gay. He committed suicide in 1962 when the rumors drove him out of the business. And the actor Carleton Carpenter, who played the sister's boyfriend, was openly gay very early on, coming out to the public in the 1970s.

A pretty gay-friendly production, I'd say. A very cool example of post-war lefties getting their message across.

[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

When I started to read your post I thought you might be gay and jumping to see "gay" everywhere. By the time I finished it was clear that you are a reactionary hyper-conservative seeing leftists everywhere.

I'm also watching the movie now and I don't see any gay overtones at all. The two college friends are displaying mutual appreciation for their respective talents.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] Popcorngal (4345) 4 years ago

I agree,they were close pals. End of story.

[–] mdonln 8 years ago

xdayton says > Could the flirting between Howard and his buddy Arthur have been any less subtle? When they performed their musical number at the party, the googly eyes were pretty blatant. I suspect the director and producers were signaling that the movie's plea for tolerance wasn't just about race.

It's so very sad that this is what we've come to these days. Some people actually think everything anyone does is cloaked in sex. If a man smiles at another man, he must be gay? Seriously? That's nonsense!

One of the reasons I love older movies is because, unlike current TV shows and movies, there was no need to be Politically Correct. Today, based on how many gay characters there are or gay issues are covered, one would think that every other person is gay. That's simply not the case.

In modern movies, people jump in and out of bed with no regard as to who they're sleeping with. They also don't seem to care if they're doing it with a man or a woman. It's pretty sickening and it gives young people the impression that this is what's considered normal. It most definitely is not!

We can't keep taking what a minority of people are doing and project it onto the way the majority of us live. What's common in movies today may be normal in a few areas, pockets, of the country but I'm certain most people not behaving in these ways. Thank God!

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]