So, what's the deal with Jody, the National Guardsman played by Marjoe Gortner? We see that his room is filled with male bodybuilding magazines and muscleman photos, which would lead us to think he's a closeted homosexual. But later he tries to rape Victoria Principal (who definitely did NOT look like a man!). Was he conflicted about his sexuality? Or was he just a psycho?
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Not that there's anything wrong with that...
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I would say Jody was not gay beacuse he obviously had an attraction to Rosa portrayed by Victoria Principal. Yes Jody has a crazy weird attraction to her but he did like her so i would say Jody is not gay.
The King of TV Comedy : John Ritter
Hollywood has a tendency to make their less liked characters gay. I guess that makes it easier for the general public to dislike them. He has homosexual tendencies so he must be insane or bad. Hollywood has been doing it for many many years.
shareLooks Like to me Jody was just a macho man want to be. Those posters were probably what he hoped to be someday with his weights.....so someday he could get a woman like Rose
shareYou know, I've seen this movie many times and it never occurred to me that Jody might be gay. This was the first movie I had seen with Morjoe Gortner and he terrified me. I was only about 8 when I saw the movie and he made quite an impression on me. I would see him from time to time in the years following the movie and I would always get an uneasy creepy feeling. I could never see him in another movie without thinking of his character in Earthquake.
shareMaybe. Since he ended up being psycho, we have to question everything about him.
His portrayal as a right-wing, military nut follows a long tradition in Hollywood (beginning around this period) of depicting the military as psychotic, or in some other way pathetic. Overcompensating for homosexual self-loathing is certainly not beyond the psycho-babble related to this type of perspective. The fact is, however, that the movie never really addresses it specifically; there's never a moment when it's established that he's gay. I think the specualtion is valid, however.
Looks Like to me Jody was just a macho man want to be. Those posters were probably what he hoped to be someday with his weights
Bingo Mitch.
It is even referenced by the bullies when they are trying to come clean with him later on - they tell him "we knew you weren't gay. We knew you like to lift weights."
"All I want in life is a thirty share and a twenty rating."
Maybe those three losers were gay themselves. Hanging out together all day so they could obnoxiously intimidate him when he returned.
If they were such "men", why didn't they have girlfriends? L.A. has scores of single, available women.
And most homophobes who "assume" someone is gay might also be trying to "shift the blame" onto someone else. Typical a$$hole behavior; accusing someone else of their problems. Those who nose into other peoples' $hit are the worst kinds of "queers"
Many loser boys feel more manly after calling someone else a "fag". And why should it really matter to them if he was?
Glad he cut them down, though he was a sad mess himself.
Guess Earthquakes do bring out the worst in some.
But it has stopped these last 8 years for sure.
shareI couldn't even understand his entire situation. He's the manager of a supermarket, yet he can only afford to live in a rooming house where these guys just hang around and harass him when he gets home? They must sit there all day and wait for him. His return home is the highlight of their entire day.
share"I couldn't even understand his entire situation. He's the manager of a supermarket, yet he can only afford to live in a rooming house"
He was saving up his money to start a karate club.
He was saving up his money to start a karate club.
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Maybe gay... bisexual... maybe not; who knows. Anyways, the important part is that he´s absolutely hilarious with that squeaking little voice, bizarre self image and nutty behaviour of his; definitely one of the best parts of the film.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
He was definitely CRAZY/NUTS (as Rosie screams).
Back then, the "conflicted" homosexual character was always convenient for dramatic effect.
Jody's/Marjoe's background is certainly suspect: pinups of hot muscle guys - under the presumption that he wants to be "manly."
On the other hand, his treatment of Rosie/Victoria is classic "conflicted" gay: berating her while never actually proclaiming an attraction to her.
"Looking for Mr. Goodbar" had a similar character.
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"
Maybe everyone just seems to dismiss the fact that in his locker in a close up shot, he is looking at a picture of what appears to be a nude woman posing. The body builder pics were aspirations, as he had weights and other devices for strength training in the house. The fact that he was all about getting it on with Pricipal's charatcer is clear enough of an example to show he wasn't gay, just obsessed. Obsessed with working out, obsessed with her, and obsessed with getting revenge.
shareIf Jody was gay then so was the teenage Arnold Schwarze-whatever growing up in Austria, because he had posters of bodybuilders in his room. He even wrote that when he first had the chance to meet one of his body building heroes, I think it was Reg Park, he was all giddy with anticipation. I don't think anyone thought Arnold was gay.