All That Heaven Allows

September 10, 2018
Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli) meticulously documents Rock Hudson’s private life as a closeted gay man against the backdrop of his glittering film career and public persona as a sophisticated ladies’ man. All the trappings of a Hollywood success story are present, and Griffin takes a scholarly, carefully researched look at Hudson’s early life and upbringing in a small Illinois town near Chicago, his complicated rise to fame, his off-the-books relationships with men, and his death from AIDS-related complications in 1985. The Hudson that emerges is at once a glamorous and tragic figure: constantly in fear of being exposed by the press and even his closest friends, Hudson lived a life of quiet desperation, manipulated by the studio star system, at the mercy of a predatory agent, and pursuing a string of secret and unsuccessful relationships with men. Despite a colorful cast of characters that ranges from Hollywood royalty (Carol Burnett, Doris Day, and Elizabeth Taylor all feature), to Newport Beach party boys, Hudson himself remains a cipher. As a result, film fans will find Griffin’s book an informative piece of scholarship, but not a particularly enjoyable story.

October 1, 2018
A thoughtful exploration of the career and elusive private life of Rock Hudson (1925-1985).It's surprising that in the three decades since Hudson's death, there has been little written about him that could be considered comprehensive. Previous biographies came from past lovers and friends, and each seemed to have an agenda, often salacious. Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli, 2010) goes a long way toward rectifying this issue, casting a respectful light on some fresh as well as familiar details. The author begins with Hudson's difficult childhood: Born Roy Scherer, he and his mother were abandoned by his father when he was just 5, and his mother would eventually remarry an abusive alcoholic. Griffin then moves on to his various jobs and his brief stint in the Navy before he arrived in Hollywood. Like Hudson's friend Marilyn Monroe, his early recognition in Hollywood was largely attributed to his exceptional good looks, and he also experienced sexual exploitation on his path to stardom. He was taken under the wing of the powerful yet notoriously lecherous agent Henry Willson. After appearing in several largely forgettable films and signing a long-term contract with Universal Studios, Hudson established his mark as an accomplished actor and romantic lead under the guidance of talented directors such as Douglas Sirk and George Stevens. Yet it wasn't until Pillow Talk (1959) that Hudson found his sweet spot as a versatile comedic actor. In the 1970s, he found renewed fame on TV as the star of the hit series McMillan & Wife. Griffin pays equal attention to Hudson's private life as a sexually active yet closeted gay man, and he explores his complex relationships with both sexes. Throughout, he provides a balanced, multifaceted view of his subject. By the end of his life, having disclosed his exposure to HIV, his professional and private lives were forced to merge. Yet his death would bring much-needed recognition and funding to the AIDS epidemic.An engrossing and carefully documented account of a beloved film icon's life.

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November 1, 2018

Roy Fitzgerald was christened with one of the most memorable stage names in Hollywood history when at age 22 he became Rock Hudson at the behest of his Machiavellian agent, the infamous but savvy Henry Willson. Persuasively arguing that Hudson should be regarded more seriously, journalist Griffin (A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli) wends his way through the film icon's 37-year career, paying particular attention to works such as Magnificent Obsession, Giant, A Farewell to Arms, his trilogy of romantic comedies with Doris Day, and the 1966 cult classic Seconds. In addition to examining Hudson's development as an actor, Griffin also explores how the icon, who was gay, was forced to conceal his sexuality. Relying on a cornucopia of interviews, the author provides trenchant cinematic insight and social criticism along with an equally abundant trove of bon mots and anecdotes. VERDICT Director Douglas Sirk, who worked with Hudson on eight films said, "The only thing which never let me down in Hollywood was my camera. And it was not wrong about Hudson." Griffin's lens also puts Hudson in beautifully focused light. For all film collections.{amp}mdash;Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
Tall, chiseled, sultry Rock Hudson was box-office beefcake at the height of Hollywood's Golden Age. Through such epic sagas as Giant and swoon-worthy rom-coms like Pillow Talk, Hudson's debonair good looks, effortless charm, and stereotypical masculine swagger made him the talk of the town. Yet it was frequently what was going on in his off-screen life that threatened to generate headlines, and not in a good way. At a time when anything other than a healthy heterosexual lifestyle was career poison, Hudson's closeted homosexuality was one of Tinseltown's best-kept secrets, so much so that when he finally revealed his AIDS diagnosis shortly before his death in 1985, just before he would have turned 60, shock waves reverberated around the world. From his impoverished upbringing in an abusive, Depression-era home in Winnetka, Illinois, to his indefatigable efforts to forge a worthy career in movies, television, and theater, Hudson's rags-to-riches story is revealed by Griffin's comprehensive overview of Hudson's filmography as well as his frank but objective discussion of Hudson's complicated personal life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)