Beloved stars who were real nasty you know whats

[LKellerIII]

"Lucy was (not) exactly gay friendly either which is kinda of ironic considering her movie Mame has a rather large gay following."

I'm not excusing it, but I think you have to make allowances for the times. My mother, an otherwise liberal, open-minded person who marched in civil rights parades was quite homophobic. She was worried that the somewhat effiminate barber in our town would molest me. Typical of the times, she connected homosexuality with child sexual abuse. My father worked in show business, and my parents had a number of...unambiguously gay (though not out-of-the-closet) friends. Ironically, she was blind to that. When one passed away in the late 70s, she asked me "Do you think David was gay?". It was difficult not laughing at that question.

 

[azumanga]

"Lucy was (not) exactly gay friendly either which is kinda of ironic considering her movie Mame has a rather large gay following."

I'm not excusing it, but I think you have to make allowances for the times. My mother, an otherwise liberal, open-minded person who marched in civil rights parades was quite homophobic. She was worried that the somewhat effiminate barber in our town would molest me. Typical of the times, she connected homosexuality with child sexual abuse.

Unfortunately, it was a stereotyle that lingered on into the 1980s -- remember the "Diff'rent Strokes" episode that guested Gordon Jump as a bicycle repairman (a role, in my opinion, that he didn't deserve)?

 

[Stanislav]

I'm not excusing it, but I think you have to make allowances for the times. My mother, an otherwise liberal, open-minded person who marched in civil rights parades was quite homophobic. She was worried that the somewhat effiminate barber in our town would molest me. Typical of the times, she connected homosexuality with child sexual abuse. My father worked in show business, and my parents had a number of...unambiguously gay (though not out-of-the-closet) friends. Ironically, she was blind to that. When one passed away in the late 70s, she asked me "Do you think David was gay?". It was difficult not laughing at that question.

Your mother wasn't alone -- there was a lot of denial in those days. Gays were seen as some exotic, horrible creatures "out there" somewhere, and when they were a family member, friend, or business acquaintance, there were a lot of blinders worn. A gay male relative was a "confirmed bachelor;" an older lesbian relative was a "spinster" who "just never found the right man." A woman's gay hairdresser was simply viewed as "artistic" or "sensitive," and scads of housewives went ga-ga over Liberace, who was about as flamboyant and obvious a gay man as ever existed. :

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

I'm not excusing it, but I think you have to make allowances for the times. My mother, an otherwise liberal, open-minded person who marched in civil rights parades was quite homophobic. She was worried that the somewhat effiminate barber in our town would molest me. Typical of the times, she connected homosexuality with child sexual abuse. My father worked in show business, and my parents had a number of...unambiguously gay (though not out-of-the-closet) friends. Ironically, she was blind to that. When one passed away in the late 70s, she asked me "Do you think David was gay?". It was difficult not laughing at that question.

Your mother wasn't alone -- there was a lot of denial in those days. Gays were seen as some exotic, horrible creatures "out there" somewhere, and when they were a family member, friend, or business acquaintance, there were a lot of blinders worn. A gay male relative was a "confirmed bachelor;" an older lesbian relative was a "spinster" who "just never found the right man." A woman's gay hairdresser was simply viewed as "artistic" or "sensitive," and scads of housewives went ga-ga over Liberace, who was about as flamboyant and obvious a gay man as ever existed. :

Reminds of the great Golden Girls ep where Dorothys' best friend is a lesbian and falls for Rose.

Dorothy and Sophia are talking about it when Blanche walks in and asks what they are talking about. Dorothy tells her matter-of-factly that her best friend is a "lesbian."

"Oh, that's no big deal, lots of people are. In fact, Danny Thomas is one," was Blanche's (as best as I can remember) reply.

"Not Lebanese, Blanche, Lesbian!"

It has always caught in my craw that people didn't know Liberace was gay...or, especially after being told, refused to believe it (more, really, in this case of Rock Hudson). I mean, get real!

 

[ShawnHill1]

Reed was quite vocal about his preference for the semiregular role of Lt.
Adam Tobias on "Mannix," which he did concurrently with "The Brady Bunch."
I remember a day when he was a celebrity guest on "Password" and Allen
Ludden mentioned that Reed could be seen on "The Brady Bunch," Reed cut
in and said, "and Mannix."

And yet, for all his dripping disdain for "The Brady Bunch," he kept coming back for the reunions and specials, didn't he? Including that horrible, campy, singing and dancing "Brady Bunch Hour" that one would think Reed would find even farther beneath his dignity than the sitcom.

BTW, Reed's beefs were with the writers and producers, and not with the cast. From all I've read, he was well-liked by them, and he was very fond of the kids -- some say he viewed them as a sort of "surrogate family" because he knew that as a closeted gay man in that era, he could never really have a family of his own.

If I remember correctly, and I think I saw this either from A&E's Biography or an Entertainment Tonight weekend special from eariler in this decade, Reed did indeed have a daugther, named Caroline. However, the rest is very true...the kids were very fond of him, and vice versa. In fact, in one of those specials, I believe it was Barry Williams (or Chris Knight) that just about came to tears when they mentioned the ridicule Reed got about his homosexuality.

Also, I agree about the point about Reed's disdain for the Brady Bunch, despite coming back and participating in the numerous specials, movies, and series right up to his death. I don't know whether he did it for admiration for his castmates, or the money (and he worked pretty steady until his death), or both. Of course, he wasn't the only one who had problems with Sherwood Schwartz...don't forget about Tina Louise and Gilligan's Island. It wasn't until maybe recently that she came to somewhat acknowledge her years on Gilligan's.

 

[Stanislav]

Of course, he wasn't the only one who had problems with Sherwood Schwartz...don't forget about Tina Louise and Gilligan's Island. It wasn't until maybe recently that she came to somewhat acknowledge her years on Gilligan's.

Tina was another one who had major conflicts with her castmates. Remember, she had been an up-and-coming starlet in the 50's, and a lot of folks thought she would be the next big sex symbol, but her movie career petered out without a major breakthrough. Supposedly, she took the "Gilligan's" role after being misled by an agent or manager into believing that she would be the star and main focus of the show. When she found that she was just 1/7 of an ensemble cast, she carried a chip on her shoulder all through the series.

Bob Denver disliked her intensely. There was a scene in an episode where Gilligan throws a pie in Mr. Howell's face. They had had enough of Tina's attitude that day, so when he threw the pie, he deliberately "grooved" it in such a way that Tina (standing behind and to the side of Jim Backus) would get some splatter as well. It was just enough not to ruin the take (and Tina, to her credit, although clearly initially surprised by being in the partial line of fire, kept her composure and finished the scene) but enough for her to stomp off the set in anger while Bob and others played cards for a couple of hours as they redid her hair and makeup.

 

[FreddyE1977]

For the best insight into how stars treat their fans and regular people, ask a waitress, flight attendant, rental car clerk or hotel employee. My uncle held a management position at a large Hilton Hotel for 30 years, and most of his offtime stories involved rude or abusive behavior by celebrity guests.

According to him, some of the worst-of-the-worst were Yul Brenner, Andy Williams and The Three Stooges.

 

[ixnay]

Robert Reed apparently forced himself to do "The Brady Bunch Hour", but at least that's more than could be said of Eve Plumb. According to the 2003 edition of the Brooks and Marsh book, one Geri Reischl played Jan on BBH. Plumb reclaimed the Jan role on NBC's short lived "The Brady Brides" (1981) and kept it for CBS' even shorter lived "The Bradys" (1990).

Getting back to the topic... my mother once related the story (I forget the details) of how rude Kate Smith was to my maternal grandmother, who, while waitressing in Atlantic City, served Miss Smith one time when the singer had a gig at the resort (pre, pre, PRE-casinos). Grandmom, when I finally see you (she died a month before I was born in the summer of '61), I'm looking forward to hearing the details! ;D

ixnay

 

[mleach]

Stars like Lucille Ball and Rod Serling who were a bit on the conservative side in their prime, I have to wonder if they later mellowed out and changed their tune in their later years?

Someone online I remember reading where Lucy was so upset about the Woody Allen flick "Everything You Wanted To Know about Sex..but was afried to ask" that she actually contacted Woody Allen and let him know exactly how she felt. Lucy was very upset with the scene involving Gene Wilder having an affair..with a sheep.

However later in the 70s Lucy often spoke highly about such shows like Three's Company and Soap, both shows were at the time targeted by many conservative groups for the amount of sex related content.

Serling may have been homophobic back in the 50s but in his later years I believe he was working at some college in New York state and back in the early 70s, even then most colleges were gay friendly.

One late celebrity we may get to know the "darker" side soon is Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. A new book is coming out painting Schulz as, well not exactly the man we all knew over the years. His family I heard tied to sue to stop the book from coming out but it didn't work. This may be interesting.

 

[RicoGregg]

Then there was always the incident in London a year or two ago where a large crowd waited in front of a prestigious hotel for the pending arrival of Britney Spears. A red carpet and velvet ropes were already set up. The crowd had been told that while she couldn't sign autographs, that she would at least wave or briefly address them, and that they could take whatever pictures they could.

Her limo finally arrives, and what happens? She covers her face and runs inside as fast as she can. She's seen for about 4 seconds, maximum. A lot of teenage girls and their mothers were pretty angry and disappointed. Her PR people, the same ones that for years told the public that Britney was a virgin (snicker), tried to put a positive spin on it by saying that she was running behind schedule, but I don't think they convinced anybody.

FYI: Remember that whiney guy who posted the video on You Tube, imploring all of the media to "Leave Britney alone! (waah! sniff!)"? If you haven't heard already, he's getting a TV show of his own.

I guess Paddy Chayefsky was on target when he wrote Network.

 

[RicoGregg]

One late celebrity we may get to know the "darker" side soon is Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. A new book is coming out painting Schulz as, well not exactly the man we all knew over the years. His family I heard tied to sue to stop the book from coming out but it didn't work. This may be interesting.

Good Grief!

 

[LKellerIII]

"One late celebrity we may get to know the "darker" side soon is Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. A new book is coming out painting Schulz as, well not exactly the man we all knew over the years."

I don't know anything about the book, but I'm not sure this is news. It was well known that Schulz suffered from lifelong melancholia and depression, and never felt appreciated or loved despite his success. He talked about this himself at some length in interviews and articles in his final years, when he claimed to have finally found some satisfaction from his success.

So it's not a stretch to think that a man so stricken could be have been difficult, or hard to live with.

 

[azumanga]

One late celebrity we may get to know the "darker" side soon is Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. A new book is coming out painting Schulz as, well not exactly the man we all knew over the years. His family I heard tied to sue to stop the book from coming out but it didn't work. This may be interesting.

Are you, by chance, referring to "Schulz and Peanuts"? That book came out shortly after Thanksgiving (US).

 

[MHB]

I'm not excusing it, but I think you have to make allowances for the times. My mother, an otherwise liberal, open-minded person who marched in civil rights parades was quite homophobic. She was worried that the somewhat effiminate barber in our town would molest me. Typical of the times, she connected homosexuality with child sexual abuse. My father worked in show business, and my parents had a number of...unambiguously gay (though not out-of-the-closet) friends. Ironically, she was blind to that. When one passed away in the late 70s, she asked me "Do you think David was gay?". It was difficult not laughing at that question.

Your mother wasn't alone -- there was a lot of denial in those days. Gays were seen as some exotic, horrible creatures "out there" somewhere, and when they were a family member, friend, or business acquaintance, there were a lot of blinders worn. A gay male relative was a "confirmed bachelor;" an older lesbian relative was a "spinster" who "just never found the right man." A woman's gay hairdresser was simply viewed as "artistic" or "sensitive," and scads of housewives went ga-ga over Liberace, who was about as flamboyant and obvious a gay man as ever existed. :

Agreeing with both of you.

Back then there were no respected community members who were identified as gay; the only person in our town we knew was gay was the neighborhood child molester.

And my mother too turned a blind eye to her two friends who were thought to be a lesbian couple and her gay brother-in-law. Mom didn't think Liberace was gay, though, she thought it was all an act because he used to say if people laughed at him he'd "cry all the way to the bank."

 

[therealjm12]

My Mother used to tell the tale of meeting Bing Crosby in New York City during WWll. She was a young honey back then and I think she was there to meet my Father who was in the Navy at the time. I don't know exacly what went on but she was staying at he same hotel and floor as Crosby. She described him as a drunken
a_ _hole. -Her words not mine. My Mother was a very pretty woman. I guess he must of hit on her and she wanted no part of him. I don't think he would of wanted to tangle with my Dad, too.

 

[jwk1979]

Living in Nashville, there a quite a few Country Artists that have a "reputation" of being real jerks when not perfroming. A friend of mine told me his mom saw Tom T. Hall at the Opryland Hotel when his mom's company was having a Christmas Party there. When a co-worker of my friend's mom saw Tom T. Hall and asked if he was Tom T. Hall, his reply was "Yes, and I suppose you want my G--D-- Autograph, too?" Her reply was "Not anymore".

My ex-brother-in-law works for a waterproofing company and has done work for both Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire and has stated they both treat the people that they hire like dirt and are very demanding and want a top notch job done but will complain about the price they have to pay that work.

 

[LKellerIII]

"I don't know exacly what went on but she was staying at he same hotel and floor as (Bing) Crosby. She described him as a drunken a_ _hole. -Her words not mine."

I worked in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco in the mid 70s. He lived in a mansion on the SF Peninsula, and was basically retired and taking it easy by that time - but he would come to the City frequently, where he kept an office in the neighborhood. He would walk slowly by, casually dressed in a golf cap, and was always very friendly - would say hello and stop to chat for a few seconds. Of course, that doesn't negate the possibility that he was or could be a drunken a___hole at times, or earlier in his life.

There was a lot said in those days about what a tough disciplinarian father he was to his kids - bordering on child abuse, really. He confirmed it in interviews - he believed in tough-love and was quite proud of it.

 

[Stanislav]

According to him, some of the worst-of-the-worst were Yul Brenner, Andy Williams and The Three Stooges.

I find the latter hard to believe -- did he ever say which Stooge, or did he mean all of them? Moe, in particular, was said by all who knew him to be one of the gentlest, kindest men they ever knew, a complete 180 degrees from his screen persona. Larry, I don't know about personality-wise, but as I am assuming this was the last incarnation of the Stooges, I can believe that Joe DeRita (Curly-Joe) maybe had the potential to be a little gruff and testy. He liked Moe and Larry, and appreciated having a steady gig at that stage of his life, but many said he wasn't happy about being a Stooge, and didn't really appreciate their humor.

 

[mleach]

One late celebrity we may get to know the "darker" side soon is Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. A new book is coming out painting Schulz as, well not exactly the man we all knew over the years. His family I heard tied to sue to stop the book from coming out but it didn't work. This may be interesting.

Are you, by chance, referring to "Schulz and Peanuts"? That book came out shortly after Thanksgiving (US).

I think thats it. Had no idea the book was already out.

It was just before Thanksgiving when I heard Schulz's family tried and unsuccessfuly to stop the book from coming out.

 

[mleach]

According to him, some of the worst-of-the-worst were Yul Brenner, Andy Williams and The Three Stooges.

I find the latter hard to believe -- did he ever say which Stooge, or did he mean all of them? Moe, in particular, was said by all who knew him to be one of the gentlest, kindest men they ever knew, a complete 180 degrees from his screen persona. Larry, I don't know about personality-wise, but as I am assuming this was the last incarnation of the Stooges, I can believe that Joe DeRita (Curly-Joe) maybe had the potential to be a little gruff and testy. He liked Moe and Larry, and appreciated having a steady gig at that stage of his life, but many said he wasn't happy about being a Stooge, and didn't really appreciate their humor.

I heard the same thing about DeRita. Interesting, he is the only Stooge to actually have his role of the Three Stooges mentioned on his grave. Of course was that DeRita's idea or someone else's idea, dont know.