The 1980s stands out as a decade beloved for the changes across the globe. It was a time of  shock and awe, as Hollywood won us over with classic films, the Soviet Union began its decline, and a new disease caught the world’s attention. Originally described as a “gay cancer”, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (“HIV”) and its advanced form, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (“AIDS”), forced everyone to pay close attention as people from all social classes of life succumbed to it. On October 2, 1985, Roy Scherer, Jr., known to the world as Rock Hudson (1928-1985), became another victim of the disease, but his death shocked the world not only because of the virus, but because he was a Hollywood star whose gay lifestyle had been carefully hidden from the public. With Hudson’s passing, secrets began to emerge in the form of lawsuits and “tell-all” interviews. However, there is more to his story as told here by author Mark Griffin in a biography that is both revealing and tragic.

Hudson is part of the “Golden Age” of Hollywood when stars were able to create carefully crafted images impervious to the prying eyes of fans and blackmailers. Unlike today’s world in which social media exposes any and all things, in Rock’s time, privacy was paramount, and it required a team of professionals who excelled in damage control. But who was the real Rock Hudson? I picked up this book to satisfy my own curiosity about a star who became a statistic of the AIDS epidemic. The story begins in Winnetka, Illinois, in the Scherer household, which proves to be anything but stable. In fact, his father’s actions toward his family left me speechless. Mother and son pick up the pieces and another male figure enters the picture, but he too was not the male figure the young child needed. But all was not lost, and the story takes interesting twists and turns as Roy, Jr. inches closer to his destiny.

I was surprised to learn that not only was Hudson a legendary star, but he was also a veteran. Like other actors of his time, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during World War II. His military service is discussed, and what we learn is interesting. There are no smoking guns but signs to the lifestyle that had to be contained. Upon discharge from the military, he moves out west and attempts to reconnect with his biological father who had relocated to California. This part of the story is where we take a sharp turn and series of events play out that usher his arrival into Tinseltown. And the man responsible for that is Henry Wilson (1911-1978), who singlehandedly transformed Roy Scherer, Jr. into Rock Hudson. Prior to reading this book I did not know Wilson’s story or his role in shaping Hollywood stars. He left a complicated legacy full of accomplishments and dark revelations. The details are unnerving but not entirely surprising. The term “casting couch” did not come about overnight. Despite Wilson’s personal satisfactions, he did transform Hudson into a leading star, but one issue remained which threatened to derail everything Rock and others like him had accomplished.

An irony in the story is that once Rock became famous, it became increasingly necessary to hide any trace of the actor’s sexual orientation. The lengths to which Wilson does is surreal when viewed from today’s point of view. But sixty years ago, stars could not publicly come out as gay, lesbian, or transgender. The gay rights movement still had much ground to break across America. In Rock’s case, an image of a fierce lady-killer riding high on success was the prescribed course of action from Wilson and his team, and is a tactic employed by other agents who found success in sham marriages and women posing as “beards”. As Rock’s fame surges, the efforts to hide his orientation also increase, but behind the scenes Rock had his own drama and the story takes yet another turn when Wilson is pushed out and replaced by Tom Clark, a publicist who was both a blessing and a curse to Rock.

Hollywood was priority number one and Hudson was a professional at his craft. Through anecdotes included in the book and behind-the-scenes looks into production sets, it is apparent that he was beloved by those who knew him. And his sexuality was an “open secret”, just as it was for others in the industry. In fact, a scene that plays out with his “wife” Phyllis Gates (1925-2006) as she makes a cross-country trip before their wedding caught my attention and is a reminder that everyone has carefully guarded secrets. From the beginning, it is clear that the marriage is doomed, and when it ends, Rock is left to his own devices. But father time spares no one, and we also see an aging star who no longer has Hollywood as his playground. The downward slope commences but the tragic finale does not immediately play out. First, there is more to Rock’s personal life.

The third act which begins to play out, sees Clark on the east coast, and the arrival of Marc Christian McGinnis (1953-2009), whose actions after Rock’s death raised eyebrows. The controversy surrounding his life and actions are topics for another book and the author does a respectable job of addressing Christian’s role without devoting too much time which would have detracted from Rock’s story. However, Christian was with the star towards the end of his life. Attempting to pinpoint when Hudson became infected with HIV is futile, but there is a section in the book which revisits an encounter with former First Lady Nancy D. Reagan (1921-2016) which set off my alarm bells. Readers who are familiar with the breakout of Kaposi’s Sarcoma will instantly understand what is taking place. And once the illness begins to attack his immune system, the final stage of his life takes shape. His decline is rapid, including noticeable weight loss, fatigue and other conditions associated with the virus. And when death comes for him, there is no fanfare or dramatic ending but the silencing of a star who made his mark on Hollywood and was forced to live a life of secrecy. But he remains an icon of the Golden Era in Hollywood. This is the life of the late and great Rock Hudson.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075JDGVHL
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; Reprint edition (December 4, 2018)