Rock Hudson (film)

Rock Hudson
Genre Drama
Based on My Husband, Rock Hudson autobiographical novel by Phyllis Gates
Written by Dennis Turner
Directed by John Nicolella
Starring Thomas Ian Griffith
Daphne Ashbrook
William R. Moses
Music by Paul Chihara
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) Larry Sanitsky, Frank Konigsberg
Producer(s) Ilene Amy Berg (supervising producer)
Dennis Turner (supervising producer)
Jayne Bieber (associate producer)
Diana Kerew
Renee Palyo
Cinematography Newton Thomas Sigel
Editor(s) Peter Parasheles
Running time 100 minutes
Production company(s) Revue Studios
Distributor American Broadcasting Company Entertainment Group
Release
Original network ABC
Original release January 8, 1990 (1990-01-08)[1]

Rock Hudson is a 1990 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by John Nicolella. The story is based on My Husband, Rock Hudson, a 1987 novel by Phyllis Gates (Rock Hudons's wife). It is the story of their marriage after Hudson's 1985 death from AIDS.[2] In the book Gates wrote that she was in love with Hudson and that she did not know Hudson was gay when they married, and was not complicit in his deception.[3][4] The movie is also based on magazine articles, interviews and court records. [1] Including transcripts of the Los Angeles Superior Court trial after which Marc Christian won a large settlement (($21.75 million) from the actor's estate because Hudson had hidden from him the fact that he was suffering from AIDS,[5] Hudson claimed it was anorexia. Later, Marc Miller (Hudson's secretary) has accused the movie of malicious lies.[6] In April 1989, the court award to Marc was reduced to $5.5 million.[7]

In 1989, both ABC and NBC started developing plans for a biography of Rock Hudson, NBC had announced it had commissioned a script, but ABC had already completed a movie.[5] It debuted on ABC on 8 January 1990.[1] NBC later decided not to complete its 4 hour long miniseries.[6]

A relative unknown, Thomas Ian Griffith was chosen to portray the actor, he is 6 feet 5 inches tall and Rock was 6 feet 4 inches. He had to spend up to three to four hours in makeup to show the older Rock.[5]

The movie was reviewed badly by many critics, attracted only 24% share of the audience and suffered some advertiser defections because of concern over the depiction of Hudson's homosexuality.[6] It placed 29th in the Nielsen ratings for that week ended January 14.[8]

Robert Iger claimed that research showed that ABC lost $1 million in advertising due to the broadcast of movie.[9]

Plot

Rock Hudson begins at the conclusion of the Marc Christian trial and then flashes back to cover as small amount of Hudson's life and career. 'Roy Fitzgerald' (Thomas Ian Griffith) walks into Henry Willson (Andrew Robinson) wanting to be a movie star. Willson gets the newly named 'Rock Hudson' a one-line role in a war film which it takes him 38 times to get right. His mother, Kay (Diane Ladd) is not impressed about his new career. On a film set he meets Tim Murphy (Thom Matthews) and they start a relationship and then move in together. Wilson is alarmed by this and urges his to meet his new secretary, Phyllis Gates (Daphne Ashbrook). They then fall in love much to Tims's heartbreak, who moves out. While in this new relationship, he still visits gay bars. Phyllis is shocked and they later divorce and he them fires his manager Wilson. His career begins to decline and on one movie set the 1966 movie Seconds, he played a middle-aged man who underwent radical plastic surgery in an attempt to recapture his lost youth. This upsets Hudson to the point where he has a breakdown and director John Frankenheimer ( ) has to close the set to comfort a crying Hudson. Hudson then meets Marc Christian (William R. Moses) who becomes his lover, but without telling Marc he had Aids. He attempted a secret treatment in Paris, but had to cut it short to appear on Dynasty in late 1984. Later during a press conference for her old friend, Doris Day (Diane Behrens), the secret and Hudson were out. Then Hudson dies of AIDS, and Christian sues Hudson's estate for putting him in danger. [5][10]

Cast

Other cast members from archive footage; Doris Day, Rock Hudson, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Moreen Marceau (a movie fan), James Quinn and Natalie Wood

Critical reception

John J. O'Connor of the New York Times said the movie was "a sympathetic treatment of the actor's life and career" and "a generally feasible portrait". He also praised Thomas Ian Griffith performance as Rock Hudson.[1]

"The great flaw in Rock Hudson is the script." states Rick Aragon of rickstexanreviews.com.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 O'Connor, John J. (1 August 1990). "Review/Television; The Life, Death and Secrets of Rock Hudson". New York Times. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  2. ↑ Stephen Tropiano The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV, p. 149, at Google Books
  3. ↑ "Phyllis Gates, 80; Former Talent Agency Secretary Was Briefly Married to Rock Hudson in '50s". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 1987. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Diana Fuss (editor) Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories, p. 287, at Google Books
  5. 1 2 3 4 Farber, Stephen (7 January 1990). "TELEVISION; The Rock Hudson Story Gets Told. And Perhaps Retold". New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Letofsky, Irv (20 March 1990). "NBC Drops Rock Hudson Miniseries : Television: Producers and writer of 'authorized' story say the network is basing its decision on lackluster ratings from an earlier ABC movie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "Harold Rhoden Is Dead; in Crash at 66". New York Times. 24 June 1989. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "'ROSEANNE' TOPS 'COSBY'". The Washington Post. 17 January 1990. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Roxanne Hovland, Joyce M. Wolburg and Eric E. Haley Readings in Advertising, Society, and Consumer Culture, p. 153, at Google Books
  10. 1 2 Aragon, Rick (13 June 2017). "Rock Hudson: The Television Movie". rickstexanreviews.com. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
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