Although I’d be surprised if you could name a single film Tab Hunter starred in (other than perhaps Meet Me In St. Louis and Damn Yankees), he was a big deal in the 50s, whose blond, boy-next-door looks and chiselled torso got millions of hearts fluttering, to the point where he earned the nickname, The Sigh Guy. As well as being a film star, he also had a number of hit records.
However while his star rested on the adoring eyes of millions of women, Hunter was actually gay and forced to live in the closet not just because homosexuality was illegal at the time, but also because the Warner studio machinery ensured he was always seen as an eligible heterosexual.
Hunter lifted the lid on both his sexuality and hidden life as a star in the 50s in his 2005 autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential, and now Variety reports that he’s agreed to allow the book to be turned into a feature-length documentary, in which he’ll candidily desbribe what it was like to live a lie in the public eye.
In the 50s, the studio ensured he was rumoured to be dating all sorts of starlets, when his actual relationships were with the likes of Anthony Perkins.
To be honest, it’s almost surpsrising nobody’s picked up the book for a proper movie adaptation, as Hunter’s story would make a great film, although perhaps Hollywood is avoiding it because it could show up that things haven’t chaged much, with gay actors still in the closet and marketing people ensuring they’re seen of the arm of lovely ladies.