Eldergays, was Richard Davalos bisexual?
Richard Davalos played James Dean's clean cut brother Aaron in East of Eden, after which his career drifted into obscurity, playing smaller and roles. Later he was featured on the cover of The Smith's final (and best IMO) album Strangeways Here I Come.
In Morrissey's autobiography he describes the following incident:
"The frenzied panic at Smiths shows goes largely unreported. Berserk and wildly funny, the shows outstrip anything else that we are told is hysteria. Back stage in Los Angeles, the actor Richard Davalos walks towards me, and, saying nothing, places a square-faced silver ring on the third finger of my left hand. Looking not an hour older than when he famously played James Dean's screen brother in East of Eden in 1955, Davalos now lives in Echo Park and tends to his garden. A series of beautifully printed letters from Richard arrive at Cadogan Square.
'By way of thanks for your magnetic performance her in Los Angeles. It was a truly remarkable evening. You are so very special. RICHARD.'
Richard's ring fastened itself to my finger for the next few years, until I suddenly wondered what it was doing there."
Davalos married to Miriam Davalos and has two daughters, Elyssa Davalos and Dominique Davalos, now both adults.
As young man in his prime he was utterly gorgeous. Is it possible he swung both ways? He pinged somewhat in East of Eden.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 9, 2020 7:48 AM
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Strangeways, Here WE Come...
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | June 16, 2015 2:15 PM
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I see the pedants are out on full force today.
Jeeze, we all make typos.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | June 16, 2015 2:43 PM
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James Dean and Richard Davalos's screen test for East of Eden
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | June 16, 2015 2:46 PM
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Not a pedant, R3. It's just the fact that he's called "Aron" instead of "Aaron" is so underscored by Raymond Massey's pronunciation, I felt like it needed to be said.
I appreciate you starting a thread on a rarely talked about actor.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | June 16, 2015 3:15 PM
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All the young men in that film were gay as was the director. Read Sal Mineos biography for me details.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | June 16, 2015 3:39 PM
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The one by Michael Gregg Michaud R7? There's no mention of Davalos being gay.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | June 16, 2015 4:21 PM
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He listed on this blog as bisexual
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | June 16, 2015 4:38 PM
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He is certainly attractive in East of Eden, but that plum role did nothing for him, as all the attention was on Dean. I think they roomed together at one stage? Jimmy just certainly have hit on him. He also had a small part in 1955 in the John Wayne-Lana Turner starrer The Sea Chase, where he and Tab (Hunter) are sailors who dive overboard for a swim, in shark infested waters - guess which one the shark heads for? - it wasn't Tab, who was a teen fave then.
Davalos was one of those attractive young guys in Hollywood then, the place was crawling with them: Barry Coe, Brett Halsey, George Maharis, Gardner McKay, Chad Everett, Ty Hardin - Tony Perkins, Tab Hunter, Jeff Hunter and Robert Wagner were the lucky ones who got the better breaks. There must have been lots of action going on ..... add in Kerwin Matthews, Clint Walker, Guy Madison and Rory Calhoun (when not humping in parked cars, according to that famous story).
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | June 16, 2015 4:39 PM
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Love this GIF from "East of Eden."
"Girl, Bye!"
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | June 16, 2015 4:51 PM
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r10 - Some of the names on that list are laughable: Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Harry Belafonte, Terry Thomas, Robert Morley ? Gary Lockwood was notoriously homophobic towards gay French director Jacques Demy when making THE MODEL SHOP in 1969, when he was briefly hot after 2001 - Lockwood's looks now are his punishment! But I can believe that most of the others swung both ways .... I'd like to think Fabian did.
Nice list, r11.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | June 16, 2015 4:54 PM
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So Davalos worked with 2 gay actors at least - Dean and Tab, wonder how chummy they got .....
I don't remember him in COOL HAND LUKE ..... but he kept working till 2008 and is - gosh - 85 now !
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | June 16, 2015 4:57 PM
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The iconic homoerotic photo.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | June 16, 2015 5:24 PM
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Richard Davalos (credited as Dick Davalos) in Jack Hill's 1969 racing flick Pit Stop/The Winner. Older and a little chunkier but still sexy.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | June 16, 2015 5:33 PM
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Most of these guys rarely sucked cock in public.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | June 16, 2015 6:02 PM
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OP he does look like he smells fresh cookies.
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | December 9, 2020 5:02 AM
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Surprised that nobody came up with this screen test.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 9, 2020 7:48 AM
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