Tab Hunter, Dead, Dead, Dead

There were strong gay rumors about him

Rubbish, he just didn't find the right woman.

Oh God in heaven, I sure wish I could rip his tab. And munt his hunter. Amen

Confirmed Bachelor to the end.

He has or had a website where you could email him, which I did, but never got a reply--seemed a very likeable guy. I think he lived on a ranch somewhere in California(?). I don't much believe in prayer, but I will make a silent one hoping he has found his "promised land".

Wasn't aware he was ill.

Superb in Polyester - that's really the only thing I know him for, although I do remember enjoying his autobiography when I read it.

r1 Tab Hunter came out of the closet many years ago. He and Roddy McDowall were forever fuck buddies.

Was is AID$-related?

His death is being discussed on Twitter, but it doesn't seem to be reported by any of the news sites yet.

First time i saw him was Damn Yankees. Only a kid but the hot blond in the baseball uniform sure made my little boy parts tingle.

He was so brave coming out in his Seventies to promote his autobiography. What a brave gay leader he always was.

Thoughts and Prayers.

Shirtless gif:

So young, so young.

He was dead by gay standards once he turned 25.

Have any of the news sites confirmed it yet?

He was dead by creeper standards once he turned 25.

No. No one seems to care.

He had an affair with Anthony Perkins. Tab came out of the closet 20 years ago, didn't he?

Tab's 1952 first starring role, in which he grappled with Donald Gray, "six feet of rugged manhood".

An American Icon. He sure made a lot of movies.

RIP

In heaven with Divine.

How did he make a living? Did he have a rich boyfriend?

He pretty much came out when he acted as Divine's love interest in Polyester (1981).

Tab Hunter's death has been added to his Wikipedia article, referencing Hunter's Facebook page. He came out of the closet 13 years ago, but he had a partner for 35 years.

I don't see it on Google, or the news.

Ok... I see Wikipedia updated the information.

Wikipedia may have reported it, but have any news sources confirmed it?

my darling, u were one of my first crushes, how delightful and cute u were/are....

may the angels protect and love thee up yonder on thy cloud.

STAY HOT

It was posted on his personal Facebook page in the middle of the fucking night. Why would it be on the news already?

He was gorgeous and very, very talented but never had the right combination of breaks and good roles to go beyond being a minor star rather than a big one. He had a string of well-known boyfriends, including Roddy McDowell, Anthony Perkins and many others, but that whole group were all highly closeted at the time. Was happily partnered for the past 30 or so years and enjoyed the mild resurgence of popularity and interest in him that emerged in the past several years. His autobiography and the new documentary based on it had a lot to do with that. Much of his popularity in the industry and press then and now seems to have been due to his genuinely nice personality. RIP, mastubatory idol of my youth.

The Facebook note was posted around 12:30 PST, 3:30 am on the East Coast. Nobody's fucking awake to report on it.

In today's fast-paced news world, stories are usually reported at all hours of the day on most websites.

Yeah...BIG news. Tab Hunter is not BIG news.

So young. It's always sad to see the young ones called home.

He is electrifying in "Gunman's Walk" as a spoiled rotten kid.

Was she cut or uncut?

This?

He had that beautiful, blond, all American look. He was a heart throb.

Indeed [R39] And he looked very good for being almost 90. We should all be so lucky.

No one reads Gay Star News.

Theyre based in the UK, which explains why theyre the first.

There's a bit in that recent-ish documentary on Tab where he talks about going to Ciro's on staged dates with his friend Natalie Wood and once the photos were taken they would both slip out the back door where Natalie would get into Dennis Hopper's waiting car and drive home to fuck, while Tab would go straight round to Anthony Perkins' place to do the same.

r42 They're the worst gay news site in the world. They probably got the news from DL.

I googled his photos, and yes R40, he looked great in his later years.

Was he the last of Henry Willson's boys?

[quote]Was she cut or uncut?

His father was Jewish, so he was probably cut.

Lee Majors is still alive, isn’t he? Because he was a Henry Wilson boy.

Bland looks and no onscreen charisma.

He was a legend-aryingly bad actor. So many bad films

R49, except for Gunman's Walk.

R47 doesn't Jewishness take from the mother's side?

Was his mother uncut?

[quote]doesn't Jewishness take from the mother's side?

Yes, R52, Judaism is a religion of matrilineal descent in terms of whether one is considered Jewish.

I was referring to the fact that since his father was Jewish, he would most likely be cut. They are 2 separate issues.

Blond, lovely and intrinsically boyish... RIP, beautiful Tab.

xox

Tab was charming, sweet and notably nervous singing his big hit Young Love live on the Perry Como show in 1957.

Tab Hunter and Anthony Perkins would go on public double dates with women for publicity, but were lovers in private.

Calling all girls.......

He had a hot ass but he couldn't live forever!

He was a stunner back in the days.

r57 Lovebirds Tab and Tony found some very attractive and good-natured beards.

Is a single news network reporting the story this morning?

[quote] I was referring to the fact that since his father was Jewish, he would most likely be cut. They are 2 separate issues.

Ok. Like circumcision takes after the fathers side and Jewishness from the mothers. Kid couldn't catch a break.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

R62.. I'm watching the morning news, haven't heard anything about this.

r62 The Independent in Great Britain is the first major news organization to report Hunter's death. You can google it because links to the Independent don't work.

We've enjoyed this fine dish for 86 years gratis. Now Heaven is getting the Tab.

Lol.. R67!

r58 Fuck buddies Tab and Roddy hiding in plain sight - just like Cary Grant and Randolph Scott.

R58, this will sound bizarre, but that pic reminds me that in some shots, like that one, Tab looks like Natalie Wood. The nose, the pretty teeth and smile. Of course one has to imagine a more delicate jaw and chin, but still...

r70 Natalie Wood was cute, but Tab Hunter was prettier than she was.

Didn't Henry Wilson kill Tab Hunter's Hollywood career in order to save his bigger client, Rock Hudson? Rock was about to get outed but Henry traded Tab in exchange for Rock.

What was the cause of death?

It's difficult to know the cause of death when the news hasn't even reported on his death yet, R73.

Nat and Tab were in a stinker called "The Girl He Left Behind." They called it "The Girl with the Left Behind." His co-star Dorothy Malone in "Battle Cry" just left us at about 90.

She had tinymeat-nose.

A WML? from 1956 aired on BUZZR a couple of weeks ago, with Tab as the mystery guest. Even on a grainy B&W kinescope, the man was stunning. The producers must have thought so, too, for Tab appeared as a panelist on the following week's show.

R65, Family member are leaving comments on Tab's Facebook page, so it must be true.

Tab had a long-term affair with American figure skater Ronnie Robertson, whom he introduced at the 26:50 mark in the clip below. Tab himself was quite good on the ice.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Natalie Wood but Tab Wouldn't

I'm bereft.

Apparently they’re making a movie about his affair with Anthony Perkins. I hope it’s good.

Sad news indeed. According to his autobiography he survived and recovered well from two serious health cares during middle-age : a heart attack and later a stroke. Tab Hunter Confidential is worth reading and the documentary made from it is worth seeing.

I disagree with the poster upthread who said he couldn't act and was charisma-free.

If nothing else, Tab was the very definition of charisma.

He had a good run. Anyone see him in the short-lived "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" with Tallulah Bankhead?

He was lovely and talented. Lots of people missed his talent because of his beauty. And he was a genuinely good guy. I've never read a mean word about him, other than petty snipes about his looks. RIP, young man. I feel badly for his partner.

[quote] According to his autobiography he survived and recovered well from two serious health cares

Now I'm scared of serious health cares.

Strange, I always think of Sonny James having a hit with "Young Love", not Tab Hunter.

He definitely was an extraordinarily handsome man who aged very well.

He looked fantastic in the Netflix docu a couple of years ago, almost 20 years younger than his age. His younger partner looked older than him, it was astonishing. I thought Tab would live to be 100.

In his book Tab details the dry period between his first movie career and his reemergence as a love interest for Divine thanks to John Waters. This time in the wilderness included dinner theater in places like Saskatoon (in the winter). The dinner entree would be on the marquee in big letters and his name would appear below and much smaller.

Well, he never sucked MY cock!

He was such a hottie. His documentary on Netflix is a must watch. Such a loss

It's interesting to compare his career with fellow gay Hollywood icon Rock Hudson.

Both were discovered and given ridiculous much-laughed at names by super agent Henry Willson. They were both impossibly handsome, ridiculed for being talent-free and both initially toiled in worthless early 1950s B picture War Is Hell films. Both were frequently set up on studio beard dates and (sort of) survived constant gossip of their homosexuality.

But somehow, Rock pulled out of all that by the mid-1950s and was cast in important films like Giant and became a leading Hollywood star with a major resume lasting into the 1970s, while Tab was lucky to get dinner theater gigs in the hinterlands.

What was the difference? What did Rock have that Tab didn't? Personally, I always preferred Tab.

R94 Rock was a better actor and was never made into a teen idol like Tab was. I think the singing "career", pin up status and limited acting ability hurt Tab's chances to become a serious actor.

Was Rock really a better actor? Or was he just given better roles? Otherwise, I agree with all you say, r95.

Is it true that guys like him, you know, mature and all, carry some protection with them for sexual occasions?

He was a really decent person who was noted for his kindness. I read that his brother died in Vietnam, leaving seven children behind, and Tab worked hard to help support them. No one had a bad word to say about him. RIP Art.

He passed away three days shy of his birthday. RIP and condolences to his loved ones.

R72, I believe Henry offered up info on George Nader in order to save Rock's career.

r99, my apologies then. I got them mixed up.

He sure was pretty.

R100, there may have been one more actor Henry threw to the wolves but I can't recall his name.

This is allegedly a young Tab getting a blowjob.

Tab & friend

Hanging out with Perkins

I loved the documentary on Netflix, he was so handsome!

Very sad. Even older he was still good looking.

Tab Hunter died of AIDS of course, that will be covered up

Who would care to cover it up? He's been out forever!

[quote]First time i saw him was Damn Yankees. Only a kid but the hot blond in the baseball uniform sure made my little boy parts tingle.

I remember seeing “Damn Yankees” as a young boy, and had the most horrendous crush on Tab Hunter. Since then, I get weak in the knees for blonde men.

r72 r99 The internet is your friend. Henry Willson betrayed Rory Calhoun and Tab Hunter in order to protect Rock Hudson.

Yes, r112, I believe that Tab Hunter even talked about being thrown under the bus by Willson. Given all that, I really give him credit for not becoming bitter about it. He really did seem to be a genuinely nice, decent person.

Here's the full Tab Hunter: Confidential documentary.

Photos confirm it: tinymeat!

Having spent time with him on several social occasions, I can honestly say he was one of the kindest, happiest persons I've ever met. He and his partner enjoyed a very contented life in their home. He loved his horses and making jams from fruit he grew himself. Hosted informal dinner parties all the time with neighbors and old Hollywood friends. He was a man who had a million reasons to be bitter, and yet the thought never even occurred to him. You really never will hear a bad word about him or his partner from anyone who knew him.

And yes, he was handsome as hell.

Hasn't Wesley Eure talked about Tab and how Tab broke his heart?

Tab and Tony had to be one of the hottest couples ever. Maybe Tony went to women because no other man could measure up.

He goes in the category of "people I never would have guessed were still alive (until now)."

"Maybe Tony went to women because no other man could measure up."

ROFLMAO, Tony never stopped fucking guys, he continued fucking them while he was married

Didn't Victoria Principal make it her mission to "cure" Tony Perkins?

R120, she did cure him.

I never believed the gay rumors about Tab. It’s a shame he never found the right woman.

r120 Victoria Principal seduced Tony Perkins in 1971 while they were filming The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Perkins was 39 years old when he had this first heterosexual experience. Two years later he married Berry Berenson. Perkins and Berenson had two sons.

Victoria was a whore!

Why are people saying he died of AIDS? He was 85. It could have been a whole host of other ailments.

I enjoyed Tab's documentary when I saw it on Netflix a few years ago. He pointedly said that no one should judge Tony for his decision to marry a woman. Tab's own life story had a lot of sadness, from being abandoned by his dad, to being rejected by his dad again when he stopped by his dad's apartment later as a young man, constantly living in fear of being outed as a gay man in Hollywood, losing his brother in the Vietnam War, coping with his mother's mental breakdown.

I like how he gave his biography the name of the magazine that outed him. LA Confidential outed him and others to sell magazines, not caring if they destroyed careers and lives in the process. The scandal blew over for the most part, but he must have been haunted by the incident.

[quote] I like how he gave his biography the name of the magazine that outed him. LA Confidential outed him and others to sell magazines, not caring if they destroyed careers and lives in the process.

You mean "Hollywood Confidential."

One person in this thread joked that he died of AIDS R124

The "outing" didn't hurt his career. No one's life or career was destroyed by Confidential magazine.

Sizemeat verficatia?

R127 = Jews issue a ruling.

He must have been a top if he was with Anthony.

God needed another angel. That's the only explanation...

They said a few minutes ago on the local news at noon that he died of a blood clot but weren't more specific than that.

It seems that he died of natural causes.

From The Chicago Tribune:

Producer and spouse Allan Glaser said Hunter died Sunday of a blood clot in his leg that caused cardiac arrest. Glaser called the death "sudden and unexpected."

Sounds like a pulmonary embolism.

My aunt died of a blood clot in her leg, this can kill you very quickly.

Picture from a few months ago with his partner and Lucie Arnaz.

He looked great for his age

r54 Whether one is Jewish or not is now passed from either parent equally at least among Reform Jews since at least the 1980s. Several prominent rabbis gave this interpretation of the law. If someone has a Jewish father, he or she can inherit their Jewishness from him. I don't feel like linking, google it, the legal interpretation is online.

R137, His partner resembles Desi Arnaz, Jr.

R105, that friend is Nureyev

Are all the queens who were screaming about the news not being reported in the middle of the night happy now?

I honestly thought he's dead already.

"In heaven with Divine"

Oh, so heaven has picked up the Tab.

Did she have any money? If so, how did she get it? She did not work much.

R112, check this out.

Why is he so shiny OP

From Hollywood Reporter

"Hunter died Sunday night in Santa Barbara from a blood clot that caused a heart attack, Allan Glaser, his romantic partner of more than three decades"

They added romantic to be sure the readers wouldn't think he was a business partner?

R148 Yes. Partner is too vague. Or you prefer boyfriend or lover at that age?

Burning in hell.

One of my heroes. A great guy and, though he wasn't interested in being a role model, he was one to me. I loved that he wasn't a mess, despite growing up in those oppressive times. And he was a perfect specimen of beauty once upon a time.

RIP, Tab.

R149 - "Longtime companion."

Significant other

Wonder why r153 and r152 never caught on. No term ever did.

He was never a great actor but he he wasn't a bad one, except during his early years before he learned to act. He was at his peak when he left his studio contract, and his career never survived. He certainly was as good an actor as Rock. (Not that that's saying much.)

He was so gorgeous. Damn. A blond hunk of a man. So pretty. He was so my type. If I was an eldergay, I would have been in love with him. He was still a very good looking man at 87. He aged very well.

RIP Tab!

I caught his documentary on Netflix or Amazon, and I walked away when it was over thinking to myself "Wow. What an absolutely AWESOME human being." Glad he's back home. Well done faithful servant.

R148, it's weird they added "romantic". Partner is now becoming the standard term, for both gay and straight couples who aren't married. Not just in the US but also in Canada and Great Britain.

I don't know why he wasn't more famous. He was just as good as Rock Hudson and many of his contemporary actors. In those days, dark hair was a more popular look for men. (Even Elvis died his blond hair black.) Blonds were relegated to teen heartthrobs.

I love the video clip of Jean Stapleton's character spazzing out as she screams "Tab Hunter! Tab Hunter!"

RIP, Mr. Hunter.

Tab? I always preferred Fresca.

There are some great vintage pics on his Twitter feed.

I reserved the DVD of his documentary on Netflix. Looking forward to seeing it.

NY Times Obit

r162 you can watch the documentary right now at the r114 link.

Someone posted a picture here recently of a dinner party he had with some fabulous older stars.

I missed that. Thanks R164!

He made public appearances when his documentary was making the rounds and I was surprised to find him at the screening I attended. You could tell he was a very nice man, very approachable. His partner was there, too, and they seemed very happy and supportive of each other. I think the thing about Tab was that his life was always more about just show business. He loved horses and spent a lot of time on his ranch and that's what made him happy.

Great thread. Thanks to everyone for the insight and great linked pics.

R59, you beat me to it, but the correct wording is:

He had a hot ass, but I guess he couldn't live forever!

Tab Hunter may not have been the greatest actor, but he was one of the most beautiful men who ever worked in Hollywood. Just gorgeous. I can't think of a young actor today who looks as good as Tab Hunter did in his prime.

So adorable here, especially the faux blushing. Charming.

He seemed to have had a good life, in spite of the false publicity for many years. He found happiness for the most part. Most people should be so lucky nowadays.

When I was a very young sheriff's deputy, I was part of a team of officers who were investigating the theft of some expensive jewelry and other items that one of Tab Hunter's young…friends…had appropriated from Mr. Hunter's Montecito (Santa Barbara) ranch. Mr. Hunter couldn't have been nicer. At the end of my interview with him, he gave me a bagful of oranges from his trees. He was a genuinely delightful person who was loved and respected by the entire community. And yeah, he was hot A.F.

Do tell, [R172]

It's The Tab Hunter Show!

You can always tell a Halo Girl!

Tab Hunter had a show?.. who knew?

R130 Isn't it safe to assume a gay man who lived through the 80s and 90s, was either a top or celibate?

R177 Were you born yesterday?

R178 No, but I'm young enough not to have had unprotected receptive anal sex before the 1980s.

Tab singing that "Young Love" song was super cute. I can see how his smile and sweet shyness would make him endearing. I also like the way he opens his mouth big for some notes (not for sexual reasons, but because it's cute). He had an earnest, easygoing manner about him.

R175 they don't show him branding her and dragging her back to his man cave!

R179 Aha. Well, I lived in San Francisco during the wretched and glorious excess of bathhouses and gay bars of the 1970s and 80s. Things changed so drastically after AIDS entered the scene. It's hard to imagine now, especially as a younger person, just how careless and carefree people were during that time. I have great memories but lost so many friends. Both male and female friends alike had numerous lovers and were regularly seen by doctors to treat their STDs.

^R178

🏄 Did you know that a soft drink was named in his honor ?

[italic] What A Tribute To A Sparkling, Effervescent & Refreshing Guy !

I wonder if he was offered other TV shows.

Dr Kildare...Mr. Novack...mid-1960s TV still liked the blonde clean-cut look.

[quote]Why are people saying he died of AIDS? He was 85.

I think those people were JOKING.

It's best not to take every comment literally on DL.

What was in his refrigerator?

Producer and spouse Allan Glaser said Hunter died Sunday of a blood clot in his leg that caused cardiac arrest. Glaser called the death “sudden and unexpected.”

Eek! Was he on a plane recently?

R188, Thanks for the breaking news.

The problem with making a movie about Hunter's relationship with Perkins is that you'll never find someone as good-looking as him to play him.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that he wanted prayers for him. DL is Atheist Central.

Armie could do it.

I remember loving that Tab Hunter sitcom because I LOVED Tab but also because I wanted to draw comic strips, as did his character.

Sadly the show was not long-lived, maybe not even a full season. It had a terrible time slot IIRC, something like 6 pm on Sunday nights, like the execs never had much faith in it.

Armie is already too old to play Tab at the time of his life when he was dating Tony Perkins.

What was on his ipod?

[quote]I'm surprised no one has mentioned that he wanted prayers for him.

Apparently Tab felt close to his mother's Roman Catholic faith.

Garrett Clayton?

I'm extremel disappointed in the Olivia de Havilland Troll. It took him 35 posts to say "so young?" Oliva de Havilland Troll, you are not holding up your end of the DL bargain.

So anyway, yes it is sad. I always felt he was a man who desperately wanted to indent, but never could.

What’s with this weird DL belief that only bottoms contract HIV?

Probably because there are only bottoms on DL

I know this is DL, but I really liked him after watching the documentary he made. (He was a bit before my time.)

Seemed like a sweet, decent guy. I was bummed when I read the headline this morning.

Justin Beiber could play the role of Tab. Hot, blond, great body for parading around in swim shorts.

I remember seeing Damn Yankees as a kid in the early 70s and asking what happened to Tab Hunter. My mom told me it became known he was gay. So, while it didn't kill his career, it sure didn't help it. Hollywood would have been wary about building him up in high-profile pictures after the Hollywood Confidential stuff blew up.

I have a ton of respect for the way he just kept working, taking whatever jobs were there. I liked watching a documentary where things kind of turned out okay at the end--Tab had his long-time lover, his horses and his ranch and just came off as a deeply decent person.

I expect that "romantic partner" is the term Glaser chose--and the press used his preferred term. It's nice--they wanted no ifs, ands or buts.

Somebody throw [R203] in a grease fire

[quote]The problem with making a movie about Hunter's relationship with Perkins is that you'll never find someone as good-looking as him to play him.

You just know a movie about this made today will be all about Hunter and Perkins as closeted self-loathing victims, when the truth is, they were were on top of the world and having a blast. And they were very much in on the joke.

They were both successful and major heart throbs...both part of an underground gay scene that knew how to live and did NOT feel sorry for themselves.

Of course there was homophobia at the time, but the public didn't have a clue about these guys and although it's hard to believe today...the public really didn't care...they wouldn't have believed it anyway. The public was very naive about gay men.

Bottoms? R201

More like bottom feeders.

They'd have to bring in a nobody to play Tab. No one currently in Hollywood would be able to believably play him.

He was pretty much perfect as Joe Hardy in DAMN YANKEES, and he was good enough to work with great directors like Raoul Walsh and William Wellman in his prime years.

He credited Linda Darnell with helping him get over his nervous self-consciousness in front of the camera.

FYI, the OP of this thread is a Pro-Trump Deplorable who just posted this:

Hispanic unemployment hit all-time low under Trump

This movement toward self-sufficiency is a notable achievement for all Americans, but particular focus should be placed on the gains for communities of color. Why? Because identity politics and Democrats’ Big Government policies have failed minorities. Only now, at long last, are those communities beginning to realize their potential, which has clearly been unleashed with help from the pro-growth Trump administration economic policies of deregulation, tax cuts, and border enforcement.

In contrast to the mainstream media narrative that the current president represents a retrenchment to a monolithic white America, the results so far suggest that exactly the opposite is happening as both Hispanic and African-American jobless figures reach all-time lows. Small and start-up businesses – the normal engine of job creation – particularly thrive under the sensible regulatory restraint of this administration. In addition, recent surveys show soaring confidence among Americans about the humming U.S. economy.

This expansion among small business represents an especially crucial improvement for Hispanics, who are statistically the most entrepreneurial demographic in America. Perhaps this start-up grit among my fellow Hispanics explains why Latinos massively outperformed polling and media expectations for Trump in the 2016 election despite widespread predictions of doom. In 2016, he bested the Hispanic vote earned by GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, according to exit polling. Not bad for a candidate constantly derided by clueless political elites as anti-Latino.

The recently passed tax cuts also represent a big win for Hispanic families who struggled under the previous administration. The harsh reality is that under President Obama, despite his popularity among voters of color, both blacks and Hispanics saw the gap widen between household wealth of white families and minorities families. The slow growth of the Obama years propelled massive asset appreciation, which exacerbated inequality because wages st [more]

Articles refer to Allan Glaser as Tab's "spouse." After more than thirty years, did they marry?

Likely a common law marriage R211

R210 You have too much time on your hands.

[quote]No one currently in Hollywood would be able to believably play him.

Who says?

R204 No honey, he was a truly awful actor

R214 Name someone

[quote]I always felt he was a man who desperately wanted to [bold]indent[/bold], but never could.

Maybe his “tab” button was broken.

See what I did there?

R203... Too many tattoos. He's covered with them.

Justin's too short

I'm not saying he could play him, as he's not an actor, but Sam Champion sort of reminds me of Tab Hunter, looks wise.

They want to cover up his AIDS, not his homosexuality.

Sure, if they wanted to do a bio later in his life R220

R221 — Tab Hunter did NOT have AIDS. Your homophobia is coming through loud and clear.

R221 was obviously being facetious

R221 is an asshole. I don't think gay people find accusations of AIDS amusing, especially against someone who was probably a prime candidate for it 30 years ago.

"FYI, the OP of this thread is a Pro-Trump Deplorable who just posted this:"

Some of you sad detective cunts like R210 really do need to get a life.

What's hard to find these days is a beautiful blonde young actor with the innocence and guilelessness that Tab projected in the 1950s. Those qualities are looooooooooong gone from our culture.

Might have to find it in the Midwest somewhere. Tab was barely out of high school when he got started. Those innocent guys do still exist -- at that age anyway.

[quote]I reserved the DVD of his documentary on Netflix. Looking forward to seeing i

It’s one of the best documentaries, you’ll love every minute of it.

[quote]Justin Beiber could play the role of Tab. Hot, blond, great body for parading around in swim shorts.

Please say you’re joking.

WEHT Kellan Lutz?

Damn! Damn! Damn!

So Damn gay!

R148, they're being precise. "Romantic partner," in contrast to "disinterested partner."

[quote]WEHT Kellan Lutz?

He has even less of a career than I do.

Tab Hunter was beautiful and he sure kept his looks right up until he passed. It's just a thought, but maybe the fact that Tab didn't become a huge HW superstar was what kept him a lovely, chilled out gentleman who seemed to really enjoy a rich life

And - you can shoot me down in flames here- he kind of reminds of the British actor Sam Heughan

Well, Sam is a closet case just like Tab was so you're not that wrong.

There's less excuse for Sam to be a closet case.

Tab was working in the industry at a time 50 years ago when gay sex was illegal and no one was out.

Sam is working at a time when gay marriage is legal and when there are lots of out actors.

Not a great actor, more pretty than handsome. Hudson was marginally better as an actor, but had more presence and more traditionally handsome.

His bio and the doc had gaps in his adult life and inconsistencies about his relationship with his brother & brother's family. Most likely he wrote the bio (which came first) to pre-empt someone from revealing more. Probably was a major slut and perhaps had asubstance use problem during those years after his film and tv authors dried up. Pretty boys don't last---I doubt he was up for Dr. Kildare or Mr. Novak after his sitcom failed.

R179, I think he means that for some people, anal ain't on the menu.

R235.. I can see it.

I've been looking for his film "That Kind of Woman, " with Sophia Loren, and directed by,Lumet.

Idris Elba would make a fine Tab Hunter!!!!

Did he have the AIDS?

R238, you sound like a bitter old Betty who never has a kind word for anyone. No doubt you relish the opportunity to rub bile in the wound and find nothing better in life than Schadenfreude.

R244 Well, Tab chose to live his entire life in the cupboard, and only came out when he had a shitty biography to push, he stated he had no interest in the gay world and did not want to be seen as a leader, or an icon or even apart of the gay community....so I respect his wishes

Nice documentary. Tab Hunter could've gone crazy or become bitter as hell, which given the circumstances of his private life and career could've happened, but instead he had a healthy outlook on life and was a very kind and generous man. He had a healthy domestic life and a nice house in Santa Barbara, with a guy he loved and seemed very happy. He was one of the rare cases of a person who was able to walk away from all the Hollywood bullshit and find fulfillment.

[quote]he had no interest in the gay world and did not want to be seen as a leader, or an icon or even apart of the gay community.

He seemed to just want to live his life and be a private person, nothing wrong with that. Also, he was from a different generation and time period.

r238 is quite the bitter little pill.

My earliest crush. Fortunate enough to briefly meet him in Palm Springs about 6 years ago. I stopped him we shook hands and chatted until his handlers moved him on. Seemed like a really nice guy who had no reason to stop and talk to a stranger. Totally unassuming , still good looking.

that was a nice documentary, and he seemed terrific. he did what he had to do. we all benefit, bit by bit, by what our predecessors did. we may not be so far from that world as we hope. we may need to be brave.

R238, you sound like a bitter old Betty AND a bitter little pill! And a batty Betty biter.

87-year-old men do not die of AIDS.

I loved his book. He seemed like a lovely and thoughtful person.

BTW, did you know he was responsible (indirectly) for the creation of Warner Bros. records, which became one of the most successful labels of all time? Apparently Jack Warner, who had Tab under contract, was pissed when Tab had a #1 record on the Dot label. So he started WB records so his stars could be recorded on his own label.

R240 Thank you! There's definitely a similarity. The smile , the eyes.

[quote] Too many tattoos. He's covered with them.

If only they could invent something that could cover marks on skin! Something you could just make up... oh I know! You could call it "make up"!

You can't cover that many tatoos effectively, and Justin isn't handsome enough Max.

Max, you sly puss!

R256 Yes you can they do it all the time

CGI can do wonders to make Justin Bieber look like Tab Hunter

"Isn't it safe to assume a gay man who lived through the 80s and 90s, was either a top or celibate?"

Nah, I'm still around

Go to 16:10

the doc on him is very well done thanks to whomever posted it - refreshing to see a Hollywood story without the usual addiction problems. Tab really is to be commended for turning his life into a happy ending scenario.

Goodbye dear sir

I do admire him. he was in an impossible situation, and he did what he could. good enough, guy.

R264 Oh balls, he could have come out in the 80s but he chose not to, his choice, fuck him

[QUOTE]He was so brave coming out in his Seventies to promote his autobiography. What a brave gay leader he always was.

You obviously have no fucking idea what 'coming out' back in the 1950s would have done to him.

R266 And when his career was over in the Seventies he did not come out because...?

Nobody fucking came out in the 70s.

R267

Why the fuck should he have ?

My son! The faguluch.

Tab, we knew anyway.

R269 WHY NOT??? He had no career, he could not have hurt

But he lied on his birth certificate by 4 days so he really is 87.

R259 CGI Could make Mason Reese look like Tab Hunter, but it's not going to help Biebs be able to act.

Tab Hunter could act? He was nowhere near as good looking as Bieber. He looked kind of anemic like those AIDS victims in the eighties, his skin was all one greybeige color.

I believe JJ Abrams is making a movie about one of Tabs big love affairs back in his heyday?

[quote]Oh balls, he could have come out in the 80s but he chose not to, his choice, fuck him

Why in the world did he have any obligation to "come out"? He lived his life has he saw fit. He didn't owe you, nor anybody else, anything.

I was reading his bio in Wikipedia and it said he joined the Coast Guard at age 15 having lied about his age. Does that mean he quit school? At 15 one is usually in about 10th grade--hard to believe he did all he did with supposedly only a 10th grade education. Maybe he was proof that some can get by in life on just their good looks. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he got his little ass fucked in return for his success in Hollywood.

His father was Jewish but he was raised Catholic, which was his mother's religion. His parents divorced several years after he was born as his father was allegedly abusive.

He had an older brother named Walter who was in the Navy and was killed in Vietnam.

[R275] is doing a lot of meth

Hard to think of him as 87 years old. He had a “modern” look to me. Men who made movies in the 1930s & 1940s didn’t seem modern. Plus, he really didn’t have much of a career after the early 60s, so we really didn’t watch him age.

Anyone seen Gunmans Walk?

R278 believes what she reads on wikileaks!

[quote]He was nowhere near as good looking as Bieber.

= Justin Bieber

I read his autobiography he explained a lot about his career and personal life. He was a bit of a loner and he wasn't willing to play the Hollywood game to boost his career. He made a number of missteps with his singing career which killed his chances of branching out into music.

Was she still able to smoke pole in her final years?

Why don't you ask his partner, R285?

I've had the great pleasure of banning a few posters from my feed this morning. I won't miss you.

"I'm going to be a MOOOOvie star!" - Tab at his most adorable in that doc

He wasn't interested in being a role model but he still was one for me. I like that he was happy and well-adjusted and not a mess like, say, Monty Cliff. And I would've paid to be the third in a Tab/Tony threeway back then.

Did he and Ray Walston get it on on the set of Damn Yankees?

His brother was a senior Navy medic in Vietnam who was napping in between runs for wounded Marines when the VC hit the parked helicopter he was in with mortar fire and blew him up.

Wasn't Tab's given name Art Gulene or some such shit?

Arthur Kelm R291

Thank you, R292. As an aside, I found the following on Wiki:

"His mother reassumed her maiden surname, Gelien, and changed her sons' surnames, as well. As a teenager, Arthur Gelien, as he was then known, was a figure skater,[6] competing in both singles and pairs. Hunter was sent to Catholic school by his religious mother."

How am I the first on this bloated thread to post Tab’s biggest cinematic triumph?

R294 Oh that’s good, that’s very good!

r294 I didn't even realize that was Tab! I had a crush on Mr. Stewart.

Tab spoke highly of Divine.

[quote] Did he and Ray Walston get it on on the set of Damn Yankees?

Hunter wrote in his autobiography that he was treated as an outcast on the set of DAMN YANKEES. Pretty much everyone else came from the Broadway cast (those really were the Good Ol' Days) and they resented him taking the part of Joe Hardy from their buddy Stephen Douglass

I don’t think that he owed the gay community a damned thing. A celebrity coming out only gets a gaggle of Star fuckers and thirsty hangers on. That is all that I’ve seen.

Here's Tab (28) and The Merm (51) in a ridiculous sketch from a 1959 TV special "Merman on Broadway".

Fast forward to 4:20 to hear 'You're Not Sick You're Just in Love' Even though it's obviously lip-synced. Merman tones down her usual blaring delivery and they blend well together .

In the documentary, I like the part when the interviewer asked about his relationship with Robbie. Tab says in a smile, “What would you LIKE to know?” He was so enduring with that beautiful smile.

And he's cute when he talks about the planted stories like "Tab Goes to the Beach." Tab: (waving hands) "Woo hoo."

And remember he didn't care about "ruining" his career by kissing Divine on film at a time when that wasn't remotely cool -- and was rewarded for it with a nice second act/comeback. He did his part for the gay community and certainly didn't run away from it by a long shot. That book and doc were a nice gift at the end.

Stephen Doulass had CIZEMEAT FACE!!!

Stephen Douglas had SIZEMEAT FACE!!!

And I'm sure Abe Lincoln verified the accuracy of that assumption after the debates.

[quote]I always felt he was a man who desperately wanted to indent, but never could.

[quote]Maybe his “tab” button was broken.

[quote]See what I did there?

That was the joke in the first place, Rose.

Such a beautiful man. Loved him. RIP

Sorry for stealing your thunder, R305.

I’m a little slow on the uptake.

"He made a number of missteps with his singing career."

Like singing.

It was about Tab that Ethel Merman famously asked Stephen Sondheim: "Is he queer?"

Sondheim replied: "Well, Ethel, is the Pope Catholic?"

To which Ethel cluelessly repled: "Well....yes. So?"

Tribute by Robert Wagner

I took a friend to the airport early this morning, and when I came home, my wife, Jill [St. John, the actress], was in tears. She told me about Tab, who was a wonderful friend of mine for so many years.

Tab and I both started out in the early ’50s during the last days of the studio system, and we more or less grew up together. Everyone — colleagues and fans alike — loved Tab not only because he was so handsome and talented, but because he had a kind of purity about him back then that he managed to retain for the rest of his life. He was a big star — the top one in Hollywood, for a while — but he was also a very special human being, a genuinely kind and loving person.

I guess that, even years ago, we all knew that Tab was gay, but it wasn’t something that we talked about. All that mattered was that he was our friend. Natalie [Wood, the actress to whom Wagner was previously married] also adored him. They made a couple of pictures that were very successful — The Burning Hills and The Girl He Left Behind — and they hung out together quite a lot. In those days, they had the fan magazines and all of that, so people always reported that they were a couple. The truth is they were the best of friends.

I imagine that was a very difficult time for young men who were gay, and it certainly couldn’t have been easy for Tab. After all that he had to deal with, he had every right to become a bitter and resentful guy, and yet he didn’t — he was one of the most sunny and positive people I ever knew.

When I think of Tab, I’ll think of him in movies like Damn Yankees!; him and his wonderful partner, Allan Glaser, with whom he had a marvelous personal and professional relationship spanning decades; him and his beloved horses, which he rode until the very end; and how kind he was to me, Natalie, Jill and our daughters [whom he and Allan put in one of their films] and just about everyone he met.

I had the greatest respect and affection for him — he was a first-rate, wonderful person — and I’ll miss him and his smile terribly.

Lovely and obviously heartfelt tribute.

"And when his career was over in the Seventies he did not come out because...?"

Are you kidding? Almost no celebrities were out in the seventies - even campy character actors, not just leading man types.

Robert Wagner only has to IMAGINE what it was like to be gay back then, because of course he is Straighty McStraighterson.

You rarely see blond men as beautiful as Tab Hunter, maybe Thor is a close second.

[QUOTE]I've had the great pleasure of banning a few posters from my feed this morning. I won't miss you.

Oh you lucky girl. The power, the power ! !

So who's left of that generation, the 50s and 60s gay pretty boys? Richard Chamberlain, George Chakiris, George Maharis, John Saxon...who else?

Robert Wagner

Robert Conrad

Earl Holliman

[quote]Almost no celebrities were out in the seventies - even campy character actors, not just leading man types.

How right you are, R312! Even the campy, character actors and celebrities (Paul Lynde, Liberace) were asexual or "Mama's boys," then. I can remember in high school in the late 70s/early 80s when the urban legend of Rock Hudson marrying Jim Nabors making the rounds. Americans were shocked, when Hudson died of AIDS-related illness and it came out that he was gay in 1985. Jim Nabors may have married his long-time lover a few years before his death, but he never discussed his sexuality.

Those who have come out like Richard Chamberlain have done so long after their careers are over. In contemporary Hollywood, the number of openly gay actors is a handful at most. And the ones who are openly gay (Matt Bomer, Russell Tovey) may be good actors, but I'd hardly call them stars. Rupert Everett was right on the money, when he said that coming out was career suicide for him. Matt Bomer would be a perfect 007/James Bond. But would audiences accept an openly gay actor playing the suave, debonair British secret agent? Hardly. That franchise continues even to engage in old tropes like us being evil. An example of this is the character played by Javier Bardem, who seemingly flirted with Daniel Craig/James Bond. He was a sadistic villain. And the media greeted this as progress somehow. Yeah, right!

For a good look at American attitudes towards gays in Tab Hunter's heyday, watch "Tea And Sympathy" or "Advise and Consent."

[quote]In contemporary Hollywood, the number of openly gay actors is a handful at most.

True. Those here wondering why Hunter didn't "come out " in the 1970s only have to look at Hollywood in 2018.

Hunter owed us nothing but gave the world a lot. RIP my good man.

Jack Coleman would have been a good choice to play Hunter in a movie if he still looked like so:

R244, R248, R251----clearly hit a nerve. Are you some pretty boy who aged badly? Regardles,, put awy the cheap Chardonnay and get on with your life. Hunter eventually did. You just don't have enough camp appeal for for frsutarting book or a documentary.

Why all this praise for an annoying elderly homosexual?

^Watch the documentary. He's well before my time, but I watched the documentary and I was greatly impressed with the man as a human being. He was someone the LGBT community could place front and center as a positive representation. He was an exceptional human.

The details of Tab's final minutes are so sad. He and Allan were returning from a neighborhood walk and upon entering their yard Tab was suddenly stricken and said he couldn't breathe and went into cardiac arrest.

She lived like a Queen her entire life while others have to struggle for every penny.

Yes, R324, you hit the nerve that reacts to negative nellies. Many, probably most, of us just don't like people who have nothing positive to add to the conversation ever, especially when those people just add bile and vitriol that they mistakenly label as wit.

I thought that Hunter was great in Track of the Cat, Gunman's Walk, That Kind of Woman, The Loved One, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, and Polyester. And unlike you, he seemed to focus on the good in people whenever possible.

"Rupert Everett was right on the money, when he said that coming out was career suicide for him."

Go to imdb, look at the stuff he was doing BEFORE he came out then tell me that coming out was "career suicide" - he wasn't doing big action leads before he came out.

Everett's "About a Boy" story really sums it up -- and it was a fellow gay agent who sabotaged him getting the role so that his client could get it instead. That's the sneaky shit that happens and how gay is used against an actor, not so much publicly in this day and age.

Was he a top or bottom? Asking for a friend...

Everett's point is true,. but just not for him. He sabotaged his early (closeted) career by being completely, Alex-Pettyfer-level loathsome and alienating everyone he worked with; then came out and attempted to become a gay novelist, before gritting his teeth and, admirably, resuscitating his career through gay-oriented parts. He only has a career now because he was gay and out.

Alex Pettyfer is suffering from PTSD because of the constant sexual harassment and near rapes that he has experienced during his tenure in Hollywood. There was a blind about this shortly after the sequel to Magic Mike was released and folks wanted to know why he wasn’t in it. This can explain a lot of the erratic behavior of many of Tinseltown’s hot young stars of both genders...

How does Robert Wagner keep a straight face through that interview? Dear god.

TCM will be airing an entire day of Tab Hunter films on Friday July 20th, from 6am ET to 8pm ET:

6:00am ET • THE STEEL LADY

7:30am ET • RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND

9:00am ET • LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE

10:45am ET • OPERATION BIKINI

12:15pm ET • THE GOLDEN ARROW

2pm ET • THE GIRL HE LEFT BEHIND

4pm ET • THE BURNING HILLS

5:45pm ET • THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN

[quote] The details of Tab's final minutes are so sad. He and Allan were returning from a neighborhood walk and upon entering their yard Tab was suddenly stricken and said he couldn't breathe and went into cardiac arrest.

Not sure why this is so sad. He was 86, a pretty good run He didn't have a long, debilitating illness like Alzheimer's or ALS. He spent the day doing something he liked with the man he loved. He went quickly, in the arms of his husband, not in a hospital hooked up to a bunch of machines.

We all have to go. We should all be so lucky to go in such a way.

[quote]So who's left of that generation, the 50s and 60s pretty boys ?

James Darren

Frankie Avalon

Fabian

John Anthony Hayes

Mike Nader

Roger Smith

Warren Beatty

[quote] Muffin?

Okay, I LOL'ed.

Miss R337 has it right.

R338, if you're referring to my post at R316, I'd specified gay pretty boys, which lends itself to some speculation from the list you've provided (Frankie Avalon, 8 kids and married for 55 years...probably not). I'm doubting that any of those you've listed is more than a 1 or 2 on the Kinsey scale, not counting casting couch career moves.

Also Roger Smith died 6/4/17.

Mike Nader, R338! I fell in love when I saw those “Beach” movies on TV as a kid, and then when I heard that gravelly voice on “Dynasty” later, the deal was sealed!

Great point, R337. Well said.

Pat Boone is still kicking, though he's got dementia.

None of the pretty boys in these lists are as old as Tab. He was at the height of his screen idol fame in 1957, a generation before any of the others had even been heard of.

[QUOTE]a generation before any of the others had even been heard of.

A gross exaggeration

Jeez, God, why'd you have to kill such hot snatch?

It would've happened eventually

Indeed, R346, consider:

Carleton Carpenter, 92

Harry Belafonte & Sidney Poitier & John Ericson, 91

Stuart Whitman & Hardy Kruger, 90

Clu Guluger & Earl Holliman, 89

Don Murray & Christopher Plummer & Robert Wagner & Clint Eastwood & Max von Sydow, 88

Sean Connery & Jean-Louis Trintignant & Rip Torn, 87

Darryl Hickman, 86

Jean-Paul Belmondo, 85

Edd Byrnes & Robert Fuller, 84

Alain Delon & Keir Dullea, 82

R347

Loved HEATHERS

The man was almost 87 years old, that's a pretty long life.

"Alex Pettyfer is suffering from PTSD because of the constant sexual harassment and near rapes that he has experienced during his tenure in Hollywood."

Who abused him? Did Kevin Spacey get a piece o' that?

Because of Tab's death I've been watching lots of early clips of him that have been appearing on my news feed, and it just reminds me how beautifully open and sincere he always appeared to be, both in roles and in interviews. There really are no young actors these days who come close to that kind of sweetness.

He was incredibly appealing. Wish he could have been out, but hell, wish every generation for a thousand years could have been out.

[quote] how beautifully open and sincere he always appeared to be, both in roles and in interviews.

I met Tab Hunter at a book signing at the old Barnes & Noble near Lincoln Center. He was interviewed and was indeed charming. The crowd was huge, and afterward, everybody lined up to get their book signed. My partner was hungry so we decided not to get our book signed and instead went across the street to Ollie's to get a bite to eat. We finished dinner an hour or so later, and when I looked up at B&N I could see that the lights were still on in the fourth floor event room where the book signing had taken place. On a hunch we went back upstairs and there he was, still signing books, still chatting with his fans, still posing for pictures. The line was moving slowly because, unlike most celebrities, he seemed genuinely interested in talking with each person.

I figured I'd find something in his book to ask him about, so I quickly read the section about THE MILK TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE, the flop Tennessee Williams play he did in 1963-4 with Tallulah Bankhead and Marian Seldes. I asked him what it was like and he just rolled his eyes and diplomatically said it was quite the experience working with Bankhead. I would've given a month's pay to sit there and hear him tell stories about that show. Shame on the gays of the era who couldn't keep it running longer than 5 performances.

I heart r355. Love a man who does his research.

I met Mr. Hunter at a Barnes and Noble signing in Chicago. Long line, but he was friendly and engaging and didn’t seem to rush anyone along. I hadn’t read the book yet, and asked him if he had any special memories about “That Kind of Woman” (underrated Sidney Lumet-directed gem with Sophia Loren) and Tony Richardson’s “The Loved One”. He shared some stories, and even called over his partner (at a nearby table) and introduced him to me. It wasn’t until later when I read the book that I learned that neither of the films had been great experiences for him, and he was being diplomatic when discussing them with me. It was a great experience, though, for which I’m most grateful!

Nice story, r357. It sounds like he was a good person.

I loved hearing him speak so sweetly about Divine after his death. Made me love him even more.

thanks, R357.

Now that he's been mentioned--anyone else a fan of Hardy Kruger? Those lips. His son is also an actor, and quite a looker.

Yes, Hardy Kruger was hot in his prime!

Longest surviving pretty boy (if we're not counting Kirk Douglas) is Gene Reynolds, 95, who made his film debut in 1934, a year before Dame de Havilland.

Can Chris Hemsworth do a convincing aw-chucks, all-American accent? He’d be my choice to play Tab, after laying off the weights for a bit.

R362 Gene Reynolds was cute but by no means considered a pretty boy.

R355 wow thanks for sharing!

Also I never seen him looking like that,he looked amazing with the scruffy look. And fuck to the no about Chris Hemsworth paying him. Tab is the anti Hemsworth,he was so fresh and had a softness to his looks and persona which is the opposite of what Hemsworth is,not to mention his charisma. Chris has such a basic surfer bro personality. What are you people even talking about?

[quote]convincing aw-chucks

R364, speak for yourself.

On the theme of surviving "pretty boys" Mr. Dewey Martin is now 94 (born 1923).

R364, Reynolds ended up being far more than a pretty boy, true, since he went on to produce and direct M*A*S*H, Lou Grant, and Room 222, but in the late 30s and early 40s he was definitely the pretty boy in They Shall Have Music, Boys Town, Gallant Sons, Adventure in Washington, etc., though he sometimes was both tough and pretty.

Here he is in an interview from ten years, looks good for a man then in his mid-80s.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Gene Rayburn?

Actually I meant Gene Raymond. He's doing really well for almost 110.

QUESTION.......... how do these old guys survive? they marry or hook up with a rich woman or man. ? tabs husband did not sound like he was with bank. i just wonder . I mean to live in santa barbara and not have worked for many years. my god . a person needs a min of $7,000? $10,000? monthly just to live especially with old age and in santa barbara? someone please explain. i guess if you dont have that , you just die? or maybe you get to go to that great place the actors home in woodland hills??

SO ....whatever happened to dewey martin??? he was married to peggy lee? 2 years? what has he done for the rest of his life??/

Does Dewey swing?

I like the Tab documentary alot. Every gay man should see it, but I was quite surprised to learn that Anthony Perkins was quite the cunt to steal Tab's idea and create a project for himself.

R372. It's called saving your money and good investments. Feel real bad for public figures, especially athletes, who blow through their fortunes and end up in mountains of debt. Tab Hunter also worked regularly after his hey day in the fifties. In the sixties and seventies he worked the dinner theatre and summer stock circuit (he recalled the dinner theatre as working between the belches and the passing of gas!!). And he had guest spots on TV. That's a paycheck. He didn't live a lavish lifestyle.

He sounds as if he was a really nice gentleman. I'm happy that he found the man he was with for the past 30 plus years.

thanks R372... he was lucky not to have alot of medical drama also. yes a very nice man. . i cant imagine having to do dinner theatre.......how horrible.

Dewey is in San Pedro now and answers his fan mail promptly.

WOW......... san pedro? thats long beach . maybe he is there for the military connection? whew not me. at 95 i hope to be in carmel with doris and clint......... how cool that he still has fans. i think i will get into show biz so in my old age i will have fans

How about Rick Cosnett to play Tab?

Good choice, R380. Experienced but not so well known that it will get in the way. And he looks very close (if the age is right).

Cosnett is a decade too old. Hunter was 25 when he and Perkins were an item.

My buddy Evan Gamble could pull it off. Very talented and nice guy too. Just give him the period haircut and bleach him a bit more blonde.,

Another one who's too old. Gamble's almost 37.

Maybe go with a non-actor like one of the Rhodes bros

I miss the days of big Barnes & Noble and Tower stores. is Tony Perkins the one who was into bondage and would pay guys to creep up the fire escape to enter through the window and tie him up? I read his bio Split Image but this wasn't in it.

Scott Eastwood as Tab Hunter.

r380, he looks a lot like Tab but they'll probably want a bigger name

My pick is Alexander Ludwig--right age, right look, right vibe.

....

Freddie Stroma

Have to agree on Alexander, he’s currently the “it” guy in Vikings.

bump

On TCM this Friday, 7/20.. starting at 6 am, Tab Hunter movies, in honor of him.

And boy, was he forced into some dogs!

Just saw the documentary last night.

Interesting, though I think a wee bit too sanitized.

Agreed. The contrasts of his life were not strongly felt as a viewer. Movie stardom, singing stardom, work on Broadway to... b-movies, dinner theatre. That stuff was addressed but skimmed over. It must have fucked with his head but there was little illuminating or poignant said about it.

^Disagree. Hunter got into show business on a fluke, and he continued on throughout his career in a "whatever happens, happens" sort of way. That's why we're all going on about what a great guy he was. He kept a positive attitude regardless.

A positive front, perhaps. But it's nonsense to suggest that starring on Broadway in a movie or a play felt exactly the same for him as playing some dinner theatre where the Soup of the Day got bigger billing than him.

No. NOT a positive FRONT - he remained in good spirits throughout his life. He was already well resigned to the fact that his career could be purposely ruined at any time, and in fact he WAS outed by this or that person here and there. I think his own agent or manager outed him to deflect heat off Rock Hudson at some point. He was a good sport, and again, he took life as it came to him.

Wow. Tab Hunter never had any lows. He just stuck out his chin, and grinned, and...

Love the book but did notice they left out things like the controversial report that he had abused a dog -- which almost caused him far more grief than the gay stuff. Maybe it was just a matter of running time. But, yeah, it was made "in house" so they could skim over whatever they wanted.

(Meant that they left the story out in the movie, of course).

I just thought it was a wee bit sanitized. Either he sanded down some of his edges - he had what sounded like a bipolar mother and an abusive father - or he really was as deep as a penny and excised all his demons through art.

It wasn't a puff piece in other ways, it certainly covered his career lows, etc.

He was an amazing looking man. Although every time I see him in Polyester I have to think if it's him or Jack Wrangler.

The Jack Wrangler doc was better. Even Jack lying was more illuminating than anything Tab said, like when Wrangler claimed that he stopped fucking men. Sure ya did, Johnny boy.

He was a good friend to dear lady that he met back in the Harry Cohn days. He even mentioned her in his book and sent her a signed copy. She told me how genuinely nice he was and kept a low profile so he wouldn't be outed and, thus, unable to support his dead brother's young children. Yes, he was afraid of his fans abandoning him but he was a solid, strong man who provided for his family, esp. after his brother was killed in Viet Nam. I only "knew" him thru Margery and now they are both gone.