Perfection

With Jane Lynch hosting the upcoming Emmys & Neil Patrick Harris just finishing being brilliant & charming hosting the Tonys, I suggest that we only have smart, funny, profoundly gifted, out & proud, legally married to their same sex spoused performers host award shows. It is proven to work, don't mess with the formula.

Do you love Jane Lynch like I do? She Turns 51 today.

A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts... Born On This Day- Closet Case Merv Griffin

When Merv Griffin died, he left behind: Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy & its theme song, hotels, real estate ventures, more than a billion dollars, & a great deal of speculation. According to Merv Griffin: A life in the Closet by his friend Darwin Porter, Griffin’s 1st crush was Errol Flynn, whom he saw passed out naked on a couch. He was a  roommate with Montgomery Clift for 2 years. He lived with Roddy McDowall at the famed Dakota in NYC, where he introduced Eddie Fisher to Elizabeth Taylor. He had an affair with Rock Hudson, whom he met through Henry Wilson, Rock's agent, & who advised him to keep his sexuality under wraps, & there was a young James Dean selling his sex for cash. He had a relationship with Judy Garland's Meet Me in St. Louis boy next door- Tom Drake. There was golden age stars Peter Lawford, & Robert Walker on his list of conquests, & a sexual tryst with Marlon Brando. He was famous in gay circles for his all-male pool parties with hired porn stars serving up goodies.



I used to come home from elementary school, & let myself into our house with my key, practice the piano & then settle in to watch the Merv Griffin Show. I was already zany for show biz & I was big on Merv’s guests including Moms Mabley, Mrs. Miller & Pamela Mason. Merv's secret gay life was widely known in showbiz, but not to his viewers.

The issue of his sexuality became an issue in 1991 when he was targeted in 2 lawsuits: by Dance Fever host Denny Terrio, alleging sexual harassment; & by his personal assistant- Brent Plott seeking $200 million in palimony. Both suits were eventually dismissed. Eva Gabor played his beard. Nothing was discussed in the media or in his own circles, particularly straight political circles. Though he quietly led a gay life, & had his pool parties filled with hot young men, & a parade of boyfriends, it was viewed as "private" information that was not discussed in mixed company.


In the last years of his life, Griffin deflected the gay questions with a quip, determining that his private life remain private. He felt that he needed explanation, but maybe he owed it to himself to open the secret he'd been forced to hide throughout his adult life. But, Griffin had a place in the Hollywood firmament at a time when being gay was unthinkable & the allegation alone would ruin a career.


I would think that the public would have been more tolerant about his being gay as he grew into old age? Even in Hollywood where homosexuality isn't exactly a rare phenomenon, being gay is rarely spoken of in an honest way. Griffin's brush with tabloid scandal probably only drove him deeper into the closet.


Griffin's closet kept him shockingly silent while he had access to the President of the United States as gay people were dying. He was close with the Reagans (Nancy Reagan in particular, they share a birthday today) during the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s, with few treatments available & fear-mongering having gripped the media. Griffin's friends, his lovers, gay men across America, & around the world suffered & met horrific deaths. Griffin was closeted, & it is highly unlikely he ever made the connection for the Reagans, pointed out the government negligence, or even talking openly as a gay person. They likely knew he was gay, but it was unspoken. Maybe the Reagans rationalized that Griffin was not like "those people", & that maybe it wasn't true anyway... maybe he was actually dating Eva Gabor. Griffin stayed silent about the epidemic in the media, ironic because he was at the center of the media industry & in shaping the TV industry, when his voice would have made a huge difference.

Griffin died in 2007, at 82 years of age. He left behind an immense fortune & many unanswered questions.

Born On This Day- June 13th... Center Square Paul Lynde

My favorite Paul Lynde anecdote:
In the early 1960s, Lynde was on trans-continental flight. A child was not being supervised by her parents & was running up & down the aisle making noise & annoying the other passengers.The child's mother obviously thought this behavior was precious. When Lynde could take no more of the child's shenanigans, he rose from his seat & approached the mother & stated: "Madam. if you don't control your child this instant, I will have to fuck her."

Paul Lynde was one of the first personalities that I identified as gay when I was a child. I thought his way with a salty one liner & his unique delivery was just too funny. I loved him in the film of Bye Bye Birdie, in a role he originated on Broadway. But it was, of course, the delicious & unbelievable gay double entendres from the center square on Hollywood Squares in the 1960s & early 1970s that made me a fan:

Peter Marshall: Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Peter Marshall: What's the one thing you should never do in bed?
Paul Lynde: Point and laugh!

Peter Marshall: In "The Wizard Of Oz", the Tin Man wanted a heart, & the Lion wanted courage. What did the Straw Man want?
Paul Lynde: He wanted the Tin Man to notice him.

Peter Marshall: At a recent hearing, opponents of flourinated water claim that when it is in in a person's system it can cause an uncontrollable desire for sex.
Paul Lynde: HEY, CULLIGAN MAN!

Peter Marshall: Paul, any good sailor knows that when a man falls off a ship you yell 'Man overboard!' What should you shout if a woman falls overboard?
Paul Lynde: Full speed ahead!

Peter Marshall: What is said to be wasted on the young?
Paul Lynde: A whipping.

Lynde was club performer, director, recording artist, actor on Broadway, in films, television, cartoons & summer stock, & one of Hollywood's finest chefs & hosts. Lynde: “I can't even get 3 weeks off to have cosmetic surgery!” Lynde spent a lifetime engaged in ongoing personal struggles in private life, as the tabloids occasionally reported, but he remained appreciated by those in his profession, friends & fans. He was perhaps most famous just for being Paul Lynde.The enigmatic Lynde:  “I don't know who the hell Paul Lynde is, or why he's funny, & I prefer it to be a mystery to me. An actor shouldn't undergo psychoanalysis, because there are a lot of things you're better off not knowing.”

Lynde was found dead in his Beverly Hills home by friend Paul Barresi on Monday, January 11, 1982... Paul Lynde enjoyed a precarious life of men, drinking & partying.

A Tale Of Two Dicks

Richard Cox was born in 1930, on this day- April 19th. His mother was silent film actress Ruth Powell, his father was Elmer Cox, business manager to Douglas Fairbanks & director Erich Von Stroheim.

Cox studied theatre at Stanford University. He received a small role in 1954's Prisoner of War, starring Ronald Reagan. I suppose it was just too much of a burden to be billed as Dick Cox, & he changed his last name to Sargent.

Dick Sargent made the successful transition from live theater to TV & Film. He found work in TV series: Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, I Dream of Jeannie, & Adam-12. He played a lead role in One Happy Family & Broadside. Sargent was featured in the films: Operation Petticoat (1959), That Touch of Mink (1962) & the Elvis Presley project- Live a Little, Love a Little (1968).

I have read that Dick Sargent & Tammy Grimes auditioned for the original roles of Darrin & Samantha Stephens during the casting of the pilot of Bewitched. Sargent became unavailable because he was under contract for Broadside. He did go on to play Tammy Grimes's brother on the short lived series- The Tammy Grimes Show, where the lead character's name was Tamantha.

Bewitched, as we all know, went into production with Elizabeth Montgomery & Dick York as the Stephens. After season 5, York left Bewitched because of his back problems & a dependency on painkillers. To prepare viewers for the switch to a new Darrin in Season 6, ABC ran all of the shows in which Dick York did not appear during the summer 1969.

Sargent did not have an easy time stepping in to this top rated show with a popular leading man. He often appeared nervous & uncomfortable in his first season.

The role of Darrin was never written differently & that the 2 actors simply had a different interpretation of the character. Both Sargent & York have said that there was little room for improvisation & that the characters on Bewitched always stuck with the script. Sargent’s Darrin was more laid back & more sly.

Elizabeth Montgomery: “By the time Dick Sargent came on the show, Darrin & Samantha's relationship was 5 years old... Darrin's objections to witchcraft would have mellowed anyway, whether it was Dick Sargent or Dick York."

Dick York had praise for the continuation of the show & for Sargent's portrayal of Darrin. York: "Dick's a marvelous actor. He had a job to do & he did it well."


Sargent: "Occasionally, I wonder about Bewitched. But I guess we all wonder about something or other. Most working actors don't get a role where they become household faces. They may not know my name, I may be Darrin to people out there, but if people see you & smile at you & act like you're an old friend, I think that's a pretty swell accomplishment."


Sargent went on to guest star in many popular TV series: Taxi, Alice, Charlie's Angels, Diff'rent Strokes, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Waltons, The Love Boat, Three's Company, Family Ties, The Six Million Dollar Man, Murder, She Wrote, & L.A. Law. He appeared in TV movies: Rich Man, Poor Man, The Gossip Columnist, The Power Within, & Columbo: Uneasy Lies the Crown.

Sargent did voice work & returned to performing live theater when he had the chance.

In 1989, Sargent was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After a long & successful acting career, Sargent came out in 1990. He asked his old friend Elizabeth Montgomery to join him as Grand Marshall of the LA gay pride parade in 1992. Montgomery:"In or out of the closet, I love him. He's a super guy & a good friend. I'm happy for him & proud of him."


During the Bewitched years, Sargent's bio made mention of an ex-wife to avoid speculation about his sexuality, even appearing with gay actress Fannie Flagg on the gameshow- Tattletales as a couple. Sargent shared his life & his homw with his partner of 20+ years, Albert Williams, until Williams' death.

Sargent supported gay rights issues & was a life-long advocate of the Special Olympics. Sargent passed away from prostate cancer in 1994, less than a year before Elizabeth Montgomery's passing from colon cancer.

Perfection

Born On This Day- November 11th... Hot, Jewish, Talented Jason Nidorf Mutchnick

TMax Mutchnick: “ I mean if Will & Grace made me proud of anything, I mean now because it’s over I guess, I could say I am proud that we kept a dignified gay man who lives with a great deal of integrity at the center of a of a television series for 8 years. I always got a lot of heat that we didn’t take the character far enough. That we didn’t see the character sexualize himself enough. & my thinking was always let’s just keep the guy on television. Let’s just show people that this man can exist & that he can be your neighbor, he can be your doctor or he can be your son & we can learn to live with that. & I was I think I was most pleased that the show just stayed on the air. That’s what I’m really proud of.”

Max Mutchnick on the right with his husband... oh, how I love Jewish men!!!

Did Will & Grace make your Thursday nights a happy time of the week for 8 years back in another century? The Husband & I loved “Must See TV” line up including Frasier & Friends. It was a golden time for the sitcom. I was proud & pleased to have a well done & funny show with a gay male lead character & fascinated that America would embrace a show where the male & female leads were not involved romantically.


The show took place in NYC & told the tale of Will Truman, a gay lawyer, & his best friend Grace Adler, a Jewish woman who runs her own interior design firm, & their friends Karen Walker, a rich socialite, & Jack McFarland, a struggling actor/singer/dancer who also had brief careers as an acting teacher, back-up dancer, cater/waiter, talk show host & student nurse. During it’s 8 year run, Will & Grace earned 16 Emmy Awards & 83 nominations.


For his work on Will & Grace, the show’s creator, writer & producer- Max Mutchnick has been honored with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, 2 People’s Choice Awards, 6 Golden Globe nominations, 7 G LAAD Media Award, a Founders Award from the Viewers for Quality Television, & the National Award for Excellence from the Human Rights Campaign.

Mutchnick started his writing career over 25 years ago with his high school best friend- David Kohan. They began writing professionally for The Dennis Miller Show. Producers Linda Bloodworth & Harry Thomason gave the future Emmy Award winners their big break into the world of sitcoms when they hired them to work on Hearts Afire with the late, great John Ritter. Other TV writing credits: The Wonder Years, Evening Shade, & Dream On. In addition to Will & Grace, they also created & executive produced on the comedy series Boston Common, Good Morning, Miami, 4 Kings.


Born in Chicago & raised in L.A., Mutchnick comes from a creative background. His father was a graphic designer who launched the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, & his mother is an entertainment executive & writer children’s books. Mutchnick’s older brother is the Creative Director of AOL RED, AOL's online service for Teens.


Mutchnick left L.A. after high school to attend Emerson College in Boston. Starting as a theatre major, he switched to mass communications. At Emerson, he became involved in the school’s television program, ultimately running the campus station. In 2005, Mutchnick was appointed to Emerson’s Board of Trustees. In 2006, The Max Mutchnick Campus Center was erected. Known as “The Max,” the Campus Center has become a hub of student life on campus in Boston’s Back Bay, where I lived in 1972-73.


Additionally, Mutchnick has been an active member of the Big Brother Program of Los Angeles, having mentored his “little brother” for the last 19 years. He has also been a long time supporter of the Human Rights Campaign & the Lambda Legal Defense Fund.

Mutchnick lives in L.A. with his husband, Erik Hyman. They were legally married in their backyard on October 25, 2008. They are the proud parents of twin daughters- Rose Austin and Evan Heart Hyman-Mutchnick, born in September of 2008.

Mutchnick: “I’m a big personality!”  So it was unusual for him to be intimidated by Erik Hyman, an entertainment law associate at the Los Angeles firm Loeb & Loeb. Mutchnick: “I’m Mel Brooks & he is Anne Bancroft. He’s this sophisticated, elegant guy, & I’m the kind of guy who would have a piece of toilet paper stuck to my heel.”




Hyman: “He was super cute but not very friendly.” Hyman was dubious when a female friend suggested fixing them up. Sometimes, straight girls try to set up the only 2 gay guys they know.”


At the time, Mr. Hyman was recovering after a period of sadness & loss following the death of his longtime partner- photographer Herb Ritts.


Mutchnick: “My career has been the centerpiece of my life. Then in 2006, the final episode of “Will & Grace” was broadcast, & I found myself envying Will Truman, who had committed to a life partner & started a family. Will had gotten ahead of me, & I was watching the character have an experience I knew nothing about.”


Before a date could be arranged, the couple found themselves attending the same Hollywood AIDS benefit. Hyman nervously extended his hand to say hello, he toppled a table of water bottles. He was crawling on his hands & knees gathering up the mess as an oblivious Mutchnick rushed away.


Hyman: “Max didn’t say hello, & he didn’t help me pick up the plastic bottles, I resolved they would never date. When Max finally recognized me, he shot out of his seat & offered a profuse apology. The first words out of my mouth were, ‘Would you like to have dinner?”


They moved in together a week later. Mutchnick: “We have not spent a night apart since; I had never met a man as intelligent & confident, or one who could withstand my insecurities & histrionics. I fell immediately for his passion, charm & humor.”


Hyman: “People say ‘What’s the rush?’ But why the delay? I have learned firsthand that time can be fleeting. When you want to be with someone & you can be, I don’t see why you would be apart.”


Within a few months they were talking about having children, & 20 months later, a surrogate gave birth to their daughters.
Hyman: “Marriage was a tougher issue. I always thought it was silly to get married if it didn’t matter legally, but that changed after a California court legalized same-sex marriages. As new fathers in the process of moving into a new residence, we wanted to wait before planning a wedding. But Proposition 8, changed that time frame".


During the Jewish ceremony in their garden, Mutchnick, always the producer, abruptly halted the proceedings to turn off a fountain that was burbling off-cue. Hyman: “He’s a show runner, & he likes to run a show.”