The Gay Deceivers

No, it's not the most right-on of movies, but it could have been so much worse. Michael Greer fought very hard with the producers and directors to soften the worst edges of stereotyping in Malcolm, and I think he injected a teensy-weensy bit of realism. Greer, who also played Queenie in 'Fortune and Men's Eyes', was, rare for the time, an out gay actor and his honesty and his activism should be acknowledged. Given his talent, he sacrificed a much more lucrative Hollywood career because he wouldn't 'tone it down' (ie. pretend).

Incidentally, Keith Howes 'Broadcasting It' says that this was the first film ever to be turned down by the BBC on the grounds that it was offensive to homosexuals, but no more details than that. Has anyone heard of this, and do they have any idea of when the BBC became so solicitous of our feelings?

When "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" came out in the summer of 2007, it jogged my memory about a movie called "The Gay Deceivers" that was out when I was in junior high and which I was too young to see. Netflix didn't own a copy, but evidently they keep track of who inquires on movies they don't have and send it out when they get it. So boom, "The Gay Deceivers" arrives by surprise in my mailbox six months later. Regarding the review headlined, "Offensive and Unfunny", I'm going to say just one thing, in my campiest voice, "Oh Mary, lighten up". (How dare they make a movie in 1969 that offends my 21st century sensitivities!) Yes, some of it is hard to watch, maybe for me especially. It was made about the time of my sexual awakening, and some of the stereotypes depicted underscored for me why I had grown up with so much internalized homophobia. But they were making a farce and all they had to work with was how gays were perceived at the time. It's a little too much to expect them to have transcended the thinking of the time in which it was filmed. But on the other hand, some of it is still laugh out loud funny. Especially the scene where Michael Greer makes breakfast. I laughed, then I turned to my partner of fifteen years and said, "I suppose as a gay man I ought to be offended, but it's just so silly!"

The impact of this film recently became clear to me when I realized that having seen it only once, nearly 25 years ago, I was still thinking of it. It has become part of my internal landscape, and I tend to compare every comedic treatment of gays on film to my memory of The Gay Deceivers. It is rather sad to think that the best and probably most honest comedy about gay life in America was made so long ago, and in a time when homosexuality was still rarely hinted at in main-stream cinema. See this rare and wonderful film if you can -- urge your local film festival, art house or PBS station to acquire the rights to screen it. It deserves to be rediscovered by a new generation.

So two guys try to convince the army that they are gay to avoid being sent off to war. Of course, they decide they have to move in together, next door to the queeny landlord. Michael Greer should have received SOME award for this work. Lawrence Casey and Christopher Riordan were pretty much just hired to spend the movie with their shirts off. Kevin Coughlin and his big blue eyes do a great job in a very believe-able role. Watch out - that drag queen at the party is the butchest one in the flick. On the DVD from Dark Sky Films, there is a funny bonus interview with director Bruce Kessler. The big difference between this film and ones like "Chuck & Larry" or "Partners" is that this one treats the actual gays living in their natural habitat with a lot of respect, albeit with some stereotypes (the pink, the nudes, the ascots). I understand... at that time, that's how you knew who was gay and who was not. Fun for the most part. They spend so much time worrying about getting caught by their family, friends, or the army, that its a little more serious than it needs to be. Also some frontal female nudity and butt shots. Hats off to the actors for having the guts to make it.

This little movie, from the end of the 1960s, is perhaps one of the finest "gay" films ever made. It certainly ranks among my Top Five favorites of the genre. Two straight guys wanting to avoid the draft for Vietnam, decide to play gay. Seems like a silly idea for a movie, and it is, but despite the premise and the usual stereotypes (typical of the period) it really is harmless and lots of fun.

The two lead male actors are fine, and their female counterparts do quite well too. The star of this show, however, is Michael Greer, who is superb as the "gay landlord". His character is pretty much an extreme stereotype, but so what? He plays it to perfection, and is probably the most interesting character in the whole film. The scene where he accuses an older woman of trampling his flower bed is the singular most funny scene in the whole movie, and it's all because of his delivery. Other nifty aspects about this film: the the 60s views of a gay bar (with the Tom of Finland-esque drawings along the walls), the views of L.A. from the time, and the really dated fashions/styles.

A fun movie, definitely worth a look if you like "gay" films as a genre, or just amusing "cult" type films.