A Tribute to Rock Hudson
By Karen Severino
It was a day like any other, but then when the news broke, it seemed like everything stood still for me in those moments. Rock Hudson had died of AIDS on Oct. 2, 1985 and the world literally changed from that day forward. We had the face of Aids, and now it was someone we all loved and respected. What a knockout punch hit us all that day! For several weeks prior, the news that Rock was gay was absorbed worldwide when he came forward that he was dying of the hideous disease. His last appearance, of course, had to be with Doris Day on her television show “Best Friends” and it was this appearance that made Hollywood insiders realize that something was terribly wrong with Rock Hudson. Very soon after, his illness was announced from France where he went for treatment hoping for a miracle cure. They say a miracle might have happened had Nancy Reagan allowed her husband, President Reagan, to contact a Commanding General at Percy Hospital in France. They needed the Reagans’ influence to have the transfer of patient Rock Hudson into an American military hospital because of their success rate in treating Aids patients. The request for help was denied,so the much wished miracle never happened. Rock Hudson came home to die.
Knowing what we know today from that time about the disease, it is possible that hospital could have prolonged Rock’s life, but highly unlikely he would have survived the disease. In those days, no one survived!
I had always been a Doris Day fan from as early as I can remember. Actually, it seemed I was a fan before I even knew her name. There was something about her that was magic on the screen and there was a sweet sincerity in her voice that made her singing stand out among the rest of the crowd. Prior to 1959, she had done several films and had definitely made a footprint in many a fan’s heart. However, when the studios had decided to pair Doris Day with Rock Hudson in “Pillow Talk”, unbeknownst to them, cinema history and a devoted lifelong friendship was about to explode on screen.
“Pillow Talk” was considered a bit risqué in the year it was released. Today, they consider the sexual innuendo of the film as child’s play.
There they were on screen with several love scenes that made critics cringe because here was a comedy with very clear sexual overtones, and the girl-next-door was the leading lady! The critics may have cringed at first, but the public loved it! Doris and Rock’s chemistry on screen was so lovable and played so innocently that no one cared about the overtones. In fact, it played so well, the public could not get enough of them. They were “the couple” of the early 60’s and they were box office gold. What came off the screen was that Doris and Rock genuinely loved each other.
I remember being in Junior High School at the time and like many of the students, I had scrawled Doris Day and Rock Hudson on my notebook binder. It was the dynamic duo of that time and a lot of us thought Doris and Rock should be married in real life, because their chemistry was so fantastic on the screen. Little did any of us realize then that Rock Hudson had a secret life that he had to hide in order to keep his career. Handsome and gentle Rock had now stepped into comedy and he was good, damn good! When asked how he was able to easily switch from a dramatic actor into comedy, he gave Doris Day the credit for walking him through and teaching him the ropes. Doris was a genius at what she did and Rock respected her immense talent and comedic expertise.
As every fan knows, Doris and Rock went on to do two more films together. Their third wheel, Tony Randall was perfect to compliment the duo. By the time “Lover Come Back” was released, the hype and the anticipation for the film was pretty hard for most fans to contain. Many critics, as well as fans, believe that “Lover Come Back” was the best of the three films that Doris and Rock made.
Whenever Rock spoke of Doris, you could tell he was pretty devoted to her, but most of all he loved working with her. The same holds true for Doris’ words about Rock. Their friendship was special off screen as well as on screen. It was Rock’s films with Doris that perked up his floundering career after having done the movie, “Farewell To Arms”. Rock’s comedy prowess led him to do more romantic comedies in between those he did with Doris. They paired him with actresses Gina Lollobrigida, Paula Prentiss, and Leslie Caron. However, if you ask movie buffs, other than the film “Giant”, they will say Rock’s best work was those films he did with Doris Day. Rock and Doris remained the hottest Box Office Attractions of the 1960’s and rightly so!
Needless to say, if you were a fan of Doris Day, you soon became a fan of Rock Hudson. As the years progressed, in the early seventies there were rumors surfacing that Rock Hudson was gay. In those days, when you heard such rumors you mostly blew them off because Hollywood Gossip was not a bible to lean on….Gossip was just that….Gossip. in 1976 I had moved to Los Angeles and was working at a Beverly Hills Office Supply and Stationary store. We did lots of printed letterhead and envelopes for many celebrities. In fact, the lady I worked with in the Stationary section was Janet Leigh’s aunt. Her name was Pearl and there came a day when she confided in me how she did the party invitations for a “gay wedding ceremony” for Rock Hudson and another male celebrity, who shall remain nameless. I was stunned at the news but was not crushed about it. In fact, I soon found myself chuckling about how as I was growing up, that dashing romantic gorgeous man that women would swoon over had a secret life that many men had swooned over as well. Later, I had many friends who were gay males and they were very special to me. To this day, my best friend was Douglas Bell who died of Aids in 1999 at the age of 39.
By the time 1985 arrived, AIDS was at an epidemic proportion. When it first began, no one knew what the disease was, but gay males were dropping like flies and quite frankly, no one seemed to care. I did some volunteer work with New Mexico Aids Services, so I saw firsthand how debilitating the disease could be. It was downright horrific because you didn’t know who was going to die next. There was nothing you could do but be there for them because there was no cure. There was no hope.
By the time Doris’ cable show,” Best Friends”, with Rock Hudson aired on television, Rock had just passed away. The notoriety from the show was already viewed round the world showing Rock’s gaunt appearance and the obvious lack of the luster he once had. Doris
Day was devastated at the loss of her dear friend….her buddy. The words Doris uttered through tears after the show in dedication to Rock has always stayed with me. It came to be a prophecy that still makes its mark to this day. Regarding his death, she said, “I know
that life is eternal and that something good is going to come from this experience.”
Not only did Rock Hudson give a face to AIDS, but it was his money that created AMFAR, a national organization that works for the research and eradication of the Aids virus. AMFAR is still in existence and it is their research that has enabled victims of the disease to live longer lives. After his death, the government started to pour more and more money into Aids research. Now the face of Aids had hit home and the public cried out for a cure. There isn’t a cure just yet, but the cure is coming. This is a huge part of the legacy Rock Hudson leaves behind and it is thanks to him that today thousands still live.
There have been many celebrities who died in privacy from the disease because they took their secret of being gay to the grave. Rock could have done the same and to this day we would be guessing as to what he actually died from….or perhaps, some disgruntled boy friend would have told the world anyway. The fact remains, he made a brave statement upon his death that impacted the world.
I will always remember the handsome actor who swept Doris Day off her feet in “Pillow Talk” and made movie history. He was a funny, kind, and gentle soul who did his very best to please. He was one of
a kind, just like Doris is. The more historians look back to the films Doris and Rock made, the more they realize how egregiously overlooked the talent of these two individuals were through the years. Since the 60’s, there has never been a trio like Doris, Rock, and Tony. They just do not make movies like that anymore. More so, they just don’t make movie icons like that anymore! Rock Hudson, you will always be loved, you made a difference, and you will always be missed!
Knowing what we know today from that time about the disease, it is possible that hospital could have prolonged Rock’s life, but highly unlikely he would have survived the disease. In those days, no one survived!
I had always been a Doris Day fan from as early as I can remember. Actually, it seemed I was a fan before I even knew her name. There was something about her that was magic on the screen and there was a sweet sincerity in her voice that made her singing stand out among the rest of the crowd. Prior to 1959, she had done several films and had definitely made a footprint in many a fan’s heart. However, when the studios had decided to pair Doris Day with Rock Hudson in “Pillow Talk”, unbeknownst to them, cinema history and a devoted lifelong friendship was about to explode on screen.
“Pillow Talk” was considered a bit risqué in the year it was released. Today, they consider the sexual innuendo of the film as child’s play.
There they were on screen with several love scenes that made critics cringe because here was a comedy with very clear sexual overtones, and the girl-next-door was the leading lady! The critics may have cringed at first, but the public loved it! Doris and Rock’s chemistry on screen was so lovable and played so innocently that no one cared about the overtones. In fact, it played so well, the public could not get enough of them. They were “the couple” of the early 60’s and they were box office gold. What came off the screen was that Doris and Rock genuinely loved each other.
I remember being in Junior High School at the time and like many of the students, I had scrawled Doris Day and Rock Hudson on my notebook binder. It was the dynamic duo of that time and a lot of us thought Doris and Rock should be married in real life, because their chemistry was so fantastic on the screen. Little did any of us realize then that Rock Hudson had a secret life that he had to hide in order to keep his career. Handsome and gentle Rock had now stepped into comedy and he was good, damn good! When asked how he was able to easily switch from a dramatic actor into comedy, he gave Doris Day the credit for walking him through and teaching him the ropes. Doris was a genius at what she did and Rock respected her immense talent and comedic expertise.
As every fan knows, Doris and Rock went on to do two more films together. Their third wheel, Tony Randall was perfect to compliment the duo. By the time “Lover Come Back” was released, the hype and the anticipation for the film was pretty hard for most fans to contain. Many critics, as well as fans, believe that “Lover Come Back” was the best of the three films that Doris and Rock made.
Whenever Rock spoke of Doris, you could tell he was pretty devoted to her, but most of all he loved working with her. The same holds true for Doris’ words about Rock. Their friendship was special off screen as well as on screen. It was Rock’s films with Doris that perked up his floundering career after having done the movie, “Farewell To Arms”. Rock’s comedy prowess led him to do more romantic comedies in between those he did with Doris. They paired him with actresses Gina Lollobrigida, Paula Prentiss, and Leslie Caron. However, if you ask movie buffs, other than the film “Giant”, they will say Rock’s best work was those films he did with Doris Day. Rock and Doris remained the hottest Box Office Attractions of the 1960’s and rightly so!
Needless to say, if you were a fan of Doris Day, you soon became a fan of Rock Hudson. As the years progressed, in the early seventies there were rumors surfacing that Rock Hudson was gay. In those days, when you heard such rumors you mostly blew them off because Hollywood Gossip was not a bible to lean on….Gossip was just that….Gossip. in 1976 I had moved to Los Angeles and was working at a Beverly Hills Office Supply and Stationary store. We did lots of printed letterhead and envelopes for many celebrities. In fact, the lady I worked with in the Stationary section was Janet Leigh’s aunt. Her name was Pearl and there came a day when she confided in me how she did the party invitations for a “gay wedding ceremony” for Rock Hudson and another male celebrity, who shall remain nameless. I was stunned at the news but was not crushed about it. In fact, I soon found myself chuckling about how as I was growing up, that dashing romantic gorgeous man that women would swoon over had a secret life that many men had swooned over as well. Later, I had many friends who were gay males and they were very special to me. To this day, my best friend was Douglas Bell who died of Aids in 1999 at the age of 39.
By the time 1985 arrived, AIDS was at an epidemic proportion. When it first began, no one knew what the disease was, but gay males were dropping like flies and quite frankly, no one seemed to care. I did some volunteer work with New Mexico Aids Services, so I saw firsthand how debilitating the disease could be. It was downright horrific because you didn’t know who was going to die next. There was nothing you could do but be there for them because there was no cure. There was no hope.
By the time Doris’ cable show,” Best Friends”, with Rock Hudson aired on television, Rock had just passed away. The notoriety from the show was already viewed round the world showing Rock’s gaunt appearance and the obvious lack of the luster he once had. Doris
Day was devastated at the loss of her dear friend….her buddy. The words Doris uttered through tears after the show in dedication to Rock has always stayed with me. It came to be a prophecy that still makes its mark to this day. Regarding his death, she said, “I know
that life is eternal and that something good is going to come from this experience.”
Not only did Rock Hudson give a face to AIDS, but it was his money that created AMFAR, a national organization that works for the research and eradication of the Aids virus. AMFAR is still in existence and it is their research that has enabled victims of the disease to live longer lives. After his death, the government started to pour more and more money into Aids research. Now the face of Aids had hit home and the public cried out for a cure. There isn’t a cure just yet, but the cure is coming. This is a huge part of the legacy Rock Hudson leaves behind and it is thanks to him that today thousands still live.
There have been many celebrities who died in privacy from the disease because they took their secret of being gay to the grave. Rock could have done the same and to this day we would be guessing as to what he actually died from….or perhaps, some disgruntled boy friend would have told the world anyway. The fact remains, he made a brave statement upon his death that impacted the world.
I will always remember the handsome actor who swept Doris Day off her feet in “Pillow Talk” and made movie history. He was a funny, kind, and gentle soul who did his very best to please. He was one of
a kind, just like Doris is. The more historians look back to the films Doris and Rock made, the more they realize how egregiously overlooked the talent of these two individuals were through the years. Since the 60’s, there has never been a trio like Doris, Rock, and Tony. They just do not make movies like that anymore. More so, they just don’t make movie icons like that anymore! Rock Hudson, you will always be loved, you made a difference, and you will always be missed!