Full Service: My Adventures in H'wood & The Secret Sex Life of the Stars.

[+ WilliamM]

I wanted to comment on the story about this book by Scotty Bowers mentioned on this site (on Feb. 1) through an article in GayStarNews. The article states that the publication date in mid-February. In fact, Barnes & Noble and Amazon have been selling "Full Service" for quite a while. I read the book about 10 days ago.

 

Scotty is the infamous gas station hook-up guy who had sex with many famous people. He settled in Hollywood after WW II, and many of his good looking Marine buddies hung around the gas station, eyed by studio people and big-name stars (Cary Grant, Tyrone Power et al). The takeaway is Scotty's claim that the Tracy-Hepburn relationship was purely friendship. He's not the first person to maintain that they were beards for each other in a book.

 

I found the book surprisingly well written. But, I didn't believe everything Scotty writes (setting up 150 'dates' with young women for Hepburn, for example).

[JT Brooklyn]

As with "Working Guys" on Daddys it is always best to be able to "respond" to any and all written accusations!

 

As usual this is just "another book" written about people who have passed! And in this case too many year's ago for most to care any longer!

[+ WilliamM]

Scotty's 'tricks' may be long dead, but his story (youth, teen years, Marines in WW2, and the how the gas station thing started and became successful) is very interesting. Once Scotty becomes sucessful, almost an institution in Hollywood, I did lose some interest. But, anyone who has a Barnes and Noble nearby can have a coffee and read a little of the book, and make up their own mind.

[justaguy]

William, I like the way you think. A coffee and one of their comfy chairs is often how I decide to buy a book or shelve it and move on. I'll take a peak at this one.

[Lankypeters]

You can read this book and whistle at the same time. Since nearly everyone he writes about is dead, there's no way to check his veracity.

[jankeedaddy]

And if they were alive?? How would you ascertain the truth? They gonna tell you?

[+ azdr0710]

then and now....

 

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/dance12/bowersyoung.jpg

 

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/images/column/dance12/bowersold.jpg

[robberbaron4u]

!!!omg!!! !!!beam him up!!!

[+ Lucky]

It's been awhile since I have seen a Barnes & Noble with a comfy chair. At least around here, they seem to have wised up that people were sitting there reading for free...and often damaging the books and magazines.

 

I had not heard of this guy nor the book until this thread. He is 88 years old now and looks good. He finally did an interview with the Guardian, and it is full of enough details that I don't feel a need to read the book: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/sex-scandal-hollywood-golden-age

[+ WilliamM]

The first famous person who supposedly asking Scotty to come home with him was actor Walter Pidgeon. That was within months after the 'then' picture was taken in 1944. Given the picture, Scotty's dates certainly seemed possible to me.

[+ Travis69]

He reminds me of Robert Conrad in the earlier photo. Another hottie....

[+ Travis69]

http://maletanlines.blogspot.com/?zx=773ce250386bc1dc A little about the book and many more stories of Hollywood stars between the photos. Go through the whole blog and check out all the stories.

[justaguy]

Lucky, sorry to hear that they've removed the chairs in your area. We still have comfy chairs here, but who knows how much longer we'll have the stores as bookstores are fast becoming something from a bygone era.

 

BTW, Thanks for Eisler from your other thread. I've made it through several of the Rain novels and am now on Inside Out. He's great light reading. Any other suggestions along the same lines?

[robberbaron4u]

By Scotty's representation, these people, in their kindness, kept him in booze, cigarettes and pin money for any number of years; as to Scotty's "exclusivity" to them, I rather think his knickers came down without much persuasion or promise of monetary compensation, to savage their reputations in exploiting their private lives for profit is, in a word, deplorable.

[adriano46]

I have to agree. While truth be told, I often wondered about some Hollywood classic stars (and masturbated to quite a few of them when younger), I strongly object when someone comes out with a commerical "tell-all" about peple who are long dead. It is one thing if this is backed up by concrete historical evidence, but something else when it is one person's (questionable) word against someone who can no longer rebutt or defend himself/herself against the claims. And to see it is all done to make a buck... yes, robberbaron4u, you used the right word: DEPLORABLE.

[+ purplekow]

I must admit, that if the tale is true, then I have no problem with it being told years later. People in the public eye assume a certain level of risk to their private life for the very lucrative life they may live as a result of their popularity. Stories of gay Hollywood in the 40s and 50s and the repression associated with that, may help people realize that oppression has been going on for a long time and perhaps it is time to stand up and try and stop it. I do put in the priviso that the stories must be true and therein lies the difficulty.

[+ WilliamM]

I do put in the priviso that the stories must be true and therein lies the difficulty.

 

I agree with purplekow. But this book is getting attention from places one would not expect. The New York Times article has already been mentioned. This week's New Yorker review of the "W.E." the Modonna-directed film partly about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor mentions Scotty Bowers.

 

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2012/02/06/120206crci_cinema_lane

[JT Brooklyn]

Does anyone really think that IF Katherine Hepburn Slept with 150 Women not one of these Women ever after all these year's never came forward with the "revelation" strange

 

Although the great Actress has only been gone 9 year's now

 

This guy is 88 I'm sure he has "embellished" his memory for the sake of "book sales" to his estate!

 

Those obcessed with all things "LaLaLand" are the ones buying this Story.

[Irtwo]

To be fair, that 150 women was over 50 years, so that's only 3 women per year. And some of that count probably included parties that Hepburn went to, so you're really only talking about maybe 2 per year.

[Luv2play]

The main reason why people wait to write their memoirs until everyone in them is safely dead, is that otherwise you expose yourself to libel actions. The most famous Hollywood case involving gay libel was Liberace who sued a British tabloid for alleging he was gay. He won and a pretty big settlement too, as I recall. When he died of AIDs, the newspaper sued his estate for recovery of the settlement.

 

I think this story has the ring of truth but I will reserve final judgement until I read it (I have ordered it on Amazon). Reading the press clippings, it confirms what I thought about some of the personalities cited but others were news to me (e.g.Walter Pidgeon).

 

I think it is always helpful to alllow a little sunshine to illuminate some of the darker corners of our society and Hollywood has some pretty dark corners.

[JT Brooklyn]

"Bottom Line" this guy is Lucky to have lived so long to tell so many tales that will pay off without any "residuals" going to the Dead!~

[Luv2play]

I read the book months ago but have put off commenting on it. FWIW It is obvious he hired a collaborator to write up the profiles on all the famous people he tells tales about; the commentary on individual stars sounds like a Hollywood press release.

 

It is obvious he was most of the time hired to wait tables and serve drinks at the homes of the Hollywood greats. It is somewhat incongruous how he describes slipping from the role of server to male escort and confidant so effortlessly.

 

He is always careful to describe his role as facilitator but not pimp, never accepting money for arranging trysts with the stars from his stable of hustlers. What a philanthropist!

 

He makes a major boo-boo when he refers to the Duke of Windsor as "Eddie". His name was David and he was called that all his life by his friends and family. He was only called "Edward" as his formal title as King of England. His brother Bertie, short for Albert, became George VI but he was always called Bertie by his family and friends. Only an American outsider would fail to know this so I think his tales about "Eddie" are made-up. Which may be the case for a lot of other tales in this book as well, or at least heavily embellished.

 

But hey, as I said before, you can't libel the dead so no-one can sue him.

[+ Lucky]

Lucky, sorry to hear that they've removed the chairs in your area. We still have comfy chairs here, but who knows how much longer we'll have the stores as bookstores are fast becoming something from a bygone era.

 

BTW, Thanks for Eisler from your other thread. I've made it through several of the Rain novels and am now on Inside Out. He's great light reading. Any other suggestions along the same lines?

 

Did you read Eisler's latest novel, The Detachment? It's pretty good. Of all of the superhero type novels, I think he is the lone liberal. Some are not big flag wavers, but they often find a use for derogatory names for gays. Not Eisler.

If you read his blog, you'll see that he is fairly liberal. Also, The Detachment was released in paperback at a reasonable price.

[+ FreshFluff]

This memoir reminds me of the one by Otis Bigelow, supposedly the best looking man in NYC during the 1930s. However, he kept quiet about the names of his famous tryst partners.

 

It's been awhile since I have seen a Barnes & Noble with a comfy chair. At least around here, they seem to have wised up that people were sitting there reading for free...and often damaging the books and magazines.

 

Oh they knew people were reading with no intent to buy. But hey probably figured that "average shoppers" were more likely to buy a book if they had the chance to look through it for a while. But they probably hired a marketing consultant like Paco Underhill, who figured out that it works the other way and recommended they throw out the comfy chairs. (Now, of course, folks just go to the in-store Starbucks and read there instead.)

[rguer]

This memoir reminds me of the one by Otis Bigelow, supposedly the best looking man in NYC during the 1930s.

 

Quite a story! http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/1315302.html