Tab Hunter Confidential

July 25, 2005
The 1950s heartthrob has penned a brave, surprising and sad memoir about depression (his mother's), repression (his homosexuality) and redemption (a career revival and meeting his partner of 20-plus years). Hunter (b. 1931) was a good-looking 19-year-old with no acting experience when he was molded into a movie star, later stumbling into a hit record (1957's Young Love
) and a two-year affair with Anthony Perkins. Although his acting improved over a decade of mediocre films, by the early 1960s he was scrambling for parts in movies starring Soupy Sales and going overseas to film spaghetti westerns. His career was reborn when he co-starred with Divine in John Water's Polyester
(1981) and again in Lust in the Dust
(1985),
which introduced Hunter to a new generation and turned him into a gay icon. Hunter, who is virtually alone among actors of his era and stature to write about living a closeted gay life in Hollywood's spotlight, is honest about his shortcomings and missteps. He's made an admirable choice to chart his life through friendships and hardships (emotional and financial), rather than just his career trajectory. This is an illuminating, emotionally charged and important piece of Hollywood's hidden history. Photos. Agent, Fred Morris.

September 1, 2005
Celebrity biography mavens of the baby-boomer generation will especially welcome this memoir. They know Hunter as one of several glamour boys of the 1950s who were "manufactured" by Hollywood to appeal to teenage girls. Blond and tan, he couldn't act, but who cared? With film noir specialist Muller, Hunter tells his complicated life story. In reality, he was extremely introverted; his private life was so well concealed that much of the information related in this heartfelt and candid autobiography will come as a surprise to his fans: his affair with Tony Perkins, his figure-skating accomplishments, and the agony of being a big star at 20 and a fading commodity at 30. He also shares the confusion he suffered over his sexuality at a time when the subject of homosexuality was taboo and gay actors were heavily closeted and in constant fear of being "outed" by the likes of "Confidential" magazine. An engrossing tale of too much too soon, but with a surprisingly happy ending, this book is recommended for all public libraries. -Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2005
One has to be of a certain age to remember Tab Hunter, now 74 but a teen heartthrob in the 1950s. Fortunately, Hunter and coauthor Muller paint the scenes well enough and have a strong enough cast--and leading man--to make this tell-all Hollywood bio an entertaining read, familiarity with Hunter (or the book's supporting cast, including such luminaries as Tallulah Bankhead) notwithstanding. Hunter describes firsthand an era when movie stars were minted by studio publicists, when homosexuality was kept under covers, and when magazines such as " Confidential" could" " tear away those covers and ruin lives. Hunter writes freely, yet discreetly, about his many affairs of the heart--some, as with Harry Cohn's widow, Joan, of the heart only; others, as in the case of Tony Perkins, physical as well as emotional. This is also a story of picking oneself up and keeping going through a not always A-list career. (Hunter landed the lead in " Damn Yankees" not long after playing " West Side Story" in dinner theaters.) For another take on the era, see Robert Hofler's " The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson, " also out in October" . (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)