Making The Boys

In watching Crayton Robey's entertaining and incisive documentary "Making the Boys," I was struck and disappointed by the lack of history that many contemporary youths have about the struggles that preceded them. The play and subsequent film version of Mart Crowley's classic "The Boys In The Band" is a genuine milestone in the representation of homosexual characters being pushed into mainstream awareness. The play, in 1968, was embraced by New York audiences and dealt specifically with a counterculture that had yet to express its voice. By the time the film version hit the streets, however, the Stonewall riots had occurred, the movement of open rebellion had begun, and the screen adaptation was largely vilified. "The Boys In The Band," don't get me wrong, has always been controversial. Yes, it is groundbreaking that the piece dealt specifically with homosexual issues. But it does represent negative stereotypes, bad behavior, and self-loathing as well. So should it be loved or hated?

In the cyclical nature of entertainment, however, the historical significance of the play and movie are certainly hard to deny. And Robey's documentary is a thoroughly enjoyable and genuinely moving tribute to the legacy of Crowley's vision. Part Crowley biography, part history lesson, and part behind-the-scenes expose--the film does a fantastic job of placing the work into the context of the age in which it was produced. Crowley is, obviously, a main source but the documentary is filled with notable commentators. People directly involved with Crowley or "Boys" include candid interviews with Robert Wagner, director William Friedkin, producer Dominick Dunne, playwright Edward Albee (who amusingly still loathes Boys) and actors Laurence Luckinbill and Peter White. These people who were present are intercut with other artists, historians, or contemporary stars who ruminate of the play's relevance including Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally and Carson Kressley. One thing is certain, anyone aware of "Boys In The Band" has a strong opinion about it!

Perhaps my favorite part of this film is to see how feelings about "Boys" changed and evolved through time. From instant success, to harsh backlash, to growing acceptance, to modern acknowledgement--"Boys" was so prominent because, for a long time, it was a one-of-a-kind. Crowley may never have had such notoriety again, but he left a lasting piece of history and a true artistic legacy. As the documentary advances to the age of AIDS, the film certainly becomes both bittersweet and heartbreaking. If you have any sense of history, watch "Boys." It may be dated and over-the-top, but there is still a validity to the characters that can be paralleled to what's going on in popular entertainment today. This documentary is both an excellent introduction for those unaware of Crowley's work or a fitting tribute to those that do. I think it's an essential film for anyone interested in the entertainment industry. An underdog story of how one play defied conventions and is still being debated over 40 years later. Love it or hate it, that's the mark of something quite unique and important. KGHarris, 11/11.

This is an excellent documentary. Not only does it tell a thorough story about "Boys in the Band", but it also gives a beief history of being gay in the U.S. for the past 50 years. I was saddened by the interviews with the young gay people today that showed they have no knowledge of "Boys in the Band", or any concept of the hard fought battles with authorities and with legislators, or the hurt,pain,suffering,anguish,and even death that was endured to get them the freedom that they all seem to take for granted today. Mart Crowley is a fascinating person. His stories about schmoozing with the Hollywood in-crowd of the day are priceless. To say that "Boys in the Band" is meaningless because it's so dated is not fair criticism. "West Side Story" and "Bye Bye Birdie" are dated too, but they are still gems of entertainment. When the film of "Boys" finally came out (pun intended) on DVD, I watched it with a group of friends, after which we played a game. If the film was made today, who would be cast. Granted, most of the actors we chose are not gay (not openly anyway), but here's what we ended up with. Michael-Edward Norton, Donald-James Franco, Hank-Matt Damon, Larry-Justin Timberlake, Emory-Neil Patrick Harris, Bernard-Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harold-Adrian Brody, Alan-Ryan Gosling, Cowboy-Channing Tatum. Kinda silly, but it was fun.

My first encounter with The Boys in the Band was at a theatre in Bloomfield, NJ in 1970. I was 14 and wasn't allowed in, but a phrase on the poster caught my imagination. It said "The Boys in the Band is not a musical". So I marched myself to the public library, read the play, and adored it. I bought the cast album on A&M records, which I still have. Many years later, with the advent of video tape, I finally got to see the film and adored it also. And some time after that I had the privilege of working on a Spanish language version of the play, which was a hit in Miami. I thought The Boys in the Band was a masterpiece when I read it at 14, and I still do. I don't find it demeaning, or retrograde, or any of the dozens of pejoratives that it has acquired over the years. I think it's a slice of gay life, nothing more nothing less, and as such it is brilliant. Brilliant, however, is not the word for this documentary, which is actually more about Mart Crowley than it is about The Boys in the Band. As interesting as Crowley's story is, what is lacking here, at least for me, is the story of the cast itself. Crowley's play would have been just another play had it not been for his cast. Although the writing is excellent, what elevates The Boys in the Band to cult status, what makes it unforgettable viewing, is its cast of fantastically gifted actors. Once you have seen these performances, you will never forget them. They are the gay equivalent of Bette Davis in All About Eve, Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard or Giulietta Masina in La Strada. You keep coming back for repeated viewings. Yet the documentary sheds no light whatsoever on the lives of these actors. We are given snippets of information here and there, so minute that it is practically nonexistent. Kenneth Nelson, Cliff Gorman, Leonard Frey, Keith Prentice, and Frederick Combs are hardly mentioned, and the mysterious Reuben Greene remains a total mystery. In a heartbreaking segment, we are told, very briefly, that Robert LaTourneaux ended up selling himself for $100 to whomever was willing to pay for his services, but this is not explored nor is it elaborated on any further. The life changing effect that playing these characters had on these actors is hardly touched upon, neither are their tragic deaths from AIDS. This is an unforgivable flaw of this documentary given that there is practically no information available anywhere on the lives and careers of these great actors, who achieved both immortality and infamy by playing these parts. Luckily, Lawrence Luckinbill and Peter White, two of the three cast members still alive, offer their own versions of events. In Luckinbill's case, his recollection of the kissing scene between Larry and Hank varies slightly from director William Friedkin's, but this is no big deal, as in Hollywood, reality is in the eye of the beholder anyway, and actors tell their tales, and directors tell theirs, and the truth is somewhere in between. The beginning of the film is a sad reminder that the blissful ignorance and the globalization of trash that has overcome the straight world is also prevalent in gay life. Young gays are asked if they are familiar with The Boys in the Band, and they are all dumb and clueless, a pathetic reminder of the decline and fall of the American empire. I'm sure they have no clue about Stonewall either, just like black children today have no clue that Lincoln freed the slaves. This is a good documentary, but it is not what I would have preferred. The fans of The Boys in the Band would have been better served if more time had been devoted to The Boys and less to Mr. Crowley. A 50-50 ratio would have been perfect. As it is, we get all about Mart and very little about the wonderful, unsung talents that brought his characters to life. To anyone interested in reveling in the magnificent work of these nine actors, I strongly recommend purchasing or renting the original 1970 film of The Boys in the Band which is available on DVD. And to anyone interested in gay history I also recommend the marvelous documentary Brother Outsider, The Life of Bayard Rustin, a fascinating portrait of the black, gay man behind the civil rights movement.

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