j a m e s @aterrimum - Tumblr Blog

Dolce Gabbana Pomegranate Stickpin Brooch in yellow, white and pink gold with rhodolite garnets, rubies and diamonds

James Dean and Paul Newman’s incredibly iconic sexual tension filled screen test for East of Eden.

I will reblog this every time…. because it was the early 1950s and the movie executives didn’t stop them from flirting, nor were they shocked by it. It all seems perfectly normal and natural. It was the general public in small towns that were afraid of Bisexuality, Gay, etc…. that did not want to admit that people could be “different” That is why you hear Paul Newman say that “can’t print that” if it was to get out, the general public would never see the film if they knew the stars were Bisexual. This folks was the before actors were living in the closet… they were both very open about it, as was Brando and Rock Hudson. Their movies still made a ton of money because magazines, newspapers and interviews didn’t talk about sexuality back then, the public didn’t know, but the entire Hollywood community did. Once actors weren’t given privacy anymore, the closet was the place to go. It is now getting so much better, gay men can play lead roles and still be “masculine” and not seen as weak. Main characters can be gay or bi and even a lot of religious establishments are welcoming and accepting of LGBTQ+ content and people. If the closet didn’t happen we would be even more leaps and bounds ahead in equality then we are now.