What's A Tab Hunter?

That's a Tab Hunter.   And I will bet lots of folks don't know who he is.

Well, back in the 50s, he apparently was the hottest actor around save for Lucy and Desi.   With surfer boy looks and an apple pie disposition, teen age girls swooned and wanted to take him home to Mother.  

Of course, there was more to this guy than just the boy next door demeanor.   He was in the Hollywood of the 50s where personal lives were kept under wraps by press agents.   And Tab had a secret.   He was gay.

Now, in 2015, that's a rather mundane admission.   But, back then, it was career-ending.  And that's the subject of the new documentary by Allen Glaser (who happens to be both Tab's business partner and lifetime companion), which was based on a book I actually read about seven or eight years ago.

Admittedly, if you were just to do a documentary on Tab Hunter the actor, that's a film that would get zero distribution.   But, add the gay angle in our cause-conscious society of today and you have a compelling story.

Throughout the film, you meet a guy who is a little tormented but always comfortable with who he is as a person.   And he's a nice individual.  Given the subject matter, this turns out to be a hardly salacious tale.  Indeed, the travails of a hot actor in the 50s turns out to be a compelling story all on its own.  That somebody could go through the meat grinder of Hollywood and come out intact is a marvel in itself.

At the screening I attended, Tab and Allen appeared for a Q and A after the film and you saw a Tab who was no different than the one portrayed on the screen. Now "officially" out of the closet, he's living out the rest of his life in quiet and humble dignity.  And that's the guy we saw at the screening, too.

A member of my party was actually good friends with Tab back in the 60s and 70s.   He actually left passes for us.   I got to watch her approach him for a conversation and his response was warm, tender, and inviting.   Nice to see.

So, for a movie that sells itself on a bold premise, "Tab Hunter Confidential" also works surprisingly well as a documentary about an actor and how he dealt with the ups and downs of a really torrid movie career.   A true survivor.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Chicken sandwich.