Is New York Times Trying to Straight-Wash Farley Granger?

An Associated Press obituary of Farley Granger was published on-line today by the New York Times.  In it, Granger is called a "lifelong bachelor" whose only real romance was with Shelley Winters.  As of this post, there is no mention of Granger's decades-long partner, Robert Calhoun.  In fact, Granger and Calhoun co-wrote the memoir Include Me Out in which they spoke of becoming lovers in 1963.  They became domestic partners and remained so until Calhoun's death three years ago.  Granger was quite open about his affairs with many men and women, including Winters, Ava Gardner, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents, but it was with Calhoun that he forged a life of nearly 50 years.  I believe that deserves a mention in his obituary, at the very least.  

UPDATE:  The AP article has been replaced with a far more appropriate obituary by Times theater and film critic Neil Genzlinger.  Granger's long relationship with Calhoun is noted. 

Farley Granger: 1925-2011

Lazy Circles reader Clay has left a comment alerting me to the fact that the handsome and talented actor Farley Granger has died at his home in Manhattan at the age of 85.  He follows his long-time partner, Robert Calhoun, who died three years ago.  Granger was an A-list star whose credits included Hitchcock's Rope and Strangers on a Train as well as The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing and Around the World in 80 Days.  He also had great success on Broadway where his credits included The Warm Peninsula with Julie Harris, The Seagull, The Crucible, The Glass Menagerie, and the revival of The King and I, starring opposite Barbara Cook.  He won an Obie award in 1986 for the Lanford Wilson play Talley & Son.

In 2007, Granger and Calhoun published a memoir called Include Me Out in which he freely discussed his many affairs including Shelley Winters, Ava Gardner, Arthur Laurents, and Leonard Bernstein.  Calhoun's sister, Linda Plevin, said of Granger, "He was a very handsome and beloved film star who always did exactly what he wanted to do, which was a little bit of everything."  Sounds like a life well lived. 

                

Monday's Man: Farley Granger

I have a blast from the past for you today, Farley Granger, handsome actor from Hollywood's golden age.

We saw his great Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train over the weekend.  Farley plays a tennis star who inadvertently gets mixed up in murder with deranged Robert Walker.  Here's Farley in his tennis shorts:

For my money, Farley Granger is one of the best looking men ever to come out of Hollywood.  What a dreamboat.  Here he is with Robert Walker:

The gay subtext in this film practically leaps off the screen.  Two handsome, well groomed men meet on a train, one is a tennis star.  They immediately take to each other and their lives will never be the same.  You get the point.  Several times, I thought they were about to kiss.  Farley certainly knows something about a longing glance.  If the film were made today, I believe they would have had a crazy affair, or at least a one night stand. 

Farley was also in the Hitchcock film The Rope, shown here with John Dall.  That was another film with strong gay subtext.  Two handsome, well groomed (notice a trend?) have a sophisticated dinner party in a chic Manhattan apartment.  The only problem is, there's a dead body stashed in a trunk.  I know, I know, the gays always had to kill somebody.  It was the 40s and 50s.  Farley appeared on The Celluloid Closet to discuss Hollywood's treatment of gay characters.

Why was Farley so perfect in these movies?  Talent and looks?  Of course.  Plus - surprise - he's gay.  He wrote an autobiography a few years back, Include Me Out, My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway. He discusses his various love affairs including Leonard Bernstein and Patricia Neal.  Maybe it's more accurate to call him bisexual.  He's still alive and kicking today.  Here he is with his partner of many years, Robert Calhoun:

What a good-looking couple. Reportedly, they're still together today.