He dated women publicly and men, on the side.įor years, Eaton, 78, couldn’t imagine having a partner, much less a husband. Among those is Richard Eaton of Soulard, who grew up in the 1940s and '50s. Several people who aren’t in the home movies can testify to what it was like to be gay in mid-century St. Louis, and what it was like to lead a double life. Richard Eaton talks about being a gay man in mid-century St. “But I don't I don't know if we'll actually find them.” “We naively set out thinking, ‘Oh, these men might be in their mid-90s, they could still be alive,’ and that might be true,” Prusaczyk said. He and co-director Beth Prusaczyk have found several family members besides Seagraves but so far no living pool-party guests. Story began learning about their world when he found Seagraves through a jagged journey to locate anyone who appears in the films, or their relatives. Walton and his partner Sam Micatto were known for their lavish gatherings by the pool on a property owned by the Micatto family. Bry’s nurse Carol and Walton’s partner Sam Micatto. Erwin Bry sits in front of, from left to right, Buddy Walton, Samie Cohen, Mrs. “He had a beautiful life.”Ĭredit Provided | Geoff Story St.
“Queens and presidents wives and movie stars - he was always around fancy places and fancy things,” Seagraves said. Louis’ “hairdresser to the stars.”įrom Eleanore Roosevelt to Ethel Merman, whenever celebrities and dignitaries came to town, they all went to Walton’s salon at The Chase, said Walton’s niece Susie Seagraves. It was at the Lindell Boulevard home of the now-deceased Buddy Walton, widely known as St. Story stumbled upon the films in the mid-1990s, a half century after the pool party, at an estate sale. Watch a clip from the 1945 home movies of gay men at a pool party. “I kind of couldn’t believe I was seeing it.” “There was such a beauty in that moment,” Story said. Louis filmmaker Geoff Story has begun weaving the films into a documentary, “Gay Home Movie.” It offers a rare glimpse into a largely invisible world, a time when same-sex relationships were not only looked at as immoral - they were illegal.Īs a gay man, Story is fascinated by the brittle, flickering scenes that include a uniformed World War II soldier kissing another man. Further casting includes Marlon Wayans ( Scary Movie) and Audra McDonald ( Private Practice).St. the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul), Oscar winner Forest Whitaker ( Last King of Scotland), and four-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess ( Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Not only does the biopic star Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson ( Dreamgirls), but it boasts the likes of two-time Oscar nominee Mary J. The casting lineup of Respect deserves some R-E-S-P-E-C-T itself.
Blige, Forest Whitaker, and Tituss Burgess are co-starring. “As a filmmaker there is no greater gift than to be able to bring this transcendent chronicle of a woman’s fight for self-realization to visual life with the enormous talents of the soulful Jennifer Hudson, Callie Khouri, and our incredible producers.” Mary J. “The story of Aretha Franklin’s journey from child prodigy in Detroit to international supernova is rife with struggle and triumph, making her life one of the great American stories of all time,” Tommy said per Variety.
And it’s all being produced by the guys behind Straight Outta Compton, Joker, and Dreamgirls.
Two-time Emmy nominee Tracey Scott Wilson, who wrote for Fosse/Verdon and The Americans, is taking on the script. Liesl Tommy, a seasoned storyteller whose screen credits include directing episodes of Queen Sugar, Dietland, Insecure, The Walking Dead, and Jessica Jones, is making her big-screen directorial debut with Respect. Queen Sugar director Liesl Tommy will helm Respect. Hudson sings some of Franklin's greatest hits, like "Think," “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Respect." The trailer, released in May 2021, offers a peek at Aretha Franklin's transformation from an extremely talented child to a world-renowned diva. In the official Respect trailer, you can see how much Hudson embodies Franklin. Should you need a brush up on J.Hud trivia, she came in seventh on the third season of American Idol, she won an Oscar for her earth-shattering role in Dreamgirls, and she brought the crowd at Franklin's funeral to their feet with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” that would have made the soul queen proud. The film stars Jennifer Hudson in the leading role. But don’t worry: The legend’s entire life, from child gospel prodigy to rising stage star to noted feminist and activist, will be covered in the MGM biopic, Respect, out in August 2021. An integral voice in both the music industry and the civil rights movement, her cultural impact is often outshined by her musical legacy (17 Grammys will do that). Five Lessons We Learned From "Genius: Aretha"įranklin, who is most known for powerful anthems and moving gospel, died in August of 2018.