SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD
USA - 98 MINUTES - 2017 - COLOUR - IN ENGLISH
BASED ON THE BOOK “FULL SERVICE: MY ADVENTURES IN HOLLYWOOD AND THE SECRET SEX LIVES OF THE STARS”
BY SCOTTY BOWERS WITH LIONEL FRIEDBERG
A FILM BY MATT TYRNAUER
CAST SCOTT BOWERS, STEPHEN FRY, PETER BART, ROBERT HOFLER
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is the deliciously scandalous story of Scotty Bowers, a handsome ex-Marine who landed in Hollywood after World War II and became confidante, aide-de-camp and lover to many of Hollywood’s greatest male—and female—stars. In the 1940s and ‘50s, Scotty ran a gas station in the shadow of the studio lots where he would connect his friends with actors and actresses who had to hide their true sexual identities for fear of police raids at gay bars, societal shunning and career suicide. An unsung Hollywood legend, Bowers would cater to the sexual appetites of celebrities—straight and gay–for decades.
In 2012, he finally spilled his secrets in the New York Times best-selling memoir Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars, which revealed a dramatic, pre-Stonewall alternate history of Hollywood. While the studio PR machines were promoting their stars as wholesome and monogamous, Bowers was fulfilling the true desires of many of them. This cinéma-vérité documentary by director Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor) tells his story, as well as presents eye-opening takes on icons from the Hollywood Golden Age including Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and many more.
3.5 out of 4! "the film explores a fascinating period in history through the eyes of a likeable and credible observer and participant, making it a deliciously enjoyable and occasionally naughty cinematic adventure." - Toronto Star
"But the film is also a chronicle of the sexual politics of the era – and the subsequent systematic erasure of LGBTQ history (under the guise of privacy and not “spoiling” the illusion) by the juggernaut industry that shaped our culture. That perspective on the proclivities makes Scotty as fascinating as it is poignant." - Globe and Mail
NNNN! "Scotty And The Secret History Of Hollywood is a queer retelling of cinema's golden age" - NOW
"The Forrest Gump of celebrity sex, Scotty Bowers was everywhere closeted rich folks were copulating in the second half of the 20th century. Now a sprightly 95, he drops names like yesterday’s trousers in this rousing portrait of someone who knows where all the boners were buried."- The Straight
"[Scotty Bowers] always expressive, young at heart and in love with the excesses of life." - Sheldon Kirshner
“Keep an eye at your indie movie theatre for this one.” - Windsor Square