The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee


1934 Hollywood Musical
with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire









Connie's Presentations and Links

The Gay Divorcee overview

The Gay Divorce becomes The Gay Divorcee

Refining Cinematic Sissydom

Foil for Masculinity


Dorothy Arzner

Dorothy Arzner: Lesbian was Sole Woman Director in Hollywood's Golden Age (at Yahoo Voices)

Dorothy Arzner (at Senses of Cinema)


The Word "Gay"


Scott's Handouts and Clips

Gay Coding and Counter-coding in The Gay Divorcee  (Microsoft Word document)


Explicitly Gay to Completely Straight

Explicitly Gay: I Didn't Just Kiss Her - Jen Foster (first 30 seconds)

Gay Coded: Homosapien - (first 30 seconds)

Gay Sensibility: Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland (first 35 seconds)

Gay Appropriation: Secret Love - Doris Day (first 30 seconds)

Completely Straight: When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (first 30 seconds)


Grady Sutton, the ultimate sissy in a clip from Movie Crazy (1932) , about 1/2 minute long
full sequence including the short clip seen on The Celluloid Closet




Laurel and Hardy - Their First Mistake
1932 sound film, about 21 minutes long
Laurel and Hardy in an incredible gender-bending two reeler.
(colorized version)

Part 1


(If it doesn't play on your browser, click here to play Part 1 on YouTube.)

Part 2

(If it doesn't play on your browser, click here to play Part 2 on YouTube.)



In the Closet - Gay and Lesbian Portrayals in Movies Before the Stonewall Riots (1969)

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Connie Hossier, Instructor
Scott Badman, Instructor