Connie's Presentations and Links

Colors and Flowers

Cinema's Lesbians Designed by Men

Lillian Hellman

William Wyler's Career

Wyler's Essentials

William Wyler's Film Genres

The Children's Hour

Karen's and Martha's Portrayals

The Grandmother (Miriam Hopkins) and Granddaughter (Karen Balkin)

Shirley MacLaine's Portrayal of Martha Dobie

Closure

Quotes from Willian Wyler and Pauline Kael

New York Times review from March 15, 1962

Article about the Drumsheugh Scandal -- the origin of The Children's Hour -- in The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 2, 2014

Second Chances, The Remake of Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour (at Bright Lights Film Journal)

Shirley MacLaine Speaks about The Children's Hour (as pdf document) (as Microsoft Word Document)

William Wyler Wikipedia article

Scott's Handouts and Clips

Explicit Pre-Code Lesbian Portrayals (before 1934)

Pandora's Box (1929 silent), Louise Brooks' lesbian dance
about 1 1/2 minutes long

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

The Sign of the Cross (1932), the "Naked Moon" sequence
about 6 3/4 minutes long

Implied Lesbian Portrayals under the Production Code (1934 through the 1950's)

Rebecca (1940) complete lingerie scene
about 4 3/4 minutes long, as seen in The Celluloid Closet

The Seventh Victim (1943), Frances declares she cannot live without Jacqueline in forced suicide scene
about 1 3/4 minutes long

The Uninvited (1944), all of Mrs. Halloway with lesbian coding in the first two minutes
about 12 1/4 minutes long

In a Lonely Place (1950), masseuse scene
about 2 3/4 minutes long

Young Man With a Horn (1950), all of Lauren Bacall's scenes
about 29 1/2 minutes long, including the clip from The Celluloid Closet at 26 minutes 50 seconds

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