I LOVED Charles Nelson Reilly (as posts on 5/28/07, 4/9/07, 2/2/07, and 10/26/06 will demonstrate). Even as a child, I was drawn to him. A few months ago I actually thought of writing him a fan letter, but I decided against it. Now that he's died, I wish I had. One more fan letter at the end of life might have put a smile on his face. He certainly put many smiles on mine.
Charles Nelson Reilly studied acting at HB Studios and proved himself as a talented actor and director. He won a Tony award and was nominated for at least two others. He directed The Belle of Amherst and a revival of The Gin Game on Broadway. He was in the original cast of Hello Dolly and he won his first Tony for his role in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Tring. He was also an understudy for Paul Lynde in Bye Bye Birdie.
In spite of success as a Broadway actor and director, Reilly was best known as a game show personality, talk show guest, and episodic television guest star. His greatest notoriety probably came from his status as a regular on the Match Game. He was the "Bic Banana" and he also starred in two television programs for children, the first being Lidsville, a show about a magical world of hat people terrorized by an evil wizard, Hoodoo (played by Reilly).
Cameo appearances and voiceovers in Burt Reynolds' films are also part of his long resume. Though thought of as a TV personality rather than an extremely gifted artist, the truth is he was apparently a very good director and acting coach. He taught classes and directed regional productions in Florida and he would be invited to offer master-classes at prestigious acting schools. His final project was Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reily, a one-man autobiographical show he toured before taking it to Off-Broadway where it ran for several months. An independent film version of the production was later released.
What I loved most about CNR was that he out was "out" long before it was considered fashionable or safe to be open about one's homosexuality. He found fame and fortune in Television, but he often lamented that TV celebrity killed his acting career. I'm sure he enjoyed the theatre and was proud of his accomplishments on the boards. But I for one am glad that he found his way to television. He demonstrated to a queer kid in Arkansas in the 70's that a flambouyant, funny, gay-boy could be himself and be rewarded for it. To most of the world he may have been just Mr. Game Show, but to me he will always be one of my early queer heroes who taught me that I could find and celebrate myself as the person I was born to be.
Charles Nelson Reilly died Friday, May 25th at the age of 76 from pneumonia. He is survived by his life-partner, and by at least one life-long gay fan who is sad to learn of his demise.
Showing posts with label Charles Nelson Reilly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles Nelson Reilly. Show all posts
Monday, May 28, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Strange Gods of my Olympus
Sir Ian McKellen - brilliant actor, gay man.
Sir John Gielgud - brilliant actor, gay man (deceased).
Agnes Moorehead - brilliant actor. Rumored to be bisexual (deceased).
Paul Lynde - comedic actor, gay man (deceased).
B.D. Wong - brilliant actor, gay man.
Bruce Vilanch - comedian, writer, actor, gay man.
Tennessee Williams - amazing playwright, gay man (deceased).
Charles Nelson Reilly - actor, director, acting coach, gay man.
Mae West - actor, playwright, self-made sex symbol, cinematic libertine, friend of gays (deceased).
Sophie Tucker - actor, singer, Jewish activist (deceased).
Bea Arthur - brilliant actor, strong personality, friend of gays.
Ethel Merman - actor, singer, friend of gays (deceased).
Harvey Fierstein - fabulous playwright, actor, drag performer, AIDS activist, gay activist, gay man.
Charles Ludlam - playwright, actor, director, gender bender, gay man (deceased).
The list could go on and on. Who are these people? They are Queer (in one way or another) artists who have inspired me. They are people who made me want to create. They are people who demonstrated the power of living passionately. They are people who make the complexity of being human seem to make a bit more sense. They are people who seem(ed) to be powerfully alive. They are people who made me want to touch whatever in me might be creative and powerfully alive. They are people who said with their lives that people like me were somehow special, somehow capable, somehow a gift to the world. They affirmed me, through art, in ways that religion, family, and politics never did. They added joy to my life and I suspect to the lives of others. Some may not even realize how they were comforted, encouraged, or inspired by one or more of these deities in my personal pantheon (or by other luminaries like them).
My heroes are often unsung. Some people think Sophie Tucker is a Bette Midler creation (Bette, by the way, should be added to the list; Cher, too). Mae West is sometimes reduced to an oversexed caricature. Ethel Merman is an often badly imitated drag like persona. Paul Lynde is simply remembered as "Uncle Arthur" or as the "center square." Charles Nelson Reilly is often thought to be dead. Far too few people even know who Charles Ludlam was. But these artists, and all who are named above, and others not named in this blog are more than punchlines or camp characters to me. They are people who spoke out for gay people, or who embraced gay people, or who came out as gay people, or who used their own gay realities to inspire and energize their work. They each were angels bringing me good news of the gift gay people are to the world. They each spoke to my soul and became role models for me.
The creative geniuses I have named, many of whom are/were gay, remain my heroes. They don't have to be yours, but I hope you have some. I hope you have that person who was full of life and creativity and passion and courage who drew your attention to him/her. And as you were focusing on that hero's life, I hope that heroic soul somehow said to you, "You are special. You are an amazing gift. There is something that is yours to be, have, or do, and the world is waiting for you to claim it." If you have such a hero, then you know that you are a person of sacred value, and that's the most amazing gift of all.
The gods of my Olympus may seem strange, but they are powerful to me. I'm grateful to them and pay homage to them even still. Thank you queer deities for illumining my path.
Sir John Gielgud - brilliant actor, gay man (deceased).
Agnes Moorehead - brilliant actor. Rumored to be bisexual (deceased).
Paul Lynde - comedic actor, gay man (deceased).
B.D. Wong - brilliant actor, gay man.
Bruce Vilanch - comedian, writer, actor, gay man.
Tennessee Williams - amazing playwright, gay man (deceased).
Charles Nelson Reilly - actor, director, acting coach, gay man.
Mae West - actor, playwright, self-made sex symbol, cinematic libertine, friend of gays (deceased).
Sophie Tucker - actor, singer, Jewish activist (deceased).
Bea Arthur - brilliant actor, strong personality, friend of gays.
Ethel Merman - actor, singer, friend of gays (deceased).
Harvey Fierstein - fabulous playwright, actor, drag performer, AIDS activist, gay activist, gay man.
Charles Ludlam - playwright, actor, director, gender bender, gay man (deceased).
The list could go on and on. Who are these people? They are Queer (in one way or another) artists who have inspired me. They are people who made me want to create. They are people who demonstrated the power of living passionately. They are people who make the complexity of being human seem to make a bit more sense. They are people who seem(ed) to be powerfully alive. They are people who made me want to touch whatever in me might be creative and powerfully alive. They are people who said with their lives that people like me were somehow special, somehow capable, somehow a gift to the world. They affirmed me, through art, in ways that religion, family, and politics never did. They added joy to my life and I suspect to the lives of others. Some may not even realize how they were comforted, encouraged, or inspired by one or more of these deities in my personal pantheon (or by other luminaries like them).
My heroes are often unsung. Some people think Sophie Tucker is a Bette Midler creation (Bette, by the way, should be added to the list; Cher, too). Mae West is sometimes reduced to an oversexed caricature. Ethel Merman is an often badly imitated drag like persona. Paul Lynde is simply remembered as "Uncle Arthur" or as the "center square." Charles Nelson Reilly is often thought to be dead. Far too few people even know who Charles Ludlam was. But these artists, and all who are named above, and others not named in this blog are more than punchlines or camp characters to me. They are people who spoke out for gay people, or who embraced gay people, or who came out as gay people, or who used their own gay realities to inspire and energize their work. They each were angels bringing me good news of the gift gay people are to the world. They each spoke to my soul and became role models for me.
The creative geniuses I have named, many of whom are/were gay, remain my heroes. They don't have to be yours, but I hope you have some. I hope you have that person who was full of life and creativity and passion and courage who drew your attention to him/her. And as you were focusing on that hero's life, I hope that heroic soul somehow said to you, "You are special. You are an amazing gift. There is something that is yours to be, have, or do, and the world is waiting for you to claim it." If you have such a hero, then you know that you are a person of sacred value, and that's the most amazing gift of all.
The gods of my Olympus may seem strange, but they are powerful to me. I'm grateful to them and pay homage to them even still. Thank you queer deities for illumining my path.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Match Game
The original Hollywood Squares and Tattle Tales are in the same ball park, but the all time best game show must be the Match Game. Not the original in the late '60s, and not the later remakes (such as the 1990 travesty), but the long running version beginning in 1973. I bless the television deities for allowing the re-runs to be shown nightly on the Game Show Network!
Sure, I'm glad to see some star struck contestant win some extra cash. And, yes, I'm amused to revisit what passed for fashion in the 1970s. And I enjoy the quirky unhummable theme song. But what I like most is the chemistry of the celebrity panel (and, of course, the host Gene Rayburn).
The regulars: Brett Summers (wife of Jack Klugman), Charles Nelson Reilly (accomplished theatre actor and director and fairly obvious homosexual), and Dick Dawson (television actor and game show host).
The rotating semi-regulars: Betty White (television actor), Patty Deutsch (voice over actor), Joyce Bulifant (I honestly don't know what the hell else she ever did), and the FABULOUS Fanny Flagg (brilliant author).
In addition to the two contestants and broadcasting veteran Gene Rayburn, there was the gender balanced panel of 6 celebrities. Somehow, this arrangement lent itself to humorous, smart, and even naughty play. It was a combination party/variety entertainment/improvisational theatre that included audience participation and almost at the margins, two contestants competing for fairly modest sums of money.
In addition to the 3 regulars, 3 other "stars" would rotate in from week to week. The first celebrity panelist would be either a charming (Bob Barker), sexy (Bert Convey), or quirky (Nimpsey Russell) personality, always male. Next to this rotating first chair was Brett and Charles.
The next row on the panel would be Dawson with two women on either side. The first woman usually played the part of a sexy, buxom, "airhead" (Ethel Merman and Dr. Joyce Brothers being notable exceptions) and the final panelists would rotate funny, smart women who could be counted on to give off-the-wall answers (Flagg, Bulifant, White, Deutsch).
This formula created an energy on stage that has not been matched in American television history. The Match Game modeled community building, use of intellect and wit, spontenaity, and the value of fun. I long for that kind of intelligent, clever, cohesive (but not overly rehearsed) entertainment again. The Match Game made me feel smart, witty, sophisticated, and part of a group of people who would never meet me in person. That kind of magic is needed in our world today. I hope such a spell can be cast over the airways again.
Sure, I'm glad to see some star struck contestant win some extra cash. And, yes, I'm amused to revisit what passed for fashion in the 1970s. And I enjoy the quirky unhummable theme song. But what I like most is the chemistry of the celebrity panel (and, of course, the host Gene Rayburn).
The regulars: Brett Summers (wife of Jack Klugman), Charles Nelson Reilly (accomplished theatre actor and director and fairly obvious homosexual), and Dick Dawson (television actor and game show host).
The rotating semi-regulars: Betty White (television actor), Patty Deutsch (voice over actor), Joyce Bulifant (I honestly don't know what the hell else she ever did), and the FABULOUS Fanny Flagg (brilliant author).
In addition to the two contestants and broadcasting veteran Gene Rayburn, there was the gender balanced panel of 6 celebrities. Somehow, this arrangement lent itself to humorous, smart, and even naughty play. It was a combination party/variety entertainment/improvisational theatre that included audience participation and almost at the margins, two contestants competing for fairly modest sums of money.
In addition to the 3 regulars, 3 other "stars" would rotate in from week to week. The first celebrity panelist would be either a charming (Bob Barker), sexy (Bert Convey), or quirky (Nimpsey Russell) personality, always male. Next to this rotating first chair was Brett and Charles.
The next row on the panel would be Dawson with two women on either side. The first woman usually played the part of a sexy, buxom, "airhead" (Ethel Merman and Dr. Joyce Brothers being notable exceptions) and the final panelists would rotate funny, smart women who could be counted on to give off-the-wall answers (Flagg, Bulifant, White, Deutsch).
This formula created an energy on stage that has not been matched in American television history. The Match Game modeled community building, use of intellect and wit, spontenaity, and the value of fun. I long for that kind of intelligent, clever, cohesive (but not overly rehearsed) entertainment again. The Match Game made me feel smart, witty, sophisticated, and part of a group of people who would never meet me in person. That kind of magic is needed in our world today. I hope such a spell can be cast over the airways again.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
The Life of Reilly
I was born in 1966 (I am less than three weeks away from my 2nd annual 39th birthday) in St. Michael's Hospital in the town of Texarkana, AR, Miller County. If you hear Loretta Lynn singing in the background it is with good reason.
Texarkana in the 60s and 70s and 80s was not a fertile breeding ground of sophistication, progressive thought, tolerance or diversity. In fact, I can't tell that there is any reason for the place to exist other than to inspire Dante-like imaginings of eternal torment and despair.
Of course, my entire childhood was not spent in Texarkana, AR. No indeed! There was a brief period of my young life spent just outside of Little Rock in a tiny town called Bryant. And there was about 10 horrific years in an unincorporated community outside of Texarkana known as Liberty-Eylau, Bowie County, TX. We had a KMart, an abundance of fundamentalist churches, a Dairy Queen and a minimum security Federal Prison. But at least my neighborhood existed on a dirt road and we enjoyed such luxuries as our own ground-water well, party-line telephones, and all three major non-cable television networks. The air was filled with an unforgettable stench that can only be produced by the combination of a pickle factory, a paper mill, epidemic poverty, and a rabid fear of higher education in the liberal arts.
Now, I was not alone in this land that time forgot, and many people (my parents and two younger siblings among them) seem to be perfectly content in a place where subtitled films are as unheard of as a female bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. But I was different. Odd. Special. Queer even. Yes, I landed on this planet predisposed to loving and being almost exclusively attracted to people of my own gender. I was gifted with the love that dare not speak its name. So, now you see why my environment may not have been conducive to a childhood of fun, frivolity, self-actualization, and safety.
Adulthood took me far from my humble (and in some ways humiliating) childhood to Arkadelphia, AR (a college town), Dallas, TX (an urban area), Hagerstown, MD (a rural village only 60 miles from Washington, DC), New York City (4 and a half years of a dream come true - almost Paradise), and now Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Each of these places have been far superior to the town of my birth and upbringing.
HOWEVER - to be fair, I must confess moments of utter delight growing up. Mae West movies. Campy Batman television episodes (especially the ones with Batgirl and Catwoman). Bewitched. Hollywood Squares with Paul Lynde. The Match Game with Charles Nelson Reilly. Strong, powerful women. People who were "different" yet gifted and beautiful and powerful ("witches"), and flamboyant semi-out gay men (Lynde and Reilly). These televised friends gave me hope that someone like me had a place in the world and that I could and would find my way and even enjoy most of the journey.
So when the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival announced that it would be showing "The Life of Reilly," an autobiographical show about and performed by Charles Nelson Reilly, you bet your ass I was going to see it. And see it I did.
Charles took me back to a time when he was subliminally telling me over the airwaves that I was OK and that I would flourish once I found "my" environment. He also validated every little queer boy from Helltown as he told of his less than perfect childhood that led him right to Broadway and eventually to my childhood living room to give me hope that I didn't even realize I was experiencing at the time.
CNR performed "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly" to packed houses across the U.S. and finally filmed a live performance for the independent film that is now called "The Life of Reilly." At 75 years old, Reilly is still a story-teller, a comedian, an actor, a survivor, a charmer, a teacher, and an old friend inviting his audience to laugh at him, themselves, and the craziness of life. And in the laughter, one is bound to find release and maybe even empowerment.
A sissy from the Bronx grew up to help a sissy from the boonies know that a full, fun, and brilliant life is possible for the different, the queer. Thank you, Charles, for your odd sense of humor and queer courage that helped me find my own. And thank you for sharing a story that still needs to be heard.
Texarkana in the 60s and 70s and 80s was not a fertile breeding ground of sophistication, progressive thought, tolerance or diversity. In fact, I can't tell that there is any reason for the place to exist other than to inspire Dante-like imaginings of eternal torment and despair.
Of course, my entire childhood was not spent in Texarkana, AR. No indeed! There was a brief period of my young life spent just outside of Little Rock in a tiny town called Bryant. And there was about 10 horrific years in an unincorporated community outside of Texarkana known as Liberty-Eylau, Bowie County, TX. We had a KMart, an abundance of fundamentalist churches, a Dairy Queen and a minimum security Federal Prison. But at least my neighborhood existed on a dirt road and we enjoyed such luxuries as our own ground-water well, party-line telephones, and all three major non-cable television networks. The air was filled with an unforgettable stench that can only be produced by the combination of a pickle factory, a paper mill, epidemic poverty, and a rabid fear of higher education in the liberal arts.
Now, I was not alone in this land that time forgot, and many people (my parents and two younger siblings among them) seem to be perfectly content in a place where subtitled films are as unheard of as a female bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. But I was different. Odd. Special. Queer even. Yes, I landed on this planet predisposed to loving and being almost exclusively attracted to people of my own gender. I was gifted with the love that dare not speak its name. So, now you see why my environment may not have been conducive to a childhood of fun, frivolity, self-actualization, and safety.
Adulthood took me far from my humble (and in some ways humiliating) childhood to Arkadelphia, AR (a college town), Dallas, TX (an urban area), Hagerstown, MD (a rural village only 60 miles from Washington, DC), New York City (4 and a half years of a dream come true - almost Paradise), and now Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Each of these places have been far superior to the town of my birth and upbringing.
HOWEVER - to be fair, I must confess moments of utter delight growing up. Mae West movies. Campy Batman television episodes (especially the ones with Batgirl and Catwoman). Bewitched. Hollywood Squares with Paul Lynde. The Match Game with Charles Nelson Reilly. Strong, powerful women. People who were "different" yet gifted and beautiful and powerful ("witches"), and flamboyant semi-out gay men (Lynde and Reilly). These televised friends gave me hope that someone like me had a place in the world and that I could and would find my way and even enjoy most of the journey.
So when the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival announced that it would be showing "The Life of Reilly," an autobiographical show about and performed by Charles Nelson Reilly, you bet your ass I was going to see it. And see it I did.
Charles took me back to a time when he was subliminally telling me over the airwaves that I was OK and that I would flourish once I found "my" environment. He also validated every little queer boy from Helltown as he told of his less than perfect childhood that led him right to Broadway and eventually to my childhood living room to give me hope that I didn't even realize I was experiencing at the time.
CNR performed "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly" to packed houses across the U.S. and finally filmed a live performance for the independent film that is now called "The Life of Reilly." At 75 years old, Reilly is still a story-teller, a comedian, an actor, a survivor, a charmer, a teacher, and an old friend inviting his audience to laugh at him, themselves, and the craziness of life. And in the laughter, one is bound to find release and maybe even empowerment.
A sissy from the Bronx grew up to help a sissy from the boonies know that a full, fun, and brilliant life is possible for the different, the queer. Thank you, Charles, for your odd sense of humor and queer courage that helped me find my own. And thank you for sharing a story that still needs to be heard.
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