Higher and Higher

Nearer my God to thee.

Born On This Day- October 16th... My Good Close Personal Friend Angela Lansbury

Seattle, 1984... the producer/writer & the director of a new TV show had contacted me through the theatre where I was appearing in the biggest, hottest show in town. The show had been selling out nightly for 6 months (& would run another 8 months). The pair had left a message that they loved my work in the play & thought that I had a real future doing comedy in TV & film. What a lovely & unexpected thing to hear. They wanted to offer me a role in a new TV show. This was unheard of… Hollywood types just plucking me from regional theatre & giving me a job, with no audition, a gig that would get me my SAG card. They said the show was named- Murder She Wrote & it was starring Angela Lansbury!

I was thrilled as I made my way, on foot, to the location of the shoot, studying my sides one more time as I went. When I arrived at a condo building in the Belltown neighborhood, signs pointed me to a large room filled with about 20 handsome, buff guys all carrying suit bags. I knew a lot of these young men from my gym. They were the sorts who, if they looked at me at all, would give me a snort & a look of distain. You know the type- professionally gay.

I kept thinking- “Damn! I am so stupid. You are supposed to bring your own wardrobe. How was I supposed to know that?!? Now all the gym hunks are thinking I am real nerd, for sure.” A female PA with a clipboard started calling off names & the muscle boys would each answer with a raised hand. When all the names were called & everyone was accounted for, the PA asked if anyone’s name had been left out. I sheepishly raised my hand & she asked my name. I gave said Stephen Rutledge, all the while thinking- “I knew this was too good to be true. I am not gonna get my SAG card &I don’t shoot a TV series with Angela Lansbury. It is some cruel joke!”

The PA said- “Oh, Stephen… you have your own trailer. It is around the corner & right next door to Peter Graves’ trailer. & then you need to report to wardrobe & makeup”. Well, the muscle gym boys' heads snapped as they turned to gawk at me as a handsome male PA personally escorted me to my trailer. I walked deliberately & with my head held high as I passed each single gym bunny with their suit bags  their own wardrobe.

I spent my first day on a film set, sitting between takes, under a big umbrella on the roof of a Seattle tower with my new friend- Angela Lansbury. I reminded her that we had met once before, in the parking garage at the Schubert Theatre in LA, after a matinee of Gypsy that she was starring in. I was shocked that she was driving her own car & not taking a limo & that she was going home between shows. I stopped & told her how much I had loved the show & that she was the best Mama Rose ever. She asked about me & we had a nice 3 minute conversation. Ms. Lansbury said that she did not recall that incident & I  chided her for not remembering. She loved it & laughed. We talked about gardening & her childhood in England & the theatre scene in Seattle. What a perfect day.

Today Angela Lansury turns an astonishing 86 years old. She continues to work after 7 decades in show biz. She appeared in A Little Night Music on Broadway last season & Madame Arcati in the 2009 Broadway revival of the play Blithe Spirit. I am sure she stays busy polishing her 5 Tony Awards, 6 Golden Globes & 11 Emmys.

Gay Icon? I have never met a gay man that didn't adore her. I know her & she is a sweetheart of a human being.

And So Are They

To paraphrase another Jerry Herman show, look at the old gals now, fellas!

However...

...Angela Lansbury can.

Baby, it's Cold Outside

Dress accordingly.

Do the Right Thing

Born On This Day- October 16th... My BFF- Angela Lansbury

Seattle, 1984... the producer/writer & the director of a new TV show had contacted me through the theatre where I was appearing in the biggest, hottest show in town. The show had been selling out nightly for 6 months (& would run another 8 months). The pair had left a message that they loved my work in the play & thought that I had a real future doing comedy in TV & film. What a lovely & unexpected thing to hear. They wanted to offer me a role in a new TV show. This was unheard of… Hollywood types just plucking me from regional theatre & giving me a job, with no audition, a job that would get me my SAG card. They said the show was called- Murder She Wrote & it was starring Angela Lansbury!

I was thrilled as I made my way on foot to the location of the shoot, studying my sides one more time as I went. When I arrived at a condo building in the Belltown neighborhood, signs pointed me to a large room filled with about 20 handsome, buff guys all carrying suit bags. I knew a lot of these young men from my gym. They were the sorts who, if they looked at me at all, would give me a snort & a look of distain. You know... professionally gay. I kept thinking- “Damn! I am so stupid. You are supposed to bring your own wardrobe. How was I supposed to know that?!? Now all the gym hunks are thinking I am real nerd, for sure.” A female PA with a clipboard started calling off names & the muscle boys would each answer with a raised hand. When all the names were called & everyone was accounted for, the PA asked if anyone’s name had been left out. I sheepishly raised my hand & she asked my name. I gave her my name, all the while thinking- “I knew this was too good to be true. I am not gonna get my SAG card &I don’t shoot a TV series with Angela Lansbury. It is some cruel joke!” The PA said- “Oh, Stephen… you have your own trailer. It is around the corner & right next door to Peter Graves’ trailer. & then you need to report to wardrobe & makeup”. Well, the muscle gym boys' heads snapped as they gawk at me when a handsome male PA personally escorted me to my trailer. I walked deliberately & with my head held high as I passed each single gym bunny with their suit bags for their own wardrobe.

I spent my first day on a film set, sitting between takes, under a big umbrella on the roof of a Seattle tower with my new friend- Angela Lansbury. I reminded her that we had met once before, in the parking garage at the Schubert Theatre in LA, after a matinee of Gypsy that she was starring in. I was shocked that she was driving her own car & not taking a limo & that she was going home between shows. I stopped & told her how much I had loved the show & that she was the best Mama Rose ever. She asked about me & we had a nice 3 minute conversation. Ms. Lansbury said that she did not recall that incident & I then chided her for not remembering. She loved it & laughed. We talked about gardening & her childhood in England & the theatre scene in Seattle. What a terrific day.

Today Angela Lansury turns an astonishing 85. She continues to work after 7 decades in show biz. She appeared in A Little Night Music on Broadway this season & Madame Arcati in the 2009 Broadway revival of the play Blithe Spirit. I am sure she stays busy polishing her 5 Tony Awards, 6 Golden Globes & 11 Emmys.

Something For Everyone

While posting about Pasolini’s Teorema, I went on a mind riff about one of my favorite movies from my youth- Something For Everyone. In the 1970s, I saw this film maybe 15 times. I was 16 years old when I viewed this film for 1st time & the bisexuality had me dizzy with desire. When Cabaret followed 2 years later, I was in a Teutonic sexual frenzy & in a lifetime of lust for Mr. York. I rented it for the Husband in the early 1980s, but I have not viewed it since.

Released in 1970, Something For Everyone is the film directorial debut of legendary Broadway producer/director Harold Prince. It features Angela Lansbury in a remarkable virtuoso performance, with fine support from a delectable young Michael York, a very seductive young Anthony Corlan, & gifted Jane Carr ( fresh off The Prime Of Miss Jean Brody).


With a postcard perfect Bavarian backdrop, Konrad (York) rides into town with the sexiest legs ever seen in cycling shorts. He pauses to admire a fairytale castle (another shot of his calves). He quickly arranges a job as the footman to the owner of the castle- the impoverished Countess von Ornstein (Lansbury), "How odd” says Lansbury, “to have to concern oneself with the price of strawberries ". This is directed to her accountant. When he replies about how times have changed since the war, she counters with: " not for eagles, even in captivity they just sit there & glare " The countess declares that she is a descendant of Attila the Hun.

Konrad focuses his attentions on her beautiful, lonely son- Helmut (Corlan). His sister -Lotte (Carr) is dumpy, annoying, & furtive. She is onto Konrad from the start, & asks him if is a murderer or a pervert. His response is congenial & commendably candid.


Konrad seduces each member of the snobbish family, debauching 1st, the lonely daughter. His pursuit of passion, power, & position proceeds until he has removed or fucked them all. His baroque scheme suddenly begins to get dangerously out of control. The ending, with several clever twists & turns leave us sympathetic to the sociopath Konrad.


Michael York & Anthony Corlan are beautiful & talented, but this film belongs to Angela Lansbury. Every gesture brings consummate skill, drama, humor, & camp.
I can’t think of an actor who could have pulled this role off. York is one of the most engaging & absolute villains ever created outside of Tom Ripley, & for the same reasons: he is a logical genius, who anticipates every ruthlessly evil move he makes with flawless cunning. It's all part of his sexy boyish charm.

 This film is brilliant, nasty, dark & very, very funny. It is in my top 10 off all time.

Birthday Roll Call... I Want Them Both As Cocktail Party Guests

Happy Birthday to my good close personal friend Angela Lansbury. She won her 5th Tony award last year at 83 years old, for a very physical performance in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit & she stars this season on Broadway in A Little Night Music.

Growing old, it's hard to be an angry young man," according the lyrics in Bob Mould's song Return to Dust. While the 49-year-old musician shouldn't feel old, it is fascinating to recall that he started the seminal punk band Husker Du 30 years ago before moving on the  post-punk band- Sugar. He has continued to influence cultural shifts in modern music. The genre jumping musician has gone from 1980s post-punk to 90s alt-rock to dance-floor favorites for middle-aged gay men. He hosts a dance monthly party- BLOW OFF in San Fransisco, NYC, & Washington DC. Back in his punk days, Mould was barely out as gay, even to friends & music associates. A 1994 Spin magazine article written by author Dennis Cooper nudged Mould out of the closet. His new album is Life & Times.  I admire his music, his masculie good looks, & I totally want to make out with him.

25 years ago today... My Best Day Ever (So Far)

It is with some trepidation that I name July 31st, 1984 as the best day of my life... so far. Deep down I feel that I should choose my wedding day, which was amazing & beautiful & very emotional. I also think of the day when the water taxi from Marco Polo International Airport turned into the basin & the Husband & I could see the Custom House, St Marks & the Redemptora through the lifting fog as we arrived in Venice on our 12th anniversary. I would consider the perfect day, our first together in NYC, when I got to watch my Husband’s face as we came up out of the subway station & he saw Time Square at twilight for the first time. We have had so many perfect days in so many great places, but my best day ever was purely selfish & that is why it remains #1 after 25 years.

I awoke that morning in my beautiful, very cool, perfectly decorated apartment at the top of Capitol Hill in Seattle. Every window was wide open in our corner L shaped, top floor home. I could see Mt Baker from the kitchen window & the Seattle Skyline from the living room. I did my stretches, giving my single-digit- body-fat body a little warm up, showered & slipped into my size 30 inch waist pants & my cool rockabilly shirt. My incredibly handsome & sexy partner of 5 years was just getting ready to take his hot, worked out body to the gym. I kissed him good bye & he wished me a special good luck good-bye. I would normally have gone with him, but something extraordinary lay ahead for me on this last day of July 1984.

The producer/writer & the director of a new TV show had contacted me through the theatre where I was appearing in the biggest, hottest show in Seattle. The show that was selling out nightly for six months (& would run another 6 months). They had left a message that they loved my work in the play & thought that I had a real future doing comedy in TV & Film. The were offering me a part. This was unheard of… Hollywood types just plucking me from regional theatre & giving me a job, with no audition, that would get me my SAG card.


The show was called- Murder She Wrote & it was starring Angela Lansbury (who I adored). I was thrilled as I made my way on foot to the location of the shoot, studying my sides one more time as I went. When I arrived at a condo building in the Belltown neighborhood, signs pointed me to a large room filled with about 20 handsome, hot guys all carrying suit bags. I knew a lot of these young men from my gym. They were the sorts who, if they looked at me at all, would give me a snort & a look of distain. You know...professionaly gay. I kept thinking- “Damn! I am so stupid. You are supposed to bring your own wardrobe. How was I supposed to know that?!? Now all the gym hunks are thinking I am real nerd, for sure.” A female PA with a clipboard started calling off names & the muscle boys would each answer with a raised hand. When all the names were called & everyone was accounted for, the PA asked if anyone’s name had been left out. I sheepishly raised my hand & she asked my name. I gave her my name, all the while thinking- “I knew this was too good to be true. I am not gonna get my SAG card & shoot a TV series with Angela Lansbury. It is some cruel joke!” The PA said- “Oh, Stephen… you have your own trailer. It is around the corner & right next door to Peter Grave’s trailer.” Well, the muscle gym boys' heads snapped to turn & gawk at me as a handsome hunksome male PA personally escorted me to my trailer. I walked deliberately & with my head held high as I passed each single gym bunny with their suit bag of their own wardrobe.

I spent my first day on a film set, sitting between takes, under a big umbrella on the roof of a Seattle tower with my new friend- Angela Lansbury. I reminded her that we had met once before in the parking garage at the Schubert Theatre in LA, after a matinee of Gypsy that she was starring in. I was shocked that she was driving her own car & not taking a limo & that she was going home between shows. I stopped & told her how much I had loved the show & that she was the best Mama Rose ever. She asked about me & we had a nice 2 minute conversation. Ms. Lansbury said that she did not recall the incident & I then chided her for not remembering. She loved it & laughed. We talked about gardening & her childhood in England & the theatre scene in Seattle.

After my day in front of the cameras, I went to the theatre to get ready for my showy, funny role in Seattle’s biggest hit play- E/R Emergency Room at Pioneer Square Theatre, glad that I was working out so much because I was nearly naked in this show. In the greenroom, I was able to tell about my day to all my wonderful friends in the show. After the standing ovation at curtain call, I showered & went out for drinks with the cast. it was close to midnight as I walked back home to my beautiful apartment & my sexy partner. As I reached the top of Capitol Hill, on a lovely warm summer night, I looked up at the summer sky. In the middle of a major metropolitan area, brighter & clearer than I had ever seen it, was a huge showy Aurora Borealis… Northern Lights in greens & pinks & whites, moving across the July 31st sky. Finishing the best day of my life with some magic, like special icing on the best cake ever.

On July 31st, 1984 every aspect in my life came together: living in the coolest city on the planet, hot apartment, hot & loving partner, great sex, good body, good health, a celebrated & showy part in a popular play, cool & talented friends, totally out of closet,
somewhat of a celebrity, a day of filming with one of my favorite actors, getting my SAG card & passing the drop-jawed hot muscle boys on my way to my own trailer on a film set. The best thing about it was…I was fully aware & cognizant of how special it all was & I savored every moment & I was truly thankful.