landish and outlawed. These elements are recycled into something oddly beautiful: disposable plastic drugstore Halloween vampire teeth, a garland of Pez dispensers, a headpiece of 3-D glassesa bricolage borrowed from drag and burlesque that draws a line to performers of previous eras, like the acid drag of the Cockettes and the giddy debauchery of Leigh Bowery. As additional photos and the accompanying exhibition catalog from Rizzoli reveal, Dazzles theatrical ensembles arent bound by the footlights or the proscenium arch. They are equally at home at public spectacles in New York City, from parades (Coney Island Mermaid, Halloween, Easter) to queer liberation marches, and events like Night of 1000 Stevies. Dazzle says his costumes are like living sculptures: they morph and evolve through use and wear. While its hard to capture the exact alchemy that marries performer and costume in a museum setting, video clips and elaborately articulated mannequins, swanning through the air or scaling walls, provide a sense of that unique fusion. Ultimately, the shows expansiveness allows viewers to marvel at the paradoxes inherent in Dazzles signature style: playful yet rigorous, arch but accessible, intricate and unsubtle. Its a more-is-more mode of do-it-yourself glamour pitched to the receptive viewer: effusive, dizzying, and, in the parlance, fantabulosa. Taylor Macs 24-Decade History of Popular Music can be viewed at hbo.com/movies/taylor-macs-24-decade-history-of-popular-music. No Flowers throws a grenade into Eisenhower-era family values and, like many a successful satire, appears all kind and gentle on the surface. The only serious misstep in Kijaks documentary is the inclusion of Phone call between Rock Hudson and friend, a taped conversation that was later leaked to the tabloids. The call dates back to 1974. Sounding more like a pimp than a pal, the friend calls the star to report that some sexy young ingenue has just been signed by Paramount Studios and that Hudson would likely want to get his hands on this fresh meat. He is a damn fine boy,62, andvery good in that department.But who is this so-called friend? Without any context, the film then rushes into a humble brag by Armistead Maupin, who confesses that he, too, had his pants charmed off of him by the rock-hard Hudson. Based on what Kijak is presenting, who didnt? The problem is that thephonecallleaves Hudson sounding like a Watergate burglar and, worse, a forerunner of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film producer and sex offender who exploited young actresses left and right. Biographer Griffin does a better job than Kijak at connecting the dots between Hudson and Willson, the agent responsible for repackaging Roy Harold Fitzgerald as Rock Hudsonand putting his name in lights. In light of the Weinstein scandal and the many firings and resignations that followed,writes Griffin, Henry Willsonsnotorious brand of star-making seems deserving of its own hashtag. Even if All That Heaven Allowed falls short of radicalizing Hudsons star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it does jumpstart the conversation about his life and legacy even if so many questions remain unanswered. Oddly, Rock Hudson is a film star still waiting for his closeup. SeptemberOctober 2023 49 Rock Hudson Continued from page 50
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