Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - B 2 Mins Read

    Boys In The Band, The (1970)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Eight gay men gather in the Greenwich Village apartment of Michael (Kenneth Nelson), for a birthday party for his old friend Harold (Leonard Frey).

    Among the guests are mincing Emory (Cliff Gorman) and stoic Hank (Laurence Luckinbill) whose wildly different styles of self-presentation are pivotal to the story: Emory flaunts his identity in order to hide his insecurity while Hank lives a double life, splitting his time between his boyfriend and a wife.

    boysintheband2

    Alan (Peter White), a heterosexual visitor from Michael’s past turns up, only to add more game-playing therapy sessions and vicious bitchiness to the awkward proceedings. Interpersonal fireworks explode the minute he arrives, especially when Michael becomes a mean drunk and Harold reveals himself as a vengeful monster.

    This stagey version of Mart Crowley’s off-Broadway hit was the first and most famous Hollywood film on the subject of male homosexuality.

    Director William Friedkin captures early glimmers of gay liberation while dealing with the self-hating, straight-acting and overly camp stereotypes of the era.

    It’s all very dated and gives the impression that all gay men are miserable, tragic, venomous queens, but some of the lines are still hilarious, and Leonard Frey’s performance as the Jewish birthday boy is a kitsch classic. “I’m a 32-year-old, ugly, pockmarked Jew fairy,” he moans at one point.

    boysintheband8

    boysinband18Michael
    Kenneth Nelson
    Harold
    Leonard Frey
    Donald
    Frederick Combs
    Emory
    Cliff Gorman
    Bernard
    Reuben Greene
    Cowboy
    Robert La Tourneaux
    Hank
    Laurence Luckinbill
    Larry
    Keith Prentice
    Alan
    Peter White

    Director
    William Friedkin

    Related Posts

    • Browning Version, The (1951)
      Browning Version, The (1951)
      Andrew Crocker-Harris (Michael Redgrave) is the unhappily-married middle-aged classics master at a public school. The tragedy of his life is…
    • All That Jazz (1979)
      All That Jazz (1979)
      Director Bob Fosse's partly autobiographical, self-indulgent, but occasionally brilliant musical had a Fellini-like vision of the life and death of…
    • Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped, The (1974)
      Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped, The (1974)
      This made-for-television romantic comedy revolves around Michael Green (Richard Long), the wealthy and jaded bachelor publisher of a male-oriented magazine…
    • Joe (1970)
      Joe (1970)
      Director John G Avildsen's violent "bigot-versus-counterculture" parable is very much a product of its conservative times, but its implausibility is…
    • Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (1970)
      Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (1970)
      Sexy, immature teenager Girly (Vanessa Howard) and her camera-wielding brother Sonny (Howard Trevor) bring home unsuspecting bums and hippies to…
    • Wife Swappers, The (1970)
      Wife Swappers, The (1970)
      The cult of wife swapping in London is shown in a series of six dramatised episodes portraying the various ways…
    • Three Days Of The Condor (1975)
      Three Days Of The Condor (1975)
      Robert Redford is Joe Turner, an innocent researcher for the US Central Intelligence Agency in New York, who goes out…
    • Beast Must Die, The (1974)
      Beast Must Die, The (1974)
      Wealthy playboy, philanthropist and big game hunter Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) and his wife Caroline (Marlene Clark) invite an eclectic…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleBrannigan (1975)
    Next Article Boys In Company C, The (1978)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)
      The heroic outlaw returns from the Crusades to discover the […]
    • Rick Springfield
      Born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on 23 August 1949 in the Sydney […]
    • Hickory House
      1 9 7 3 – 1 9 7 7 (UK) 129 x 15 minute episodes Initially […]
    • Nuts in May (1976)
      Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice Marie (Alison Steadman) are the […]
    • Suddenly (1954)
      Eager to reinforce his burgeoning dramatic reputation, Frank […]
    • Transvision Vamp
      Fronted by the small, pouting, usually scantily-clad screamer […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    19 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.