Even though neither actor is alive, one author who claims to have interviewed Marlon Brando for a book about Paul Newman says that in the interview Marlon gave that he outed both himself and Paul Newman. The book is entitled Paul Newman: The Man Behind The Baby Blues and is by an author named Darwin Porter who is allegedly obsessed with the sex life of Paul Newman and has spent years trying to establish every person with whom Paul Newman had sex. In 2004, Porter interviewed Marlon about his experiences with Paul Newman. "He never fooled me. Paul Newman had just as many on-location affairs as the rest of us, and he was just as bisexual as I was. But, where I was always getting caught with my pants down, he managed to do it in the dark."
I hadn't realized that Marlon was getting caught with his pants down when it came to being with men. I really need to read more. I also didn't know that when Paul and Joanne got married that they lived with her then ex-boyfriend Gore Vidal who was bisexual. Interesting stuff. I love the old items from Hollywood.
yeah i read somewhere else were paul newman was hangin' with the boyz.
ReplyDeleteyou got to wait when the BIG ONES die to get the full scoop.
It is interesting stuff, but I wish he had waited a while with the book. I read a few weeks ago that Joanne was upset at some of the things he was digging up. She just lost her husband, she deserves more time to mourn. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go out on a limb and say this isn't true. Unless it's on tape, and the author airs the tape somewhere, I don't believe it.
ReplyDeleteLOL at Gore Vidal, "who was bisexual." In that sentence, "was" is the operative word: he is a big old homosexual now. Has lived with his partner for a thousand years in Europe and writes the funniest, most pointed political essays ever. LOVE him.
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of time--who cares????
ReplyDeletemoosh, i hear ya. but in all fairness, it's likely simply things joann already knew.
ReplyDeletewow, old h'wood is a trip.
He was so pretty. If he was in fact bisexual, I think that's great. It would be a shame to waste all those good looks on just one gender *L*
ReplyDeleteSTFU. STFU.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I am not even laughing. If there's one man throughout the history of entertainment I love and whose reputation and character should not nor or ever be besmirched, it is Paul Newman.
Paul effing Newman.
Legend, gentleman and....aghhhh!
STFU.
PS - Enty - so sorry about the Caps last night. Now we have to watch whiny pants Crosby for a whole 'nother round. Ovechkin is SO much more fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI do think that if this is in fact true, it could have waited a bit to be published.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the Newman's lost a son, also, & this is probably too much for Joanne to see published right now.
From Tropic Thunder: "This is Hollywood! Everyone's a LITTLE gay!"
ReplyDeleteHOLLY HANNAH.......THERE GOES THAT FANTASY...
ReplyDeleteDidn't know Marlon was bi or gay? Wow. I guess you never heard about or saw his famous photo of him giving a bj to Wally Cox. Intersting for someone who's supposed to be in the entertianment industry. The photo/s have been cirulating for quite a while now.
ReplyDeleteAs for Paul Newman - yes his wife knew, yes he slept with men (one of them being my friends' friend in Toronto)but that doesn't change the fact that he was a brilliant actor, philanthropist and did love his wife and she him.
i beleieve joanne knew that he was bi or gay. whichever one he truly was...
ReplyDeleteold hollyweird is just like new hollyweird. same shit, different day.
jesus, can't they just let us have paul newman? PAUL FUCKING NEWMAN?? leave him alone. leave his wife and kids alone.
ReplyDeleteRocket Queen - you think it besmirches Paul Newman's reputation becasue he was bi? Now now dear, we are in 2009. All that's changed is what his preference in the bedroom was. That has nothing to do with is reputation or character; just your fantasy.
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ReplyDeletelittleoleme: lol, no, dear. I don't give an eff about anyone's sexuality. It just pisses me off that there are lowlifes like this Porter that live to smear others. Just leave the man and his family in peace. He was a decent human, and this guy should stfu.
ReplyDeletePaul Newman was my first real childhoon crush and to me, it doesnt much matter which way or ways his flag flew, just that it flew brilliantly in everything that he did. He and Joanne should be applauded for having such a loving lasting relationship. however, I do not understand the fascination this society has in "outing" people. Gay, smay as my mom mom used to say Who the f*ck cares?
ReplyDeleteOh I know who care, the people counting their money all the way to the bank after their exclusives are printed and website hits go up 100%. bastards!
ReplyDeleteI read book that he co-wrote with someone else and according to them EVERYONE was gay in old Hollywood so...
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've been lurking for weeks and I've finally got to comment on this one.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Brando fan. Huge. I adore him. He is the greatest actor that has ever lived, a fascinating (albeit effed up) human being, a humanitarian and mostly, an incredible artist.
There's a lot of crap printed about Brando. If you want to get an idea of who he really was, read 'Songs My Mother Taught Me' which he co-wrote with a guy whose name I can't remember. It gives you a lot of insight as to why he was so 'wacky'. The guy suffered enormously as a child. Horrendous abuse. And he only writes about a small portion of that. You mix a sensitive, creative soul with abuse and it's a nasty cocktail. Trust me on that one.
I've never seen pictures of him with Wally Cox. I have seen a supposed pic of him giving a BJ to a black guy. I've never known what to think of that. Photoshop is a handy tool these days, and for some reason, people just LOVE to smear these fine old stars -- the likes of which we'll NEVER seen again because they don't make 'em like that anymore.
It's possible Brando experimented or was fully bi. I tend to doubt anything beyond experimenting. And honestly, I think that was more due to his messed up childhood and subsequent self-loathing than anything else. Who cares if he was bi or experimented - I just don't believe for a second that this was a big part of his life, based on what I've read. And I've read a lot.
I've heard the rumors about Paul for quite some time. My dad went to college with him. Said he was the nicest screw-off he'd ever met there. Loved to drink. Hung out in trees drinking beer. Bi? Who knows, but I agree that the timing of this new 'book' is beyond tacky and heartless.
Oh, for the days of Old Hollywood when people knew the value of secrets and that some things are better left unsaid.
Exactly. I mean the man JUST died and, by all accounts, was well-loved and respected by everyone who knew him. The only possible purpose for digging into the man's personal life and upsetting his family (regardless of the dirty details) is for financial gain, and I guess that's why I'm so upset. This is Paul Newman.
ReplyDeleteNow if it were a book on Paris Hilton, however...
lol@Rocket Queen's comment on Parasite.
ReplyDeleteI am surprise to hear that Newman was bi. I had already read at a gossip site about Brando which was also a surprise. At Panache I have read about a lot of Old Hollywood actors/actress that were gay or bi. Some I was very surprise to read about.
Just one more thing:
ReplyDeleteOn the infamous Marlon BJ photo, the main reason why I've always questioned it is the nose is all wrong. I'll let you all google the BJ photo (totally NSFW, btw). When you find it, compare it to this and look at the nose:
http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/b/brando/bj.jpg
Brando had a very distinct bump on his nose from a fairly young age (broken in a fight.) The BJ photo does not have the bump, which is clearly visible in the photo above (film still, I think One-Eyed Jacks, where he eats a carrot from a horse's mouth.)
Marlon has been quoted as saying the BJ photo was a 'party joke', but I'm not even sure I believe that. He himself spread a lot of BS about himself, because he hated publicity so much.
But for me, the proof is in those photos. The BJ photo is missing a crucial physical characteristic. And whoever that is in the BJ photo, it really could be anybody. Photography can be very deceptive that way. At the right angle, people can seem to be something/someone they aren't.
I read Darwin Porter's book Hollywood Babylon: It's Back. Full of smutty smutty smut. The problem is that his sources are shaky. I'm sure that much of it is true but he has little fact to back him up. It's still a fun read. Just take it all with an entire shaker of salt.
ReplyDeletewho cares? why ?
ReplyDeleteI once made the mistake of buying a book by Darwin Porter (his update of Hollywood Babylon). Basically his is a homosexual wet dream in which EVERYONE in Hollywood is gay. Initially I was wide eyed at all of the juicy quotes but then became highly skeptical wondering why, in decades of reading about Hollywood, I had never encountered even one of them before.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Marlon Brando and Paul Newman were straight, bisexual or gay. But I sure as h**l know that I wouldn't take Darwin Porter's word for it!
Colorantura - I took you up on it; I googled the pic. You are correct about the nose. It does look a little too perfect. I don't know - don't care.
ReplyDeleteI'm with DNfromMN...
ReplyDeleteI cry BULLSHIT until proven otherwise, by documented sources.
Nothing sells like scandal, and if who you're smearing is dead and unable to contest it, all the better.
I for one seriously doubt Joanne Woodward would lower herself to even acknowledge this rumor.
shazzzba said...
ReplyDeleteHOLLY HANNAH.......
Who's Holly Hannah?
Honestly, it's that he lived a lie if this were gay. But if it were bisexual, it's his choice the gender he marries. Some people won't kick anybody out of their bed. Look at all the Rock of Love Skanks.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is juicy! Far more tantalizingly salacious than today's Blind Item.
ReplyDeletePaul & Joanne always seemed so...I dunno...conservative. Reserved. Classy.
Good stuff!
That's the book I'm talking about Cheryl & Dave B! I thought it was going to be more along the lines of Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and Hollywood Babylon II and boy was I mistaken!
ReplyDeleteWell, crap, Brando okay I'll buy it, but not Mr. Newman. He must have had too many Coors that night.
ReplyDeleteWhen was Gore Vidal ever bi?
William Holden was my little girl crush. Please don't tell me he was gay.
Not that there's anything wrong with it
ReplyDeleteSomeone being outed as bi isn't 'besmirching' them; what kind of loser thinks being bi or gay is a bad thing? Oh, wait, the intolerant kind of loser.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, this info about both Marlon and Paul is nothing new. A lot of the time in old Hollywood the men were the victims of the casting couch too... the fact that some of them experimented here and there afterward is hardly surprising. I wouldn't be remotely surprised if this is how it went down with Paul Newman.
Hell, if the gorgeous specimens known as James Dean and Monty Clift were bisexual, why not Paul?
Nobody loves gay guys more than I, but if Paul was gay then that means I didn't have even a remote chance with him like I thought I did while drooling on myself watching Butch Cassidy.
ReplyDeleteRaindrops keep falling on my head...
I'm with Merlin and RQueen. So easy to say things about dead people. Unless it came from them, I don't even listen, much less believe.
ReplyDeletePeople are sexual beings. Can we get past this? Who gives a rodent's rear who sleeps with whom?
It doesn't matter to me. Paul personified class. He gave back to the community and always seemed like a down to earth man. As long as it was with another consenting adult and didn't hurt Joanne who cares whom he graced with his ...free time.
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ReplyDeletei get a huge gay vibe from his early movies, almost flaming
ReplyDeleteit is odd that enty didn't know brando was a fudgepacker.
ReplyDeletesammy davis jr also.
I just don't want to believe he cheated on Joanne regularly, with either sex. I know he said they had gone through some hard times as a couple, but I want to believe he put her first as much as possible, with the exception of a couple of "slips."
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mooshki -- it isn't about sexuality one way or another, it's that they seemed to have such a great marriage, and it would be nice to believe that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE could actually be faithful. Guess not. Bummer. Etc.
ReplyDeleteBut I also agree that some people are just too hot not to share it. :-)
But in general, the "No! Not him! Tell me he's not gay or I'll just die!" responses whenever gay rumors come out about somebody make me sad -- especially considering how much people judge actors who don't want to come out. What are they gay actors supposed to do? (Sorry for the random rant; I knew I shouldn't have read the comments on Ted C.'s site.)
I'm not sure I believe this, and I certainly won't be reading that book. I don't personally care if Paul Newman was gay, bi or straight, and I don't understand why we have to examine every single part of a celebrity's private life. I think it's particularly poor taste to try to make money peddling salacious gossip about two deceased men, who can't defend themselves or their families in the face of accusations of infidelity.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the thing that really gets me is that Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had a marriage that lasted for 50 years - something rarely if ever seen in Hollywood - and frankly, IMHO that does tend to make a rather tempting target for some hack author trying to make a quick buck selling a half baked scandal about two Icons who cannot defend themselves.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that if there were any truth in these rumors that he wouldn't have waited until after Newman's death to attempt to capitalize.
But oh well, dead men don't sue.
But you know, maybe one reason they were married so long is that they had an agreement to have people on the side. You can't assume he was cheating on her even if he did see other people.
ReplyDeleteIt's long been talked about and no surprise about either of them. Brando has been photographed, other actors have revealed it about him and at one point shortly before he died, he revealed it about himself.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I'm sure there was genuine love between Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, my impression is that it was a marriage of convenience on both sides. This doesn't make him more or less a brilliant actor or an exceptional person, and it doesn't make the Newman-Woodwards a more or less wonderful family with great children and great values.
It was the 50s, 60s, 70s in Hollywood, there was no other way to be.
i don't think it was a marriage of convenience. i believe they really, really loved each other. i've never seen anything to make me think otherwise, including this jerk's book.
ReplyDeletethis was a good man. he had a great career, left us with some memorable roles, he gave back to his fellow man. that's all i need to know.
I think this is all BS
ReplyDeleteSomeone looking for 15 minutes & to make a few bucks. Who better to go after than someone who's not around to fight back. We all know how hard it is to prove a negative.
Don't think for a second that Newman was anything other than he appeared to be.
Hope the family files a slander suit.
I am on the fence about this- When Paul Newman died i cried and i usually never cry when famous people die. I hold him sacred for some reason, maybe its the amazing movies, the philanthropy, or the awe inspiring fairtyle thing he had going with joanne woodward this man doesnt not deserve to have his personal life thrown about like he was paris hilton or flava flav or something. We have grown too apathetic with our sensitivity as we delve further into the personal aspects of celebs lives. Even some aspects of FFF are a good example, the candid pics really shouldnt even be on the internet for us to see and pick apart and laugh at, or swoon over. So while i was momentarily intrigued by this i just feel that some parts of things should remain untouched, even though it could all be a mirage its important to have some naivete left, dont you think?
ReplyDeleteSTFU. STFU.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I am not even laughing. If there's one man throughout the history of entertainment I love and whose reputation and character should not nor or ever be besmirched, it is Paul Newman.
Paul effing Newman.
Legend, gentleman and....aghhhh!
STFU.
So being possibly bisexual is to be "besmirched"?
God, women like you are grade A twits.
The man was what he was.
Grow the hell up.
ooo, Califblondy...William Holden.
ReplyDeleteHe was a big crush for me too. Our Town- yummy. When he did that bit on the I Love Lucy show I thought I would die.
Dreamy.
I'm with Uber*nought--being referred to as gay, bi, lesbian, queer--is not slander and is not a slur, even if it's incorrect. In some ways it's a compliment, that we continue to speculate on the sexuality of certain stars and marvel at their allure to people of all genders and backgrounds even decades later.
ReplyDeleteI also note with interest that there's not nearly the furor when it's suggested that a female star may have been bisexual (Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland) or gay (Barbara Stanwyck, Tallulah Bankhead).
I don't know if this is true about Newman. However, there are stories of Brando being the lover of James Baldwin and other men. I believe Brando was simply a trisexual. He would try anything sexually at least once.
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ReplyDeleteChrisH and nancer - couldn't have said it better.
ReplyDeleteAnd if WBotW and Uber*nought are implying I'm a loser, I suggest you both read my subsequent comments more carefully.
@RocketQueen:
ReplyDeleteThanks. And don't worry: I didn't think for a moment you were implying that being bi or gay was undesirable. And for the few who misunderstood your first post, your second one should have clarified the matter. What's really odd is that the people who inappropriately vented their indignation at you, ignored the two hate-filled posts by sandman. Now there's a REAL loser.
@ ChrisH
ReplyDeleteIgnore Sandman - we all do. He posts under various aliases and almost all his posts are immature and hateful.
@ ChrisH - yes, thank you. *I* know who I am which is why I didn't get too upset about being called something I'm not, and I also now know some people just don't READ thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteSandman sucks - as does classalpha - wtf??