From Shooting Star to Falling Star: The Trajectory of Rock Hudson’s Career in Film and Television
Presentation Type
Paper
Abstract
Rock Hudson (1925-1985) primarily is remembered for being AID’s first celebrity victim and not for his film and television career. During the late 1940s, Hollywood agent Henry Willson discovered Roy Fitzgerald and created the name “Rock Hudson” for his client. Considered to be the last major star who was a product of the studio system, Hudson began his career in 1948. However, it wasn’t until he starred in Magnificent Obsession that he became a star. Based on the 1929 Lloyd C. Douglas novel, Magnificent Obsession, this 1954 film was a remake of the 1935 Magnificent Obsession, that starred Robert Taylor. In both versions, Taylor and Hudson portrayed the character “Bob Merrick”, and their performances made them superstars. Hudson was the darling of the movie fan magazines, who proclaimed him to be the “Baron of Beefcake,” and he topped box office polls throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1954, the magazine Modern Screen cited Hudson as the most popular actor of the year; in 1955, Look rated him the top male movie star; and in both 1957 and 1959, the Motion Picture Herald-Fame Poll ranked him as the top money-making star. Hudson made over sixty films in a variety of genres, starred in two television series (McMillan & Wife and The Devlin Connection), and guest starred in nine episodes during the fifth season of Dynasty. This paper will examine the trajectory of Hudson’s career in film and television and why his star has fallen and no longer burns brightly.
Keywords
Rock Hudson, Hollywood Star, Television Star, Magnificent Obsession
COinS
From Shooting Star to Falling Star: The Trajectory of Rock Hudson’s Career in Film and Television
Rock Hudson (1925-1985) primarily is remembered for being AID’s first celebrity victim and not for his film and television career. During the late 1940s, Hollywood agent Henry Willson discovered Roy Fitzgerald and created the name “Rock Hudson” for his client. Considered to be the last major star who was a product of the studio system, Hudson began his career in 1948. However, it wasn’t until he starred in Magnificent Obsession that he became a star. Based on the 1929 Lloyd C. Douglas novel, Magnificent Obsession, this 1954 film was a remake of the 1935 Magnificent Obsession, that starred Robert Taylor. In both versions, Taylor and Hudson portrayed the character “Bob Merrick”, and their performances made them superstars. Hudson was the darling of the movie fan magazines, who proclaimed him to be the “Baron of Beefcake,” and he topped box office polls throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1954, the magazine Modern Screen cited Hudson as the most popular actor of the year; in 1955, Look rated him the top male movie star; and in both 1957 and 1959, the Motion Picture Herald-Fame Poll ranked him as the top money-making star. Hudson made over sixty films in a variety of genres, starred in two television series (McMillan & Wife and The Devlin Connection), and guest starred in nine episodes during the fifth season of Dynasty. This paper will examine the trajectory of Hudson’s career in film and television and why his star has fallen and no longer burns brightly.
Comments
Good morning: Earlier this week, Debbie Cutshaw (debbie.cutshaw@frontier.com) submitted a paper entitled “Robert Taylor: From Bright Star to Lost Star One of Hollywood’s Forgotten Actors”. There are many similarities between Robert Taylor's and Rock Hudson's Hollywood careers, and we would like to be on the same panel so that we can discuss them. Thanks so much for considering.