Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)

A documentary on the actor Tab Hunter. It looks at his early life, his rise to stardom, his grappling with his homosexuality in an era (1950s) when it was something to hide, his mentally ill mother, the downturn of his career in the 1960s when his boy next door image was no longer viable, his final comeback and finally, peace and contentment and acceptance of himself in his last years. Based on Hunter's memoir TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL: THE MAKING OF A MOVIE STAR (co-written by Eddie Muller) and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz. It's an engaging look at Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s but in particularly Hunter's place in that era. Hunter opens up with personal stories like his being abandoned by his father, his mentally ill mother, his romance with Anthony Perkins, his fake romances for the movie magazines and so much more. If you've a taste for Hollywood history (and gossip), this is for you. The film is loaded with interviews (done especially for the film) by Hunter's contemporaries of the era including Debbie Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Robert Wagner, Dolores Hart, Terry Moore, John Waters, Laine Kazan, Connie Stevens, Don Murray, Darryl Hickman, Venetia Stevenson, Etchika Choureau and Marilyn Erskine.