I do not know who Tab Hunter is. Don’t think that he was before my time. I watch silent films. If he was the dude in Metropolis, and I looked him up and recognized his credits, I would compliment him by calling him a chameleon, but I do not know him. It is possible that I saw him in The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels or Benson, but that is like saying an actor appeared on one of the Law & Order shows. I could have appeared on one of those shows in the background if I did not realize that it was filming, and I had to get somewhere. I am not shading Mr. Hunter, I am just astonished that the first movie that I saw featuring the dearly departed gentleman was Tab Hunter Confidential. Why would I be interested in a documentary about someone’s life whom I did not even know existed? He was a famous, successful closeted gay man in Hollywood.
I did not know that Tab Hunter Confidential was a film adaptation of his autobiography, but I love reading memoirs, especially about Hollywood, then to find out that he was actually an underdog who survived is always a story that I am interested in hearing. I do not get my mom. I have no idea if she knew Mr. Hunter, but she enthusiastically watched it with me and loved it. On one hand, he is an attractive white man, and she does love watching entertainment shows, but on the other hand, she brought me up fundamentalist so I thought the gay angle would make her run the other way or at least make it unbearable to watch while she critiqued him incessantly, but it never happened. I never know which mom I am going to get: the woman who treated AIDS patients like human beings during a pandemic or the Christian talk radio version.
Tab Hunter Confidential not only brings families together, it is actually a good documentary. I just watched it. I did not catch myself analyzing it or taking notes, and I can never turn my brain off to simply enjoy anything. This review is going to be short because of it. I found myself focused on Mr. Hunter’s story, not the way that the documentary depicted it, which means that it was a success. I was impressed that the documentary was able to get home movies from the fifties. If I am recalling correctly, the film is more or less a feature length interview with Mr. Hunter, who is a riveting raconteur, with a few interviews with other celebrities. The content is dishy, but I never got the sense that he was gossiping. He was just telling his life story.
I thought it was hilarious when Tab Hunter Confidential reveals that he dated Dolores Hart, who was an actor turned nun, whom I am more familiar with than Mr. Hunter because I watched her in a short documentary that was on HBO, God Is the Bigger Elvis. He also dated even more famous stars, but I will let you discover those details for yourself. I hate it when a movie review is really a summary, and if you are as unfamiliar with Mr. Hunter as I was, then anything is a potential spoiler.
If I had to complain about Tab Hunter Confidential, I wish that it was even longer. I would not sacrifice a moment devoted to his life as a movie star, but I would have loved more time devoted to his quotidian life. He casually mentions the difficulties of caring for a parent and transitioning from being an actor to entering a less high profile career. It feels as if either of those topics could have easily filled a half hour or more, especially since the journey to get to the prior probably was quite challenging given the era. Considering that society classified same sex attraction as a mental illness, I would have been riveted to hear how he realized that the parent was mentally ill, how he got help, was he concerned for himself, did he keep it a secret, etc. It is always eye-opening to discover that someone who seems to have it all actually has to juggle rocks.
If I left with a lesson after watching Tab Hunter Confidential, it is that I do not seek out enough of John Waters’ films, and if I do not, I will regret it one day. Apparently Waters and Mr. Hunter worked together on Polyester. How have I not seen that movie already? Also how have I not seen more films starring Divine? Divine and Mr. Hunter starred in a film spoofing Clint Eastwood called Lust in the Dust. What am I waiting for? How have I not gotten around to doing this? It feels as if I have unintentionally omitted huge swaths of cinematic history. Here I am bobbing and weaving trying to avoid all the David Lynch being hurled at me while delightful Waters films just stay in the corner unloved. Maybe I will get around to seeing Mr. Hunter’s work after all. Two birds, one stone.
If you are into Hollywood gossip with a heart and a conscience, definitely check out Tab Hunter Confidential. My mom and I have completely different movie tastes, but we agreed about this documentary and highly recommend it even if you are unfamiliar with Mr. Hunter.