Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
FILM REVIEW
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
When Scotty Bowers published Full Service, a memoir of his days as a hustler and pimp of sorts in postwar Hollywood, critics questioned his credibility — as well as the ethics of invading stars’ privacy.
In Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, director Matt Tyrnauer, who is also a contributor to that bible of La La Land, Vanity Fair, not only corroborates Bowers’ stories, through photo evidence as well as accounts from hustlers he worked with, he turns the
tables on Bowers’ attackers.
Bowers was a former marine working at a gas station when he started facilitating $20 hookups for all kinds of people looking for sex and companionship. For the closeted men and women of Hollywood, he offered a special service — facilitating anonymous and loving encounters at a time of restrictive studio contracts and conservative politics.
The film includes salacious stories, but never feels exploitative. This is partly because it reveals the loneliness of the world Bowers inhabited. It also explores the moralistic streak of those who attack him. Many point to the fact that Bowers has outed people who can no longer “defend” themselves. But this places queerness in a cloud of
shame, implying living family members might be harmed by Bowers’ revelations. Who is really being hurt? The film suggests staunch critics are far more offended by the idea that a beloved movie star might be gay.
The film also pulls back the curtain on Bowers himself, who defies easy categorization.
He lives with his wife in a small home, for example, but makes the rounds to houses inherited by his longtime lover — B-movie actor Beach Dickerson. He is relatively fit, but has developed a hoarding problem. Over the course of the film, Bowers unveils experiences of shocking tragedy, but he refuses to see
himself as a victim.
Occasionally rough around the edges, Bowers ultimately makes for a compelling screen presence. His optimism injects the film with a loving ethos of acceptance and dignity — and presents classic Hollywood at its most human. ◊◊◊