The Boys in the Band (1970): A Review

THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970)

Being gay was once "the love that dare not speak its name". The Boys in the Band, the adaptation of Mart Crowley's off-Broadway play, shouts it out for all the world to hear. This collection of openly gay men, ranging from the straightest acting to the most flamboyant, goes into the dark recesses of the human heart. With the original cast recreating their roles for the film, The Boys in the Band is a bitchy tour into fear and loathing.

Michael (Kenneth Nelson) is preparing a birthday party for his frenemy, Harold. Michael is in the early days of sobriety from alcohol, so he might be a bit on edge. His friend Donald (Frederick Combs) comes after his therapist cancels an appointment and helps with the birthday preparations. Out of the blue Michael receives a call from Alan (Peter White), who tearfully asks to see his old college friend. Michael does not want Alan to come for one reason: Michael is gay but has never come out to Alan. The ultimate straight square coming up to see Michael and his group of gay friends is something he is not ready for.

The various mutual friends to Michael and Harold run the gamut of sexual discretion. Emory (Cliff Gorman) is as flamboyant as they come, maybe even more flamboyant than possible. Hank (Laurence Luckinbill) is the straightest acting man there, so straight that he is in the middle of a divorce from his wife due to his relationship with photographer Larry (Keith Prentice). Hank is pretty much a square, while Larry has no issue playing the field despite his relationship with Hank. Another friend, Bernard (Reuben Greene), the only black man in this group, is not out to others, just to this group.

At first, Michael is relieved when Alan says that he won't be stopping by and pulled himself together. He can get all his gay friends to be themselves and kick up their heels, quite literally when they recreate an old dance routine. Things take a turn though when a couple of uninvited guests show up. First is Cowboy (Robert La Tourneaux), Emory's "gift" for Harold. The second is Alan, who did show up after all. Emory's suggestion that Alan is closeted causes a fight between them.

Into this maelstrom enters Harold (Leonard Frey), bitchy and pithy and ready to take anyone on. Michael, who has unwittingly started drinking again, now finds himself as master of ceremonies at the party from hell. Everything from trying to push Alan out of the closet to making the guests play a game where they have to call the person they loved. Old secrets and new resentments come out until the frenemies Harold and Michael confront each other about their separate issues. Will Michael learn to accept himself? Is Alan gay? Will this birthday party end in chaos or comfort?

The Boys in the Band is unique for at least two reasons. First, it is the rare time when an entire cast recreates their original roles from stage to screen. Second, it is one of the first mainstream films where gay men were not portrayed as either victims or villains. Yes, there were stereotypes, particularly with the lispy, limp-wristed Emory. However, there was also his counterpart in Hank, a man who smoked pipes and drank beer. He could be a "man's man" without the usual flamboyance and effeminate mannerisms usually (and probably still) associated with homosexual men. The Boys in the Band, therefore, allowed a variety of males that were also gay.

It is not as though The Boys in the Band, adapted by Crowley from his play, did not give these men nasty things to say to each other even before the booze starts flowing. Most of that comes from Emory, whispering his dialogue in cutting barbs and delighting in antagonizing everyone within sight. However, Crowley's screenplay also gives us surprisingly moving moments from Emory. As he talks about Delbert Botts, the high school classmate that he was madly in love with, there is a deep sense of longing for that obscure object of desire that he still yearns for. It is interesting that despite his sniping manner, Emory ended up the most compassionate of the bunch. When the party ends, Emory takes the despondent and drunken Bernard home, tenderly walking him out.

William Friedkin manages to keep things focused on the actions to where you almost do not notice that The Boys in the Band is almost a filmed play. The film is not opened up save for the opening titles where we see the various men living out their lives before Harold's party. We see Emory looking for Harold's gift, Hank playing basketball, Larry working at his photographic studio, Donald driving like a maniac. Apart from that and scenes of Alan calling though, everything in The Boys in the Band takes place at Michael's apartment and patio. 

The film is really a two-part film: pre and post Alan. Before Alan's arrival, the various men trade insults and compliments, affording themselves this space for themselves. Once Alan arrives, and especially when Harold shows up, The Boys in the Band takes that dark turn. Michael's mix of drunken anger and self-loathing fights with Harold's arrogance and his own insecurities. The conflict between the more strait-laced Hank, committed to Larry, and Larry, determined to be free to have flings with whomever he pleases (even a revealed one-night stand with Donald) adds to the troubled manner the various men go through.

Friedkin kept things flowing remarkably well, guiding the actors to strong performances throughout. Nelson's Michael is troubled, fearful but also mean and ultimately tragic. Frey holds his own as Harold, able to push back and make sharp observations while also revealing his struggles with his appearance. Gorman is particularly good, going from stereotype to more nuanced as Emory. The interplay between Luckinbill as the more traditional Hank and Prentice as the man he loves despite himself also works well and makes for a good subplot. Le Tourneaux's Cowboy convinces you that this young kid is terminally naive to dim.

It is interesting that most of the actors in The Boys in the Band were themselves openly gay. Out of the cast, only Luckinbill was openly straight. Gorman was married to a woman, and both White and Greene to my knowledge were at least not known to have male lovers. Nelson, Frey, Combs, Prentice and La Tourneaux were all openly gay. 

While today there is a strong push to cast only openly gay actors in gay roles, The Boys in the Band did that when being openly gay was still a source of controversy. It is possible that their lived experiences shaped their performances to be more authentic; it is also possible that they were acting, playing gay characters far removed from their own experiences. The actors' sexual orientations should not color the views of how well they performed, one way or another. The strong performances of openly straight Luckinbill and probably straight Gorman shows that one does not need to be gay to play gay. 

Sadly, Nelson, Frey, Combs, Prentice and La Tourneaux all died of AIDS-related illnesses.  

If there is a flaw with The Boys in the Band, it is that it is essentially a filmed play. It cannot fully escape from the confines of what someone might see on the stage. There is only so much that can be done on that level. Credit to Friedkin and Crowley for keeping things moving to where one almost never notices the stage bound nature of the film. 

The Boys in the Band allows the various men to be all sorts. Petty, honest, bitchy, heartfelt. The issue that caused Alan to break down, or even if he was gay or perhaps bisexual is never directly answered. It is not important to the overall plot. Instead, The Boys in the Band keeps its focus on this group of friends, lover and rivals. That makes it all come together as they all come out.

DECISION: B+