"gay" redux

[Laurence Horn]

In "All About Eve", the George Sanders character Addison De Witt struck me as a stereotype of a (probably repressed, or what we now call closeted) gay man.  But I can't connect to the title character of the Gay Falcon, especially not having seen it.

LH

On Oct 29, 2012, at 2:16 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> But maybe he's in the closet. Then the title would be the screenwriter's
> way of outing him. Then the title would mean he's gay, even if he's not gay
> in  the movie. Then somebody can cite the title as an early ex. of gay.
>
> JL
>
> On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 2:06 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: "gay" redux
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> At 10/29/2012 02:01 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>> I've seen it. He's not gay.
>>>
>>> JL
>>
>> No, I suppose one would not ever call George Sanders
>> "gay".  "Debonair", perhaps.
>>
>> Joel
>>
>>
>>> On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 1:52 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>>>> Subject:      "gay" redux
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> OK, Jon, you didn't accept "Bringing Up Baby".  What about "The Gay
>>>> Falcon", 1941, starring George Sanders and Wendy Barrie?  (I haven't
>>>> watched it, so all I have is the title.)
>>>>
>>>> :-)
>>>> Joel
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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