Tab Hunter Confidential
2015 film directed by Jeffrey Schwarz
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Tab Hunter Confidential is a 2015 American documentary film focusing on the American actor, singer, and author Tab Hunter. It is inspired by his autobiography of the same name. The film was produced by Allan Glaser and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz.
by Tab Hunter and Eddie Muller
| Tab Hunter Confidential | |
|---|---|
Film Poster | |
| Directed by | Jeffrey Schwarz |
| Based on | Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star by Tab Hunter and Eddie Muller |
| Produced by | Allan Glaser |
| Starring | Tab Hunter Debbie Reynolds Robert Wagner John Waters George Takei Clint Eastwood Portia de Rossi |
| Cinematography | Nancy Schreiber |
| Edited by | Jeffrey Schwarz |
| Music by | Michael Cudahy |
Production company | Allan Glaser Productions Automat Pictures |
| Distributed by | The Film Collaborative |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film features extensive interviews with Hunter, as well as contemporaries and associates, including John Waters, Clint Eastwood, Debbie Reynolds, and more.
Background
In 2005, Hunter's autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, co-written with Eddie Muller, became a New York Times best-seller, and again topped the charts when it was released in paperback in 2007, as well as in 2015,[1] following the release of the documentary. The book served as Hunter's first person account of his rise to Hollywood heartthrob status in the 1950s, as well as his personal struggle with revealing his sexuality over the course of his career.
Acknowledging he was gay in the book, the tone set a new precedent for discussion of Hollywood's golden era.
Following Hunter's participation in Jeffrey Schwarz's documentary I Am Divine[2] (about Baltimore drag queen Divine, with whom Hunter had appeared in several motion pictures), producer Allan Glaser approached Schwarz about the potential of adapting the Confidential book into a feature-length documentary.
Filming began in 2011 conducting a series of new interviews with Hunter and associates in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Santa Barbara, as well as culling archival footage of figures from Hollywood's past discussing the star. Filming was completed in 2015.
Release
Tab Hunter Confidential premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2015,[3] and played over 100 film festivals and independent screenings.[4]
The film was also given a theatrical release in October 2015, premiering in New York at The Village East and in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theater, playing theatrically in over 50 cities.[5][6][7]
Participants
- Tab Hunter
- Clint Eastwood
- Debbie Reynolds
- Portia De Rossi
- Noah Wyle
- George Takei
- Robert Wagner
- Dolores Hart
- Lainie Kazan
- John Waters
- Connie Stevens
- Marilyn Erskine
- Allan Glaser
- Terry Moore
- Liz Torres
- Robert Osborne
- Don Murray
- Darryl Hickman
- Rae Allen
- Rex Reed
- Shannon Bolin
- Rona Barrett
- Eddie Muller
- Gary Giddins
- Neal Noorlag
- Tamara Asseyev
- Etchika Choureau
- Earl Holliman
Archive footage
Reception and awards
Receiving favorable reviews from critics, Tab Hunter Confidential has been praised for its portrait not only of Hunter, but of Hollywood during the actor's heyday. Vanity Fair called it “A savvy, rollicking, eye-popping film. Brave for its candor and enlightening for the social context it provides,”[8] while IndieWire posited that the film was “fun and gossipy in the way that great documentaries about Hollywood often are, but it also speaks to a deeper truth about identity and perseverance and the large divide between one's personal and professional life.”[9]
The film has been nominated and won a multitude of awards, including the Best Documentary at the California Independent Film Festival,[10] the Audience and Festival Awards for Best Documentary at FilmOut San Diego,[11] Best Feature at the Louisville LGBT Film Festival, and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Tab Hunter Confidential was also short listed for consideration for Best Documentary for the 2015 Academy Awards.[12]
In January 2016, Tab Hunter Confidential was nominated for "Outstanding Documentary" at the 27th GLAAD Media Awards.[13]
| Group | Year[a] | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland International Film Festival | 2015 | Best Documentary | Jeffrey Schwarz | Nominated | |
| Documentary Competition - Best Documentary | Nominated | ||||
| California Independent Film Festival | Slate Award - Best Documentary | Won | [10] | ||
| Golden Slate Award - Best Documentary | Allan Glaser, Neil Koenigsberg | Won | |||
| FilmOut San Diego | FilmOut Audience Awards - Best Documentary | Won | [11] | ||
| FilmOut Festival Award - Best Documentary | Won | ||||
| Louisville LGBT Film Festival | Audience Award - Best Feature | Won | |||
| Key West Film Festival | Jury Prize - Best LGBT Film | Jeffrey Schwarz | Won | ||
| Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival | Audience Award - Favorite Documentary | Allan Glaser | Won | ||
| Jury Award - Best Documentary | Nominated | ||||
| GLAAD Media Awards | 27th / 2016 | Outstanding Documentary | Jeffrey Schwarz, Allan Glaser, Neil Koenigsberg | Nominated | [13] |
Notes
- Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.