It's Pride Month, but at Mr. Man, it's basically pride month year-round. Regardless, I wanted to celebrate my favorite things: gay scenes and movie history. Hooray! Let's check out some iconic moments in queer cinema throughout June and I want to start with the earliest piece of queer cinema history I can find: the first gay kiss in Hollywood.
I've talked about it for a Throwback Thursday before, but you might be surprised to learn that the 1927 silent film Wings features a passionate man-on-man smooch. Wings is a pivotal film as it was the first-ever best picture winner at the Academy Awards. So, yes, the very first Oscar-winning movie even includes a homoerotic scene! The plot of Wings has two World War I pilots vying for the love of 1920s It Girl Clara Bow, but the subtext seems to imply they love each other a lot more. Straights probably saw this as the first "bros before hoes" moment in cinema, but I think we know what's really going on. Richard Arlen and Charles "Buddy" Rogers affectionately caress and kiss one another. This much passion implies a very strong bond!
But was this the first gay kiss? Allow me to introduce you to the 1916 D.W. Griffith epic Intolerance which was shockingly tolerant even though it was his direct followup to Birth of a Nation. Intolerance is a historic film for multiple reasons, earning a spot on the AFI Top 100 list for its inventive filmmaking. Clocking in at over 3 hours long, Griffith directed this sprawling and expensive epic that is supposed to show the ways that men have been cruel to each other (which is admittedly ironic considering he allegedly made this film because he was upset by the criticism of the racist revival brought about by Birth of a Nation). Two men are particularly kind during a farewell scene in the middle of a Babylonian battle that takes place toward the end of the film. Prince Belshazzar (Alfred Paget) kisses goodbye to the Mighty Man of Valor played by Elmo Lincoln. He seems to really love his might man!
Is Intolerance then the actual first gay kiss in Hollywood or is there yet another one? Sadly, a lot of silent-era films are lost to history, so if there was another one it's possible that it's long gone. Gay film historians let us know if there's an even earlier one that I am simply forgetting. Until then, go ahead and brag to your friends about these bits of queer film trivia. In the meantime, watch this passionate scene from Wings here:
