For today's Throwback Thursday we are going all the way back to 1922 before sound was introduced to the ol' moving pictures. Just because a movie didn't have sound or color doesn't mean it couldn't have a little bit of ass! The famously expressionistic and queer-dominated film Salome is the topic of today's #TBT.

Alla Nazimova was a powerful force in old Hollywood, legendary for her parties and her "sewing circle". She was born in 1879 in what is now Crimea, Ukraine. The petite actress was born Miriam Leventon, but she changed her name in Hollywood to have a more flamboyant persona in Hollywood as a mysterious, foreign entertainer.

Adding to her mystery was the fact that Alla Nazimova was known to be bisexual. In fact, Alla Nazimova was even involved romantically with Oscar Wilde's niece Dolly Wilde. That's a lucky coincidence because Salome was written by Oscar Wilde and adapted by Natacha Rambova (who wrote under a male pseudonym). OH, BTW, Natacha Rambova was also Rudolph Vanelinto's wife (lucky girl). How's that for old Hollywood trivia?

Salome was actually a scandal at the time and was considered a financial failure although it remains one of the most famous silent films in history. It was promoted by the studio as "an orgy of sex and sin" starring Nazimova and lived up to its name (at the time) by being filled with barely clothed men. We even see ass on an uncredited black actor who wears a teeny tiny loincloth and sprawls out on the floor in front of Nazimova with his buns in the air.

Another taboo point of interest about the film was that it consisted of a largely gay cast. The rumor has long persisted thanks to Kenneth Anger's gossip-fueled Hollywood Babylon that it was an all gay cast, but that is hard to confirm since so few Hollywood actors were out at that time. According to lore, Nazimova herself insisted on an entirely queer cast which, if true, is amazing. Remember it's 1922, so anything like this is unheard of - just like peeping a little bit of sack underneath an actor's loincloth.

1922's Salome was directed by Charles Bryant who was also rumored to be gay. He and Alla Nazimova had a "lavender marriage" to protect both of their sexualities. This became known to the public when he shocked the press and Alla herself by marrying another woman in 1925. When that marriage became public knowledge, so did their sham marriage. The backlash from their lie deeply hurt Alla's reputation. The Hays Code and the advent of sound also didn't help her career. In no time she went from being a Hollywood queen to yesterday's news. At least we have this gorgeous gift of early queer cinema to remember her by.

You can watch Salome in its entirety online for free. If you love silent film, gorgeous costumes, and shirtless men then enjoy Salome.