Kenneth Marlowe was an active homosexual, a female impersonator, a male whore in an all female cathouse, and the "madam" of a homosexual whorehouse that "serviced" an exclusive Hollywood clientele.
He was kept in bondage by the Mafia and escaped. He was drafted into the army, then raped by fourteen men. He was a mark for every form of sexual atrocity, the lumberjack's darling, the sailor's pet, and "B-Girl" who could be had, the object of sordid curiosity for tourists who could later shock the folks back home by saying, "I danced with a man in woman's clothing!" This was Kenneth Marlowe as he was.
Today Kenneth Marlowe is older, more mature, and can look back upon his life with remarkable objectivity. He can look back upon a bizarre world of love-hungry homosexuals, whores, pimps, queers, sexual degenerates, libertines, orgies -- and he can write about it with shocking candor.
As opposed to a ... passive homosexual? Oh, God Save the Queen! Imagine my delight when I found this gem the other day at one of my local used bookstores (and my delight that there still are local used bookstores.)
Just look at the cover! Of course it has an intro by a "Doctor."
Here's Kenneth in action. There's more pix in the book which I'll be scanning soon, but I wanted to get this posted as soon as I could!
Note the "my insurance didn't cover homicide" bit ...
Here's the 1973 British reprint edition:
14 comments:
Whoa....
my dear, what a find! bondage by the mafia, HA! that's quite a face kenny has, with make-up that is.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fabulous!
Donna: Fantastic!
I'd better get back on the beat and into the thrift shops and used bookstores again.
Oh, you lucky girl!!
I've wanted to read this forever.
A role model for us all.
Felix, I'll give it to you when I'm done! However I do think a group reading is in order, don't you? Peenee, you'd better get down here to LA.
I'm thinking Interpretive Danse.
Gee, Donna, you're swell.
Yes! I'm sure we could characterize it, rent an equity waver space and do, oh say, 5 staged reading performances of it over one weekend and make enough to pay back everyones airfare!
Lousecateer Rolecall: Cookie! Thombeau! Norma! Maureen! Dusty! Peenee!
What's the other book we were going to do a staged reading of? Oh! We were going to do selections of "Dog Eat Dog." That is. We HAVE to do this. Just highlights.
Last night I watched some Liza episodes of Arrested Development. Oh, Lucille and Buster.
You have to admit, as horrible as it must have been to be gay in a more oppressive time period, that very same "secret society" atmosphere gave everything a rather intoxicating decadence and glamour, no? I mean, I'd rather be at a party with Kenneth Marlowe in 1962 with a vice raid as a possibility, rather than sipping Cosmos with Carson Kressley, Michael Kors, Andy Cohen, Perez Hilton and Reichen Lehmkuhl, wouldn't you?
Hmmm..Mr. Madam looks more Mr than Madam. Sounds a dandy read, though.
Hey, I just did the same post! I found an original circular. Great Minds think in the gutter alike Donna. Jim
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