Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:14,622 --> 00:00:19,583
♪
2
00:00:23,152 --> 00:00:28,158
♪
3
00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:36,384
♪
4
00:00:40,170 --> 00:00:41,432
- People talk about queerness
5
00:00:41,475 --> 00:00:44,957
as if it's something new, right?
6
00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,700
But we've always been here.
7
00:00:48,743 --> 00:00:53,444
And because of society seeing
our community as other,
8
00:00:56,404 --> 00:01:00,886
it's been a very complex search,
I guess,
9
00:01:00,929 --> 00:01:04,281
looking for myself within media.
10
00:01:04,325 --> 00:01:07,501
You know, I've always seen
bits and pieces of myself,
11
00:01:07,545 --> 00:01:12,159
but I don't think I've ever seen
myself complete or whole.
12
00:01:12,201 --> 00:01:14,290
But then...
13
00:01:14,335 --> 00:01:17,772
Oh, my God!
14
00:01:17,816 --> 00:01:20,906
I can't, I can't, bb.
15
00:01:20,950 --> 00:01:23,647
Black trans power.
16
00:01:23,692 --> 00:01:26,129
Black trans power, bb.
17
00:01:28,783 --> 00:01:31,091
It's huge!
18
00:01:35,182 --> 00:01:37,313
Queer folks are often
looked over
19
00:01:37,358 --> 00:01:39,098
and not even given a chance.
20
00:01:42,014 --> 00:01:45,582
So seeing these beautiful
representations of queerness
21
00:01:45,627 --> 00:01:47,411
that portray what
you're either feeling
22
00:01:47,454 --> 00:01:49,978
or what you want to experience
23
00:01:50,021 --> 00:01:53,765
give some kind of hope
that you can just be yourself.
24
00:01:53,808 --> 00:01:56,899
[ Laughs ]
25
00:01:56,942 --> 00:02:00,293
But going back into our history,
26
00:02:00,337 --> 00:02:03,253
queerness was so criminalized,
27
00:02:03,296 --> 00:02:05,341
we had to keep a low profile
28
00:02:05,385 --> 00:02:10,129
and use coded language
to express ourselves safely.
29
00:02:11,695 --> 00:02:14,830
And we've seen it within art
and advertising,
30
00:02:14,872 --> 00:02:19,050
like in the imagery of this
gay artist, JC Leyendecker,
31
00:02:19,094 --> 00:02:22,359
who was working
in the early 1900s.
32
00:02:24,491 --> 00:02:27,189
He was able to thread in
queerness
33
00:02:27,234 --> 00:02:30,150
in an era when
it's not accepted.
34
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,418
But he was kinda erased
from history.
35
00:02:37,461 --> 00:02:42,162
♪
36
00:02:44,293 --> 00:02:49,560
♪
37
00:02:51,692 --> 00:02:56,653
♪
38
00:02:58,787 --> 00:03:01,442
[ Page turning,
pencil scratching ]
39
00:03:10,146 --> 00:03:14,671
- December 3rd, 1950.
40
00:03:14,716 --> 00:03:17,109
I've spent the day
thumbing through old paintings
41
00:03:17,152 --> 00:03:18,763
in the studio,
42
00:03:18,806 --> 00:03:22,201
many of them from decades ago.
43
00:03:22,245 --> 00:03:25,292
The canvases take me back
to a time less encumbered
44
00:03:25,335 --> 00:03:27,685
by what might have been,
45
00:03:27,728 --> 00:03:31,079
the beginning of it all.
46
00:03:31,122 --> 00:03:33,212
I still remember
leaving Chicago,
47
00:03:33,256 --> 00:03:35,301
boarding an ocean liner
headed for Europe.
48
00:03:35,344 --> 00:03:39,828
[ Bell clanging ]
I was 19 years old.
49
00:03:39,871 --> 00:03:44,311
I'd saved every penny
to achieve my dream,
50
00:03:44,353 --> 00:03:47,531
to study art in Paris.
51
00:03:47,574 --> 00:03:51,317
♪
52
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,843
- Paris was the art center
of the world,
53
00:03:55,887 --> 00:04:00,240
and Leyendecker studied at
the Académie Julian, which was
54
00:04:01,937 --> 00:04:04,504
more encouraging of
the free spirit to come out.
55
00:04:07,028 --> 00:04:10,379
And he actually got to study
and become friendly with
56
00:04:10,424 --> 00:04:13,687
the famous
French poster artists --
57
00:04:13,730 --> 00:04:15,646
Chéret...
58
00:04:15,689 --> 00:04:17,473
Toulouse-Lautrec...
59
00:04:17,518 --> 00:04:21,956
and Mucha,
who became JC's mentor.
60
00:04:24,742 --> 00:04:29,529
This was Art Nouveau,
which was less formal,
61
00:04:30,399 --> 00:04:33,403
and all this advertising art
62
00:04:33,447 --> 00:04:38,189
was plastered all over
the Paris streets.
63
00:04:39,191 --> 00:04:43,673
And JC was entranced.
64
00:04:43,718 --> 00:04:45,980
He realized that you could
do something
65
00:04:46,024 --> 00:04:48,939
that you felt good about
as an artist,
66
00:04:48,983 --> 00:04:53,683
but you were also delivering
a message to an audience.
67
00:04:55,773 --> 00:04:58,949
So he went to
the center of publishing,
68
00:04:58,994 --> 00:05:00,690
which was New York.
69
00:05:00,735 --> 00:05:05,740
♪
70
00:05:06,610 --> 00:05:09,786
- When he arrives in New York,
71
00:05:09,831 --> 00:05:13,574
this is right after
the Oscar Wilde trial,
72
00:05:13,617 --> 00:05:17,925
when Wilde is locked up
for being gay.
73
00:05:17,968 --> 00:05:20,928
So Leyendecker is
coming at a moment
74
00:05:20,971 --> 00:05:25,454
when there's such concern about
degeneracy in the arts.
75
00:05:27,021 --> 00:05:29,372
And wanting to be
a commercial artist,
76
00:05:29,415 --> 00:05:31,374
Leyendecker had to keep
77
00:05:31,418 --> 00:05:35,725
his sexuality under wraps,
of course.
78
00:05:35,769 --> 00:05:39,295
- And in 1899,
79
00:05:39,338 --> 00:05:43,821
Leyendecker did his first cover
for "The Saturday Evening Post,"
80
00:05:45,432 --> 00:05:47,476
and at the time,
"The Saturday Evening Post"
81
00:05:47,521 --> 00:05:52,264
was the most popular weekly
magazine across America.
82
00:05:53,875 --> 00:05:58,661
And its cover told
the whole story in one image.
83
00:05:58,706 --> 00:06:03,057
So for Leyendecker,
this was a moment of arrival.
84
00:06:06,408 --> 00:06:09,586
Leyendecker was a master
85
00:06:09,629 --> 00:06:13,502
at painting the male figure.
86
00:06:13,547 --> 00:06:17,420
He found candlelight was
exaggerating the light
87
00:06:17,463 --> 00:06:19,509
and the shadow,
88
00:06:19,552 --> 00:06:23,512
so if he would put a little oil
on the muscles of his models,
89
00:06:23,557 --> 00:06:27,473
he could then capture
an exquisite male form.
90
00:06:27,516 --> 00:06:31,434
♪
91
00:06:31,478 --> 00:06:36,221
He would always have the most
gorgeous men model for him.
92
00:06:37,526 --> 00:06:41,401
And some of them became
famous actors,
93
00:06:41,444 --> 00:06:45,230
such as John Barrymore...
94
00:06:45,274 --> 00:06:47,884
- I fell in love last night.
95
00:06:47,928 --> 00:06:50,409
- ...Brian Donlevy...
96
00:06:50,452 --> 00:06:53,500
- I know. Its tough.
97
00:06:53,543 --> 00:06:56,284
- ..and Fredric March...
98
00:06:56,327 --> 00:06:58,853
- Man is not truly one,
99
00:06:58,896 --> 00:07:01,245
but truly two.
100
00:07:01,290 --> 00:07:04,946
- But then...
101
00:07:04,988 --> 00:07:09,341
- It was late 1903 when a
particularly striking young man
102
00:07:09,384 --> 00:07:12,562
appeared at my door.
103
00:07:12,605 --> 00:07:15,608
He said his name was
Charles A. Beach
104
00:07:15,651 --> 00:07:17,437
and that he wanted to be
a model.
105
00:07:22,528 --> 00:07:25,139
- Leyendecker was enthralled
106
00:07:25,182 --> 00:07:28,055
with Beach's tall,
beautiful body
107
00:07:28,098 --> 00:07:32,843
and his perfect nose,
perfect eyes, perfect mouth.
108
00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:37,891
He loved painting Charles Beach.
109
00:07:39,153 --> 00:07:41,721
- I was hired by Arrow shirts
110
00:07:41,764 --> 00:07:44,855
to design an advertisement for
their new collars
111
00:07:44,899 --> 00:07:48,946
that would feature a man
in Arrow clothes.
112
00:07:48,990 --> 00:07:50,644
I pitched their advertising
director
113
00:07:50,687 --> 00:07:53,603
to make it something more --
114
00:07:53,646 --> 00:07:57,781
not simply a man,
but the perfect man,
115
00:07:57,824 --> 00:08:01,697
brought to life
in an advertisement.
116
00:08:01,742 --> 00:08:05,223
- He gave him different
hair coloring many times,
117
00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:08,531
but the Arrow collar man was
always Charles Beach.
118
00:08:11,795 --> 00:08:16,233
And Arrow shirts
sold like crazy,
119
00:08:16,278 --> 00:08:20,935
putting almost every other
shirt maker out of business.
120
00:08:22,980 --> 00:08:25,374
Before that point,
the male fashion plate
121
00:08:25,417 --> 00:08:28,158
was incredibly rigid,
122
00:08:28,202 --> 00:08:33,250
just like cut-out dolls,
essentially.
123
00:08:33,294 --> 00:08:36,602
But Leyendecker's clothed
figures are always nude,
124
00:08:36,645 --> 00:08:38,648
in a way,
125
00:08:38,692 --> 00:08:43,434
because there's always a body
underneath that suit.
126
00:08:45,176 --> 00:08:48,918
And that is something that
we may take for granted today.
127
00:08:50,442 --> 00:08:52,313
You know, you sell through
the body.
128
00:08:52,356 --> 00:08:56,971
♪
129
00:08:57,014 --> 00:08:59,408
But Leyendecker was
one of the first,
130
00:08:59,451 --> 00:09:02,585
if not the first, to do that.
131
00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:10,767
- The Arrow collar man became
the first male sex symbol.
132
00:09:12,376 --> 00:09:16,643
I mean, even my age, I still
find a well-dressed man sexy.
133
00:09:19,645 --> 00:09:23,562
- There was something about
the way Leyendecker captured men
134
00:09:23,605 --> 00:09:26,477
that straight women
would find appealing
135
00:09:26,522 --> 00:09:28,480
and a straight man would look at
and say,
136
00:09:28,524 --> 00:09:31,571
"I want to look like him,"
or, "I want to be like him."
137
00:09:31,614 --> 00:09:35,618
But a gay man would say,
"Mmm! [Laughs]
138
00:09:35,662 --> 00:09:39,883
There's someone I think I might
want to put on the wall."
139
00:09:39,927 --> 00:09:44,322
- It was an innovation.
140
00:09:44,365 --> 00:09:48,587
And as Charles Beach posed
more and more for Leyendecker,
141
00:09:50,633 --> 00:09:53,027
they fell in love.
142
00:09:57,292 --> 00:09:59,903
- When I first came out,
I always had a hard time
143
00:09:59,947 --> 00:10:01,904
because, you know,
I find trans women
144
00:10:01,948 --> 00:10:03,732
to be the most beautiful women,
right?
145
00:10:03,777 --> 00:10:05,517
We're powerful
and we walk down the street,
146
00:10:05,561 --> 00:10:07,258
and I'm like, "Oh, my God, yes!"
147
00:10:07,302 --> 00:10:08,563
You know, I want to be real
loud, but I'm like,
148
00:10:08,607 --> 00:10:10,479
"You know, you have to be
subtle, you know?
149
00:10:10,522 --> 00:10:13,003
Maybe the girl doesn't want
everybody to know her tea."
150
00:10:13,047 --> 00:10:16,136
So I give little hand gestures
and little winks,
151
00:10:16,179 --> 00:10:19,096
just to acknowledge that,
you know, I recognize you.
152
00:10:19,139 --> 00:10:22,664
And this kind of coding is what
JC Leyendecker does
153
00:10:22,708 --> 00:10:25,711
in a lot of his images.
154
00:10:25,754 --> 00:10:30,499
- He builds a kind of homoerotic
intimacy and physical connection
155
00:10:32,066 --> 00:10:34,546
in places where you may not
even notice it.
156
00:10:38,506 --> 00:10:43,206
Like, he's very interested in
putting male athletes
157
00:10:43,250 --> 00:10:45,427
in various states of undress
158
00:10:45,470 --> 00:10:49,212
in relationship to clothed men.
159
00:10:49,256 --> 00:10:51,562
- Or when he was given
a commission --
160
00:10:51,606 --> 00:10:54,697
"We have a new collar coming out
for Arrow shirts.
161
00:10:54,740 --> 00:10:56,350
You run with it" --
162
00:10:56,394 --> 00:10:59,701
he comes up with a gorgeous
depiction of sexual tension.
163
00:10:59,745 --> 00:11:02,792
- This man who's holding
the golf clubs --
164
00:11:02,836 --> 00:11:05,794
he's got an interesting grip
on that bag --
165
00:11:05,839 --> 00:11:08,711
the way it's splayed
between his legs,
166
00:11:08,754 --> 00:11:11,975
the way it covers the crotch,
the direction of it,
167
00:11:12,019 --> 00:11:14,063
and there's another man
that's looking
168
00:11:14,107 --> 00:11:16,153
really past the woman
in between them
169
00:11:16,197 --> 00:11:20,201
at looking at him.
170
00:11:20,244 --> 00:11:24,205
- This was coded advertising
with a double message
171
00:11:24,248 --> 00:11:26,729
that's supposed to, you know,
portray one thing,
172
00:11:26,773 --> 00:11:29,210
but it really means another.
173
00:11:29,253 --> 00:11:33,822
And for people who aren't
familiar with queer culture,
174
00:11:33,866 --> 00:11:36,477
that would go
right over their heads.
175
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,480
- As subtle as he was,
176
00:11:38,523 --> 00:11:41,961
he was still showing us
male relationships,
177
00:11:42,004 --> 00:11:45,182
this intimacy between men.
178
00:11:45,225 --> 00:11:50,100
- So Leyendecker --
through his seductive surfaces,
179
00:11:50,144 --> 00:11:54,365
he is able to lend anything
a kind of homoeroticism.
180
00:11:54,408 --> 00:11:58,934
♪
181
00:11:58,979 --> 00:12:02,938
- For many years, I owned
a particular advertisement
182
00:12:02,982 --> 00:12:07,813
painted by JC Leyendecker
for an Ivory soap bar.
183
00:12:07,856 --> 00:12:11,556
It looked absolutely magnificent
on the wall,
184
00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,384
and I walked by it all the time.
185
00:12:14,428 --> 00:12:19,042
So one day, Whoopi Goldberg,
who was a friend of mine,
186
00:12:19,086 --> 00:12:20,956
came over, and she said,
187
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,220
"Judy, did you see
that painting?"
188
00:12:23,264 --> 00:12:26,571
And I said, "Yes, I've had it
for 10 years."
189
00:12:26,615 --> 00:12:29,356
So I looked at it just like
I've always looked at it,
190
00:12:29,399 --> 00:12:32,663
and I said, "I don't see.
Is there something the matter?"
191
00:12:32,707 --> 00:12:36,364
And she finally points
192
00:12:36,407 --> 00:12:39,453
to the shadow of an erection.
193
00:12:43,023 --> 00:12:45,764
And now that's the only thing
I see.
194
00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:49,506
- It's kind of hard to imagine
[laughs] that he didn't --
195
00:12:49,551 --> 00:12:51,857
that he didn't know what he was
doing when he did that.
196
00:12:51,900 --> 00:12:53,816
[ Clears throat ]
197
00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,299
I was partner and founder
of an agency
198
00:12:59,342 --> 00:13:03,826
that specialized in LGBT
marketing in the early '90s.
199
00:13:05,087 --> 00:13:06,610
And we learned that
the lesbian community
200
00:13:06,654 --> 00:13:09,440
had been a big fan of Subaru
for years.
201
00:13:09,484 --> 00:13:11,225
It was kind of like
a little secret.
202
00:13:13,052 --> 00:13:16,056
It became a game
of figuring out,
203
00:13:16,099 --> 00:13:19,407
how do we signal the consumer
that this ad is meant for them
204
00:13:19,450 --> 00:13:21,495
using just language?
205
00:13:21,538 --> 00:13:24,716
And one of the first campaigns
that most successfully did that
206
00:13:24,759 --> 00:13:29,504
had vanity plates designed to
speak to the consumer.
207
00:13:31,288 --> 00:13:33,899
And at the time, Lucy Lawless
was in "Xena: Warrior Princess."
208
00:13:33,942 --> 00:13:37,293
And for some reason,
the lesbians adored Xena.
209
00:13:37,337 --> 00:13:39,209
So that was one of the plates.
210
00:13:40,557 --> 00:13:42,778
And so I'm standing at a corner
in San Francisco,
211
00:13:42,822 --> 00:13:47,347
and a bus pulls up, and it had
one of these ads on the side.
212
00:13:47,390 --> 00:13:51,134
And straight people just looked
at it as if it was nothing,
213
00:13:51,177 --> 00:13:54,094
but a gay couple looked at it
and they kind of pointed at
214
00:13:54,136 --> 00:13:57,445
the "XENA LVR" plate,
and they start laughing.
215
00:13:57,488 --> 00:13:59,360
And I thought, "Job done."
216
00:13:59,403 --> 00:14:01,404
They connected all the dots,
and they got,
217
00:14:01,448 --> 00:14:03,929
"That's for me.
That's the message for me."
218
00:14:03,972 --> 00:14:06,715
And I now realize that
the solutions
219
00:14:06,758 --> 00:14:09,326
that we came up with
for Subaru --
220
00:14:09,370 --> 00:14:12,677
they're not that different than
what JC Leyendecker did
221
00:14:12,721 --> 00:14:14,897
back in the 1920s.
222
00:14:17,378 --> 00:14:21,120
- In JC Leyendecker's imagery
of Charles Beach,
223
00:14:21,163 --> 00:14:25,472
you see a definite strong love
for him, you know?
224
00:14:25,515 --> 00:14:28,302
And I think when you are
trying to get
225
00:14:28,345 --> 00:14:31,566
authentic emotion within art,
226
00:14:31,609 --> 00:14:33,567
the relationship between
artists,
227
00:14:33,610 --> 00:14:36,918
like painter and subject,
is so important.
228
00:14:38,615 --> 00:14:40,443
- Leyendecker and Charles Beach
229
00:14:40,488 --> 00:14:43,577
were in a committed
relationship.
230
00:14:43,620 --> 00:14:48,017
And Leyendecker recognized that
they complemented each other.
231
00:14:51,368 --> 00:14:54,937
JC was more interested
in just painting,
232
00:14:54,980 --> 00:15:00,115
while Charles was
the business personality.
233
00:15:00,159 --> 00:15:04,903
So eventually,
Charles became his manager.
234
00:15:06,340 --> 00:15:07,863
They were making,
in today's dollars,
235
00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:10,778
millions of dollars.
236
00:15:10,822 --> 00:15:13,476
And they moved into
a beautiful mansion.
237
00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,611
♪
238
00:15:17,654 --> 00:15:20,005
They had acres of land
239
00:15:20,048 --> 00:15:22,355
so they could be
out in the garden
240
00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:26,011
or inside,
modeling and painting.
241
00:15:26,054 --> 00:15:30,145
♪
242
00:15:30,190 --> 00:15:33,149
They had spectacular parties.
243
00:15:33,192 --> 00:15:36,456
It was like "The Great Gatsby."
244
00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:40,851
F. Scott Fitzgerald and other
famous friends would come
245
00:15:40,895 --> 00:15:45,073
who were very open
and interested in art.
246
00:15:46,727 --> 00:15:50,600
- The '20s was a moment
of great progress and visibility
247
00:15:50,644 --> 00:15:52,995
for queer folks.
248
00:15:53,038 --> 00:15:57,433
- And New York at that time
was arguably the place to be
249
00:15:57,477 --> 00:15:59,610
if you're gay.
250
00:15:59,653 --> 00:16:04,398
- You have these nightclubs that
were melting pots of New York,
251
00:16:05,702 --> 00:16:07,749
where people of different
identities,
252
00:16:07,792 --> 00:16:09,533
like gender variant people,
253
00:16:09,576 --> 00:16:13,014
what we consider to be
drag queens nowadays,
254
00:16:13,058 --> 00:16:17,453
could have community at
and be free.
255
00:16:17,498 --> 00:16:20,543
- And this is Leyendecker
and Beach's life.
256
00:16:20,587 --> 00:16:22,850
♪
257
00:16:22,894 --> 00:16:25,071
- In the Roaring Twenties,
258
00:16:25,114 --> 00:16:29,900
American illustrators were like
celebrities today.
259
00:16:29,945 --> 00:16:32,556
And Leyendecker
was a household name.
260
00:16:35,864 --> 00:16:40,607
And it's because of the iconic
American imagery he created,
261
00:16:42,436 --> 00:16:46,701
like his holiday covers for
"The Saturday Evening Post."
262
00:16:48,442 --> 00:16:52,315
- Leyendecker provided the
imagery for American traditions,
263
00:16:52,359 --> 00:16:57,102
around which those holidays then
start to be organized --
264
00:16:58,451 --> 00:17:00,235
fireworks as a part of
the 4th of July,
265
00:17:00,279 --> 00:17:03,804
flowers on Mother's Day.
266
00:17:03,847 --> 00:17:08,027
- And he came up with
the rotund, jolly Santa Claus
267
00:17:08,069 --> 00:17:10,071
that you see all around today.
268
00:17:13,205 --> 00:17:17,688
So advertisers demanded
JC Leyendecker.
269
00:17:17,731 --> 00:17:22,476
He captured that essence of
"The Great Gatsby" era
270
00:17:23,999 --> 00:17:25,913
when you were carefree and gay
and uninhibited.
271
00:17:25,957 --> 00:17:30,961
♪
272
00:17:33,313 --> 00:17:34,443
- The richest country
in the world
273
00:17:34,488 --> 00:17:37,621
began a bitter journey downhill.
274
00:17:37,664 --> 00:17:40,145
The stock market buckled
and crashed,
275
00:17:40,189 --> 00:17:44,192
and the nation's economy
plummeted into the Depression.
276
00:17:44,237 --> 00:17:47,457
- In the '30s,
during the Depression,
277
00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:49,894
it's as if it's
a back-to-basics,
278
00:17:49,938 --> 00:17:54,376
back-to-morality
kind of moment in the U.S.
279
00:17:54,421 --> 00:17:57,205
And there was this clamping down
280
00:17:57,250 --> 00:18:01,297
on anything deemed excessive
or non-normative.
281
00:18:01,340 --> 00:18:04,734
- These laws are put in place
to police people,
282
00:18:04,778 --> 00:18:08,957
to police how people dress,
to police who they love.
283
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,482
- So JC and Charles hid their
relationship from the public
284
00:18:14,919 --> 00:18:17,922
because society wasn't open
285
00:18:17,965 --> 00:18:20,185
and society wasn't accepting.
286
00:18:20,229 --> 00:18:22,101
[ Indistinct talking ]
287
00:18:25,886 --> 00:18:29,586
- At a banquet for the
New Rochelle Art Association,
288
00:18:29,630 --> 00:18:34,242
I met a young illustrator named
Norman Rockwell.
289
00:18:34,287 --> 00:18:37,115
It seemed he was looking for
something of a mentor.
290
00:18:39,204 --> 00:18:42,817
Rockwell took a studio
next to mine in the city.
291
00:18:42,859 --> 00:18:46,907
He'd often knock on my door
and ask my advice on a painting.
292
00:18:46,951 --> 00:18:51,694
- It was Rockwell's aspiration
to become like Leyendecker.
293
00:18:53,174 --> 00:18:56,003
He even wanted to know
Leyendecker's secret
294
00:18:56,047 --> 00:18:58,528
of how he painted.
295
00:18:58,572 --> 00:19:01,009
And Rockwell confesses
in his book,
296
00:19:01,051 --> 00:19:04,838
"I tried and I failed."
297
00:19:04,882 --> 00:19:09,017
- Rockwell said again and again
he wanted to please people,
298
00:19:09,059 --> 00:19:12,412
like the audience of
"The Saturday Evening Post" --
299
00:19:12,454 --> 00:19:16,589
those middle-class,
straight Americans.
300
00:19:16,633 --> 00:19:20,201
And Leyendecker didn't do
any of that.
301
00:19:20,246 --> 00:19:22,422
[ Cheers and applause ]
302
00:19:22,464 --> 00:19:27,077
- While Leyendecker shrunk
from the public eye,
303
00:19:27,122 --> 00:19:31,560
Rockwell sought it.
304
00:19:31,605 --> 00:19:36,392
And it drove him to become even
more popular than Leyendecker.
305
00:19:40,353 --> 00:19:42,310
- By the end of the Depression,
306
00:19:42,355 --> 00:19:45,705
I'd lost many of most of my
notable commissions,
307
00:19:45,749 --> 00:19:49,230
among them Arrow collar
and Kuppenheimer clothing.
308
00:19:51,277 --> 00:19:54,671
Then in 1942,
I received word from
309
00:19:54,714 --> 00:19:57,457
"The Saturday Evening Post"'s
new editor,
310
00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:00,199
informing me that
my next cover illustration
311
00:20:00,241 --> 00:20:02,243
was to be my last.
312
00:20:02,288 --> 00:20:06,901
I'd created over 300 covers
for the magazine over 40 years.
313
00:20:08,729 --> 00:20:11,471
Charles was beside himself
with anger,
314
00:20:11,513 --> 00:20:14,212
ranting "If it weren't for
JC Leyendecker,
315
00:20:14,256 --> 00:20:15,605
there would be no 'Post'!"
316
00:20:18,173 --> 00:20:20,914
[ Pencil scratching ]
317
00:20:23,308 --> 00:20:26,094
- I've looked everywhere
to try to find the answer
318
00:20:26,136 --> 00:20:29,489
to why he was fired
from the "Post."
319
00:20:29,531 --> 00:20:32,273
We don't really know why.
320
00:20:32,317 --> 00:20:37,365
Maybe it is because of his
seclusion, his sexuality,
321
00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:40,891
but whatever the case,
322
00:20:40,934 --> 00:20:45,634
this is the moment when
Leyendecker falls out of favor.
323
00:20:48,942 --> 00:20:53,643
And in the '50s, another one of
these backlash periods happens.
324
00:20:55,036 --> 00:20:58,299
And the repressive,
incredibly homophobic atmosphere
325
00:20:58,344 --> 00:21:03,348
of McCarthyism starts to
take over American culture.
326
00:21:04,740 --> 00:21:08,744
- And so by the end
of Leyendecker's career,
327
00:21:08,788 --> 00:21:13,402
he and Beach became
more reclusive.
328
00:21:13,445 --> 00:21:15,664
They kind of fell out
of fashion.
329
00:21:18,798 --> 00:21:23,151
- The house at Mount Tom Road
began to feel rather lonely.
330
00:21:23,193 --> 00:21:25,153
We were forced to release
all of our staff
331
00:21:25,195 --> 00:21:28,025
when the money dried up.
332
00:21:28,068 --> 00:21:32,290
So now it's just Charles and I,
left to wander the gardens
333
00:21:34,030 --> 00:21:35,555
and drink alone
in the great halls
334
00:21:35,597 --> 00:21:39,732
that once played host
to so many wonderful people
335
00:21:39,776 --> 00:21:41,734
not so long ago.
336
00:21:44,127 --> 00:21:48,785
- Leyendecker lived
with Charles Beach for 50 years,
337
00:21:50,482 --> 00:21:53,921
and then in 1951,
JC was out one day, relaxing.
338
00:21:58,969 --> 00:22:02,711
He had a cocktail in his hand
and it fell out,
339
00:22:02,756 --> 00:22:06,412
and he yelled for Charles,
and Charles came out,
340
00:22:06,454 --> 00:22:10,763
and he died of a heart attack
in Charles' arms.
341
00:22:10,807 --> 00:22:15,811
♪
342
00:22:19,294 --> 00:22:20,817
- Special to
"The New York Times,"
343
00:22:20,861 --> 00:22:23,429
August 13th --
344
00:22:23,471 --> 00:22:27,650
"'Model' inherits $30,000.
345
00:22:27,693 --> 00:22:32,438
Joseph C. Leyendecker left half
of his $60,400 estate
346
00:22:33,526 --> 00:22:34,743
to a friend who had posed for
347
00:22:34,788 --> 00:22:38,226
the original Arrow collar
portraits.
348
00:22:38,269 --> 00:22:40,619
The friend is Charles A. Beach,
349
00:22:40,663 --> 00:22:44,231
who had been associated with
Mr. Leyendecker for 49 years
350
00:22:44,275 --> 00:22:49,019
as his secretary and aid."
351
00:22:50,455 --> 00:22:52,413
The way it's covered
in the press,
352
00:22:52,458 --> 00:22:55,286
it's coded just like the art is,
353
00:22:55,329 --> 00:22:59,855
through all of these terms
that circle around
354
00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:02,642
the reality of their intimacy.
355
00:23:02,684 --> 00:23:05,862
He's an aid.
He's a secretary.
356
00:23:05,905 --> 00:23:10,692
I mean, Beach is
his lifetime partner,
357
00:23:10,737 --> 00:23:15,480
and there's real pain
and trauma there.
358
00:23:16,568 --> 00:23:19,788
- In JC's will, he had expressed
359
00:23:19,833 --> 00:23:24,837
that he wanted Beach
to destroy everything --
360
00:23:25,534 --> 00:23:28,450
all of his mementos,
361
00:23:28,493 --> 00:23:33,237
anything relating to
their relationship,
362
00:23:34,151 --> 00:23:36,414
and his paintings.
363
00:23:38,590 --> 00:23:43,334
- If you feel that you have to
obliterate traces of your life
364
00:23:45,684 --> 00:23:47,556
so that you won't be judged
365
00:23:47,599 --> 00:23:52,343
or your art won't be judged
according to your life,
366
00:23:53,953 --> 00:23:55,825
I would imagine
he didn't have high hopes
367
00:23:55,868 --> 00:23:58,740
for where queerness could live
368
00:23:58,785 --> 00:24:01,440
within mainstream culture
in the U.S.
369
00:24:03,789 --> 00:24:05,487
- The more that we stay firm
in our identities
370
00:24:05,530 --> 00:24:09,709
and what we stand for
and what we believe,
371
00:24:09,751 --> 00:24:13,364
the more I think
people will see us for us.
372
00:24:13,407 --> 00:24:16,846
- And with the power of
advertising specifically
373
00:24:16,890 --> 00:24:21,721
to embed ideas
in people's minds,
374
00:24:21,763 --> 00:24:25,550
one clear way to do that
is to shout it out
375
00:24:25,594 --> 00:24:28,467
visually, powerfully.
376
00:24:28,509 --> 00:24:32,209
♪
377
00:24:32,252 --> 00:24:36,474
But, you know, we tend to think
linearly about social progress.
378
00:24:38,214 --> 00:24:42,436
But it does not move
in a linear fashion.
379
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,308
It's cyclical.
380
00:24:45,353 --> 00:24:49,836
- As queer people, every move
we make is politicized --
381
00:24:50,923 --> 00:24:52,621
me stepping outside every day,
382
00:24:52,664 --> 00:24:55,580
me being able to love
who I want to love.
383
00:24:55,624 --> 00:25:00,280
And it just further tells us
that we need to keep fighting.
384
00:25:01,586 --> 00:25:05,199
- Because there's always a risk
of forgetting history
385
00:25:05,241 --> 00:25:08,375
and entering another one
of these backlash periods
386
00:25:08,419 --> 00:25:10,726
against queer people,
387
00:25:10,769 --> 00:25:12,554
just like with Leyendecker.
388
00:25:12,597 --> 00:25:15,601
♪
389
00:25:15,644 --> 00:25:18,559
His sexuality is fundamental
390
00:25:18,604 --> 00:25:23,652
to his removal from
the historical record today.
391
00:25:25,306 --> 00:25:29,135
- And although he was the
primary image maker of his day,
392
00:25:30,615 --> 00:25:35,055
by the time he died,
he was almost forgotten.
393
00:25:35,097 --> 00:25:40,103
♪
394
00:25:40,756 --> 00:25:45,239
♪
395
00:25:46,282 --> 00:25:48,634
But 10 years after his death,
396
00:25:48,676 --> 00:25:53,942
an artist rented
Leyendecker's studio.
397
00:25:55,162 --> 00:25:57,643
She allowed kids
to play in there,
398
00:25:57,685 --> 00:26:02,125
and they climbed a ladder,
they went through a hatch,
399
00:26:02,169 --> 00:26:04,039
and they found a chest full
400
00:26:04,084 --> 00:26:07,260
of undiscovered
Leyendecker artifacts,
401
00:26:07,304 --> 00:26:10,438
like sketches and paintings
402
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,657
that were not destroyed.
403
00:26:12,701 --> 00:26:17,705
♪
404
00:26:22,405 --> 00:26:27,411
♪
405
00:26:32,154 --> 00:26:37,160
♪
406
00:26:42,122 --> 00:26:46,605
♪
407
00:26:51,958 --> 00:26:56,657
♪
408
00:27:01,619 --> 00:27:06,625
♪
409
00:27:11,325 --> 00:27:16,329
♪
410
00:27:21,335 --> 00:27:26,078
♪
411
00:27:31,126 --> 00:27:36,132
♪
412
00:27:40,875 --> 00:27:45,881
♪
413
00:27:50,580 --> 00:27:55,586
♪
414
00:28:00,242 --> 00:28:05,248
♪
415
00:28:10,297 --> 00:28:15,040
♪
416
00:28:20,046 --> 00:28:24,746
♪
417
00:28:29,708 --> 00:28:34,712
♪
418
00:28:39,413 --> 00:28:44,417
♪
419
00:29:04,176 --> 00:29:09,182
♪
420
00:29:11,444 --> 00:29:16,450
♪
421
00:29:21,977 --> 00:29:26,589
♪
30337
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.