Rock Hudson

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(Secondary Sources)
(To California)
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"Roy Fitzgerald enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and was shipped on the S.S. Lew Wallace, a Kaiser Liberty ship, to Samar, a sandy island in the Philippines." (''My Story'', p42) (His obit in the NYT says he enlisted in 1944.) He was shipped home in 1946 and decided to go to California because his father, was living in Long Beach.  He found a job driving for Budget Pack.  In Long Beach, for the first time, he met men who were open about being gay.  One of these was [[Kenneth G Hodge]].  "...Ken Hodge had worked in radio for many years, producing [[Lux Radio Theatre]].  Ken was thirty-six and Roy was twenty-one...he lived in a penthouse...in the [[Chateau Marmont]], a building owned by his Aunt Bernadette." (''My Story'', p 43)
 
"Roy Fitzgerald enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and was shipped on the S.S. Lew Wallace, a Kaiser Liberty ship, to Samar, a sandy island in the Philippines." (''My Story'', p42) (His obit in the NYT says he enlisted in 1944.) He was shipped home in 1946 and decided to go to California because his father, was living in Long Beach.  He found a job driving for Budget Pack.  In Long Beach, for the first time, he met men who were open about being gay.  One of these was [[Kenneth G Hodge]].  "...Ken Hodge had worked in radio for many years, producing [[Lux Radio Theatre]].  Ken was thirty-six and Roy was twenty-one...he lived in a penthouse...in the [[Chateau Marmont]], a building owned by his Aunt Bernadette." (''My Story'', p 43)
  
Roy and Kenneth met in the Summer of 1947, together they left Long Beach and moved to Hollywood where they shared a bungalow in the hills.  Kenneth worked his contacts and threw parties to introduce his protege.  At one of these, Roy met [[Henry Willson]].  Without Ken's knowledge, Roy contacted Willson, they signed a contract and Willson became his agent.  A short time later, Kenneth moved back to Long Beach, alone.  Davidson reports that "..Roy's first check, made out to "Roy FitzGerald" from Vanguard Films of Culver City is endorsed on the back "Roy FitzGerald, Pay to the Order of Rock Hudson, Kenneth G Hodge"
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Roy and Kenneth met in the Summer of 1947.  Davison relates a story told her by [[Herbert Millspaugh]], claiming to describe how the name "Rock Hudson" came about.<blockquote>I received a letter from Herbert Millspaugh, a retired clerk in San Francisco, who said he had been present the day Roy Fitzgerald was named Rock Hudson.  He included names, dates and supporting photographs</blockquote><blockquote>"In the summer of 1947, Millspaugh said, he was living in Long Beach, working for the Texas Oil Company, hanging out by the Villa Riviera and going to parties at the penthouse of Ken Hodge.  Ken introduced him to an extremely handsome young man he'd just met, Roy Fitzgerald, who wanted to be an actor.  One sunday, a group of Ken's friends walked back from the beach to Ken's apartment, fixed gin and tonics and started trying to think up a name for the actor.</blockquote><blockquote>Ken wanted a name that suggested strength," Millspaugh said. "Someone came up with Rock.  Then we locked through the Long Beach phone book to find a second name that sounded right.  We came up with Hudson.  Everything you've read in the press duing the last forty years about the origin of the name is malarkey." (''My Story'', p 44)</blockquote>
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===To Hollywood===
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Together, Roy and Ken left Long Beach and moved to Hollywood where they shared a bungalow in the hills.  Kenneth worked his contacts and threw parties to introduce his protege.  At one of these, Roy met [[Henry Willson]].  Without Ken's knowledge, Roy contacted Willson, they signed a contract and Willson became his agent.  A short time later, Kenneth moved back to Long Beach, alone.  Davidson reports that "..Roy's first check, made out to "Roy FitzGerald" from Vanguard Films of Culver City is endorsed on the back "Roy FitzGerald, Pay to the Order of Rock Hudson, Kenneth G Hodge"
  
 
Hudson's first named role, according to his Wikipedia article was in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_Squadron ''Fighter Squadron''] in 1948.
 
Hudson's first named role, according to his Wikipedia article was in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_Squadron ''Fighter Squadron''] in 1948.

Revision as of 21:59, 16 August 2007

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