Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness

by Michael Koresky

A blazingly original history celebrating the persistence of queerness onscreen, behind the camera, and between the lines during the dark days of the Hollywood Production Code.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the Motion Picture Production Code severely restricted what Hollywood cinema could depict. This included “any inference” of the lives of homosexuals. In a landmark 1981 book, gay activist Vito Russo famously condemned Hollywood's censorship regime, lambasting many midcentury­ films as the bigoted products of a “celluloid closet.”

But there is more to these movies than meets the eye. In this insightful, wildly entertaining book, cinema historian Michael Koresky ­finds new meaning in “problematic” classics of the Code era like Hitchcock's Rope, Minnelli's Tea and Sympathy, and-bookending the period and anchoring Koresky's narrative-William Wyler's two adaptations of The Children's Hour, Lillian Hellman's provocative hit play about a pair of schoolteachers accused of lesbianism.

Lifting up the underappreciated queer filmmakers, writers, and actors of the era, Koresky finds artists who are long overdue for reevaluation. Through his brilliant analysis, Sick and Dirty reveals the “bad seeds” of queer cinema to be surprisingly, even gleefully subversive, reminding us, in an age of book bans and gag laws, that nothing makes queerness speak louder than its opponents' bids to silence it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, LGBT, History, Film, Pop Culture, Gay

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[Cassanova33 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunningly well-researched and thoughtful account of queerness during the Golden Age of Hollywood. And, overall, a hard book to read. Not because of the sheer volume of information, which while extensive is organized so well that I never found myself lost. It’s because of the feeling it left me with. When it comes to queerness—to its representation in media, its sociological standing—we’ve come so far, but we still have such a ways to go. There is still such a pervasive sense of “otherness” that is all at once ostracizing and a point of pride. I don’t know whether to feel hopeful or jaded. It’s something I’ll have to sit with.

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading and learning about the history of queer films!! So this book was exactly up my alley. It was very interesting to read it after having read The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito Russo earlier this year. Michael Koresky mentions Russo a lot and how his negative views of these older Hollywood films aren’t the only ways to look at them. It’s easier nowadays, when there are decades of movies with explicit queer representation, to see these Hollywood Production Code era films as more than just “problematic” or full of stereotypes.

This book has so much interesting information from the behind the scenes of these movies. The notes from Joseph Breen’s office and everything that they wanted to censor were fascinating (and frustrating) to read. I loved all of the tidbits of how people were still able to sneak things past the censors to have bits of queer representation even when it technically wasn’t allowed.

While reading the book I was inspired to watch some of the movies that I hadn’t seen before. Like These Three (1936), Dance Girl Dance (1940), Crossfire (1947), and Tea and Sympathy (1956). And I also ended up reading some of their source materials where the queer content was able to be more explicit. It made reading the book a very rich experience.

I’d definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in the history of queer film or in the history of film censorship.

[Creolecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a 3.5/5. Lots of interesting, important information, but the book overall feels scattered—long digressions abound (including the entire chapter that's basically just an ode to Judy Garland, which I would have loved on its own but whose presence here feels odd), plus speculative analysis, one of my own personal peeves.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sick, and Dirty is a relatively short book about the golden age of Cinema as it relates to queerness- both in Golden age, queer actors, as well as early attempts to skirt around The Hayes code.

The book in my opinion, almost acts as a college dissertation, focusing on not a wide list of queer media- but zeroing in on a few specific writers, actors, etc.

It’s very good, although I sometimes found myself losing patience for the deep dive into certain subjects- and more frustrating…if you have any interest in these films the author addresses, he spoils all of them.

Regardless, I learned a lot, and I actually added a lot of movies to my list of movies to check out. I found myself for agitating facts about this book to everybody who would listen- which I think speaks pretty heavily on how much I actually internalized here.

It’s a really good book with a lot of extremely cool facts about Hollywood in an age when I think most of us would assume that nothing queer was happening at all.

[Michael McClain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like you were reading a college paper, or maybe because Koresky is an NYU professor is what lent it a collegial feel. His in-depth analysis of these films gives them a vaulted status they haven’t received in the mainstream. I’ve seen 80% of them so there wasn’t much discovery to be made but it was enjoyable to dig in deeper to explore the creation and legacy of these controversial yet important films.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and poignant exploration of queer film history in the era of the Hays Code. Added new layers to my own knowledge of this history (how pre-Code films pushed the boundaries precisely because of the impending Code enforcement; how Joseph Breen’s approvals were at the script stage, leaving room for artistic interpretation of otherwise innocuous dialogue). I left with a good list of movies to watch!

A note about the audiobook: mostly good, but with some key mispronunciations. “Tongues Untied” by Marlon Riggs became “Tongues United,” for example (except in the epilogue), lamé vs lame, etc.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I am just not as big of a film buff as I thought. Because it definitely detracted from the book for me if I hadn't seen the film that was being discussed in any given chapter. I appreciate how well researched and thought out the book was. But I am not afraid to admit some of it went over my head.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

”The Children’s Hour remains Hollywoods’s most direct and notorious reflection on the irrational, very American fear that queers will infect our most vulnerable, that their “sick and dirty” perversions, once unleashed, are contagious.”

4.5 stars. Very, VERY textbook and kinda dry. It’s not a super personal or opinion based read (not until the very end, and with rare moments sprinkled throughout). It’s straightforward and feels a bit dense at times. None of these are complaints for me though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love anything about old Hollywood but especially when it’s about LGBT history and old Hollywood. My two favorite topics right there.

This was well written and well researched and I liked how it was laid out. Everything discussed in this book is pretty much based around Lillian Hellman’s play The Children’s Hour from 1934 and the two film adaptations, These Three from 1936 and The Children’s Hour from 1961. The title of the book is from a pivotal scene from the play and second film and I liked how the author took that scene and really laid out the impact the story left on how Hollywood viewed Queer films. I also really liked the way the author dove a bit into Hillman’s life and while she always said that The Children’s Hour was NOT about lesbianism at all but about how one lie could ruin a life. I thought that was fascinating and while I disagree with her, I can see why she felt that way. It’s not about lesbianism but with Martha Dobie actually being a lesbian it is about lesbianism and about how a lie can ruin a life. Both things are true. I’ve read the play and seen both film adaptations and I have a lot of feelings about the story and I could talk about this so much more but I’ll stop now. This review is getting ridiculously long already.

We do get looks at other Queer films over the decades like Rope, Tea and Sympathy, Suddenly, Last Summer and a couple of others which was great. A lot of them I haven’t seen yet but you better believe that I will be making time to do so.

Overall, this was absolutely fascinating and delivered exactly what I wanted from it. Excellent read.

[shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly insightful read on the queer history of Golden Age Hollywood. I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book is that films are used as a jumping off point to discuss broader implications and context surrounding said film. Other film studies books I've read feel like glorified plot summaries with the author's input mixed throughout, but this is not that. There is so much care and attention to detail by the author to give the reader the full scope of history they're trying to get across. While at the same time, there are so many different avenues in which someone can explore queer Hollywood, the author leaves almost breadcrumb-like hints for the reader to explore, that is beyond the scope of this novel. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[Ellie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to your favorite film studies class! I feel extremely educated now on 20th century censorship (always relevant) and early filmmaking; Koresky has done his research and conveys it with intentional, interesting narration. Queer people have always been here and will continue to be; if you've ever been made to doubt that, this is the book for you.

Rounding up to 4 stars; note that this is very academic and reads closer to lit crit than ordinary nonfic!

[Ellery Cordes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a second to finish because I haven’t read non-fiction in a hot minute but this was very good!! Lots of good analysis and I feel like I got a clear sense of the movies I hadn’t seen so kudos to effective summarising. Grateful that I now know gossip from the 1930s-1960s, more queer filmmakers, and more movies with homoerotic tension.

[Bant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Been checking out some of the movies too.

[Brigid Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love da movies!!!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, well written, gave me a lot of good films to check out

[Amy Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully insightful overview of an equally fascinating and frustrating period of film history. The Children's Hour had such a profound effect on me when I saw it at a too young age, and Koresky definitely captures some of that in his own reflections.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, eloquently written book of film analysis & decontextualization, perfect to hit that June/Pride sweet spot for queer film fans of the classic Hollywood era. I especially liked how the author summed up how the art we consume almost literally becomes a part of our DNA:

"I saw that even the most seemingly fanciful of these movie fixations were not reflecting the contours of my experience but creating them (...) we're jigsaw puzzles of what we watch, hear, learn, love, and hate."

Good stuff here. Have already been spurred on to rewatch Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (very rewarding!) and figure it's time to finally see The Children's Hour.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to put this on my “skimmed” shelf as I was only listening with half an ear, but I’m impressed with the research done and have several movies I have to check out. More was dedicated to Hellman that I anticipated, and I wonder what I might be missing out on because of that focus. The audiobook narrator brings an engaging spirit to their reading, but there were several mispronunciations that threw me out of the narrative.

[Andrew Shine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty exceptional at parts. The introduction is spellbinding and could serve as an essay on its own, particularly the paradox of how being queer is inherently an intersection of pride and shame - and how that feeling is played out on the silver screen.

A sad reality of the book is basically how so many stories had overtly queer plots and how they were diluted or changed completely to meet the rules of the Hays Code....and many of these movies ended up halfway decent. But to know so many films had gay beginnings is both depressing and liberating.

I was also hollering through the whole ROPE chapter. It's like a Gay Avengers with all these perfect homosexuals coming together to make a perfect film. Ditto SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER. I can't believe I went my entire life not knowing the plot of that play/movie and I need to see it stat.

My one issue with it is just how much space is dedicated to THE CHILDREN'S HOUR. On one hand, I agree - it's a conflicted, but really affecting film. It's also a very useful framing device of the two movies being at the beginning and end of the Hays Code. But it takes up like a third of the book, if not more. It's just a little too much. I get it! It's a good argument, but it's quite repetitive by the book's end - and there were many other movies referenced that could have been expanded on.

But still, I had a blast and I can't wait to watch each and every one of the films detailed in the chapters. I've already got my Letterboxd list created and the films queued up.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a big fan of Michael Koresky’s “Films of Endearment,” a poppy and sincere part-memoir part-critical text about growing up watching feminist films of the 80s with his mother. “Sick and Dirty” is a more rigorous and academic work of criticism exploring code era/golden age films with LGBTQ subject matter, however hidden or elided it may have been. It is to Koresky’s credit that he is equally gifted when in full-on public intellectual mode.

This book is filled with excellent essays on classics like “The Children’s Hour,” “Rope,” and the work of Tennessee Williams. For me, the work on “Rope” was the most adept criticism and the work on “The Children’s Hour” was a bit overlong, but regardless, the work as a whole paints a picture of the tensions and restrictions of the code era and the subversive brilliance that sometimes resulted from queer artists and allies of the era.

Koresky does the work of a true public intellectual, framing films that most people are aware of but likely not intimately familiar with in a fresh context, illustrating an artistic era of which the creative fruits may not be freshly evident and the relevance to our current moment is undeniable.

“Sick and Dirty” is exactly the kind of film criticism that the public ought to digest in an era of critical decline. The interplay between queer work and a culture that attempts to censor and diminish it which creates artists and art that transcends these attempts at smothering is sadly eternally relevant. And with Koresky’s guidance we can understand a little more about these works that we owe a deep cultural debt.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unfortunately am not (yet) a connoisseur of Golden Age Hollywood, but I do like reading books from people who have a lot of knowledge and I like reading about queer history. So this worked well for me! It was also so interesting to be reading this so soon after reading Daughter of Daring by Mallory O'Meara, because the timing of their storytelling was coincidentally so closely associated. Sick and Dirty almost picks up where Daughter of Daring leaves off, including covering the trial of Fatty Arbuckle as a sign of the "degenerates making movies."

The exploration and examination of the queerness of films in Golden Age Hollywood, especially before and after the Hayes Code and its impact on how upfront or subtle those undertones could be, was so interesting to read. Now I have a long list of movies that I feel compelled to watch (some may have to wait until I'm emotionally prepared...) I do feel like there were some parts that were a bit repetitive and I couldn't tell if that was because they had been repurposed from other shorter pieces or what. But I really appreciated the thoughtfulness that was evident here, as well as the referencing to other materials about the same or related topics, adding to my TBR in addition to my TBW (to be watched). Definitely worth a read if you're interested in movie history, or queer history, or both.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful and interesting. It was VERY centered on The Children's Hour, both in its original movie form (These Three) as well as the 1962 version. There were several other movies that Koresky examined (such as Rope, Tea and Sympathy, and the work of Dorothy Arzner, particularly Dance, Girl, Dance, among others) but generally, the focus was on The Children's Hour. I would have liked to see a slightly more expansive book, but it was interesting as is.

[mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well researched and organized. A lot to digest both from the amount of content put into one page and the emotional weight of it all. I loved it I want to watch every movie it discusses and read every play and research every actor and director more and more.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating: 4.5 stars

[Scarlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review to come but)

[Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A definite recommend to anyone interested in queer film history. Very well researched and goes into depth about a number of films and people I knew little to nothing about. I would periodically stop reading to watch the movies being discussed at length, which was a very fun way to engage with both pieces of media.

[pia laplaca]

dnf for now. only covered one movie for the 30% i read and how is the audiobook 14 hours long??

[Auguste · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like the main focus was on Children's Hour (I see why it's on the cover now), while everything else was written around it. So while Children's Hour and all the iterations were covered way too thoroughly, the rest felt lacking, at least in comparison.

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very worthwhile read. Koresky is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of cinema. I enjoyed their insights and have a deep respect for the amount of work that went into this book, but apart from a few fantastic name drops there isn't a whole lot of content, especially if you're not new to film history. I did appreciate the new insights he brought to viewing from the closet, and representation through proxy, but for me where the book really shone, was with Koresky's incredible knowledge of the history of the film code and censorship in general. I'm hoping that now the they've told the story of the queer side of things that they'll write full book on just the code!
Having read this book I now want to go back in time and high-five the following people
-Dorothy Arzner (What a Titan!)
-Alfred Hitchcock (he already had one coming so now it's going to be a double five)
-Tennessee Williams ( I had no idea he was so prolific, beyond his two most well known works!)

Recommended-
Especially if you're excited by, or willing to take the time to watch/re-watch the films mentioned.

[Annabel_Hawkins]

Would have been better if it was an overview of queer cinema from the era as the cover and synopsis suggested OR a deeper look at the context, history, and afterlife of the various adaptations of Children's Hour, which took up nearly 1/3 of the book.