Queer People

by Carroll Graham, Garrett Graham

A brilliantly savage story, Queer People is, according to Budd Schulberg, "a racy testament to an era as totally van­ished as the civilization of the Aztecs,” and if not the Hollywood novel is "at least a truly seminal work.”

Today’s readers will recognize in this long-forgotten Hollywood novel the seeds of three longer-lived ones, The Day of the Locust, What Makes Sammy Run?, and The Last Tycoon. They may also recognize Whitey, the hero of the Grahams’ novel, as a forerunner of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Pat Hobby.

The central figure in the novel is an archetypal newspaper reporter who drifts to Hollywood. Whitey discovers the social microcosm of the studio-people, and finds himself in his ele­ment. He penetrates strange places and encounters queer people—the story conference, the three-day party, the titans and the moguls. When a murder ends his interlude he leaves Hollywood as casually as he discovered it.

Originally published in 1930 Queer People was a scandalous roman à clef, irreverent to the �industry,” and totally amoral—qualities lacking in later Hol­lywood fiction. Hence it is at once an important social document and an ex­citing original work.

Genres: Fiction

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1930

Reviews

[Clint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combines two of my favorite things: classic literature and classic Hollywood. A fun read, set in the Roaring '20s. I originally found out about it from an excerpt included in the book Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology, only to then find out it hasn't been printed since the '70s and used copies are ridiculously expensive and none of the libraries in my area have a copy. Why has it become so scarce? I wonder if the awkward title has anything to do with it. A real shame, considering what an enjoyable book it is, about a subject that you'd think would continue to interest people.

Luckily, I was recently introduced to the website archive.org which allows you to create an account to digitally borrow books for free, (there's no catch, really) which was how I finally got a chance to read this one. I'm glad I did, because it was great! I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

With apologies to Merton of the Movies the first real candidate for The Great Hollywood Novel, written a decade before The Day of the Locust, The Love of the Last Tycoon & What Makes Sammy Run?.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bigotry in this book is astonishingly bold; sample: "I'd rather trust even a kike than the shanty Irish any time."

[Christopher Junker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The casual racism and antisemitism characteristic of the time is it theme throughout the book which grades a bit but I think is true to the story beyond that. It appears to be quite an accurate portrayal of early Hollywood in the transition to talkies.

[Bekka]

This was a fun read and to be honest much better than expected! Every time I’ve tried to read a historical book in the past I’ve ended up bored: this is the opposite.
- fast-paced
- Very interesting main character who thinks like a 2022 man
- Believable OTT happenings (most of the time)
- And a great window into the Hollywood of the 1930s: I mean there was a reason they pushed the Production Code so hard right? :D

[Peter Cozzens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelously witty, picaresque novel of Hollywood of the late 1920's. For those readers inclined to carry their 21st Century sensibilities with them back 100 years, the ethnic tropes will prove irksome, but the book was product of its time and should be judged accordingly. It's influence was great. From it emerged Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon and West's Day of the Locust. Highly recommended!

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to find I can actually enjoy a novel that isn't totally steeped in despair. This one is hard as hell to find, and I lucked out after tracking it around the internet for many years, but for anyone interested in Old Hollywood, especially the period around 1930, I would say it's essential. For anyone else it's just plain entertaining.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notable for being the "first" Hollywood novel (ie, a roman a clef about the talent, workers, and owners within the studio system). A hundred years later, I have seen other people do it better. As a n amateur old Hollywood historian, it was fun to try to figure out who was who.

[biyashee]

what a sweet guy whitey is.

[Shannon Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A forgotten novel about early Hollywood.