Two lengthy handwritten letters from World War II, each signed ("Roy"), 5 + 4 pp, Naval Base at Guiuan, Samar Philippines Naval Base, each with original postmarked transmissal envelope signed additionally "Roy H. Fitzgerald," dated October 23 and November 17, 1945, his twentieth birthday. 6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm). Together with an original candid snapshot photograph of shirtless Hudson with a monkey, inscribed by him on the verso, "I just got out of a Jap prison camp. Note my brother in my lap." All in fine condition.
In these colorful letters, the young Rock Hudson (then Roy H. Fitzgerald) writes to his high school friend, Chrys, in his hometown of Winnetka, IL telling her all about his life on the base, his official and unofficial activities. At first it seems he may move to Japan or China but by the second letter, it seems he won't and indeed he returned to the States the following year to begin his acting career.
The first letter is of particular interest as it deals briefly with homosexuality on the base, though not in any respect acknowledging Hudson's own orientation. After a lengthy description of a particular island of women ("when the Japs were here they took all the men away to slave and torture") where they periodically send groups of 200 or so men for sexual activities ("those women go crazy over there and they take it out on us when we get there"), Hudson writes that "I guess what made it start was that there were quite a few 'homosexuals' roaming around and the Co. found out about it. Thanx to these 'quite a few,' we now have a weekend liberty."
The American actor was one of the most popular movie stars of his time, had a screen career spanning more than three decades and was a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
He graduated from high school in 1943, and the following year enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, eventually deploying to Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit 2, then located on Samar, Philippines, as an aircraft mechanic. In 1946, he returned to San Francisco aboard an aircraft carrier, and was discharged the same year. Hudson then moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Despite being a closeted gay man, in the 1950s and '60s, he was considered an all-American, hetero heartthrob, the leading man in romantic melodramas like "All That Heaven Allows" and "Magnificent Obsession" and romantic comedies like "Pillow Talk" and "Lover Come Back." He starred with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor in the film "Giant." In the '70s, he starred in the TV series "McMillan & Wife" as the police commissioner of San Francisco.
His secret was successfully concealed from the public until he was dying of causes related to AIDS. In 1985, he died at the age of 59. It was a turning point in the public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. As playwright William Hoffman put it, Hudson's death made people realize AIDS is a disease, not a moral affliction.
Two lengthy handwritten letters from World War II, each signed ("Roy"), 5 + 4 pp, Naval Base at Guiuan, Samar Philippines Naval Base, each with original postmarked transmissal envelope signed additionally "Roy H. Fitzgerald," dated October 23 and November 17, 1945, his twentieth birthday. 6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm). Together with an original candid snapshot photograph of shirtless Hudson with a monkey, inscribed by him on the verso, "I just got out of a Jap prison camp. Note my brother in my lap." All in fine condition.
In these colorful letters, the young Rock Hudson (then Roy H. Fitzgerald) writes to his high school friend, Chrys, in his hometown of Winnetka, IL telling her all about his life on the base, his official and unofficial activities. At first it seems he may move to Japan or China but by the second letter, it seems he won't and indeed he returned to the States the following year to begin his acting career.
The first letter is of particular interest as it deals briefly with homosexuality on the base, though not in any respect acknowledging Hudson's own orientation. After a lengthy description of a particular island of women ("when the Japs were here they took all the men away to slave and torture") where they periodically send groups of 200 or so men for sexual activities ("those women go crazy over there and they take it out on us when we get there"), Hudson writes that "I guess what made it start was that there were quite a few 'homosexuals' roaming around and the Co. found out about it. Thanx to these 'quite a few,' we now have a weekend liberty."
The American actor was one of the most popular movie stars of his time, had a screen career spanning more than three decades and was a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
He graduated from high school in 1943, and the following year enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, eventually deploying to Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit 2, then located on Samar, Philippines, as an aircraft mechanic. In 1946, he returned to San Francisco aboard an aircraft carrier, and was discharged the same year. Hudson then moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Despite being a closeted gay man, in the 1950s and '60s, he was considered an all-American, hetero heartthrob, the leading man in romantic melodramas like "All That Heaven Allows" and "Magnificent Obsession" and romantic comedies like "Pillow Talk" and "Lover Come Back." He starred with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor in the film "Giant." In the '70s, he starred in the TV series "McMillan & Wife" as the police commissioner of San Francisco.
His secret was successfully concealed from the public until he was dying of causes related to AIDS. In 1985, he died at the age of 59. It was a turning point in the public awareness of the AIDS epidemic. As playwright William Hoffman put it, Hudson's death made people realize AIDS is a disease, not a moral affliction.