The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017)

  

 

 

 

 

 

Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, DC, in 1944. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is one the southern states.

 

His father was on the right wing of the political spectrum. Armistead, who wanted to please his father, was a young Republican.

 

He studied at the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1966. After his graduation, he joined the US Navy. He served in the Vietnam War 1967–1970.

 

When he returned to the US, he was praised for his service in Vietnam. In 1971, he was invited to the White House where he had a personal meeting with President Richard Nixon.

 

At photo was taken on that occasion. It shows the president and a young man shaking hands. 

 

Armistead’s father was very pleased with his son. But Armistead was not really pleased with himself.

 

In 1971, he moved to San Francisco where he made some serious changes to his life:

 

** He was no longer a young Republican. He moved from the right wing to the left wing of the political spectrum. He became a progressive

** Three years later, in 1974, he came out of the closet and revealed to the people around him that he was a gay man

 

When he moved to San Francisco, he began a career as a professional writer. His topic was ordinary people and their lives in San Francisco.

 

His stories about life in San Francisco was fiction. All his characters were fictional, but they were based on people he knew and, in some cases, based on himself and his own experiences in life.

 

At least one of the male characters was a gay man, while at least one of the female characters was a lesbian woman. His fictional stories were, after all, set in San Francisco.

 

His work was serialized, at first in a local magazine and later in a local newspaper.

 

The title of his stories about the lives of ordinary people in San Francisco was Tales of the City.

 

After a while, Harvey Ginsberg, an editor in New York, heard about his stories and read some of them. He liked them and suggested that they should be collected and published as a book. And this is what happened. Not only once but more than once. Here are the titles of the first six volumes in the series:

 

1978 = Tales of the City

1980 = More Tales of the City

1982 = Further Tales of the City

1984 = Baby Cakes

1987 = Significant Others

1989 = Sure of you

 

At this point in time the story was officially ended. But a few years later, the series continued:

 

2007 = Michael Tolliver Lives

2010 = Mary Ann in Autumn

2014 = The Days of Anna Madrigal

2024 = Mona of the Manor

 

Some of these books were later adapted as a television series:

 

** Tales of the City (based on the first book) premiered in 1993

** More Tales of the City (based on the second book) premiered in 1998

** Further Tales of the City (based on the third book) premiered in 2001

** Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City premiered in 2019

 

The story of Armistead Maupin's life and work is told in a documentary film which premiered a few years ago: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017)

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Director: Jennifer M. Kroot and Bill Weber

** Writer: Jennifer M. Kroot

** Run time: 91 minutes

 

Several persons - including Armistead himself - are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants:

 

** Laura Linney

** Ian McKellen

** Richard Thieriot

** Bob Olynger

** Neil Gaiman

** Barbara Falconer Newhall

** Kate Bornstein

** Christopher Tumer

** Peggy Knickerbocker

** Serene Luna

** Amy Tan

** Olympia Dukakis

** Charles Busch

** Jonathan Groff

** Margaret Cho

** Jewelle Gomez

** Amanda Palmer

** Armistead Maupin

 

Archive footage is used between the talking heads. Clips from the television series based on his books are also used from time to time.

 

The general message of the film is positive. But there is one clear exception: 

 

Armistead Maupin outed Rock Hudson in 1985, when the famous actor was dying from AIDS. Many people who worked in Hollywood knew Rock Hudson was a gay man, but this was not known by the general public. 

 

Armistead knew Rock Hudson. He felt the truth should be told, even though the famous actor had not given him permission to do this. 

 

The case is discussed in the film. Some observers say it was wrong. And Armistead is allowed to explain why he did it.

 

This case remains a significant and controversial moment in the history of gay rights in the US.

 

What do reviewers say about this documentary film?

 

Here are some answers:

 

** 72 percent = Letterboxd

** 76 percent = IMDb

** 83 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

** 92 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

The ratings are quite good, as you can see. I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them. 

 

In my opinion, this entertaining and informative film deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

***** 

 

The American writer

Armistead Maupin

(born 1944)

 

***** 

 

Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City

This miniseries premiered in 2019

There are ten episodes

 

***** 

 

Logical Family: A Memoir

By Armistead Maupin

(2017 = hardcover)

(2018 = paperback)

 

*****

 

 

Invisible History: Florida's Hidden Roots (2021)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots

 

This documentary film premiered on US television (PBS) in 2021. It is about the life and death of African Americans before, during and after the Civil War (1861-1865).

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Producer and director: Valerie Scoon

** Writers: Valerie Scoon and Theresa Marsenburg

** Narrator: Tyra Ferrell (born 1962)

** Language: English

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 54 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Na’im Akbar – Clinical Psychologist, retired professor, Florida State University

 

** Althemese Barnes – Executive Director, John Gilmore Riley Center & Museum

 

** Alexander D. Brickler – Doctor, Tallahassee (retired)

 

** John Finlayson – descendant of a plantation owner in Florida

 

** Jonathan Grandage – Executive Director, Grove Museum

 

** Maxine Jones – Professor of History, Florida State University

 

** Lonnie Mann – anthropologist, Tallahassee, Florida

 

** Patrick L. Mason – Director of African American Studies, Florida State University

 

** Larry E. Rivers – Professor of History and Politics, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

 

** Bill Walter – Docent and Board Member, Goodwood Museum & Gardens

 

This film is divided into ten chapters.

Here are the headlines:

 

# 01. Introduction

# 02. Early Florida

# 03. Florida’s Capitol

# 04. The Economics of Human Property

# 05. Building Tallahassee

# 06. Acts Concerning Slaves

# 07. Emancipation & Reconstruction (1865-1877)

# 08. The Rise of Jim Crow (1877-1965)

# 09. Economic Legacy

# 10. A More Visible History

 

In 1776, when the United States was proclaimed, Florida was ruled by Spain. But around 1800, Spain was on the way out and the US was prepared to move in and take control of the former Spanish territory.

 

Negotiations for the transfer of the land from Spain to the US were held in 1819. A treaty was concluded in that year. It was effective from 1821.

 

Florida was an American territory 1821-1845. Statehood was obtained in 1845. Since that year, Florida has been a member of the union of American states.

 

In this film, the history of Middle Florida is told in great detail, with special focus on the life and death of the African American population in the territory.

 

This film is about slavery in Middle Florida and the legacy of slavery in that state. What happened in Middle Florida is a microcosm of what happened in all southern states. The history of Middle Florida illustrates what happened in all southern states.

 

The history presented in this film is relevant if you wish to understand how the institution of slavery shaped the history of the US.

 

In this film, we get to meet several persons who are connected with the history of Middle Florida:

 

# 1. Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) was a French general who fought for the independence of the USA during the revolutionary war (1775-1783).

 

Members of the US Congress wanted thank him for his contribution to the struggle for American independence. In 1824, they passed an act to grant him a substantial amount of money (200,000 dollars) and a large tract of land (23,000 acres) in Florida.

 

But Lafayette never lived in Florida. He never even visited Florida. He never saw the tract of land which was donated to him. It was sold off step by step. By 1855 all his land had been sold.

 

# 2. Prince Achille Murat (1801-1847) was a nephew of the famous French politician Napoleon Bonaparte.

 

In 1822, at the age of 21, he emigrated to the United States where he lived in different locations. In 1824, he moved to Florida where he bought some land. In 1828, he became a US citizen. He died in Florida in 1847.

 

# 3. Richard Keith Call (1792-1862) was a plantation owner and a slaveowner. His plantation named the Grove has been turned into a public museum.

 

# 4. Bryan Hardy Croom (1797-1837) was a plantation owner and a slaveowner. His plantation named Goodwood has been turned in to a public museum.

 

# 5. James Page (1808-1883) was an African American minister and political leader. He was born as a slave in Virginia. In 1838, his owner John Parkhill transported him to Florida where he owned a plantation.

 

When James Page became a minister, Parkhill gave him a plot of land where he could build a church. From 1865 to 1870, minister Page organized the Bethel Baptist Church in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida.

 

# 6. John Gilmore Riley (1857-1926) was a prominent African American educator, businessman, and civic leader in Tallahassee.

 

He was born into slavery. As an adult, became the principal of Lincoln Academy. He held this post for more than thirty years (1893-1926). His home has been turned into a public museum.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 74 percent.

 

The topic is important. The story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done quite well.

 

I understand the positive rating on IMDb and I agree with it. In my opinion, this film deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

Slavery in Florida:

Territorial Days to Emancipation

By Larry Eugene Rivers

(2000 = hardcover)

(2009 = paperback)

 

Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

By Douglas A. Blackmon

(2008)

 

# 2. Film and video

 

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

A four-part documentary film

(2002)

 

Up from Slavery

A seven-part documentary film

(2011)

 

Slavery by Another Name

A documentary film

Based on the book by Douglas A. Blackmon

(2012)

 

Emancipation Road

A seven-part documentary film

(2014)

 

*****

John Gilmore Riley Center & Museum

Tallahassee

Florida

 

*****

Grove Museum

Tallahassee

Florida

 

*****

Goodwood Museum & Gardens

Tallahassee

Florida

 

*****

Bethel Baptist Church

Tallahassee

Florida

 

*****