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)

 

*****