029 - Rock Hudson (Part IV: The Later Years)

Welcome to the final episode of our journey through the annals of Rock Hudson's filmography as we bid a fond farewell to the 6'5" actor and his legacy. To this day, Hudson is most often remembered first for the notoriety of his death in October 1985 due to complications from AIDS. For a man who was famous for keeping his personal life as private as possible, the revelations of his diagnosis and rapid decline at the age of 59 came as quite a shock, not just to Hollywood, but to the whole American public. In this week's episode, Kevin and Jake take some time to talk about the circumstances and significance of his death, but also take a look at what became of his filmography after a renaissance with his Doris Day collabs. Hudson certainly did not shy away from dabbling in new genres in the late 60s through the end of his life! He tried his hands at a blockbuster disaster (Avalanche), submarine thriller (Ice Station Zebra), and even Blake Edwards comedy/musical (Darling Lilli). This week we talk about some of the most interesting films of the last stage of Hudson's career and discover the newfound appreciation we have for this underrated actor! How much did ending his Universal Studios contract help Hudson expand his filmography? Did New Hollywood help or hurt his acting career? Why do the 70s look so damn good on him? This and more on this week's episode of Cinema Very Gay!