New doc explores Boys in the Band

Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band was a phenomenon when it opened off-Broadway in 1968 and now a new documentary considers the lasting effect of its polarizing portrayal of pre-Stonewall gay life.

Beloved by some for breaking new ground, and condemned by others for reinforcing gay stereotypes, The Boys in the Band sparked heated controversy that still exists four decades later. Making the Boys explores the drama, struggle and enduring legacy of the first-ever gay play and subsequent Hollywood movie to successfully reach a mainstream audience.

As much as Making the Boys thoroughly documents a vital piece of our history, it also serves as a valentine to Crowley. Through new interviews and priceless archival footage (Crowley frolicking with Judy Garland and Rock Hudson in 1965 at Roddy McDowall’s beach house!), the playwright charms as he looks back on his struggle to find direction while running with a fast crowd. Chief among that cadre was late movie star Natalie Wood, who became instrumental in getting Boys produced.

The play was a cause célèbre. Crowley became the toast of New York and Boys ran for two years, had two simultaneous touring productions, and even generated a soundtrack album, even though, as ads famously declared, it was “not a musical.”

“If I haven’t achieved anything else but this,” Crowley says, “it’s enough.”

--> Personally speaking, I was blown away by the film when I first saw it. The candid dialogue, the timeless motifs, and the visceral nature of the relationships portrayed in the film make it one of the most important ones I've ever seen.