Screening: Hiding in Plain Sight: The Case of Gay Life

Screening

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Case of Gay Life

Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 pm
Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway, 6th Floor

Perry Mason (1957–1966, CBS-TV) is known for its formulaic plots—attorney Mason (Raymond Burr) defends an innocent client and forces the real murderer to confess in a courtroom finale. With its stylish noir filming, outdoor locations, and deep background characterizations, the series arguably also featured a prescient queer subtext. Burr was a gay man who led a covert life, but on the show, Mason is consistently paired with his investigator, Paul Drake (William Hopper), in harmonious, sometimes domestic contexts—especially notable in the episode we’ll screen: The Case of the Borrowed Baby (1962). 50 min. With commentary by Drake Stutesman, Adjunct Professor of Cinema Studies (TSOA) and Costume Studies (Steinhardt), NYU.

Co-sponsored by NYU’s Department of Cinema Studies and Grey Art Gallery. 

Free of charge, no reservations, capacity limited, and subject to change. Photo ID required for entrance to NYU buildings. 

Offered in conjunction with Art After Stonewall, 1969-1989, on view at the Grey Art Gallery, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, NYC, April 24–July 20, 2019; and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, 26 Wooster Street, NYC, April 24-July 21, 2019.