15 Old Hollywood Movies That Were Almost Banned Because They Were Secretly Really Gay

Throughout the 1930s and 1960s, old Hollywood films had to follow strict guidelines, known as the Hays Code, which essentially prevented them from featuring anything overtly sexual or “inappropriate.” Many filmmakers got creative with how they could get around this censorship. So here are some films that are subtly (and not so subtly) super, super, super gay. Appreciate!

1.All about Eve (1950) is a witty and toxic drama about an aging actress who befriends a fan who ultimately attempts to usurp her. This film shares the record for most Academy Award nominations, with 14, and it briefly features Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles. There are so many queer nuances and characters throughout the film, and they are all so delightful. Plus, I personally think it's the best movie ever made, so enjoy.

Here is the trailer:

2.Tea and Sympathy (1956) follows a “sensitive” prep school teenager who is bullied by other students and teachers. He finds solace in an older woman, played by Deborah Kerr, and the whole thing is so lovely to watch.

Here is the trailer:

3.Compulsion (1959) follows two hot, rich, secretly gay college kids who commit murder and think they're too smart to get away with it. It's loosely based on a real-life murder trial, so trust me on this one.

Here is the trailer:

4.On the edge of the city (1957) is a brutal drama about the friendship between Sidney Poitier and John Cassavetes' characters. It's harsh and brutal and has a lot of queer subtext. Ruby Dee is also in this film, and she is particularly fantastic.

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5.Purple noon (1960) is actually adapted from the book The Talented Mr. RipleyThis French film is just too hot, and if you like suspense thrillers or even vaguely liked the 1999 version with Jude Law and Matt Damon, then you absolutely need to see it.

Here is the trailer:

6.Strangers on a train (1951) is a psychological thriller by Alfred Hitchcock. It's about two strangers who both want to murder someone, so they swap victims to avoid anyone becoming suspicious of them. Farley Granger is so much fun to watch in this movie, and I beg you to watch it.

Here is the trailer:

7.The hitchhiker (1953) tells the story of two friends who are taken hostage after picking up a hitchhiker while on their way to a fishing trip. The film is based on the Billy Cook shootings of 1950 and examines gay panic, masculinity, and traditional gender roles.

Here is the trailer:

8.Children's time (1961) stars Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine as two women who run an all-girls boarding school in 1930s New England. One of the students is a troublemaking little bitch who starts a rumor that they are allegedly in a lesbian relationship, and all hell breaks loose. The film is based on the famous play of the same name by Lillian Hellman, and it's a must-see.

Here is the trailer:

9.The servant (1963) deals with unspoken desires, homoerotic tensions and the ultimate dom-sub power dynamics. In it, a wealthy young Londoner hires a man to be his servant. The servant slowly takes control and manipulates his “master”, and it's a wild ride.

Here is the trailer:

ten.Victim (1961) centers on a closeted London lawyer who is blackmailed for being gay, which was illegal in England until 1967. It is a groundbreaking piece of the film history, because it was the first British film to explicitly mention homosexuality, and it should be. mandatory viewing for everyone.

Here is the trailer:

11.Rebel without a cause (1955) stars James Dean as a bisexual hunk, so you couldn't ask for more. The original script called for his character to kiss Plato, one of the first gay teenagers on screen, but the Hays Code quickly stopped that from happening. Still, this movie is bold, dramatic, and romantic, and the entire cast is so much fun to watch.

Here is the trailer:

12.Rope (1948) is another Hitchcock classic, this time following two gay men who think they've committed the perfect murder and then have a dinner party to secretly brag about it. The film was shot to look like everything was filmed in one take, which builds suspense and helps keep the characters (and viewers) in suspense.

Here is the trailer:

13.Suddenly last summer (1959) centers on a wealthy widow who tries to have her niece lobotomized to cover up the truth about her secretly gay (and now deceased) son. This one is a bit far-fetched, but Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor both received Oscar nominations for their roles, so there's that.

Here is the trailer:

14.Advice and consent (1962) is a political drama adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name. It focuses on the confirmation of a nominee for Secretary of State, who happens to be a married U.S. senator who is being blackmailed for secretly having affairs with a man in the past.

Here is the trailer:

15.And finally, The haunting (1963) is a groundbreaking horror film that features one of the only lesbian characters of its time who is female and not predatory. The film is based on the book Hill House Haunted Housewhich was eventually turned into a hugely popular Netflix series, so if you liked any of those, you should check this one out too.

Here is the trailer:

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