The Pridelets Files for September 17

On this day in 1990, "Dear Gay Men of America, when we, General Motors, ran ads suggesting that foreign made vehicles were 'little faggot trucks,' we didn't mean to offend you." (Please buy our gas guzzling trucks, thanks.)

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1730 - Baron Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand AKA Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben (Valley Forge battle instructor under General Washington)
* 1884 - "Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan" composer Charles Tomlinson Griffes
* 1904 - Royal ballet choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton
* 1928 - Elfin photographer / actor / occasional ape Roderick "Roddy" Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall
* 1953 - "The Front Page" founder and editor Jim Baxter

Q.UOTE
"Okay, yes, there is a homosexual agenda, okay? There's just two things on it: 1) don't get killed; 2) a decent brunch. That's it!" -- Elvira Kurt

CAMP OUT
Even before you take Paul Lynde's "Uncle Arthur," the turquoise painted eyeshadow of (professionally closeted lesbian) Agnes Moorehead, and "Darrin #2" (the equally closeted Dick Sargent) into account, there is something fundamentally queer about "Bewitched" which made its debut on this night in 1964.
From keeping her supernatural secrets closeted away from their nosy neighbors and not letting on what was unusual about their ... non-traditional marriage, it was just more interesting and considerably more fun for Samantha to be different than the common mortals, who were prejudiced against a woman who happened to be more powerful than most of the men in her time zone.
Relive some of the campy magic in "Bewitched - The Complete First Season."

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.