Anderson Cooper says seeing Richard Gere shirtless in "Bent" made him realize he's gay

I saw that production. I think Gere was also naked in it. Have a playbill he signed. I remember we had to send them in through the stage door and wait for them. Gere did not come out and sign or greet fans afterwards.

An 11 year in the 1970s was enormously different than an 11 year old in 2022. We were very street smart, savvy, and aware of things. I saw A CHORUS LINE three times in June 1975. I was 10 years old. Did I get the grown-up references? Absolutely not, but boy did I love what I understood at age 10. Parents in the 70s were doing their own thing and didn’t censor nor dissect everything. If you saw boobs in a movie, you saw boobs. No big deal. Anderson Cooper saw a bare chested actor. He didn’t see a hardcore gay porn film. His sophisticated mom had her gay friends take her son to a Broadway play. Just another night for that family. No one blinked an eye. Life was life. Now a 17 year old has a tracking program on their phones. In the 1970s you knew you had to be home when the street lights turned on. Your parents weren’t spying on what you were doing. You had to take responsibility for yourself… or else.

BrodyFosse123 said: "An 11 year in the 1970s was enormously different than an 11 year old in 2022. We were very street smart, savvy, and aware of things. I saw A CHORUS LINE three times in June 1975. I was 10 years old. Did I get the grown-up references? Absolutely not, but boy did I love what I understood at age 10. Parents in the 70s were doing their own thing and didn’t censor nor dissect everything. If you saw boobs in a movie, you saw boobs. No big deal. Anderson Cooper saw a bare chested actor. He didn’t see a hardcore gay porn film. His sophisticated mom had her gay friends take her son to a Broadway play. Just another night for that family. No one blinked an eye. Life was life. Now a 17 year old has a tracking program on their phones. In the 1970s you knew you had to be home when the street lights turned on. Your parents weren’t spying on what you were doing. You had to take responsibility for yourself… or else."

This is true. I grew up in the 70s, too. Our generation was trusted more (than the kids of today) and had more responsibilities. I think that made us more mature than the younger kids of today.

Gere made us ALL gay in the eighties.

Updated On: 6/27/22 at 10:04 AM

I saw that production. I don’t remember much about it, but I don’t think there was nudity. That I would remember.

I don’t know who Gere played but Wolf is completely naked in the production. Also, while it’s not porn, it does have a sexually explicit verbal exchange between the two men in the camp.


The 70s were a different time for parents for sure. Also I’m sure Gloria wanted her son exposed to all types of art and culture.

quizking101 said: "Richard Gere was Max, James Remar was Wolf

https://playbill.com/personlistpage/person-list?production=00000150-aea2-d936-a7fd-eef607da0003&type=op#cc"

Was Remar the actor who opened the play by getting out of bed next to Gere fully naked ? I probably wouldn't have been able to follow the story myself, after that.

Michael Gross, David Marshall Grant, and Richard Gere in the original 1979 Broadway production of BENT:

You’re quite welcome. I’m still a condescending know-it-all pr**k, but I still share the goods. 1 outta 2 ain’t so bad.

For me it was Looking For Mr Goodbar. The scene they filmed on the UWS in the bar on 64th street with the pinball machine. Genre was so sexy……

BrodyFosse123 said: "You’re quite welcome. I’m still a condescending know-it-all pr**k, but I still share the goods. 1 outta 2 ain’t so bad. "

It's a love/hate thing with you. Like Jake and Heath in "Brokeback Mountain". I can't quit you.

Well, it can't be seeing Leonard Whiting's ass in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet for EVERY gay man of his generation.