Tab Hunter Confidential Page #2

High School with Arhur Gelien.

It with as if magic had

dropped into the school.

Honestly, the girls would

not leave him alone.

They had never seen

anybody so handsome.

They were just mesmerized.

Girls were very

attracted to me,

and it made me

exremely uncomforable

when people would carry on

in any way, shape, or form.

If he tried to walk down the

hall, he simply was mobbed.

There were times that he'd have

to run into an empty classroom

and lock the door to

get away from the girls.

I don't know how he survived.

The attention at school was

so disruptive that I just felt

I needed some sor of escape.

So I decided to join

the Coast Guard.

I just had wanderlust.

My mother and I had a big

argument just prior to my

joining the Coast Guard.

Kelm was my father's

name-- Charles Kelm.

My earliest memory was my

father abusing my mother,

and my brother and I crying.

I had no recollection

of my father after that.

My mother never wanted

to talk about him.

In fact, you'd mention

his name and she

would literally shudder.

I at times wished

that we had a father.

I kept saying Charlie probably

wasn't that bad after all.

And my mother said, oh, really?

Then I think you should go

to New York and see him.

And when I was on libery in

New York, I had his address,

and I knocked on the door.

And this woman says, yes'?

And I said, is

Charles Kelm here?

And she said, no.

And beyond her I could see

a fgure sitting in a chair.

And I said to her, well, would

you tell him that his son

came by to say hello?

And she said, yes.

And she slammed the

door in my face.

I knew that that was my

father sitting in that chair.

And I could tell that he

didn't want to see me.

I was devastated.

And I just walked in

the snow for hours.

The Coast Guard found out I was

under age and discharged me.

And then when they

discharged me,

I went back down to Los Angeles.

I worked as a delivery man.

I worked wrapping presents

at Brothers

in Hollywood.

I worked at the Orange Julius

stand on Hollywood Boulevard.

I did an awful lot of jobs.

My brother was the one who

introduced me to horses.

I wanted to do whatever

my brother did.

And then my brother went on,

of course, to other things,

but I stayed with the horses.

I loved being around the horses

when they were in their stalls.

I loved the smell of them.

I loved working around them.

I loved riding.

And I got a job mucking

out and being at the barn.

When the horse

came into my life,

they totally consumed my life.

One weekend at the

barn, Dick Clayton

came out, who was an

actor at the time,

with an actress by

the name of Ann Blyth.

And they were doing

a photo layout

for one of the movie magazines.

Well, I was fascinated, so I

just stood there and watched.

And then Ann left, and I got

to talking to Dick afterwards,

and we became friendly.

Dick never came on to me

like a lot of people did.

I never felt a hidden

agenda from Dick Clayton

because I just felt so

comforable with him.

I never had a man in

my life like that.

And he was the one

who frst planted

the seed for me-- how would

you feel about being an actor'?

And I thought, oh, wow,

that'd be terrifc.

I did star thinking about it.

But I didn't know what

to do, where to begin,

how to get stared

in the business.

Henry Wilson was an agent

for a lot of young actors.

Henry had a stable of

stars- Guy Madison,

Rory Calhoun, Rock Hudson.

Henry Wilson was

a big-deal agent.

And it seemed like every actor

he touched became a big star.

And he had a cerain

style of client,

and he was the one who

would take the pretty boys

and make stars out of them.

Dick Clayton said I want

you to me Henry Wilson.

You know, he doesn't have

the most sterling reputation.

And I went there and met him.

You know, he was giving

you the look and the stare

and all that.

I'm not an idiot.

I could see what

was going on there.

Oh, yeah, Henry would put the

make on me every now and then.

Occasionally his knee would push

against your knee or something

like that.

Well, I just wasn't interested.

I mean, Henry was an amusing,

fun person to go out with once

in a while, but that was it.

Henry was cerainly not my type.

We were sitting in

his offce, and he

said the name's gotta go.

So he said we've got

to tab you something.

So that's how Tab came about.

And I showed horses--

hunters and jumpers.

And Henry said, that's

it-- Tab Hunter.

That's a good name.

I can just see my new name,

Tab Hunter, on the marquee.

I remember having a few drinks,

and I was feeling no pain.

I said, I'm going to be

a movie star. (LAUGHING)

Ar Gelein became Tab Hunter.

The new name was hard for

me to get used to though.

And then Henry said, well, once

you see it on "pay to the order

of," it won't be so bad.

He was a man who was eager,

excited, and enthusiastic,

and wanted it.

Boy, it sure did come fast.

ANNOUNCER:
A lush,

topical paradise

beyond your wildest

most romantic dreams.

The frst interview I had was

for "Island of the Desire."

So they sent me to

meet the director.

He looked up and said,

that's the boy I want.

And he asked me to

take off my shir.

I was really embarrassed.

I then did a screen

test with Linda Darnell.

She was a very big name.

Oh, I was a nervous wreck

doing a screen test.

She said, don't worry.

I'm good luck for newcomers.

And they said, now you take her

in your arms and you kiss her.

I took her in my arms

and I kissed her.

(LAUGHING) I kissed her.

She looked at me.

And they said, cut,

and she pinched me,

and she said, that was

nice. (LAUGHING) Audience

response was phenomenal.

Critics, ha, they hated.

You're out of your mind!

Darn right.

This blasted

island's got me loco.

I got roasted.

Hello, Hawaii.

Hello, America.

Hello, England.

Hello, anybody!

He doesn't

demonstrate any shred

of acting ability in that flm.

I was born too late, and

I've got a lot to learn.

My mother and I did go

to a screening of it.

The lights came up.

My mother said, you were lousy.

I was so bad in the movie

that I couldn't get arrested.

It was a long spell

between "Island

of Desire" and my nex job.

The only pars I could

get were grade-Z movies.

Interpreting

hieroglyphics was par

of my archaeological studies.

I felt that I was a B actor

trapped in that genre of flm,

and there was no way out.

Hello, Pop!

TAB HUNTER:
Acting was

something that Dick Clayton

was always on my case about.

This isn't something

that just happens.

You've got to work.

There's so much to learn and so

much to tap inside of myself.

And I wanted to go

on to the nex step.

And he arranged for

me to do "Our Town."

It was imporant for me to do

it because it was great material

and a chance to grow.

Marilyn Erskine, a Broadway

actress, who was very good,

did not want to do

"Our Town" with me.

George was a marvelous

par for a young actor.

But Tab Hunter playing George?

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