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CBS Nixed 'Reagans' Following Letter from Rock Hudson's Ex-Lover
NewsMax ^ | 11/4/03 | Limbacher

Posted on 11/04/2003 7:23:44 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection

CBS's decision to pull the plug on its mini-series "The Reagans" came on the heels of a letter to the network from Rock Hudson's ex-lover, who complained that the portrayal of the 40th president as a virulent homophobe was provably false.

"The notion that President Reagan was a homophobe strikes me as silly beyond belief," wrote Marc Christian, in a letter to CBS entertainment chief Les Moonves made public Tuesday by her friend, conservative commentator Tammy Bruce.

"Not only did he have several gay men on his staff when he was Governor of California," said Christian, "he called my lover, Rock Hudson when he was on his deathbed just weeks before he died of AIDS and wished him well and voiced his and Nancy's concern and prayers."

As Bruce reported in her FrontPageMagazine.com column, Christian's letter continued:

" . . . The Reagans had known Rock for years and knew he was gay [as did most in Hollywood]. The point is Reagan could have ignored Rock's illness and didn't. He could have just issued a public statement concerning his 'official sorrow' but made a personal phone call instead."

Hudson's partner slammed the Tiffany network for having become "the official arm of the Democrat party," adding, "I bet President Reagan's phone call to Rock Hudson isn't in the screenplay or should I say smearplay, is it?"

Wrote Bruce, "This note from Marc to Moonves is important for several reasons, mostly for the injection of the truth into a world ruled by vacant, malevolent leftists."

"Marc's letter, and the e-mails, letters and calls all of you made to CBS to register your protest and to support a great and decent man and his wife, obviously do make a difference," she concluded.



TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cbs; hudson; moonves; reagans; rockhudson; tammybruce; thereagans
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1 posted on 11/04/2003 7:23:45 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Bump!

Reagan was a true compassionate conservative!
2 posted on 11/04/2003 7:25:46 AM PST by Lunatic Fringe (I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.)
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To: Lunatic Fringe
May God bless President Reagan.
3 posted on 11/04/2003 7:26:37 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Ultimately I think that this is where the screenwriter/producers went overboard. They were very wrong in making Reagan a hateful character vis a vis homosexuals, in the absence of any proof of that kind of behavior. That's clearly defamatory (with no regard to the legal use of the word), and in thinking the way they did they were way out of line.
4 posted on 11/04/2003 7:27:46 AM PST by HitmanLV (I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.)
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To: Lunatic Fringe
Wow!
5 posted on 11/04/2003 7:28:06 AM PST by Hazzardgate (RIP Paul Kersey)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Listen To Howard Stern Talking About Les Moonves
6 posted on 11/04/2003 7:28:27 AM PST by StriperSniper (All this, of course, is simply pious fudge. - H. L. Mencken)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Barbara Streisand must be deeply saddened at this news.
7 posted on 11/04/2003 7:30:14 AM PST by cwb
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Methinks that CBS is engaged in CYA with the homosexual advocate groups. They are saying "see, its okay, a homosexual told us it was wrong. We did not do it for anyyy other reason, honest."

Good letter.


Zap Hallmark.
8 posted on 11/04/2003 7:34:26 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection; Amelia
"The notion that President Reagan was a homophobe strikes me as silly beyond belief," wrote Marc Christian, in a letter to CBS entertainment chief Les Moonves made public Tuesday by her friend, conservative commentator Tammy Bruce.

"Not only did he have several gay men on his staff when he was Governor of California," said Christian, "he called my lover, Rock Hudson when he was on his deathbed just weeks before he died of AIDS and wished him well and voiced his and Nancy's concern and prayers."

This conforms with my memory of President Reagan. I don't remember him as being anti-gay.

9 posted on 11/04/2003 7:34:30 AM PST by Scenic Sounds (Me caigo a mis rodillas y hablo a las estrellas de plata. "¿Qué misterios usted está encubriendo?")
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Did we do the right thing.....censoring CBS?
10 posted on 11/04/2003 7:35:07 AM PST by laotzu
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To: HitmanNY
What is encouraging is that they were so off base in gauging the reaction of the viewers and the conservatives!

And they wonder why they keep losing elections? Special interest groups, as a demographic, will not help the ratings of this movie. Americans who love the Reagans have spoken.
11 posted on 11/04/2003 7:35:19 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.)
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To: laotzu
We didn't censor them. We censured them, and it was the right thing to do.
12 posted on 11/04/2003 7:39:22 AM PST by Huck
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
You nailed it. This is a true, Red, White and Blue grass roots victory.
13 posted on 11/04/2003 7:42:04 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Hudson's partner slammed the Tiffany network for having become "the official arm of the Democrat party," adding, "I bet President Reagan's phone call to Rock Hudson isn't in the screenplay or should I say smearplay, is it?"

Impressive statement. Take that, Babs!

14 posted on 11/04/2003 7:42:53 AM PST by arasina
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
>"The notion that President Reagan was a homophobe strikes me as silly beyond belief," wrote Marc Christian, in a letter to CBS entertainment chief Les Moonves made public Tuesday by her [?!?] friend, conservative commentator Tammy Bruce.

Politics makes strange
bed-fellows (and confuses
reporters). Christian

has his cake, and eats
it, too. He sues Rock's estate,
but's still the "partner" ...

Hudson's lover seeks another $14.5 million

On Wednesday, jurors found that Hudson and Miller were guilty of "outrageous conduct" for withholding the movie star's AIDS diagnosis from the young man [Christian] who was Hudson's lover for two years.

Miller along with the Hudson estate were held liable for the $14.5 million judgment. The arguments for additional damages focused only on Miller because the law prohibits punitive or exemplary damages to be collected from the estate of a dead person.

15 posted on 11/04/2003 7:43:03 AM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
A rather substantial victory. I would not have watched this mini series. But to think Reagan would have been made into a cartoon character for the Left for millions of people was disturbing.
16 posted on 11/04/2003 7:43:26 AM PST by Burkeman1 ((If you see ten troubles comin down the road, Nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.))
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To: laotzu
cbs was not censored. They were subject to the market forces that broadcast television lives in. The move to showtime is to take it to a pay only arena.

Hallmark is going to distribute this. We are well withing our rights to not patronize them or buy CRWN stock in light of their distribution agreemtn with CBS productions.
17 posted on 11/04/2003 7:46:22 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
"The notion that President Reagan was a homophobe strikes me as silly beyond belief," wrote Marc Christian, in a letter to CBS entertainment chief Les Moonves made public Tuesday by her friend, conservative commentator Tammy Bruce."


...Can someone tell me who the "her" is in this statement: "by her friend conservative commentator Tammy Bruce" ?
18 posted on 11/04/2003 7:51:28 AM PST by Graybeard58
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
CBS doesn't care. After all, Christian is a conservative gay man, and like conservative blacks and women, must be destroyed for wandering off the Plantation.
19 posted on 11/04/2003 7:53:39 AM PST by pabianice
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To: laotzu
Is it censorship when HBO only runs the Sopranos, and it isn't found on the public channels?

Isn't this a matter of supply and demand? The public viewers don't want this on the air, but the private viewers can pay to watch it, if they wish.
20 posted on 11/04/2003 7:53:48 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.)
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