Rock Hudson Movies
American actor Rock Hudson was born Roy Scherer, adopting the last name Fitzgerald when his mother remarried in the mid-'30s. A popular but academically unspectacular student at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, he decided at some point during his high school years to become an actor, although a wartime stint in the Navy put these plans on hold. Uninspiring postwar jobs as a moving... (read more) man, postman, telephone company worker, and truck driver in his new home of California only fueled his desire to break into movies, which was accomplished after he had professional photos of himself taken and sent out to the various studios. A few dead-end interviews later, he took drama lessons; his teacher advised him to find a shorter name if he hoped to become a star, and, after rejecting Lance and Derek, he chose Rock ("Hudson" was inspired by the automobile of that name).
Signed by Universal-International, Hudson was immediately loaned to Warner Bros. for his first film, Fighter Squadron (1948); despite director Raoul Walsh's predictions of stardom for the young actor, Hudson did the usual contract player bits, supporting roles, and villain parts when he returned to Universal. A good part in Winchester '73 (1950) led to better assignments, and the studio chose to concentrate its publicity on Hudson's physical attributes rather than his acting ability, which may explain why the actor spent an inordinate amount of screen time with his shirt off. A favorite of teen-oriented fan magazines, Hudson ascended to stardom, his films gradually reaching the A-list category with such important releases as Magnificent Obsession (1954) and Battle Hymn (1957). Director George Stevens cast Hudson in one of his best roles, Bick Benedict, in the epic film Giant (1956), and critics finally decided that, since Hudson not only worked well with such dramatic league leaders as Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean -- but frequently outacted them in Giant -- he deserved better, less condescending reviews.
Hudson's career took a giant leap forward in 1959 when he was cast in Pillow Talk, the first of several profitable co-starring gigs with Doris Day. Once again taken for granted by the mid-'60s, Hudson turned in another first-rate performance as a middle-aged man given a newer, younger body in the mordant fantasy film Seconds (1966). A longtime television holdout, Hudson finally entered the weekly video race in 1971 with the popular detective series McMillan and Wife, co-starring Susan Saint James, and appeared on the prime time soap opera Dynasty in the early '80s. Regarded by his co-workers as a good sport, hard worker, and all-around nice guy, Hudson endured a troubled private life; though the studio flacks liked to emphasize his womanizing, Hudson was, in reality, a homosexual. This had been hinted at for years by the Hollywood underground, but it was only in the early '80s that Hudson confirmed the rumors by announcing that he had contracted the deadly AIDS virus. Staunchly defended by friends, fans, and co-workers, Rock Hudson lived out the remainder of his life with dignity, withstanding the ravages of his illness, the intrusions of the tabloid press, and the less than tasteful snickerings of the judgmental and misinformed. It was a testament to his courage -- and a tragedy in light of his better film work -- that Hudson will be principally remembered as the first star of his magnitude to go public with details of his battle with AIDS. He died in 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
James Dean: The First American Teenager
1975
In this documentary, narrated by Stacy Keach, the tragic screen-icon James Dean is remembered. Footage from early television appearances, stills from his life, and clips...
McMillan and Wife: Season 04
1974
Still a rotating component of The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (along with Columbo, McCloud and Amy Prentiss) in the fall of 1974, the "domestic detective" series...
McMillan and Wife: No Hearts, No Flowers
1973
No Hearts, No Flowers is a 90-minute episode of the lighthearted TV detective series McMillan and Wife. San Francisco police commissioner McMillan (Rock Hudson) once more...
Reunion in Terror
1973
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Showdown
PG 1973
In this Western comedy, Billy (Dean Martin) and Chuck (Rock Hudson) were the best of friends until Chuck married the girl they were both courting. Now they...
McMillan and Wife: Season 03
1973
Remaining a rotating component of The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (along with Columbo, McCloud, and Hec Ramsey), the "domestic detective" series McMillan and Wife...
McMillan and Wife: Terror Times Two
1972
Rock Hudson does double duty in this episode of McMillan and Wife. Hudson plays his usual series character of San Francisco police commissioner McMillan, as well as his...
McMillan and Wife: Two Dollars on Trouble to Win
1972
Two Dollars on Trouble to Win is the cumbersome title of this episode of TV's McMillan and Wife. William Demarest heads the guest cast as a stable owner who happens to be...
McMillan and Wife: The Night of the Wizard
1972
Night of the Wizard was the opening episode of the second season of the TV series McMillan and Wife. Rock Hudson and Susan St. James star as, respectively, Frisco...
McMillan and Wife: Season 02
1972
Seven 90-minute episodes of McMillan and Wife are served up during the series' second season as a rotating component of The NBC Mystery Movie. For the record, its...
Pretty Maids All in a Row
R 1971
Ocean View High is an upscale suburban school in an otherwise unidentified community. It's 1971, the point when the sexual revolution started moving into full swing and even a lot...
McMillan and Wife: Once Upon a Dead Man
1971
Once Upon a Dead Man was the pilot film for the TV series McMillan and Wife. The stars are Rock Hudson as wealthy San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan...
McMillan and Wife: Husbands, Wives and Killers
1971
Husbands, Wives and Killers was originally an episode of the TV detective series McMillan and Wife. In this one, Frisco police commissioner McMillan (Rock Hudson) and his...
The Doris Day Special
1971
Singer and actress Doris Day performs before both the cameras and an adoring live audience in an Emmy-nominated broadcast that originally aired on CBS as The Doris Mary...
McMillan and Wife: Season 01
1971
Although McMillan and Wife had been introduced as a two-hour TV movie, Once Upon a Dead Man, on September 17, 1971, the series proper did not get underway under 12 days...
Hornet's Nest
PG 1970
Captain Turner (Rock Hudson) is the American paratrooper who employs Italian children to blow up a strategic dam controlled by the Nazis. He is the only survivor of his unit...
Darling Lili
G 1970
Julie Andrews made a bid to change her squeaky clean image with this elaborately mounted World War I musical. Lili Smith (Andrews) is a popular British music hall singer who...
The Undefeated
G 1969
This routine western finds Union Colonel John Henry Thomas (John Wayne) and company attacking Confederate soldiers lead by Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson). After a...
A Fine Pair
PG 1969
In this 1968 Italian production, Francesco Maselli directs this light-hearted and fast-paced caper comedy with Rock Hudson as New York City police captain Mike Harmon, who...
Ice Station Zebra
G 1968
A top-secret Soviet spy satellite -- using stolen Western technology -- malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated Arctic research encampment called...