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Tab Hunter Confidential

WUNC | By Anita Rao,
Frank Stasio
Published August 11, 2015 at 12:10 PM EDT

Tab Hunter was a Hollywood golden boy whose looks propelled him into quick fame. He starred in more than 40 major motion pictures including “Battle Cry” and “Damn Yankees.” 

Frank Stasio talks to Chuck Adams and Jim Carl

He became famous for being shirtless in many of his roles. But despite his prominent image, Hunter remained private about his personal life until 2005 when he published the autobiography “Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star.” It tells his version of 1950s Hollywood and illuminates what it was like to be a young, gay actor at the end of the big-studio era.

Host Frank Stasio talks to Chuck Adams, executive editor of the autobiography, and previews a new documentary based on the book that’s featured at this year’s North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (NCGLFF).

He will also preview the full NCGLFF 2015 lineup with Jim Carl, senior director of the Carolina Theatre of Durham who has been involved in the festival since its inception 20 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc-BbhbZZXs

Tab Hunter starred in more than 40 major motion pictures in Hollywood. He was often shirtless and portrayed as a lust object.
Photo courtesy of Chuck Adams /
Tab Hunter starred in more than 40 major motion pictures in Hollywood. He was often shirtless and portrayed as a lust object.
A photo of Tab (left) with his mother and brother, Walt in 1937.
Photo courtesy of Chuck Adams /
A photo of Tab (left) with his mother and brother, Walt in 1937.
Tab with co-star Dawn Addams on the set of 'Return to Treasure Island.'
MGM CLIP & STILL /
Tab with co-star Dawn Addams on the set of 'Return to Treasure Island.'

Copyright 2015 North Carolina Public Radio
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
See stories by Anita Rao
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio