Turner Classic Movies will play tribute
to Tab Hunter's life and Hollywood career with an eight-film marathon
on Friday, July 20.
Hunter, who came out gay in his 2005
memoir Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star,
died suddenly at the age of 86 on Sunday, July 8. His longtime
partner Allan Glaser said that he died from cardiac arrest brought
about by a blood clot in his leg.
Hunter starred in more than 40 films
starting in the 1950s, including Battle Cry and Damn
Yankees. At the height of his success, he had his own television
show, The Tab Hunter Show, and a hit single, “Young Love.”
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will kick
off its celebration at 6 A.M. with a broadcast of The Steel Lady
(1953), followed by Return to Treasure Island (1954) at 7:30
A.M., Lafayette Escadrille (1958) at 9 A.M., Operation
Bikini (1963) at 10:45 A.M., The Golden Arrow (1964) at
12:15 P.M., The Girl He Left Behind (1956) at 2 P.M., The
Burning Hills (1956) at 4 P.M. and Life and Times of Judge Roy
Bean (1972) at 5:45 P.M. All times are Eastern Standard.
Glaser, Hunter's partner, is currently
producing a film based on Hunter's secret love affair with Tony
Perkins, titled Tab & Tony.
(Related: Tab
Hunter says he never got to say goodbye to Anthony Perkins.)