Laura Z. Hobson, 1900 - 1986, ("Gentlemen's Agreement") published "Consenting Adult" in 1975 about her experience as the mother of a gay son. She adopted one child in 1937, then bore one herself in 1941 -- don't know which one was the son in question, but he would have been in college either c. 1954 - 1958 (older child) or c. 1958 - 1962 (younger child). I found that information helps to put the mood of the piece into temporal perspective -- especially the psychological therapy. When Hobson published the book in 1975, homosexuality had just been removed from the DSM - the manual that lists all recognised mental illnesses, dysfunctions and disorders - in 1973; and attitudes had changed even more by the time ABC did the TV movie in 1985 (a year before Hobson died at age 86).
But when the real "Jeff" came out to his mother around 1960, it was a *very* different world; and one in which homosexuality was *very* much still a mental illness for which you be committed to a mental hospital, particularly by your parents - and the age of majority in those days was *21* not 18.
1960-esque mood aside, the timing in the TV movie was relatively contemporary (i.e., 1980-ish). Jeff's sexuality is an issue for his parents, but it's not a big issue for his older sister; and there's a scene when Jeff and his boyfriend Stuart are playfully affectionate in the cafeteria where they're both enrolled in med school - and nobody bats an eye. (*That's* not the early 1960's, when nobody in med school would have been playful with *anything* -- grad students were a *lot* more serious back then.)
As to the TV movie, Tubb is seriously cute, though still very much learning his craft at the time. (You can definitely tell he's a new actor in this show.) Sheen and Thomas are good, as usual. Interestingly, this movie was about a dozen years after Martin Sheen played a gay man himself, opposite Hal Holbrook with Hope Lange as Holbrook's ex-wife, in *That Certain Summer*. (Sheen and Lange had a beautiful exchange of lines at one point- Gary (Sheen): If I were a woman, this would all be acceptable. Janet (Lange): If you were a woman, I would know how to compete with you.)
In *Consenting Adult,* Jeff's father finally comes to accept that his son is gay and writes him a letter to tell him so ("Who needs a gay man for a son? I do.") - but he dies before he screws up enough courage to mail it.
Jeff's mother, meanwhile, doesn't have a problem with Jeff being gay in theory - but as she says to her best friend, Tess: I swear, Claire, I've accepted it -- as long as I don't have to see him in that life. Claire: Then have you *really* accepted it?
The movie ends with Tess calling Jeff (Stuart answers, "It's your mom") to invite herself over for dinner, and she mentions she'd like Stuart to be there, too. Tess: He's important to you, isn't he? Jeff: Yes, he is. Tess: Well, then, I'd like to meet him.
Excellent film for gay teens and college students to see. I had already seen *That Certain Summer* when I was 12, but I still found it a very affirming experience to watch this movie. In fact, I watched it with my mother - and perhaps more importantly, *she* found it very affirming, too.
But when the real "Jeff" came out to his mother around 1960, it was a *very* different world; and one in which homosexuality was *very* much still a mental illness for which you be committed to a mental hospital, particularly by your parents - and the age of majority in those days was *21* not 18.
1960-esque mood aside, the timing in the TV movie was relatively contemporary (i.e., 1980-ish). Jeff's sexuality is an issue for his parents, but it's not a big issue for his older sister; and there's a scene when Jeff and his boyfriend Stuart are playfully affectionate in the cafeteria where they're both enrolled in med school - and nobody bats an eye. (*That's* not the early 1960's, when nobody in med school would have been playful with *anything* -- grad students were a *lot* more serious back then.)
As to the TV movie, Tubb is seriously cute, though still very much learning his craft at the time. (You can definitely tell he's a new actor in this show.) Sheen and Thomas are good, as usual. Interestingly, this movie was about a dozen years after Martin Sheen played a gay man himself, opposite Hal Holbrook with Hope Lange as Holbrook's ex-wife, in *That Certain Summer*. (Sheen and Lange had a beautiful exchange of lines at one point- Gary (Sheen): If I were a woman, this would all be acceptable. Janet (Lange): If you were a woman, I would know how to compete with you.)
In *Consenting Adult,* Jeff's father finally comes to accept that his son is gay and writes him a letter to tell him so ("Who needs a gay man for a son? I do.") - but he dies before he screws up enough courage to mail it.
Jeff's mother, meanwhile, doesn't have a problem with Jeff being gay in theory - but as she says to her best friend, Tess: I swear, Claire, I've accepted it -- as long as I don't have to see him in that life. Claire: Then have you *really* accepted it?
The movie ends with Tess calling Jeff (Stuart answers, "It's your mom") to invite herself over for dinner, and she mentions she'd like Stuart to be there, too. Tess: He's important to you, isn't he? Jeff: Yes, he is. Tess: Well, then, I'd like to meet him.
Excellent film for gay teens and college students to see. I had already seen *That Certain Summer* when I was 12, but I still found it a very affirming experience to watch this movie. In fact, I watched it with my mother - and perhaps more importantly, *she* found it very affirming, too.
