Sexy Tales of Tinseltown
A Secret History of Hollywood's Stars' Sex Lives
Scotty Bowers‘s 2012 memoir, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars is a scandal-packed book with enough juicy gossip to make a hell of a lot of lemonade. Bowers, also known as Mr Sex and Pimp to the Stars was just a young Marine straight out of active duty in WWII (he fought at Iwo Jima) when he landed in Los Angeles. The handsome ex-soldier was pumping gas in Hollywood when he first got noticed by a handsome, closeted movie star, Walter Pidgeon. Money exchanged hands in return for a “date,” jumpstarting his career as “the guy who knew a guy or a gal…” Soon Scotty was not only enjoying the pleasure of movie stars’ company himself—he considers himself bisexual—he also arranged intimate encounters for the rich and famous with others who shared a similar lifestyle, i.e. gay, bi, and straight. But more importantly, those willing to keep it all “hush-hush” and out of the gossip columns.
That gloriously trashy read has been turned into the documentary, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood. Not just a tell-all of the escapades of famous players like Cary Grant and Rock Hudson (yes, they slept together a few times), but also a compassionate look at how these popular stars, under studio contract clauses, were expected to act “normal” and hide their authentic selves, or else. A few of the famous faces Scotty helped get some ass were Katharine Hepburn—she loved the ladies—and Spencer Tracy, whom Scotty slept with when Spence got drunk, which was often. He not only took care of Hollywood royalty, but actual royalty, too. Edward, the Duke of Windsor and his American wife, Wallis, were notorious for their appetites, and Scotty happily provided their sexual sustenance.
Scotty is a funny, sweet guy who only took money when he was the “date.” The rest of his favors were just that: a kindness shown to those under the thumb of the studio bosses and held to a ridiculous standard by the ruthless tabloid magazines. Many of his clients were so grateful for his discretion, he was given elaborate gifts of money and homes. Today at 93, Scotty is still spinning his stories with a huge smile, adding, “It felt good that I made so many people happy.”
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood opens July 27th.
