When young Arthur Gelien agreed to having his name changed to Tab Hunter he effectively sealed any chance of ever being taken seriously as an actor. At the time he certainly had no reason to ask to be taken seriously as an actor. He was taken on by the studios for his golden boy looks which attracted a large teen audience, no matter what the quality of the film. For the studios he was simply bait, which for a number of years did the trick. When younger bait appeared in the form of Troy Donahue, Tab's time was up.
Looking over Tab Hunter's filmography there is scant reason to take him seriously as an actor. And yet, there was a time towards the end of the fifties, when Hunter really did aspire to be a serious actor. He was greatly frustrated by the studio's refusal to offer him decent roles, to the point where he bought out his contract for an exorbitant sum, just to attain his freedom. The fifties had been an amazing period for young male actors. Brando and Dean (in the wake of Montgomery Clift) had completely changed the perception of what screen acting could be for young male actors. Hunter desperately wanted to be like them.
It was not to be. After leaving the studios, he coasted on the celebrity of his name, through forgettable TV appearances, B grade European films and a career in dinner theater. Tab Hunter was not an exceptionally talented actor, but he did improve vastly from the incredibly amateur debut starring role in "Saturday Island". He responded extremely well to good directors but sadly very rarely enjoyed that privilege. Under Sidney Lumet he gave one of his best performances in "That Kind Of Woman" and years later an as yet unknown Curtis Hanson elicited a strong showing from him in "The Arousers". His best shot at being taken really seriously as an actor came when a young Arthur Penn chose him for the Playhouse 90 episode titled "Portrait of a Murderer". Being live television with no second takes, this was a huge challenge. All in all it's a challenge Tab Hunter met commendably. He may not be as riveting as a Brando or a Dean, or even a Paul Newman or a Ben Gazara, but he does turn in a strong performance and largely proves that he did have what it takes to be a fine actor. The fact that this never happened is a combination of factors beyond his control and the poor choices he made.
He is partnered beautifully by a young Geraldine Page. They share some truly touching moments together.
"Portrait of a Murderer" is a genuine curiosity item. While its satisfying to see Hunter doing his best, (although the problem is that he seems to be trying too hard), in retrospect it's a little sad to see how things panned out in his career.
Looking over Tab Hunter's filmography there is scant reason to take him seriously as an actor. And yet, there was a time towards the end of the fifties, when Hunter really did aspire to be a serious actor. He was greatly frustrated by the studio's refusal to offer him decent roles, to the point where he bought out his contract for an exorbitant sum, just to attain his freedom. The fifties had been an amazing period for young male actors. Brando and Dean (in the wake of Montgomery Clift) had completely changed the perception of what screen acting could be for young male actors. Hunter desperately wanted to be like them.
It was not to be. After leaving the studios, he coasted on the celebrity of his name, through forgettable TV appearances, B grade European films and a career in dinner theater. Tab Hunter was not an exceptionally talented actor, but he did improve vastly from the incredibly amateur debut starring role in "Saturday Island". He responded extremely well to good directors but sadly very rarely enjoyed that privilege. Under Sidney Lumet he gave one of his best performances in "That Kind Of Woman" and years later an as yet unknown Curtis Hanson elicited a strong showing from him in "The Arousers". His best shot at being taken really seriously as an actor came when a young Arthur Penn chose him for the Playhouse 90 episode titled "Portrait of a Murderer". Being live television with no second takes, this was a huge challenge. All in all it's a challenge Tab Hunter met commendably. He may not be as riveting as a Brando or a Dean, or even a Paul Newman or a Ben Gazara, but he does turn in a strong performance and largely proves that he did have what it takes to be a fine actor. The fact that this never happened is a combination of factors beyond his control and the poor choices he made.
He is partnered beautifully by a young Geraldine Page. They share some truly touching moments together.
"Portrait of a Murderer" is a genuine curiosity item. While its satisfying to see Hunter doing his best, (although the problem is that he seems to be trying too hard), in retrospect it's a little sad to see how things panned out in his career.
