Cole Porter From ‘Hollywood’ Was a Real-Life Showbiz Icon
Ryan Murphy's new Netflix show Hollywood blends fact and fiction in order to tell its story of the Golden Age of the movie industry in 1940s Los Angeles. That means a number of real-life showbiz movers and shakers make appearances in the show, including iconic movie stars like Rock Hudson and Vivien Leigh.
The first episode of Hollywood introduced viewers to Golden Tip Gasoline, the service station where good-looking attendants take care of all their wealthy customers' needs. One of these clients, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene, is revealed to be real-life American composer Cole Porter.
Porter is shown smoking while half-dressed, exuding the world's most unbothered energy as he utters a louche "Hello there" to protagonist Jack. In just a few seconds, the show nods to both Porter's homosexuality, and his significance to the musical canon.
By the 1940s, Porter's sexuality was something of an open secret in some circles, and he had acquired something of a reputation for hedonism. During his time living in Paris, he was well-known for his parties, which were reported to entail all kinds of debauchery and drug use. Porter's respectable public image was protected, however, by his longstanding marriage to Linda Lee Thomas, with whom he stayed from 1919 until her death in 1954.
Similarly, Hollywood briefly references Porter's ubiquity in the culture of the time; it is entirely fitting that Dylan McDermott's character Ernie describes Porter as a "living legend" and "national treasure." He wrote the music and lyrics for several musicals which remain popular to this day: Anything Goes, a screwball comedy set aboard an ocean liner, has been adapted for the big screen twice and had several stage revivals, and romantic comedy Kiss Me, Kate won the first Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949.
A number of the songs Porter wrote for these stage shows have since become synonymous with swing and big band music. If you've ever heard your uncle or grandpa doing karaoke, then there's a decent chance you've heard one of Porter's hits, which include "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," "Night and Day," and "I Get a Kick Out of You." He also composed the score for a number of hit Hollywood movies, including High Society, starring Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, and Les Girls, starring Gene Kelly.
Porter is shown seated during his brief Hollywood cameo. In real life, Porter was seriously injured during a horse-riding accident in 1937; he refused amputation and spent the rest of his life disabled, claiming that continuing to write music was his only distraction from the constant pain.
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