Your work was grand and epic, risky and unique.
Among the more colorful entries, you delighted us with "War-Gods of the Deep" (aka "City Under the Sea"); "The Golden Arrow"; "Out of the Dark"; "Pandemonium"; "Polyester", "Lust in the Dust"; "Cameron's Closet"; "Grotesque"; "Portrait of a Murderer" (for "Playhouse 90"); "Sweet Kill" (aka "The Arousers"); "Ride the Wild Surf"; "Operation Bikini"; "Grease 2"; "The Girl He Left Behind", "The Burning Hills"; (the latter two with pal, Natalie Wood); the devilish "Damn Yankees"; and "Birds Do It" with silly ol' Soupy Sales.
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You also headlined one of my favorite westerns, "Gunman's Walk"; plus the popular "Climax!" episodes, "Mask for the Devil" and "Fear Strikes Out": the latter of which you portrayed baseball legend, Jimmy Piersall (a role seized by your confidant, Anthony Perkins two years later). There's also "The Tab Hunter Show": cut unjustly short during its '60s prime.
You could sure croon a fine tune, too, as you proved in your cover version of Sonny James' "Young Love".
Above all, Mr. Hunter, your boldness, honesty and kindness will be what most fans remember, and for that, you'll always hold our deepest respect...our utmost, loving devotion.
From what I can gather, Hunter and Perkins parted ways after Perkins took (or some might argue, stole) the role of Piersall for the big-budget adaptation of "Fear Strikes Out". However, I never sensed any stinging resentment between the the actors in interviews and related tidbits that surfaced in later years, which I do believe says a lot.
ReplyDelete"Fear Strikes Out" was a film for which Perkins received a great deal of attention: part of what led to his casting of Norman Bates in "Psycho". I suppose Hunter would have made an interesting and sympathetic Bates in his own right. It may have been interesting, therefore, if Hunter had even played a character opposite Bates in one of the "Psycho" sequels. Odd that no one (at least to my recollection) considered the prospect.
Watched "Tab Hunter Confidential" tonight. Fascinating how Tony Perkins was asked to costar in "Lust in the Dust". A Hunter/Perkins team-up in that instance would have been divine (pun intended). Wow!
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