Lez Get Historical

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knowhomo: LGBTQ* History Behind The Story THE CHILDREN’S HOUR (You can watch the trailer to the film version here) On 20 November 1934, Lillian Hellman’s play The Children’s Hour opened on Broadway to rave reviews and sell-out audiences. It told the story of two Scottish schoolteachers, Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, accused of lesbianism by one of their students, and was based on an actual case in 19th-century Scotland. The play was filmed in 1962 as The Loudest Whisper, in which the heroine’s epiphany is that she is, indeed, a lesbian, necessitates (as was the Hollywood tradition of the time with any gay character) that she die (in this case, suicide). In reality, however, the two women in Scotland brought a successful legal action against the woman who had spread the original rumors. The notoriety of the case led the British authorities in the following year (1812) to debate the possibility of sex between two women.  Their conclusion? Not Possible. (text from: Baker, Michelle, and Stephen Tropiano. Queer Facts: the Greatest Gay and Lesbian Trivia Book Ever. London: Arcane, 2004)

knowhomo:

LGBTQ* History Behind The Story

THE CHILDREN’S HOUR

(You can watch the trailer to the film version here)

On 20 November 1934, Lillian Hellman’s play The Children’s Hour opened on Broadway to rave reviews and sell-out audiences. It told the story of two Scottish schoolteachers, Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, accused of lesbianism by one of their students, and was based on an actual case in 19th-century Scotland. The play was filmed in 1962 as The Loudest Whisper, in which the heroine’s epiphany is that she is, indeed, a lesbian, necessitates (as was the Hollywood tradition of the time with any gay character) that she die (in this case, suicide).

In reality, however, the two women in Scotland brought a successful legal action against the woman who had spread the original rumors. The notoriety of the case led the British authorities in the following year (1812) to debate the possibility of sex between two women. 

Their conclusion? Not Possible.

(text from: Baker, Michelle, and Stephen Tropiano. Queer Facts: the Greatest Gay and Lesbian Trivia Book Ever. London: Arcane, 2004)

Filed under the children's hour lillian hellman

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  8. watkin reblogged this from feathers and added:
    how I would have seen it in London too :(
  9. fizgig1202 reblogged this from fyeahqueervintage
  10. sentientmachine reblogged this from fyeahqueervintage and added:
    THIS MOVIEEEEE I mean it’s a gay Audrey Hepburn movie. Pure Gold.
  11. feathers reblogged this from fyeahqueervintage and added:
    I saw the theatrical piece in London this spring. Keira Knightley and Elizabeth Moss were fantastic as Karen and Martha....
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  18. acciocoolbeans reblogged this from mooserrific and added:
    We watched this in my history class about a month ago, and it was suuuuper interesting.
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