The salacious promises of Hollywood scandal in the previews for this film piqued my interest. Even though most of the secrets of these stars are now well known, a first hand account of what went on and with whom was too good to ignore. Scotty Bower was handsome and is still charming, extremely uninhibited, but crude at times and uses archaic slang 'baby'. He is completely believable, and even though all the stars that used his services as a lover or pimp have since passed, there are enough photos, film clips, and fellow gigolos to confirm enough of the stories to accept what can not be proven.
Even in these days of selfie nudes and sexual preferences being broadcast daily through social media, these stories from Hollywood's past are shocking - especially some of the group sex stories, as well as the odd pairings (Rock Hudson and Cary Grant, or Lana Turner and Ava Gardner). However, when Scotty Bower recounts them without a hint of shame, and even fondness, you can't help but to be pulled in by his charisma.
From the previews I thought that Scotty's wartime service, seeing his friends die during horrific battles in the Pacific, may have been the cause for Scotty to abandon conventional morality and pursue the rest of his life to having a good time. However, I was disappointed to find that he had no epiphany for the pursuit of pleasure, Scotty was molested at an early age by a neighbour, and went into pleasuring for cash as a business when he was just eleven years old. His first clients were the Roman Catholic clergy of Chicago -- a trending topic in today's headlines.
He didn't share his business plan or personal carefree sexual attitudes with his family. He still lies to his sister and doesn't tell his current wife everything he did before he met her. He also laments how he wasn't a good husband to his first wife or late daughter, because he was too busy pleasuring Hollywood. There is a deep sadness in his realization that his fun got in the way of intimacy.
Perhaps this is why he remained silent for so long.
The documentary may make promises of sexy stories, but it is, in fact, a rather sad tale of a man distracted by pleasure from having a real life. Scotty is a hoarder, saving toilets from the curbside and packing them away in garages around the city. He accumulates things, like he once accumulated clients and lovers. Ultimately, he is a selfish man who convinces himself every day that he makes others happy, and perhaps he did provide a sexual outlet for many stars, but he forgot to make himself happy in the process.
