Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969

A comprehensive, well-researched history of LGBTQ+ individuals in Hollywood's first six decades, examining how they shaped American cinema while often hiding their identities behind lavender marriages and other survival strategies. Mann combines archival research with interviews to create an authoritative account.

Mann extensively documents lavender marriages as a survival strategy during the era of studio control, explaining how studios arranged marriages to protect valuable stars like Rock Hudson, providing detailed case studies of these arrangements, and analyzing the psychological and personal costs of living these double lives.

The book explores how the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934 (which banned "sex perversion"), the Lavender Scare of the 1950s, McCarthyism, and absolute studio control forced many talented LGBTQ+ individuals into false marriages while they simultaneously created some of cinema's most enduring and beloved work. Essential reading for understanding Hollywood's treatment of its LGBTQ+ community.