LAURA (1944)
Gay star Clifton Webb plays the queer-coded villain Waldo Lydecker in the 1944 film-noir classic LAURA.
This film noir opens with narration from the queer-coded Waldo Lydecker as the camera pans over his lavishly furnished apartment, adorned with countless ruffles and antiques. Waldo discusses the murder of a woman named Laura (Gene Tierney) with a police detective (Dana Andrews). He decides to help the detective determine who the murderer is - at the top of the list is Laura’s fiancée Shelby (Vincent Price).
Waldo has a strange fascination with Laura, he doesn’t seem to be in love with her – it’s more like an obsession. He builds her up in society, teaches her about style, and helps her earn greater success as a businesswoman. In return, Waldo wants to keep her like one of the collectible objects in his apartment; she’s essentially the carnation attached to his lapel.
That carnation is also part of his queer-coding. The other men don’t wear flowers on their suit jackets, or use a fancy cane for walking. Waldo’s effeminate mannerisms, acid-tongued wit, and penchant for antiques are contrasted against the stoic ‘manliness’ of the police detective. Additionally, Waldo’s character was also partially based on queer newspaper columnist and radio personality Alexander Woollcott.
As in most Hollywood adaptations, there were some large changes in character and plot that left the original author of the novel, Vera Caspary, unhappy. Interestingly, one of these changes was the expansion of the queer role of Waldo Lydecker – played by gay actor Clifton Webb. Director Otto Preminger knew he wanted Webb for the role of Waldo from the beginning, but the studio head at Fox thought Webb was too noticeably effeminate. Webb would go on to play other queer-coded roles in films like THE DARK CORNER (1946), THE RAZOR’S EDGE (1946) and SITTING PRETTY (1948).
Queer characters were banned from Hollywood films during this period due to the censorship of the Hays Code, so it’s actually quite surprising how noticeably, and intentinally, gay Waldo is depicted. The censorship board may have missed it while screening the film before its release, or it’s possible they allowed it because the character is villainized.
** Spoilers Ahead **
In the end, Waldo is revealed to be the killer. Naturally, the gay character is depicted as crazed and dies at the end of the film, perpetuating the usual tropes. However, when looking past the flaws in representation, LAURA is actually a fantastically constructed murder mystery. Despite whatever intention that may have been held to vilify Waldo, you’ll find it difficult not to root for him. He’s the most interesting and entertaining character in the bunch.
You can find LAURA streaming on Criterion (Canada/USA), TCM (USA) and BBC iPlayer (UK), for rent/purchase through AppleTV and Amazon, and also available on DVD/Blu-ray.
Sources:
Barrios, Richard. Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall. Routledge, 2003.
Gabriel, Jo. “Queers and Dykes in the Dark: Classic, Noir & Horror Cinema’s Coded Gay Characters.” The Last Drive In, 29 May 2023, thelastdrivein.com.
Murray, Raymond. Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. TLA Publications, 1994.
Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies. Harper & Row, 1981.
