| rdfs:comment | - By special arrangement with Almighty God Himself, Rock Hudson was born "Roy Harold Scherer Jr." in Waukegan, Illinois. He was originally to be delivered in Winnetka, Illinois, but didn't like the sound of the place. Too tinny. Try it yourself. "Winnetka." See? Tinny. Now Waukegan, there's a good, woody sounding name. WAH - KEE' - GUN. No question, it was the right choice.
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| abstract | - By special arrangement with Almighty God Himself, Rock Hudson was born "Roy Harold Scherer Jr." in Waukegan, Illinois. He was originally to be delivered in Winnetka, Illinois, but didn't like the sound of the place. Too tinny. Try it yourself. "Winnetka." See? Tinny. Now Waukegan, there's a good, woody sounding name. WAH - KEE' - GUN. No question, it was the right choice. He wasn't particularly keen on the name "Roy Harold Scherer Jr.," but God wouldn't budge on that. Still, you've got to admire anyone that can haggle with the Supreme Being over their designated birthplace. Such was the pull that the man had, even in his pre-foetal stage. But, the name "Scherer" continued to be a source of iritation for the boy. It reminded him of sheep, and for whatever reason, he didn't want to be reminded of sheep. So, at the age of 7 he challenged his father to an armwrestling match over custody rights. When his old man picked himself up off the floor, sobbing like an effeminate coward, he was forced to grant Roy his freedom. While shopping for new, potential parents, Roy experimented with a number of names. Gerald Fitzpatrick and Patrick Fitzgerald were early contenders, but eventually dismissed because they sounded "too gay". He was later adopted by the Fitzgerald family, but elected to keep the name "Roy". After being discharged from the United States Navy, an experience he would later say changed him forever — though he would never specify exactly what that meant — Roy acquired a social disease Hollywood audition and landed a tiny role as a Seaman in the 1948 submarine epic "Yoo Hoo Under the Big Blue". However, his agent was concerned that Roy's image might be perceived as "too Irish", so Roy changed his name to "Rock Hudson" because some flaming queer had already got dibs on his first choice, "Mountain Pacific". Rock met Douglas Sirk, a director of "women's pictures" — so-called because they were classic love stories constructed with romantic archetypes. Hudson, who one anonymous industry giant once estimated could make a woman moisten her knickers from a range of half-a-mile, weather permitting, was for all intents and purposes, the leading man archetype. It was to launch a stellar film career for Hudson, who went on to star in a series of classics including the unforgettable 1957 picture, "A Farewell to Arms" written by his close friend, father figure, and sugar daddy cycling partner, Ernest Hemingway.
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