Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Jan 2, 2010

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller

I never liked Barney Miller, the ensemble sitcom about a police precinct. I always felt it was stilted and claustrophobic.

But despite my objections, it was a very successful show, running for seven years and winning a bunch of awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.

And it was one of the first shows to feature semi-regular gay character.

Actor Jack DeLeon portrayed Marty Morrison, a gay purse snatcher who was seen on several episodes.

I don't know how to feel about Marty. It's not that I had a problem with how DeLeon portrayed him as a stereotypically flighty "queen."

I just had a problem with DeLeon.

I am not familiar with the actor but on two other occasions, he portrayed a gay man and both times I found his characterization to be crude and one-dimensional.

One portrayal was featured in a past posting of Know Your LGBT History (The Choirboys). In it, DeLeon is playing a gay man walking a poodle.And he has the "fortune" to encounter a naked man in the park.

The other portrayal (which I have not talked about yet) was on the Rated X episode of Sanford and Son. DeLeon portrayed the director of a pornographic film. It's bad enough that his sexual orientation was featured as a joke, but then the script called for him to make a crude advance to actor Redd Foxx.
I'm sorry but even if I were the most homophobic homophobe, I would never buy the fact that any gay man would ever make a play for Redd Foxx or his character Fred Sanford.

But I digress.

Believe it or not though, this episode of Barney Miller featuring DeLeon is actually a good one. It's called Discovery and in it, he and Miller are helping a friend who has been harassed and extorted by a policeman. Between you and me, I found the portrayal of Marty's friend (the victim of the shakedown) to more enjoyable: