This may sound like a weird question but is Montgomery's character still gay in the tv show?...I know that they would never come out and say something like that in a tv show in the 80's, but I don't remember him having any female love interest. I thought maybe they left it kind of ambiguous...does anyone remember?
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P.R. Paul who played Montgomery did not come out as gay in the TV Series. The movie version of Fame did draw crticism from gay activists when it came out because only one character in the movie was openly gay. The film implied there was only one openly gay person in a school of the arts; as if anyone believed that.
which I thought was really dumb of the activists, the film focuses only on 8 or 9 characters. Each character represented an aspect or element of the 'types' kids that went to that school, clearly they're not suggesting that there was only one Gay person at the school. The movie got criticism from all angles, others thought it played on the stereotypes of each of the main protagonists and wasn't "General" enough. So really they couldn't win either way.
F **K what U heard-recognize what U see–love your HATERS theyre your BIGGEST FANS
I can see why there may have been criticism at that time. Montgomery in the movie was afraid to be who he was--would that be realistic in a school loaded with other gay people? AND, his chracter was miserable, implying that being gay makes people unhappy...a stereotype that had been portrayed in films for years.
Meanwhile, by the time Fame aired, Jody (Billy Crystal) on Soap had already been a gay character on prime time television--not to mention there were plenty of gay references on Three's Company because Jack was pretending to be gay so he could live with 2 girls.
--Daniel W. Kelly, author, "Closet Monsters: Zombied Out and Tales of Gothrotica"
I think he may have been neutered or made straight for the tv show. I seem to recall him having a few mild flirtations with girls.
The only other gay character I recall is a guest star who played Danny's friend, and came out of the closet.
There was a recurring character Cassidy, on during the Janet Jackson season (he was the one who produced the big Godzilla musical). I am wondering if the writers were toying with making him a gay character.
I know this is a very old post but since I just got seasons one and two and have been watching nothing but since I got them about a week ago I can answer this.
No he was not. There was an episode where he and Doris vow to tell the truth for one whole day. In the cafeteria he tells Doris that he is finally going to tell so-and-so [can't think of her name] how he felt about her and he went over to talk to her. She however did not feel the same way about him and punched him out.
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