QNotesCarolinas
Classic Cinema Forgotten That You Should Know
By David Aaron Moore
Feb 28, 2025
A love of film and legendary divas has always been a part of queer culture. Some of these entertainers could dance and sing, while others could deliver a dramatic performance that might make you cry or a comedic punch that left you with abdominal pain from laughing so hard. And some of them could do all of that.
Technology in 2025 makes it possible to have a never-ending source of film and television programming at your fingertips. In fact, there is a tremendous amount of material to choose from. Some of the films listed here are available for streaming, while a few may require purchase of a (gasp!) Blu-Ray or DVD. Whatever the case, they’re all worth the effort to hunt them down.
Despite the years that have passed, the film and television industry still shows signs of being forever changed by the COVID pandemic. Many TV series and movies have moved to streaming platforms like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Financial challenges have often made big budget releases a thing of the past and creativity is far too often sacrificed to meet the demands for more material with smaller budgets.
If you’re bored with what’s out there right now, consider taking a look back at some of the films many individuals in our community found meaningful and entertaining during the 20th century.
During that time there weren’t very many openly LGBTQ+ role models that were out and open to identify with, so queer folks looked elsewhere and found a host of female entertainers they grew to love, who loved them right back.
Most of them are very well known for one or more particular movies, or a music career. In honor of Women’s History month in March, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the lesser known, but still amazing films these women made that you need to see.
Lucille Ball in “The Big Street” (1942)
Ball is best known for the television series “I Love Lucy.” To experience another side of her acting capabilities, do your best to watch “The Big Street.” Staring alongside Henry Fonda, Ball plays a gangster’s snobby girlfriend who gets beaten all to hell and ends up an invalid in a wheelchair. Despite Fonda’s never-ending love and devotion, Ball treats Fonda like a pariah before she gets what she deserves. It’s a big bag of varying emotions that will leave you sad, angry and touched by devotion.
Rosalind Russell in “The Velvet Touch” (1948)
Russell is best known for the film “Auntie Mame,” which is amazing but, you really should check out the film noir classic “The Velvet Touch.” This is a serious role for Russell but she still manages to pump in a comic line or two here and there. Playing the part of a Broadway star, she unintentionally and unexpectedly gets away with the perfect crime. Throughout the film she battles her inner demons and sense of guilt until it finally gets the best of her.
Joan Crawford in “Possessed” (1947)
Crawford is, arguably, best known for the film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” That’s a great movie, but don’t miss the opportunity to see the movie “Possessed.” In the role of a nurse named Louise, Crawford obsesses over a boyfriend who doesn’t return her feelings. It’s not clear whether she had mental issues before or the experience drives her to madness, but she gets to act her most convincingly crazy in a film role that was nominated for an Academy Award.
Bette Davis in “The Star” (1952)
Her most infamous role was in the movie “All About Eve,” but you’re missing out if you don’t catch a chance to see “The Star.” After the success of “All About Eve” Davis had hoped to continue her winning streak in the movie “The Star.” Playing a character purportedly based on Joan Crawford, Davis is a down and out movie star who ends up losing everything and is forced to get a job at a department store before quitting after a few snobby store patrons recognizes her. While the film was not a success, it’s still extremely entertaining and lots of fun to watch, as Davis hisses and spits her way through practically every scene.
Judy Garland in “I Could Go on Singing” (1963)
Garland will always be remembered for her role as the young Kansas girl Dorothy caught up in a tornado in the film “The Wizard of Oz.” Check out her final film, “I Could Go on Singing.” Filmed entirely in England, Garland stars opposite gay actor Dirk Bogarde as a down and out American singer and Broadway actress who wants to reconnect with the son she handed over to Bogarde in order to pursue her career, but Bogarde isn’t going for it. Garland pulls out some of her best dramatic stops to win him over and eventually closes the film on stage singing the title theme.
Barbra Streisand in “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (1970)
Best known for her musical career, Streisand has appeared in a plethora of films, but there’s one in particular that’s an oddity you really should see. Part musical, part science fiction, part tragedy and romantic comedy, it’s called “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Streisand stars opposite French actor Yves Montand as a fun loving but slightly neurotic young woman in contemporary America who is accidentally hypnotized. This allows psychiatrist and college professor Montand to discover her previous life as a psychically-gifted woman who comes to a life of privilege while living among 17th century British royalty, but not before she’s accused of being a witch.
Diana Ross in “Mahogany” (1975)
Best known for her musical career, there’s one particular film that’s a mix of unintentional camp comedy and tragedy that actually has a happy ending: “Mahogany.” In the film, which also stars Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Perkins, Diana Ross plays the title character, who faces discrimination and disdain from various peers and co-workers while she struggles to become a fashion designer, but instead experiences huge success as a model. Perkins (still being cast as a psycho fifteen years after the Hitchcock film), in the role of a well-known and obsessive fashion photographer, loves her then treats her terribly before meeting an untimely demise in a Maserati. Mahogany survives the car crash, achieves her ultimate desires but in the end tosses everything to the curb for the man that she decides was meant for her: Billy Dee Williams. While Williams role pales in comparison to others in the film, he does get the movie’s ultimate line: “Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with.”
Madonna in “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985)
Frequently referred to as a master of reinvention and definitely the Queen of Pop from the 1980s until the 2010s, Madonna had a prime roll in the movie “Desperately Seeking Susan.” Madonna plays a New York City counterculture opportunist named Susan who is always on the prowl for a new man and new funding. Rosanna Arquette as Roberta lives a boring life in the suburbs and discovers Susan’s personal ads and decides to follow her around in an effort to spice up her boring life. Mishaps and mild disasters ensue, but so does happiness and self-realization for all parties involved.
Cher in “Suspect” (1987)
Best known for her musical career and television series, Cher has appeared in several films but there is one that really sticks out: “Suspect.” In the film, Cher plays a tough attorney with a heart of gold stars opposite a flirtatious and snarky Dennis Quaid in the role of a juror. Together the two face mystery, love and endless peril while attempting (despite breaking countless judicial laws) to save an accused homeless man (Liam Neeson) of murder.
Bette Midler in “Big Business” (1988)
Best known for her musical career, Midler first appeared on the big screen in the musical “The Rose.” Not as well known, but a guaranteed laugh a minute is “Big Business.” Midler co-stars in the film with another queer icon and comedic actress, Lily Tomlin. Together the two play two sets of identical twins that get switched up by a bumbling nurse in a mill town at birth. Following the opening scene of the mishap and mix up of newborn infants, we jump forward to the 1980s, where the two sets of mismatched twins finally encounter each other while going head to head over an aggressive corporate shut down of the previously mentioned mill town’s main source of income and employment. Despite a boisterously comedic tone (with Tomlin and Midler how could you expect anything less?), it does raise some interesting questions about environment versus genetics and how that impacts the four sisters in later life.
