In 1989, the television show Sticky Moments made its debut on Britain’s Channel 4. The series helped introduce comedian Julian Clary to a wider television audience and was unapologetically camp.
The show saw Clary, outrageously dressed, host a game show featuring audience members. It was filled with musical comedy, double entendres and bold expressions of sexuality.
Alongside Clary was announcer Hugh Jelly, played by actor Philip Herbert, and pianist Russell Churnney. The late-night programme was undoubtedly low-budget, but it delivered plenty of laughs.
Over its two series, the show also featured a range of guest stars including Barbara Windsor, Bill Oddie and Harry Enfield.
Clary spoke to OUTinPerth in 2016 and shared his love of all things camp. If you’ve never experienced Sticky Moments check out an episode on YouTube.
Actor Montgomery Cliff was born in1920
Montgomery Clift is remembered for portraying brooding and sensitive characters in Hollywood films during the 1950s.
During his lifetime, the actor did not publicly discuss details of his private life. After his death, friend Elizabeth Taylor described him as gay, while his brother, Brooks Clift, characterized him as bisexual.
Clift appeared in many memorable films, including Red River, A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity, Judgment at Nuremberg and The Misfits.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he began his career on the New York stage, appearing in works by Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams and Cole Porter. He also appeared in one of the earliest television broadcasts in the United States when a performance of Noël Coward’s play Hay Fever was staged in a studio and viewed by attendees at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.
His film career began at the age of 25. He appeared alongside John Wayne in Red River, directed by Howard Hawks. His second film, The Search, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Throughout his life, Clift was romantically linked with women including Elizabeth Taylor, Phyllis Thaxter and Libby Holman. However, biographers and historians have also linked him to relationships with men including Jack Larson, William LeMassena and Jerome Robbins. He has additionally been associated with Truman Capote, Roddy McDowall and Lehman Engel.
In 1956, Clift was involved in a serious car accident that required surgery and a lengthy recovery. Following the accident, he struggled with substance abuse and alcoholism. In a 1961 interview, his The Misfits co-star Marilyn Monroe described him as “the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am.”
Clift died on July 23, 1966, aged 45. His death was attributed to a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease.
While many people believed drug use played a significant role in his declining health, his autopsy also revealed he had an underactive thyroid condition, which may have contributed to symptoms that caused him to appear intoxicated or incapacitated even when sober.
While Clift amassed an impressive list of credits, he also turned down roles in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, including Shane, Mrs Miniver, East of Eden, A Star Is Born, High Noon, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Rio Bravo, On the Waterfront and Sunset Boulevard.
