In 1989 the television show Sticky Moments made its debut on Britain’s Channel 4. The show brought comedian Julian Clary to the masses, and it was as camp as hell.
The show saw Clary, outrageously dressed, conduct a game show with audience members. It was filled with musical comedy, double entendre and bold sexuality.
Alongside Clary was announcer Hugh Jelly, played by actor Philip Herbert, and pianist Russelll Churney. The late-night program was low budget for sure, but it was filled with laughs.
Over the two series the show also featured a lot of guest stars including Barbra 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 Cliff is remembered for playing brooding and sensitive men in Hollywood films in the 1950s.
During his life the actor was didn’t publicly share details of his private life but years after his death friend Elizabeth Taylor shared that he was gay, while his brother has described him as being bisexual.
Cliff appeared in many memorable films including Red River, A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity, Judgement at Nurenburg and The Misfits.
Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, his early career was on the New York stage where he appeared in works by Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams and Cole Porter. He appeared in one of the very first television broadcasts in the USA when a performance of the Noel Coward play Hay Fever was performed in a studio and viewed at people attending the 1939 World Fair in New York.
His film career began when he was 25 years old. He appeared alongside John Wayne in Red River directed by Howard Hawks. His second film role in The Search earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
During his life Cliff was romantically linked with Hollywood actors including Elizabeth Taylor, Phylis Thaxter and Libby Holam, but it was just a front to hide his sexuality from the press. In reality he was involved with Superman actor Jack Larson, stage actor William LeMassena and choreographer Jerome Robbins. He also had relationships with Truman Capote, Roddy McDowall and composer Lehman Engel.
In 1956 Cliff was involved in a serious car accident that required him to have surgery and a long period of recuperation. After this he struggled with substance abuse and alcoholism. In a 1961 interview his The Misfits co-star Marilyn Monroe described Cliff as “”the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am”.
He died on July 22, 1966, aged 45. His death was attributed to a heart attack brought on by coronary artery disease.
While many believed drug use played a big role in his declining health, his autopsy also revealed he had an underactive thyroid, which may have been causing his to appear drunk or incapacitated when he may have actually been sober.
While Cliff has an impressive list of film 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.
