HISTORY: The ball goes on for unlikely activists



A participant in a Gay Mardi Gras ball takes the stage in an elaborate
costume. The men often make their own showstopping ensembles,
using a backpack as the foundation to balance and carry their large
Vegas-style headpieces.







Before Stonewall erupted in 1969, bringing national attention to anti-gay discrimination and police harassment in New York, there were groups of young men in New Orleans primping, parading and performing their way into history as civil rights activists.



These men used the art of drag and Mardi Gras to form clubs – also known as krewes – which allowed them and other gay men to be themselves and bond as a community. In 1962 Petronius was the first gay krewe to apply for and be granted a charter, like other clubs in the city.

Each year the krewes hosted Gay Mardi Gras balls, elaborate send-ups of high society’s Carnival celebration. The balls became a popular tradition in the city’s French Quarter, despite the law against cross-dressing.

The only time drag was legally allowed in New Orleans in the 1950s and '60s was during Mardi Gras. Even then, a costume had to have at least one item of men’s clothing and it couldn’t be worn after dark. It was not uncommon for balls to be the target of police raids, but the men were persistent.

In his first feature-length documentary, “The Sons of Tennessee Williams” (www.exposureroom.com/sonsofTWtrailer), filmmaker Tim Wolff reveals how the balls evolved from being “criminal activity” to being a cultural phenomenon that attracts gay and straight people. The film, which had two sold-out screenings this month at the Palm Springs International Film Festival (http://www.psfilmfest.org/), also takes viewers on an inspiring, humorous journey through New Orleans' gay history.

 

Tim and Albert Carey, who is prominently featured in the film as a member of the Armeinius Krewe, recently shared with THE WILL DEAN SHOW what life was like for gay men who risked their jobs, freedom and lives to meet and entertain one another on their terms.



Tim Wolff


WDS: Why did you decide on Gay Mardi Gras as the topic of your first film?

TIM: Do you want the glamorous answer or the truth?

The truth.

I never really intended to make documentaries. I was stuck after (Hurricane) Katrina. I had no house, no woodworking shop – where I made my living full-time. I made doors and windows for properties in the French Quarter – it was a lucrative career.

I had planned this documentary before. It’s a miracle no one had done it. It’s a powerful unknown story about civil rights in America. These men created gay public assembly.

What impressed you about the gay men of that era that you would like to see from younger men?

TIM: The men themselves say the younger generations have no idea what they went through. They were willing to have their lives destroyed just to have a Mardi Gras ball.



Albert Carey in costume


ALBERT: You could lose your apartment, your job [if it was discovered you were gay]. Apartment leases had a moral’s clause. I had no idea.

The political climate is still tenuous in this country as far as gay men are concerned. We’ve had a few victories but nothing is guaranteed. We could find ourselves back in the 1950s.

I think kids should be aware this could happen and what steps they could take. The most dangerous thing would be to become complacent.

How much work goes into preparing for a Mardi Gras ball?

TIM: It’s year-round.

ALBERT: The week after the ball is our first meeting and we elect new officers and we start [planning] right away for next year.

Many of the men featured in “The Sons of Tennessee Williams” moved from smaller Louisiana communities. Was Mardi Gras or New Orleans the draw?

ALBERT: The French Quarter was the draw. In the ’50s and ’60s it was very bohemian and gay friendly. The police were not friendly but the French Quarter was.

TIM: There were 10 to 12 gay bars.

ALBERT: Mardi Gras was in the French Quarter. It was a real community. You knew everybody. The Quarter attracted all these characters.

What was the turning point for gays to feel accepted throughout New Orleans?

ALBERT: Harry Connick Sr. was the turning point. [He courted the gay vote during his 1973 bid for district attorney and was elected.] He coincides with the change in dancing.

People used to dance holding one another. In the ’60s everyone stood to the side sort of shaking.

Harry Connick abolished the vice squad – no more harassment, no more entrapment.

The scariest time in the Quarter was when Jim Garrison [DA preceding Connick] prosecuted Clay Shaw for the assassination of President John Kennedy. They were trying to find a link to gay men. Of course they didn’t find anything but that was a scary time.

Were you a part of the Krewe of Armeinius from the beginning?

ALBERT: I came in the second year (1969). A friend of mine invited me to a party. As soon as I met all of these guys I thought, “This looks like a lot of fun.” The captain said, "You have to make the set." I had a budget of $100.

It was so amazing. It occupied your time. The camaraderie was amazing – not that we didn’t dish each other. We are gay.

What happened to the members of various krewes as a result of Hurricane Katrina?

TIM: A lot of people moved away.

ALBERT: A member of Armeinius took over [the Krewe of Petronius] after members started dying. Some of our members are in both krewes.



Mardi Gras, 1954


For years people have said drag is passé and a dying art. But RuPaul has had a resurgence with reality TV; you’ve made “The Sons of Tennessee Williams.” What’s the appeal of drag?

ALBERT: It appeals to the actor in people. People who do drag do not think they’re women. There’s just this fun appeal to do it. So many young people now are doing this.

What did you think about seeing yourself on the big screen?

ALBERT: I was horrified. It’s very difficult to grow old on the big screen. But I’m proud of the film.

Tim, why did you name the film “The Sons of Tennessee Williams”?

I love obscure titles in my own work. It just came to me. It was purely a twist on The Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of the American Revolution …

ALBERT: And Tennessee Williams was in New Orleans all the time. He led us out of the woods in so many cases.

What do you think Tennessee would say about the film?

TIM: I think he would love it. People in charge of his estate, those people, love the movie. He would love to know he had influenced these men.

Who did you make the film for?

TIM: I made it 50/50 for me and for these men.

I didn’t think it would be a huge hit. I’m very proud I got to do it. I know I did the most sensitive portrayals of these people.

What’s the lesson in this film for younger LGBT people?

ALBERT: One of the lessons you could take is camaraderie. Join something where you can get together with out gay men and do something for the community.

I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but why should they? What do you get from it?

ALBERT: Companionship, friendship. It you spent your life in the bars that would be sad.

What do you want the audience to take away from seeing it?

ALBERT: I want them to laugh and have a good time. I want straight audiences when they see it to know that gay men are not pedophiles and molesters, which some of them believe.





ABOUT TIM WOLFF (Grateful Dead fan)

Age: 46

City of residence: New Orleans

Occupation: Independent filmmaker

Relevant experience: Three years as a producer on HBO’s “Real Sex”
E-mail: timwolffhouse@yahoo.com



 

ABOUT ALBERT CAREY

Age: 71

City of residence: New Orleans, where he grew up

Occupation: Architect/investor

Relevant experience: Reigning king of Armeinius Krewe