May 18

George Gershwin: was he or wasn't he?

1927 Gershwin photograph by Edward Steichen

Over the years many, many people have reported that George Gershwin engaged in homosexual activity. That’s what Broadway lyricist Irving Caesar (1895-1996) told the late author and publisher Lyle Stuart decades ago. According to Stuart, Gershwin’s homosexual dalliances were one of Hollywood’s and New York’s best-kept secrets. While Gershwin was alive, no-one publicly discussed the subject. Outing homosexuals is a recent development. For example, even when Charles Laughton married Elsa Lanchester in 1929, no-one talked about its being a marriage of convenience. When Gershwin (1898-1937) died of a tumor, the subject of his love life did not come up in print, although, in private, individuals such as Caesar (who died at the age of 101 in 1996) talked about it with Stuart. The two had Manhattan offices in Tin Pan Alley’s Brill Building at 1619 Broadway.

Stuart worked for Variety (1945-6), edited Music Business (1946-8), founded Exposé (1951), and since 1990 had been president of Barricade Books. Caesar is the lyricist who wrote the words to “Tea for Two”, “Swanee” and “Is It True What They Say About Dixie?”.

Caesar stated that show business cognoscenti knew about Gershwin’s homosexual trysts, but the subject was not written about, in order to protect important people’s reputations. George was only one of many whose sexual orientation was not mentioned and, in fact, still remains secreted except to a select few. It was also rumored that Gershwin frequented brothels in pursuit of loose women. Whatever the full truth might reveal, Gershwin never settled into a straight romantic and sexual relationship.

George’s frequent “beard” was Esther Sillabee, at one time a publicist for the bandleader Vincent Lopez and New York’s Plaza Hotel. Esther dated George in order that he could be seen with a female companion.

When Oscar Levant died in 1972, he did not reveal what he knew about George Gershwin, which could have confirmed all those rumors. Levant was a fixture in the households of both Gershwin brothers, and Levant was a prominent interpreter of George’s piano works. What we lack is real proof that Gershwin was homosexual, bisexual or asexual – and it’s likely we’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that the brilliance of "Porgy and Bess" and "Rhapsody in Blue" was just the tip of the iceberg of a future that never came. Gershwin died at the age of 39.

Gershwin published piano solo arrangements of 18 of his popular songs. Have a listen to his own piano solo arrangement of “I Got Rhythm.” It will take your breath away.