In May it was porn star Stormy Daniels. This month it is Scotty Bowers, famous as the pimp for gay Hollywood celebs, who will be receiving a proclamation from the City of West Hollywood.
Bowers is the subject of a documentary titled “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” whose theatrical release is scheduled for this coming Friday. The documentary, by Vanity Fair’s Matt Tyrnauer, tells the story of Bowers’ work as an attendant at a gas station on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Van Ness from where he helping closeted Hollywood celebrities find men for sex.
“It’s been said with a wink that Scotty Bowers helped put the ‘wood’ in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1980s,” said West Hollywood City Councilmember John D’Amico in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. D’Amico will present the proclamation to Bowers, who just turned 95, at an event at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at The Abbey on Robertson Boulevard, which is open to the public. On May 23, it was D’Amico who presented the key to the city to Stormy Daniels while Mayor John Duran presented her with an official city proclamation outside the Chi Chi La Rue sex shop on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Bowers, who is married (to a woman) and sees himself as heterosexual, lives in the Hollywood Hills. He is said to have connected celebrities such as like Cary Grant, George Cukor and Rock Hudson with men for sex and even arranged sexual liaisons with women for Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn and the occasional heterosexual. He says he didn’t accept payment for those services.
Bowers was a former Marine when he moved to Los Angeles after World War II. While working at the gas station he was given a $20 “tip” by Walter Pidgeon, the tall and handsome (and married) actor who starred in “Mrs. Miniver,” for performing some personal “services” with him.
Bowers began arranging similar services with other men for other closeted celebrities. In 1950 he quit the service station job and began working full time as a prostitute, bartender and handyman. He himself preferred the company of women.
Bowers told his story in “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars,” a book published in 2012. He said that he waited until then to tell his story because most of those he worked with had died and he wouldn’t be embarrassing them.
I think it’s fabulous! No one can say he didn’t provide a much needed “service” to many…Weho is all about fun; embracing your sexuality, eccentricities & enjoying life. It’s a Mardi Gras joie de vivre environment that long ago embraced the LGBTQ community when other cities would not. Weho has dubbed itself “The World’s Most Incredible & Magical Gay City” and it’s one heck of a fun place! Team Scotty! You go with that swizzle stick!
Can you tell us more about this? I’d like to find out more details.
I was a party guest many times through the years, very high end events by the way, where Scottie served as party bar tender & entertained (& quite possibly thrilled) guests, both male & female, by stirring their drink with his sizable swizzle stick. He had to be asked of course, but he gleefully accommodated every request & I have to admit I sometimes asked for a party favor just for the fun of it. A flop, a quick stir, a few shakes & it was over. I’m sure Scottie’s performances added substantially to his tip jar & got him… Read more »
This article is inaccurate. Vivien Leigh was allegedly one of the women he “serviced” himself and did not claim to have found “women” for. I suppose it doesn’t really matter. We have gone down the rabbit hole like in celebrating people who are notorious for all the wrong reasons and are officially honoring them with distinction for it.
How can we wonder that trash can sit in the highest seat in the country?
Scotty Bowers should be honored. He was a legend not a one night stand with Trump. Just out of grad school in the late 60’s, I went to a couple of parties where Scotty Bowers was the bartender. I remember him because he was pointed out by a friend, even a legend then. These parties were rather formal and hosted by rich older men, some having married into money, wives divorced, dead or in assisted living, and what they use to call remittance men. Rich guys who were heirs to some meat packing company and shipped off to Hollywood to… Read more »
I think it’s great. And sex workers should not be confused with bank robbers or drug dealers. Get over yourselves. Or move to Trump country. These comments are embarrassing.
If the city is going to make a regular thing of giving out a key to the city it should go through a nomination process before a panel or committee. Not just thrown out there to someone to make an outrageous statement. This cities history is about a lot more than just sex, but more about giving people a place to be free and safe to love and have sex with whomever they felt those feelings for.
Let’s see, a straight man who hustled gay men at a time when just a mere hint of said gay man’s sexuality could destroy his life. This is to be honored by our mostly gay city council in 2018? Disgusting!
I guess I need to get my “Scandal” on to get recognition here locally. Now I know the secret to the movers and shakers in this community.
As the story goes, when bartending at private homes, he was known to use a long stick to stir the drinks.
That’s got to be worth some accolades.
Good hard working positive people kept in the closet while a pimp is honored for a horrible book and movie and servicing stars. Let’s fet Trump the key to the city. City council uball list any possibility of me voting for you Vote for anyone else
Why would the city allow that. I saw the documentary and he disgusted me. A hoarder due to sexual trauma. He’s mean and he thinks he’s open and no problem.
Terrible decision. I can think of 10,000 better people than a whore pimp lowlife.
Terrible boring ewpetitve documentary. A tell all book. Damn I won’t tell a soul about my dead superstar friends. Ever. Why. It’s will be private forever