Life in 1970s America is often looked back at with an air of nostalgia for its simpler times and more structured family life. A lack of television networks, back then there was just the big three: ABC, CBS, and NBC, lulled most Americans into a basic routine of working all day, eating dinner, watching a little TV, and then heading off to bed because like it or not, the TV networks signed off every night sometime between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., often with a rousing rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance before descending into a black screen and white noise.
In this environment of tight knit families and small-town communities, records and cassette tapes were all the rage, most Americans were still using rotary phones, and cigarette smoking was allowed in everyday public locations—even school!
While all this homespun American goodness is fondly recalled by the majority, the same cannot be said for every people group. A safe, secure America was not a version shared by everyone equally in the 1970s, and often members of the LGBTQ+ community faced discrimination, increased police attention, rejection by society, and separation from their families.
Often treated as criminals by law enforcement and ostracized by “polite” society elsewhere, the 1970s represents a decade of fear and exclusion for some LGBTQ+ individuals, leading them to seek out public spaces where they could live openly and with some degree of safety—a LGBTQ+ Cheers, if you will.
The 1970s in America were defined by major cultural, political, and economic shifts and as usual, the entertainment industry was quick to capitalize on these changing cultural patterns.
Shows like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, and Maude were confronting social issues using humor. Racism, poverty, and gender roles were all topics explored on some of the more popular shows of the decade, in contrast to other options of the time, like The Little House on the Prairie.
The “new” Hollywood of the 1970s was all about throwing away the old script and introducing viewers to more socially controversial films. Loosening its restrictions on language, nudity, and violent content, an explosion of envelope- pushing films was released, made famous by household names like Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Barbara Kopple, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Out of this new filmmaking movement came modern-day classics like Harlan County, USA, Network, The French Connection, Mean Streets, The Godfather, Chinatown, and All the President’s Men.
But behind the scenes, a diamond in the rough was filmed and later released in 1971 to lackluster reviews.
Starring an eclectic cast of lesser known stars at the time that includes Candy Darling, Rue McClanahan, and Fannie Flagg, Some of My Best Friends Are… was among the earliest openly queer American films in history. The film portrays a diverse group of gay men, lesbians, straight, bisexual, and trans who gather to celebrate Christmas Eve at the Blue Jay Bar in Greenwich Village out of the necessity of having nowhere else they belonged.
From its inception the movie met with resistance, with critics like Vincent Canby condemning it as a “second-rate spin-off” of the earlier The Boys in the Band film, however, in the intervening decades the movie has come to be celebrated for its bold storytelling and role in helping to shape queer filmmaking in general, as well as recognized for its historical significance in American filmmaking.
Set in 1971, the movie helped to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and showcase anxieties felt by old and young alike within the community by focusing on contrasting the reservations of older closeted LGBTQ+ individuals with the rebellion of youth.
Another major theme of the film is one popularized today, that of choosing one’s family.
Some of my best friends are… highlights how LGBTQ+ people built support systems and found validation and acceptance in places like the movie’s hypothetical Blue Jay Bar, often because their real homes didn’t feel like home. Like the 1980s mega primetime hit Cheers, patrons and employees of the Blue Jay Bar work together to create a magic that makes the bar feel like a home away from home for the characters. Bonding over shared stories of love, heartbreak, and discrimination, the characters use humor and intimate everyday interactions to form a tight knit community.
A cinematic time capsule, the movie stays true to the vibe of the early 1970s in America, reflecting on both the optimism and vulnerabilities felt by the LGBTQ+ community during the decade. Touching on subjects like the mob’s control of gay bars and complicated sexual relationships, the movie offers a direct glimpse into social quandaries faced by both the straight and LGBTQ+ communities alike.
Perhaps above all others, this is the reason Some of My Best Friends Are… remains beloved and historically significant as a representation of queer life in the early 1970s. Past the controversy of the time and interesting cast ensemble, the film delves deep into many culturally significant issues that remain with us today, such as the value of having a safe space to be and a place to call home, chosen family, and equality. It is a reminder that while some individuals and situations might feel safe and normal for most, the same may not be true for all.