The Story Behind Those Photos
In 1932, Hollywood leading man Cary Grant met a handsome actor named Randolph Scott on the set of the film Hot Saturday. A romantic relationship began and the two moved into a Santa Monica beach house together, which became known as “Bachelor Hall.”
In 1934, the studio “encouraged” Grant to marry in order to kill the gay rumors. This would be the start of many marriages for the two men; Grant married five times and Scott married twice, all in the hopes of "straightening up" their public image. Nevertheless, the two lived together for 11 years, both at the Santa Monica property as well as a mansion in Los Feliz that still stands to this day.
Many ex-wives, children, and industry insiders have since noted that the two men were, indeed, very much in love but the times wouldn’t allow that public relationship. Numerous magazines shot these swinging bachelors living in their swank pads, and while the American public just thought of them as single, red-blooded American men, those who could read the coded scenes knew the truth.
A lot has changed since then. When Steve and I hit our 15th anniversary together – and legally married for 7 of those years – we wondered what we could do to honor our relationship. Since we married during the Proposition 8 craziness in California and never took proper wedding photos, we decided it was time to change that. And, with Grant and Scott in mind, we created a photo shoot honoring where our people have been, and where we were going.
The period is not the same. The setups are not identical. But the message is clear: Love is love.
Here are some samples of the inspiration photos, and what we ended up shooting.
