At Home With Rock Hudson

UN-CORRECTED PROOF * IMAGINE* You have a really close friend, one you see everyday, one with whom you have exchanged confidences and shared experiences, and had so many fun times together. Imagine the worst possible disease, and then think how you would feel if you found out your friend had it. Imagine watching your buddy as he fought such a horrible disease, seeing him succumb to that disease---a person you love, a friend who has been such an important part of your life. Now imagine(although some may find this part nearly impossible) almost every person you come upon as having nothing but derogatory remarks about your best friend's behavior, about the way he died, about the way he was. Your friend, you knew, was an extremely nice guy. A kind man, a generous employer, a loving person. Oh...did I mention this friend was well-known, a once very famous and beloved Superstar? Yet, because of the...circumstances surrounding his death, the discrimination because he was gay, and the atrociousness of the out and out lies by his accuser, such an inaccurate portrait was painted of your friend that you hardly recognized him as the fine man you knew. In fact, twenty-five years after his demise, your friend is still chiefly remembered because he had AIDS. Not that he was a talented actor who entertained millions of people. Not for the all-around nice man he was. The unfairness of it all! What would you do? I wrote this book. My name is Martin Flaherty, and I have just completed the first in what I hope to be a series of books entitled, "At Home" with Rock Hudson: Behind the Walls of His Life. Yes, my friend was Rock Hudson; I worked for him for a decade and played with him and I knew him perhaps better than anybody, those last ten years of his life. We had so many outrageously fun times together; Rock had such a great sense of humor, and I have many of the anecdotes he personally related to me from his life and his career. For those not familiar with the life of this star who shaped the way the world saw AIDS, maybe it is time to learn. I also have countless...shall we say...unusual stories from my experiences at his house, the typical days spent with the less than typical characters within Rock Hudson's "Castle". Yes, he called his home the "Castle", and he was a king of a man and I want the world to finally know him as I did, to remember him with love and the respect he deserved from a life spent devoted to his fans. Martin F.J. Flaherty III November 1, 2011