How did Rock Hudson's decline in film opportunities in the 1970s reflect broader...

[TMC]

...trends in Hollywood for aging actors during that time?

Q: How did Rock Hudson's decline in film opportunities in the 1970s reflect broader trends in Hollywood for aging actors during that time?

It didn’t.

Many Silver Age male actors remained working through the 1970s (John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, etc.) although all experienced lower box office returns. They simply made due with the work that they were receiving and they actually did some of their best work (The Shootist, Alvarez Kelly, Madigan, etc.) during that decade.

Hudson (like Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart) started off the 1960s well, but by the end of the decade, his box office numbers were falling. The last “straw” was the failure of the musical Darling Lili, which also nearly sank Julie Andrews career and is a terrible film even when you watch it today. By 1971, Hudson was offered a role on one of NBC’s series on “The Wheel”, where he became the titular McMillan alongside Susan St. James in McMillan & Wife, a series where the San Francisco police commissioner solved crimes with the assistance of his spouse.

It was the second most popular series on “The Wheel” behind Columbo and had St. James been able to resolve her issues with the pay increase she sought (she left after the fourth season) then the fifth and final season would not have been an odd affair consisting of Hudson alone or with his assistant John Shuck, again solving crimes. However when that series came to an end, with the exception of his role in The Martian Chronicles miniseries also on NBC, Hudson’s output remained of poor quality for the rest of his life.

Hudson, a heavy drinker and smoker, suffered a heart attack in 1982 which prematurely ended what was to be his “comeback series”, The Devlin Connection. It was also alleged that around that time he contracted HIV/AIDS, the complications of which resulted in his death 1985. Hudson’s last major role was supposed to be as a rival for actor Linda Evans’ affections; however after just five episodes, Hudson was too ill to continue and he was written out of the series.

The difference between Hudson and other actors reasons for going to television or continuing their film careers are so different that they cannot be compared. Had Hudson not done Darling Lili and had continued in lower budget projects or as a costar, he might “survived” the 1970s as a film star. However Hudson’s ego didn’t see that as what he wanted to do and he left movies for television mostly after 1971.