Sal Mineo Tribute

Bob’s boyhood crush, Sal Mineo from Rebel Without a Cause was gay but closeted in real life.

Sal Mineo was one of the few actors in the Fifties and Sixties who never attempted to hide his homosexuality. Not only was he gay, he was talented, tough and incredibly hand- some. His unabashed love for James Dean was so obvious that his pivotal role in Rebel Without a Cause resulted in an Oscar nomination, followed by another
for his performance as the sensitive Dove in Exodus. But to his fans, the ultimate Mineo performance was in the trashy 1965 cult movie Who Killed Teddy Bear?, a late-night TV staple.
In this film. Mineo plays a disturbed phone freak obsessed with dance-hall hostess Juliet Prowse. For openers, there is a shocking scene where Mineo,
clad only in white briefs, plays breather over the phone while obviously but discreetly jerking himself off. But the true highlight of the film comes later when Mineo appears in a workout sequence, erotically photographed, pumping iron, muscles flexing. legs spread.