10 Old Hollywood Movies With Queer Characters & Where To Watch Them

Believe it or not, Old Hollywood films are rife with queer characters.

While we may think of older films as being straight and narrow in terms of sexuality and gender, the opposite is actually true. Oftentimes, queer characters were presented in coded ways, and those depictions are now ones we can look back on and fully understand how far we've come in terms of representation. So here are 10 Old Hollywood films with queer characters!

Michael (1924)

Michael is a silent film from 1924 based on the book Mikaël by Herman Bang. In the film, acclaimed painter Claude forms a partnership with his young assistant, Michael, but things take a turn when Michael falls in love with a countess whom Claude is meant to paint. The silence in the film helps explore Claude’s longing and loneliness in a way that wasn’t allowed at the time.

Where to watch: Kino

Mädchen in Uniform (1931)

Mädchen in Uniform is a 1931 German film that follows a student, Manuela, who is sent off to a German all-girls boarding school and falls in love with one of her teachers. It’s considered one of the first explicitly lesbian films in history, and the Nazis attempted to destroy every copy at the beginning of the Holocaust.

They failed

Where to watch: Plex

Victor and Victoria (1933)

1933’s Victor and Victoria raised the importance of gender performance when a young woman, Susanne, dresses in drag. Although most people know the Julie Andrews-fronted musical, the original German film resonates as Susanne takes a cabaret job as a woman impersonator before she’s scouted by an agent who thinks she really is a man.

Where to watch: Kino

Queen Christina (1933)

Greta Garbo plays a real-life bisexual historical figure in this royal affair. As Queen Christina, Garbo dons pants, kisses women, and wields weapons. It’s been said that the film’s affection between women in this film was inspired by the American theatrical production of German classic Madchen in Uniform.

Where to watch: Max

Morocco (1930)

Who doesn't love Marlene Dietrich in a tux? Well, that's what you get in 1930’s Morocco. In the film, Dietrich toys with bisexuality, romancing both Gary Cooper and a random woman in one intriguing scene. This film solidified Dietrich’s rising star in America as well as her penchant for pants (unheard of at the time) and questioning gender norms.

Where to watch: Sadly this film is not currently available to stream.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

When we think of Lawrence of Arabia, many of us think of words like "epic" and "technicolor." The film could also be described as "queer" thanks to the homosexual subtext between T.E. Lawrence and Sheriff Ali. While the sexuality of the real T.E. Lawrence remains ambiguous, the film's director David Lean instructed Peter O’Toole to play Lawrence as a gay man. The more you know, right?

Where to watch: Max

The Children's Hour (1961)

Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are school teachers in this classic drama. When a young student accuses them of being lesbians, the teachers find their school’s enrollment dwindling and their friendship unraveling. In light of these events, MacLaine’s character is forced to come to grips with her feelings for the other teacher.

Where to watch: Tubi

Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

In a New Orleans bordello, Jo (Barbara Stanwyck) serves as the house’s madam and falls desperately in love with Hallie (Capucine), one of the girls in her employ. Unfortunately for Jo, Hallie’s keen on marrying a guy she’s met around town, leaving Jo a mess of tears and heartbreak. The queer subtext in this film is subtle, but palpable nonetheless.

Where to watch: Fubo

Some Like It Hot (1959)

In an attempt to escape the mafia, saxophone-playing Joe (Tony Curtis) and his longtime friend Jerry (Jack Lemmon) crossdress to join an all-female band. There, they meet Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) who becomes the apple of Joe’s eye, while gender-bending Jerry is pursued by a millionaire. The film sees Curtis and Lemon in all their feminine glory without any shame or hesitancy on the part of these actors. Jack Lemmon went on to earn an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Where to watch: Max

Rebecca (1940)

Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca tells a story as old as time: a subservient underling falls for her mistress whom she’s willing to serve to no foreseeable end. Such is the case with Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) whose mistress Mrs. Rebecca de Winters has passed away. Unable to come to grips with the loss, she obsessively conjures up the memory of Rebecca for the new Mrs. de Winters (Joan Fontaine) to frightening results.

Where to watch: Sadly this film is not currently available to stream.