Movies: Sex and the '50s Guy

Kinsey turns the story of America's first bedroom statistician into a comedy of midcentury manners

Ah, those innocent postwar years, when instead of funny books on politics, the best-seller lists were headed by deadly serious books on sex. The 1948 Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and its 1953 sequel on female sexuality turned their author, Alfred Kinsey, into a star and a scandal magnet. But in a distant, Olympian way. Those were the days before TV up-close-and-personalized, and upended and trivialized, every newsmaker. Back then, the name Kinsey was a metaphor for the kicking down of America's bedroom doors and the cataloging of the dark secrets inside. The man, though, didn't emerge clearly from behind...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!