LITERARY THREE-WAYS

“The Third Man” three-way—

Between Harry Lime, Holly

Martin & Alida Valli is a typical

Graham Greene plot-device

Like in the 1963 short story —

“May We Borrow Your Husband?”

A rather mixed-bag comedy

That Greene wrote in Antibes

Two flamboyant homosexuals —

Plot to seduce a honeymoon

Bridegroom with the help of

Greene diverting the bride

The bored bride actually —

Puts the make on Greene but

Being the gentleman he demurs

From making love to her

Meanwhile the two fags —

Go to town with the young

Naïve handsome husband

Who lavishes all the attention

Of course, Graham Greene —

Keeps up a brave front as

The detached novelist who’s

Interested only in sex comedy

Fag Noir Literati

Other filmic book-scripts —

By Graham Greene including

“The Comedians” (1967) with

Richard Burton and Liz Taylor

Like “The Third Man” —

The devil’s in the noir details

Greene’s characters defined

By sexual comedy camping

The drag act routine —

Getting a wanted passenger

To the safety of the American

Consulate simply a gay romp

The same with Herr Kurtz —

Viennese nightclub chanteuse

With his tacky cheap toupee

Who wants to meet Holly Martin

Allegedly to get an autograph —

Of “The Lone Rider of Santa Fe”

But really to check out this gay

American friend of Harry’s

Naïve Joseph Cotton plays —

Holly Martin, faggy boyfriend

Lover of Harry Slime who died

Supposedly recently in Vienna

But not really, my dear —

Dr. Winkle winks knowingly

His face elongated in fake

El Greco-esque agony

Both Kurtz and Winkler —

Covering up the noir secret

His supposed death rather

A sneaky Jansenist cover-up

Dying fictitiously for the —

Benefit of the drug ring

Elect whose underground

Business is quite lucrative