Hollywood trio explore 50s gay wedding

The grooms cut the cake during a gay wedding circa 1957

Endemol Shine North America’s Authentic Entertainment is on board an unscripted project from a group of Hollywood veterans about recently surfaced images of a gay wedding in the 1950s.

The Mystery of the 1957 Gay Wedding Photos comes from writer and producer Neal Baer (ER, Law & Order: SVU, Designated Survivor), P.J. Palmer, the filmmaker/producer behind LGBTQ drama series Anyone But Me, and LA-based writer Michael J Wolfe.

The series will follow the trio as they attempt to uncover the story behind the wedding photographs and locate the two grooms.

It is being produced with Authentic Entertainment and the producers are working with the teams at One Archives Foundation in LA and John J Wilcox Jr Archives at the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia.

The collection of photos, which are among the earliest to document a gay wedding, were printed circa 1957 at a neighbourhood pharmacy in north Philadelphia.

Currently housed with One National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries and the John J Wilcox Jr Archives, the images capture special moments between two men tying the knot, including an exchange of rings in front of witnesses, an officiant leading the ceremony, the first kiss and more.

The owner of the pharmacy allegedly judged the photos to be inappropriate and refused to return them to the wedding couple. Some 60 years later, the images have resurfaced and have left many searching for answers as to who the men are and other details surrounding the event.

The producers have created a website and Facebook page where the public can share any clues or relevant information that could help solve the mystery.

“The mystery of this love affair, and the detective story to find these men, is the perfect combination of personal narrative and hidden history,” said Helga Eike, president of Authentic Entertainment.

Authentic Entertainment is behind unscripted series including Trading Spaces, Flipping Out and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.