So writes one of his costars, Leslie Caron, in her Thank Heaven memoir, which I just devoured like a crepe.

Says Caron of the matinee idol, "The fact that Rock chain-smoked was indicative of the incredible stress caused by his dissimulation--as was this nervous tic:

"He rubbed his thumbnails constantly, so that they were completely deformed, as if smashed by a hammer.

Fifties screen hunk Rock Hudson--who died of AIDS-related causes in 1985--exclusively liked guys' buttholes to be pink.

I learned this fascinating fact from Rational Radio host Jack E. Jett, who I believe was the one who introduced Rock to his longtime lover Marc Christian (the notorious guy who successfully sued Rock's estate and who quietly passed away last year).

The source says the cause wasn't AIDS, which he never did get from Rock. It was a drug overdose.

I'll be looking into this.