"The story of Drake McHugh and his best friend Parris Mitchell coming of age in a sleepy Midwest American town of the 1890s was by far Henry Bellamann's most recognized work. Exposing hypocrisy and small-town secrets, the novel deals with themes of mental illness, incest, homosexuality, suicide, gender equality in relationships and sadistic vengeance. Such themes were still somewhat taboo in early 20th century American literature, but not unheard of. In one location however the novel, and subsequent movie (starring Ronald Reagan), proved most controversial. Bellamann's hometown of Fulton, Missouri. It wasn't long before the citizenry of Fulton began to look around and realize Bellamann's fictional town was in fact a reinterpretation of their small city. "Aberdeen College" is seen as a stand-in for Bellamann's real-life time spent at Westminster College, while the best-seller's asylum coincides with Fulton State Hospital. Prominent citizens like the real-life town doctor are portrayed in Kings Row in a less than flattering matter. The ill feelings toward the book lingered for many years in Fulton, to the point that librarians removed Kings Row from the town library shelves.
