ST: When did you find you could make your way? 1916, Russian soldiers in drag, photographic postcard, c.1910-19, https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x5jfvcet, Danny La Rue in drag, photograph, c.1960-69, https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ug4jewmu, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. In 2009 a new BBC One impressions show, The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson, was a big hit, starring Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson donning Britain's most famous faces. But the 1982 autobiography of early British trans advocate April Ashley offers some glimpses. Some of the changes were visual. He even had a branded cold cream and a magazine that provided women with beauty advice and guidance on femininity. Joseph believed that the order to stop the nudity came from these distributors. Richard Caruthers Little OC[1] (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. LL: They drove across Canada for the first time in their lives, which is a wonderful drive, actually. I dont think Theyre neither one or the other at that point. LL: We, we have tried to keep the food somewhat, uh, French home cooking because the French cuisine in Paris is very, very highly seasoned and lots of wine and very fancy and very heavy, actually. Some well-established singers such as Adam Cheng are considered first-generation impersonators. I dont try to make anything artificial about it. Because I dont think we have very many friends. Performer whose act consists of imitating sounds, voices and mannerisms of celebrities, This article is about the comedic performing art. Little was engaged to Canadian actress Jean Christopher in 1965, but they did not end up marrying. Daughter!). And so this, in a sense, you feel more, perhaps, uh, more accepted? Above, a quite famous photo with Tallulah Bankhead at Finocchio's, circa 1961. This singer had made waves at the end of the previous decade but emerged as a face of the '70s with his Ziggy Stardust persona and his glam rock albums. 1977]. Read about the 181 Club, At the start of the 1950s, Les-Lee moved to San Francisco, where he worked at the legendary drag venue, . ST: And so this, in a sense, you feel more, perhaps, uh, more accepted? Oh, eccentric accessories for men and women. Do you have a certain way, uh, youve chosen? My, my brother next to me thinks that Im a very fine entertainer and a very fine person because, uh, I live my life correct because of my mother and father. It's more than just scrunching up your face and saying "Come on, make my day" and then passing it off as Clint Eastwood. Carlson Wade is the credited author of the Coccinelle biography She-Male and co-author of two pamphets Transvestitism Today and Transvestism Males in Female Dress. The writing, much of which is photo captions, isnt credited, but, there are a few articles by established writers on crossdressing, Carlson Wade and Avery Willard. Source:Getty. [10] Little later appeared as Nixon on the soap opera Santa Barbara, in a 1991 fantasy sequence regarding Gina's ideal sperm donor. The hit TV show RuPauls Drag Race has done much since it first aired in 2009 to bring drag from the heart of LGBTQ+ counterculture further into the mainstream. John Falk Tomkinson, better known under the stage name Les-Lee, was born in Canada in 1929. ST: Its not regarded as freakish, say, as would be in America. There are thousand of males working as impressionists in the world, but this list highlights only the most notable ones. ST: You said, uh, you were different. Les-Lee: Actually, the place was called the Guisard before because it was the stable of the Duc de Guisard, and which Actually, this beam, this, right above your head, is where he was hung. Even though I was in America when I [inaudible], it wouldnt be shunned upon because my mother and father dont shun on things that their children do, because its done in a They said, they said to me, We taught you the right and wrong. And I lost my job because of the, the, um, the company become bankrupt. And he was very pleased, very proud. Performers had been the major selling point of the Selbee/Health Knowledge Female Mimics. This may have been because Frank had such distinctive mannerisms and dress sense which gave performers a number of visual shortcuts to cover for failings in their abilities. ST: One of the brothers, the older brother is a plumber, right? Even though I was in America when I [inaudible], it wouldnt be shunned upon because my mother and father dont shun on things that their children do, because its done in a They said, they said to me, We taught you the right and wrong. One is that the change was market driven. But in New Female Mimics there were stories in every issue and sex was always a major element. Once she was a widow, once a widower and now she is a husband again.. I felt different. people in social Do you, do you have certain targets? I mean, a, a clown is a clown at, while hes in the circus. Since 2009, Brydon has presented the BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? My father was completely against it until he saw me work. Everyone in the world is different. . And theres nothing in the family at all like that. The album was inspired by Vaughn Meader's hit American satirical album The First Family and concentrated on Canadian political satire, featuring Little impersonating figures well-known to a Canadian audience such as Diefenbaker, Lester Pearson and Tommy Douglas, and Scrooge and the Stars, which featured Little acting out Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol entirely on his own, playing all the roles as 22 different Hollywood stars, ranging from Jack Benny to Jack Webb. If we wore exactly what we thought we would feel good in and enjoy wearing, colors and , I think people would be much more happy in the world. In the early 2010s, he performed a one-man show, Jimmy Stewart and Friends, based on the life of Jimmy Stewart, at the Westgate hotel, and on tour. I talk the way I please. To learn more about Eltinge, . LL: Busboy. At 18, he moved to New York City, where he began his career as a female impersonator at the 181 Club. When discussing performers Female Mimics seemed to present facts, but inflated. Transsexualism was new and threatening. George Wild Galvin (18601904), who went by the stage name of Dan Leno, was a famous English music hall comedian and actor well known for his dame roles in pantomimes during the latter half of the 19th century. All profits go to the distributors.. I mean, there is people who know me and have seen me as a female impersonator who Ive passed on the street the day after and not knowing me at all. As younger men entered the scene, drag saw an increased association with homosexuality. Rich Little. You can buy artificial friends, if you want them. Youre a female impersonator. He has appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in the legal film A Few Good Men, Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects, Philip Green in Casino, and Bobby Chicago in End of Days. You were different. We should point out, the food, the menu, looks most enticing indeed. Some of the most famous female impersonators are Black or African American, and you're sure to find them on this list. Are there particular? And they, they saw me working on stage. But now Im not at all. And I came right out of my shell. And I didnt know anyone, so no one knew me or where I came from. ST: Do you have thoughts about designing? Though show-stopping performances and huge wardrobes may be claimed in the captions, the photos dont show any club shots and sometimes only one outfit. He later moved to Paris Las Vegas, where he starred in The Presidents, a play on nine Presidents of the United States from Kennedy to George W. Bush, starting in 2002. Leon and Eddies in Miami, Finocchios in San Francisco, and Le Carrousel in Paris. An example of protesting too much is the profile of Joi Fulnese of Detroit in volume 1, #12. Finocchio's, the world-famous Broadway nightclub where female impersonators have strutted their campy stuff since 1936, is folding November 27. LL: Exactly. In 2012, Slate's Geoffrey Sant lifted the lid on what is called "replacement convicts.". This developed into the popular pantomime dame. [20], He also lent his voice to the narration of three specials that were the forerunners for the animated series The Raccoons: The Christmas Raccoons, The Raccoons on Ice, and The Raccoons and the Lost Star. A new art staff and picture editor . At 17, his friend and fellow impressionist Geoff Scott and he won a talent contest on CBOT in Ottawa, the first time he was paid for his impressionist skills, which led to an appearance on Pick the Stars, a national talent contest broadcast by CBC Television in 1956. He has been a guest more than any other person, appearing as recently as January 2023. He has been named to Miami Children's Hospital International Pediatrics Hall of Fame and been honoured by the naming of the Rich Little Special Care Nursery at Ottawa Civic Hospital. The 1980s and early 1990s saw a continuation of drag being represented in popular culture, music and television with acts such as Boy George, Pete Burns, Julian Clary and Lily Savage, to name a few. I mean, there is people who know me and have seen me as a female impersonator who Ive passed on the street the day after and not knowing me at all. If we wore exactly what we thought we would feel good in and enjoy wearing, colors and , I think people would be much more happy in the world. Its the best cuisine in the world, they say, although, myself, I prefer a hamburger and a Coca-Cola. Usually the most "impressive" aspect of the performance is the vocal fidelity to the target usually a politician or a famous person. You said, uh, you were different. You, you believe in the American interpretation? And your mother and father, theyve seen you at work as a female impersonator? LL: Oh, all my life. Thanks, Joe! Given the moniker Mother Flawless Sabrina for her maternal commitment to drag queens everywhere, she remains an influential figure and inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community. Little was a regular guest on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts in the 1970s, appearing in 24 of the specials,[12] where he roasted celebrities such as Don Rickles,[13] Jack Benny,[14] Johnny Carson,[15] Frank Sinatra,[16] Jimmy Stewart[17] and Kirk Douglas. All my life. In response to his imitation of Jack Benny, the comedian sent Little an 18-carat gold money clip containing this message: "With Bob Hope doing my walk and you doing my voice, I can be a star and do nothing." I happen to like girls an awful lot. In 1970, Les-Lee appeared in Paul Raymond's "Birds of a Feather" revue at the Royalty Theatre in London. Earlier in this presentation we stated that the readers of Female Mimics wanted to feel safe, certain in the knowledge of whos male and whos female. Perhaps this new format, which combined performers with trangendered nudity, did not satisfy either group of readers. [42] He married his fourth wife, Catherine Brown, a former reality show contestant,[43] in a private ceremony in 2012; they divorced in October of that year. Well, actually, my, my business, I, Im a female impersonator. In 1955, Les-Lee moved to Paris and started performing atLe Carrousel. See more ephemera from Finocchioshere and read about the clubs historyhere (starting on page 44 of the PDF). The 70s brought engagements at the Birds of a Feather drag revue at Londons Royalty Theatre, a seven-year stint at a gay club in Cannes, and tours in Asia, Australia, and across continental Europe. Known as \"The Man of a Thousand Voices,\" Little's repertoire of impressions is almost endless, earning him howls of laughter from whatever audience he is entertaining.A 12-time host of The Tonight Show, Little has also appeared on Ed Sullivan, Laugh-In, The John Davidson Summer Show, The Julie Andrews Show, Hollywood Squares, The Young and the Restless, Fantasy Island, Chips, Murder She Wrote, Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver, Police Woman, and Mannix.Over the years, Little has been active with children's charities and he was co-host of the Canadian division of the Children's Miracle Network. Perhaps this was an editorial decision. . BornHarris Glenn Milstead(19451988)and brought up in a conservativemiddle-classfamily, Divine became a counterculture icon, challenging the glamorous image of drag with their radical and subversive persona. Audiences are transported back to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the three decades Elvis dominated the music industry. "[31][32][33], Little appeared as a guest star in Futurama: Bender's Game, playing his own celebrity head: "This is Rich Little, impersonating Howard Cosell." Were transsexuals on the other side of the Atlantic less threatening? This season were reaching beyond my own collection of interviews to bring you voices from the Studs Terkel Radio Archive. I see things too clearly, Im afraid, which has, which has made me happy because I see exactly what, what I have to live with. [3], Little's American career was helped by Peppiatt and Aylesworth, a Canadian writing team who had moved to Hollywood and worked on various specials and variety series, including The Judy Garland Show. And I, I sing in my own natural voice. [36], He married comedian and impressionist Jeannette Markey in 1994;[41] they divorced in 1997. Money cant buy happiness nor health, or friends, really. The 1978 one-man show Rich Little's Christmas Carol was his first HBO special, produced by and originally aired on CBC Television, Little portrayed famous comedians in established roles (W. C. Fields as Ebenezer Scrooge, Paul Lynde as Bob Cratchit, et al.). In the 60s, Les starred at Chez Les-Leehis very own club on rue Guisarde in Pariss Saint-Germain-des-Prs neighborhood. It was in four out of five stories published in these issues. As far as I can remember back. And this is the art of illusion, is it not? EM Narration: Les closed his Paris club in the late 1960s, but continued to appear on stage for at least another decade. Another HBO special followed in 1983 with Rich Little's Robin Hood, including portrayals of Groucho Marx as Robin Hood, Humphrey Bogart as Prince John, John Wayne as Little John, Carol Channing as Maid Marion, Laurel and Hardy as Sheriffs of Nottingham, George Burns as Alan-a-Dale, and various other characters. Jack NicholsonChristopher WalkenWalter Cronkite, George H.W. Because I started in the business in New York at the 181 and, believe me, I know what kind of remarks people make in America. For about a decade no British impressionist's act was complete without Frank. Do you have a certain way, uh, youve chosen? In the Winter of 1969 Health Knowledge issued a new publication: Female Impersonators, We are happy to announce that we are wiping out the old Female Mimics format and starting anew with a new title Female Impersonators . [35] Little is credited as a party guest in The Other Side of the Wind. Sant cites public outrage in China when Hu Bin, a wealthy 20-year-old, paid a stand-in to appear in court and serve his sentence. And I think I have four friends. LL: Oh, eccentric accessories for men and women. The youngest of four. ST: We think of female impersonation, we think of many who, who impersonate celebrated figures, actresses or. I know, uh, this is a difficult one to answer, No, its, its a different thing. And here, in the top left corner, is Les-Lee at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, identified as a headliner at a posh female impersonation club.. [28][30], Little was the host for the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Canadian Russell Craig Eadie, who preferred to go by his stage name of Craig Russell, made a career for himself impersonating a wide range of female artists. In very broad contexts, "impersonator" may be substituted for "impressionist" where the distinction between the two is less important than avoiding confusion with the use of "impressionist" in painting and music. Im a very, very big realist. Which doesnt make any difference to me because they dont pay my bills and I live my life. +44 (0)20 7611 2222info@wellcomecollection.org, Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, show credit information for image 'A man in drag poses wearing a large pink dress, photograph, c.1890', show credit information for image 'Cecil Beaton in theatrical drag, photograph, c.1925', Cecil Beaton in theatrical drag, photograph, c.1925, show credit information for image 'Dan Leno, 1903', show credit information for image 'Vesta Tilley', show credit information for image 'Annie Hindle', show credit information for image 'Stella Boulton', show credit information for image 'Family portrait, photograph, c.1910', show credit information for image 'Four soldiers posing, three in drag, with an injured soldier seated in the centre, photographic postcard, c.1910-19', show credit information for image 'Julian Eltinge in drag wearing crinoline. So here then is the skill, the art. Read about the 181 Clubhere. Will Jordan, a gifted impressionist who mimicked the voices of many stars but became known mainly for his full-body imitation of the variety-show host Ed Sullivan, died on Thursday . Perhaps, like Pudgy Roberts, they were gay men, skilled in the art of illusion. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. During the 1970s British television was awash with impressions of Frank Spencer, a character from the hugely popular British sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. These cisgender and transgender performers sashayed their way. During a career that spanned more than three decades, Canadian female impersonator John Falk Tomkinson appeared around the globe under the stage name Les-Lee. Then I went to art school in New York and then to America. You can see the program here. In 1963, Les-Lee made a brief appearance in the French film Drages au Poivre (translated as Sweet and Sour). 2. 4 of 17. Exactly. Are there more female impersonators here than there would be in other cities in the world? Credit: Photos by Peter Stille, Hamburg, Germany; program pages courtesy ofTravestie Erinnerungen/Facebook. Voice actors who are or were known for their celebrity impressions include Daws Butler, Mel Blanc, Don Messick, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, James Arnold Taylor and Rob Paulsen . Some of the best impressionists ever are (or were) cast members on 'Saturday Night Live' or other sketch comedy shows. I see things too clearly, Im afraid, which has, which has made me happy because I see exactly what, what I have to live with.