Charles Pierce Legends of the Silver Screen

Danny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides.

Arnold is a gay man working as a drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.

While trying to nab a gang of diamond smugglers, the police are notified by Scotland Yard that the gang's leader, a beautiful Englishwoman who was on her way to the States to take control of the gang, has been caught. Because the American gangsters don't know what their English boss looks like, the police persuade a female impersonator to pretend to be her and infiltrate the gang.

Gay hair stylist Robin Turner does a lot of work for drag queens, all the while dreaming that he'll someday find the courage to perform in drag himself. When his schizophrenic friend, Liza, turns up looking for a place to stay, the two form an increasingly tight bond, Robin helping Liza through an unplanned pregnancy and Liza pushing Robin to develop a successful nightclub act.

When Agent Starrbooty's adopted niece is kidnapped, she and Agent Page Turner go undercover as prostitutes to rescue her from Starrbooty's old nemesis.

Two homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective lessees arrive and try to rent it.

Keeping the position of number one son requires a certain amount of ingenuity. Twelve year old Greg has inherited his father's competitive streak. On a family holiday to Fiji they have different ideas about where Greg should focus his talents. When his creative pursuits fail to amuse his father Greg goes to bizarre lengths to win him back.

The story of a nightclub girl of the twenties who meets a handsome swain. In color.

A story about a London vampire, set in the Gay '90s. In black and white.

A comedy-drama about vamps, villains, and foreclosure on the Hornsby Farm. In color.

A female impersonator giggles and flirts. By the following decade, many female impersonators would be shown doing their acts on the stage and in the movies; the Eltinge Theater on 42nd Street in New York is named for Julian Eltinge, the most famous of them. This was probably the earliest "name" example for the movies. Gilbert Saroni plays an exceedingly ugly woman who coyly flirts with her fan.

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

In Edo Japan, a kabuki actor seeks revenge against the three men who drove his parents to their deaths years ago.

In 1967, New York City is host to the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. This documentary takes a look behind the scenes, transporting the viewer into rehearsals and dressing rooms as the drag queen subculture prepares for this big national beauty contest. Jack/Sabrina is the mistress of ceremonies, and their protégé, Miss Harlow, is in the competition. But, as the pageant approaches, the glamorous contestants veer from camaraderie to tension.

From transvestites to transformers, we will follow the trail that will lead us in different and famous Parisian music-halls, such as the mythical Alcazar of Paris, La Grande Eugène. Whether they are below or beyond their character, often these men who are looking for themselves look at life with the humor of despair. Why this need to "transform" themselves? Why is it always the men who cross-dress and not the women? Why did the public flock to these shows in the 1970s and 1980s? Interpretations of famous characters such as Diana Ross, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, the Peter Sisters, the Andrew Sisters, Zizi Jeanmaire, Judy Garland, Sarah Bernhardt, among others, contribute to making this musical document an essential testimony of this era.

Female impersonators model the wardrobe of the twenties, with commentary. In color.

A musical featuring favorites of Ava-Graph.

Ava-Graph’s answer to the TV commercials. In color.

Vignettes of the twenties showing some of the newer original gowns of the period Ava-Graph has acquired. In color.

This color film reprises the female impersonator Adrian's nightclub act of the same name: "'Salome and the Dance of the Seven Veils' introduced the Club 82's new season to New Yorkers, in 1958. It was an immediate hit, and Adrian stayed on for four years, delighting audiences that came from all parts of the country and the world to see him. One of the reasons for its success was that Adrian, wanting everything to go perfectly, designed and made his own costume. He discovered a new talent, which he continues to use. The wax head of John the Baptist, which he uses in his act, is the same one which Brenda Lewis used in the Metropolitan Opera." - Avery Willard, Female Impersonators, 1971.