Features Overview

The crinoline girl (1914) [lost, existence documented from trade papers of the day]

Julian Eltinge was the most famous female impersonator of his day, having made a name for himself on Broadway and in vaudeville before his rise to film. Sadly, his first film, The Crinoline Girl, is lost. Many early silent films were disposed of because they were viewed as having no future use once their theatrical run was over. And as "the ‘talkies” replaced silent film, many more were disposed of because silent film was seen as having no further use.

cousin lucy (1915)

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the Countess Charming (1917)

“High society comedy of revenge directed by Donald Crisp- Socialite bachelor Stanley Jordan (Julian Eltinge, pictured) attends a benefit held at a posh country club. While romancing one of the guests, Betty Lovering (Florence Vidor), he inadvertently slights one Mrs. Vandergraft (Mabel Van Buren), a doyenne of the smart club set. When she blacklists the young man, he plans his revenge. Insinuating himself into the local beau monde as Countess Raffelski, he gets himself invited into the parlors of the upper crust toadies who have ostracized him as Stanley Jordan. He also makes off with their jewels and contributes them to their favorite charity- the Red Cross. When the alarmed victims unite and retain a detective, it comes to light that the popular Russian countess is dying. Betty rushes off to visit the ailing royal, who soon reveals that “she” is a he- and none other than the love of Betty’s life.” -Jean-Louis Ginibre, A Pictorial History of Male Cross-Dressing in the Movies, 2005 (p.44)

The Widow’s Might (1918)

“Imbroglio about love and money directed by William C. Demille - New Yorker Dick Tavish (Julian Eltinge) suspects that millionaire Horace Hammer (Gustav von Seyffertitz) has duped him into the purchase of some western land. Dick goes to the resort where Hammer is vacationing and encounters calendar girl Irene Stuart (Florence Vidor) relaxing at the same spa with her aunt, Mrs Pomfret. When Dick searches Hammer’s room for incriminating papers, he is interrupted. Escaping through the bedroom of Irene’s aunt, he surprises Mrs. Pomfret hiding her thinning hair with a wig. Dick decides to borrow one of her hairpieces and a cape, warning her that he will divulge her little vanity if she refuses to introduce him as Princess Martini at an upcoming party. As a flirtatious female royal, Dick becomes the center of attention, which allows him to gather evidence implicating Hammer in the land deal. Finally, Dick happily proposes to Irene.” - Jean-Louis Ginibre, A Pictorial History of Male Cross-Dressing in the Movies, 2005 (p.45)

The Isle of Love (1922)

Madame Behave (1925)

The Fascinating Widow (1925)

Dancing Lady (1933) [Jean Malin]

Arizona to Broadway (1933) [jean malin]

Though not the star of this film, as Julian Eltinge (films seen above, 1914-19???) had been in the silent era, Jean Malin’s moment here is reflective of a larger trend, and his own larger career in New York. Malin had made his way as an emcee who embraced a high femme persona while scathingly hurling insults at heterosexual crowds in Manhattan. He performed in these films as a result of the “Pansy and Lesbian Craze” of the late 20s and early 30s. In this film, he plays a female impersonator who performs Mae West’s song “Frankie and Johnny” but also knocks a man out with a unch followed bby a one-liner before entering for his performance-within-the-film.

Roman Candles (1966)

This film marks the debut of Glenn Milstead as Divine and is John Waters’s second film of his career, coming on the heels of Hag in a Black Leather Jacket. The film was triple-projected as an homage to the use of multiple projectors in Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls. As with Warhol’s Superstars, Waters developed his own team of players who would be seen in most of his work: Mink Stole, David Locary, Edith Massey, Divine and a few others and this film serves as the debut of the Dreamland Players. Sadly, this film is not available on DVD or video and can only be seen when it is on tour with retrospectives and special exhibits of Waters’s work.

She Man (1967)

This film is part of the explosion of exploitation films during the 1960s, representing “transploitation,” or films that exploit trans people for entertainment and titillation of the heterosexual and cisgender world. This film stars Dorian Wayne, a well known drag performer of the time who had toured in the 1950s and 60s with the Jewel Box Revue and performed at the famous 82 Club, who plays a trans dominatrix who force-feminizes men of power through blackmail. This film was shown at theaters partnered with Queens at Heart (featured below).

Flesh (1967)

Part of Andy Warhol’s “Paul Morrissey Trilogy” alongside Trash and Heat this film features the screen debuts of trans/ drag stars of the Warhol circle, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis. The film focuses primarily on the life of Joe Dallesandro as a street hustler and the people he interacts with in his daily existence.

queens at heart (1967)

Shown in theaters alongside She man!, this movie contains some of the only pre-Stonewall footage we have of trans women talking about their lives and experiences at home, in the workplace, and elswhere. The film is presented as a psychological/ scientific look at its participants, but in reality is closer in audience to pornography. The use of the images of these trans women imposed over their “male” selves during their daily lives, along with the “psychologist” who asks the questions’ entire demeanor give away the lie that this film, sadly, was really made for people who fetishize trans women. It has only recently come back into existence and received a restoration.

eat your makeup (1968)

The second of John Waters’s early films to feature the Dreamland Players and the first of his films shot on 16 mm rather than 8mm film. The film features Divine fantasizing that she is Jackie Kennedy reliving the Kennedy assassination while she witnesses a demented babysitter who forces girls to model themselves to death in front of her boyfriend and their friends. The film is not available on DVD or home video release.

the queen (1968)

the Queen is one of the most significant documentaries of drag history because of the moment it documents in time. A just barely pre-Stonewall New York City, a pre- House Ballroom scene Crystal Labeija, and a fight between queens that symbolizes the rift caused by racism within the drag world. For way more information on this film and how Crystal’s fight with Flawless Sabrina, who was judging and running the pageant, led to the beginning of the House Ballroom Scene, see episode 2 of Untucking the Past.

funeral parade of roses (1969)

Part of the Japanese New Wave movement in cinema, Funeral Parade of Roses grants a glimpse into the underground queer world of late 60’s Tokyo. This film does not follow standard storytelling and features a mixture of documentary, arthouse, and experimental elements. The film follows the lives of multiple trans women.

Multiple Maniacs (1970)

Composed, shot, edited, written, produced, and directed by John Waters, Multiple Maniacs was Waters’s second feature film and first “talkie.” The film features many of the Dreamland Players (Waters’s troupe of actors modeled on Andy Warhol’s facctory concept) including Divine as Lady Divine, who runs a circus sidehow, the “Cavalcade of Perversion.” It sets the stage for much of Divine and Waters’ work together as Divine plays Lady Divine who initially robs those who attend the free circus of perversion at gunpoint, but eventually decides to start murdering them. The plot is quite complex, but notable moments include Mink Stole’s character seducing Divine and inserting a rosary up her rectum while reciting the stations of the cross. Waters has described Divine’s role in this film as establishing her drag as more akin to Godzilla and his effect than glamour goddesses. The film ends with Divine being gunned down by the national guard as “God Bless America” plays.

The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)

Tricia’s Wedding (1971)

This short film produced by The Cockettes (for more info on their enormous influence on drag history, check out episode 3 of Untucking the Past) was produced nearly simultaneously to President Nixon’s daughtre getting married and being televised. This was a psychedelics-infused send-up of that event, ending with an orgy. Bizarrely enough, this film was screened in a bunker beneath the East Wing of the White House where Nixon could watch protests, by John Dean who had been told to watch it on the oders of Bob Haldemann, but ultimately they decided to do nothing about the film because it died on its own.

“I knew I wouldn’t use the shelter for monitoring demonstrations, although Haldeman had told me that that would be one of my responsibilities. The only time I ever returned there was for a secret screening of Tricia’s Wedding, a pornographic movie portraying Tricia Nixon’s wedding to Edward Cox, in drag. Haldeman wanted the movie killed, so a very small group of White House officials watched the cavorting transvestites in order to weigh the case for suppression. Official action proved unnecessary; the film died a natural death.”(https://dangerousminds.net/comments/tricia_nixons_wedding_travestied_by_the_cockettes_1971)

women in revolt (1971)

With three trans women as leads, this film can not be overlooked. However, it is important to note that while Warhol is often given credit for supporting these trans artists, in reality Warhol was extremely exploitative in his work with trans women. Be aware that much of the writing surrounding these trans women and Warhol’s work refers to them as “female impersonators”: this is due to issues of language surrounding trans people and drag at the time as well as bigotry in scholarship and coverage. That said, this film is a satire of the women’s liberation movement of the time. The film is also largely improvised or fleshed out by the actors themselves while Warhol did little to direct. This film is also a direct response in many ways to Valeria Solanas and the S.C.U.M manifesto. Part of what is in operation inside this film is the mocking of the women’s movement by using “female impersonators” as women, rather than honestly depicting trans women as women. Much of the humor in the film relies upon the supposed disconnect between the ators’ womanhoods and cisgender womanhood.

pink flamingos (1972)

Divine’s most iconic moment arrives in this first installment of John Waters “Trash Trilogy” when Divine, living under the name of “Babs Johnson” alongside mother Edie, son Crackers, and eats actual dog feces on film. In this outrageous exploitation film, Divine and her family compete to maintain their title of the “filthiest people alive” against the Marbles. The Marbles, played by David Lochary and Mink Stole, are making their name as filth simultaneously by kidnapping young women and forcing them to be impregnated followed by selling their babies on the black market to lesbian couples. They then funnel this money back into further disgusting activities like selling heroin to children. The film focuses on the feud between the two groups as well as their continued quests to maintain or deserve the title of filthiest people alive. This film also notably includes a brief appearance from trans woman and actress Elizabeth Coffey as a victim of Raymond Marbles’ penis-flashing. This film additionally helped to open up the world of midnight movie culture alongside Rocky Horror Picture Show.

female trouble (1974)

the rocky horror picture show (1975)

Alongside Pink Flamingos, this film helped establish the midnight movie phenomenon after its initial box office flop. Fans interact with and perform alongside the film as active participants in these screenings of what has become a cult classic. Sadly, filmmaker Richard O’Brien has disrupted some of the joy in the fandom because of his hatred of trans women. The film features Tim Curry as a “transexual transvestite from Transylvania” though what exactly that means is never quite clear. Local average Joe and Jane, Brad and Janet, show up looking for a fix to their flat tire at Dr. Frankenfurter’s mansion and chaos and cross-dressing ensue.

La cage aux folles (1978)

Outrageous! (1977)

An Audience with Dame Edna (1980)

Polyester (1981)

Victor/Victoria (1982)

rupaul is: star booty! (1987)

Before RuPaul became a national sensation with “Supermodel (You Better Work)” coupled with a newly fashioned “Glamazon” image-courtesy of collaboration with Mathu Anderson, Zaldy,Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, and Suzanne Bartsch- Ru had crafted a much more punk rock and anti-establishment viewpoint. This short film is a brilliant take-off from the works of John Waters and Divine as well as blaxploitation films of the 1970s. The dialogue appears largely improvised and the cast is clearly under the influence of a psychedelic drug or two, but this is perhaps the greatest work of Rupaul’s entire career. It’s a send-up of the Reagan administration’s war on drugs, response to AIDS, and more. For much more on this film, see my dissertation.

too outrageous! (1987)

the dame edna experience (1987-89)

torch song trilogy (1988)

Hairspray (1988)

Paris is burning (1990)

Vegas in Space (1990)

Dame edna’s Neighborhood Watch (1992-1993)

lily savage Live: Paying the Rent (1993)

The Adventures of priscilla, queen of the desert (1994)

Lie-In with Lily (1994 regular feature on TV Series “The Big breakfast”)

to wong foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

Although often thought of as an American knock-off of The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, these films were in production at the same time, capitalizing on a wave of interest in drag that swept over mainstream audiences during the 1990s. This film takes two action hero actors, Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze, and puts them in glamour drag on a journey across the states to compete in a national drag pageant. They take young Chi-Chi, played by John Leguizamo, along to teach her the ways of being a drag queen. I’ve written extensively about this film and its confusion surrounding what trans women and drag queens are because the queens stay in full drag essentially the entire film, including scenes at night. This makes sense as a safety measure in the rural town of Snydersville that they land in after a flat and a horrifying run in with a local sherriff, but makes much less sense overall because they go out of their way to explain what trans and drag are and the difference between them… but then continue to blur that line extremely. The film is overall a story of friendship, love and acceptance between the townspeople and the queens. for much more on this film, see Chapter 4 of my dissertation.

lily savage: live and outrageous (1995)

live from the lilydrome (1995) [no cover image available, image taken from show]

Wigstock: The Movie (1995)

the birdcage (1996)

an evening with lily savage (1996)

Lily’s Christmas Cracker (1996)

the Lily Savage Show (1997)

Dame edna’s Work Experience (1997)

Midnight in the garden of good and evil (1997)

Hbo’s Dragtime (1997)

Lily Savage’s Blankety Blank (1997-199)

homo heights (1998)

Divine trash (1998)

flawless (1999)

Trick (1999)

holiday heart (2000)

This film originally aired as a made-for-television movie on Showtime. Capitalizing on some of the same ideas as To Wong Foo,Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (DIRECTOR, YEAR) Holiday Heart also puts a classic action hero star in drag with Ving Rhames known for Mission Impossible as the main character, drag queen Holiday Heart. Heart helps a struggling mother who takes on sex work to afford a crack addiction, handle her daughter’s childhood. The film is highly melodramatic and some Black audience members view the emotional intensity of Heart and her expressions through the lens of camp and humor, while others see it simply as a Hallmark style film with melodramatic emotionality. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe.

sordid lives (2000)

Written by Del Shores, this film is based on his play of the same name. The film follows an eccentric southern white trash family from Texas as they prepare for their mother’s funeral after an unusual incident leads to her death. Leslie Jordan, best known as Will and Grace’s “Beverly Leslie” character. In Sordid Lives as well as the TV series and film sequel that followed, Leslie Jordan plays Brother Boy, a drag queen (and primarily Tammy Wynette impersonator) whose mother has had him institutionalized since he was in his late teens. Brother Boy wants to be free of the mental hospital and to attend the funeral of his mother who put him there. Meanwhile, Brother Boy’s nephew is preparing to come out to his family. This film also has a uniquely stellar cast for such a low budget film, including: Olivia-Newton John, Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Caroline Rhea, and Rue McClanahan.

lily live! (2000-2001) [No cover photo available]

psycho beach party (2000)

An adaptation of a Charles Busch play by the same name, Psycho Beach Party is a kitschedelic parody of 1950s and 1960s exploitation films, teen beach movies, horror slashers, and psychodramas. Charles Busch, notorious in the underground world for his long-running off off Broadway play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, plays Captain Monica Stark, who is an investigator into murderd surrounding “Chicklet” a Gidget-like character who begins to experience blackouts and multiple personalities. (For more on Busch, see my dissertation or read his fabulously loose fictionalization/novelization of his story The Whores of Lost Atlantis)

by hook or by crook (2001)

hedwig and the angry inch (2001)

venus boyz (2002)

The Cockettes (2002)

Legend of Leigh Bowery (2002)

Die, Mommie, Die! (2003)

girls will be girls (2003)

Dixie queen (2003)

Killer Drag queens on dope (2003)

Superstar in a Housedress (2004)

the nomi song (2004)

Klaus Nomi was not a drag performer per se, but his work, look, and character creation influence drag to this day, nearly 40 years after his death. nomi was a crucial figure in the New Wave and No Wave scenes in downtown NYC in the late 70s and early 80s, where he formed a group that called theemselves the Nomis. The Nomis took character persona to an entirely new level, taking inspiration from David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust characters, both of which Bowie stayed inside of 24/7 while performing as them. Nomi’s looks were an alien evasion of gender, and he and Joey Arias actually performed on Saturday Night Live with David Bowie in one of the most significant live television performances of his career. Bowie was finally breaking into the mainstream pop market with “Nomi Song” just before his death, and this film takes us from his youth in Germany past his death.

connie and carla (2004)

The Brini Maxwell Show (2004-2006)

the lady in question is charles busch (2005)

kinky boots (2005)

glitter & queer (2005)

how do i look (2006)

queens of heart: community therapists in drag (2006)

kiki & herb: Live at the knitting factory (2007)

starrbooty (2007)

hairpspray (2007)

A drag king extravaganza (2008)

Sordid Lives: The Series (2008)

pageant (2008)

Glitter & queer 2 (2008)

Rupaul’s drag race (2009-present)

all about evil (2010)

Arias with a twist (2010)

beautiful darling (2010)

i am the queen (2010)

jojo baby (2010)

ticked-off trannies with knives (2010)

jamie: drag queen at sixteen (2011)

rupaul’s drag race all stars (2012-present)

heels (2012)

I am divine (2013)

drag becomes him (2015)

between a frock & a hard place (2015)

dressed as a girl (2015)

the boulet brothers dragula (2016-Present)

divine divas (2016)

This documentary deals with an important and FAR underresearched area of drag history. Theblurb written for use by SXSW explains it all.

“Eight iconic characters from the first generation of transvestite artists in Brazil challenged the moral of a country at the height of a rigid military dictatorship, in the 1960s, when they used to perform a show called Divinas Divas. One of the first stages to feature men dressed as women was the Rival theatre, run by Americo Leal, the director's grandfather. Through archival footage and recent interviews, the documentary observes their 50-year careers on stage in different dimensions, leading us to understand these lives as a work of art, but also as a political act, struggling for human rights and individual freedoms in Brazil of yesterday and today.” -SXSW via YouTube

south beach on heels (2016)

Featuring Drag Race alum Latrice Royale, this film highlights the local performers and drag culture in South Beach, Florida. With a focus on the cast from Palace Bar, this film explores their personal lives, personas, interaction with family approaches to gender, and other issues.

hurricane bianca (2016)

kiki (2016)

A documentary that focuses on the New York House Ballroom/ voguing scene in the mid 2010s. With the background of the Black Lives Matter movement and trans rights finally getting national attention, this film does a much better job at examining the experiences and lives of ballroom performers than the whitewashed and highy problematic Paris is Burning to which it is too often compared.

dragged (2016)

a very sordid wedding (2017)

bob the drag queen: suspiciously large woman (2017)

kings, queens, & in-betweens (2017)

life’s a drag when you’re a man in a dress (2017)

cherry pop (2017)

the death and life of marsha p johnson (2017)

pose (2018-present)

the gospel of eureka (2018)

facebeater (2018)

queen of ireland (2018)

queer moxie (2018)

hurricane bianca: from russia with hate (2018)

wig (2019)

A look back at the original Wigstock events with archival footage that also places itself in the contemporary moment of the 2018 Wigstock festival.

drag kids (2019)

For the children featured in Drag Kids, drag has always been a viable career concept. Drag Kids showcases underage drag performers Queen Lactatia, Laddy GaGa, Suzan Bee Anthony and Bracken Hanke as they prepare to perform at Montreal Pride. These young performers have grown up with Drag Race and this is an intriguing glimpse into a world where drag can be accepted for children as an art form they can study like any other.

the queens (2019)

This film documents just over two years in the lives of Drag Race winners and contestants: Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Katya Zamalodchikova. The film explores behind the scenes moments with each performer as they tour the world, letting you in on both the making of the drag characters and the vulnerabilities of the performers.

a night at switch n’ play (2019)

An examination of the Brooklyn-based drag collective Switch N’ Play, who perform at the Branded Saloon. The film showcases performances alongside perspectives from its members on queerness, gender, and performance among other topics.

pink feathers (2019)

Tells the story of Richard Rhodes, who grew up in a small English village and became a drag queen known as both Cookie MonStar and Sheila Simmonds. The film examines his life in both 90’s New York and present day London.

trixie mattel: moving Parts (2019)

Moving Parts explores the life of RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Trixie Mattel during her rise to fame and her post-All Stars win. A mixture of concert footage and behind-the-scenes elements highlight the uniqueness of Trixie’s country music accompanied by autoharp combined with her drag persona, while also giving insight into her life with her biological family.

aj and the queen (2020)

In a variation on the well-trod turf of road trip/ buddy drag narratives, RuPaul plays Ruby, a queen who somehow makes three grand a night performing to dead bars across the nation. Meanwhile, a young (foster?0 child tags along and a parental relationship develops between the crusty kid and the seasoned queen.

the making of a king (in post-production)

The Making of a King documents the experiences of drag kings in Los Angeles and explores the ways that kings have claimed validity and power on their own terms.