From Drags to Riches

Charles Pierce (1926-1999) was an internationally known and highly successful female impersonator, known for his vivid portrayals of Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, and Mae West. This book offers a candid look at a career that spanned over fifty yearsfrom his humble start at the Pasadena Playhouse, to his sold-out shows in San Francisco. Told by longtime friend John Wallraff, and complete with humor, juicy stories of love, lust, sex, and Charles Pierce's own words, this book sculpts an intimate portrait of the man behind the make-up.

Autorentext

John Wallraff

Klappentext

Learn how Charles Pierce achieved stardom and became one of the most famous female impersonators of all time!Charles Pierce (1926--1999) was an internationally known and highly successful female impersonator, known for his vivid portrayals of Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, and Mae West. This book offers a candid look at a career that spanned over fifty years--from his humble start at the Pasadena Playhouse, to his sold-out shows in San Francisco.From Drags to Riches provides a rich and colorful history of Charles Pierce. In this insightful and moving volume, Pierce's friend John Wallraff offers valuable insights about the little-known man behind the makeup and captures the essence of what drag stardom is really like. This informative, imaginative, and sexually provocative book contains:

• stories of how famous Hollywood icons shaped Charles Pierce's life and his act
• Pierce's history, from his humble beginnings at the Pasadena Playhouse to his sold-out shows in San Francisco and beyond
• a look at Pierce's private life
• an examination of the price of fame--how successes and failures shape any performerUsing the words of Charles Pierce himself, adding a dash of humor, mixing in fascinating insights, and sprinkling in juicy stories of love, lust, and sex, this book is a melting pot of information about a well-loved but sometimes misunderstood man.

Inhalt

• Acknowledgments
• Prologue
• 1. "A Wonderful Idea"
• 2. A Movie Star on Wheels
• 3. Pasadena Playhouse-At Last!
• 4. Extracurricular Lessons in Sex
• 5. "Make Me a Star!"
• 6. Stars in My Eyes
• 7. Summer Stock and Shangri-La for Awhile
• 8. The Rent Party
• 9. Charles Pierce, the Persistent Houseguest
• 10. A Mahvelous Pahty
• 11. A Naked Moon Dance and the Little Retreat Where Alcoholics Meet
• 12. The Big Break and Sex on the Rocks
• 13. "Everybody Came to the Gilded Cage"
• 14. "Through These Portals . . .:"
• 15. Rio Dante, the Man Who Would Be Dracula
• 16. "The Beverly Hill Nellies" and How They Grew
• 17. In Love with a "Living Doll"
• 18. In Bed with "Bette Davis"
• 19. Chicken-in-the-Nude, Cock Tales, and Other Assorted Orgies
• 20. Chez Sabu and La Ballet de Marijuana
• 21. "Mother Didn't Tell Me There'd Be Nights Like These!"
• 22. Death in the Dressing Room
• 23. Gold Street and Touched by an Angel-Of Death!
• 24. "No, I'm Not the Girl in the Fishbowl at Bimbo's"
• 25. The City Cabaret and Disco-The Times They Were A-Changin'
• 26. The Backlot-And the Real Miss Bette Davis
• 27. An Evening at "Dottie's Place"
• 28. Charles Pierce Takes New York-And New York Loves It!
• 29. "The Tush Room at the Hotel Yuck"
• 30. The Venetian Room-"Top o' the World, Ma!"
• 31. Wild at The Ballroom-Farewell to New York City
• 32. Is There Life After Drag?
• 33. Charles Pierce: Male Actress
• 34. Letters from the End of the Rainbow
• 35. Farewell, Old Friend: The Last Charles Pierce Show
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Index