I read in this morning's paper that Gale Storm died. Ms. Storm was an actress in television situation comedies.She was best known for playing the title character of the television series My Little Margie. I watched the show in rerun regularly as a kid and recall that the show was very funny and one of my favorites, but I cannot recall one trans moment in that series.
However, when I recall My Little Margie, I always also remember Our Miss Brooks, another situation comedy that I watched in rerun as a kid around the same time I was watching My Little Margie. Eve Arden played the title character, a high school English teacher, who had a love interest in the shy biology teacher, Mr. Boynton.
I don't recall much about the show except for one episode in which Miss Brooks was trying to convince Mr. Boynton to attend a costume party. Mr. Boynton complained that he did not have a costume, but Miss Brooks offered as solution: with the right foundation garments, he could dress as a woman.
I sat through the rest of that episode waiting for Mr. Boynton to appear en femme, but that never happened and that trans moment in Our Miss Brooks was limited to words. (I cannot recall any other trans moments in Our Miss Brooks.)
Speaking of dead celebrities, I am burnt out by all the coverage of Michael Jackson's death and refuse to watch anymore. As a result, I may have missed if anyone commented that Mr. Jackson may have had trans issues.
I recall reading years ago on more than one occasion that Mr. Jackson had all that facial plastic surgery because he wanted to look like Diana Ross. Does that make him trans? I dunno, but it sure raises the issue.
In regards to 50's tv comedies, the tg episode I remember is from LOVE THAT BOB/ BOB CUMMINGS SHOW. It was about Bob's nephew Chuck (Dwayne Hickman) attending his first day at college at his uncle's alma mater where Bob's playboy legend lives on. Other students expect him to have a co-ed in his room the first night. He doesn't even know one but his best friend and roommate was played by an actor who ws barely more than 5' tall. So Chuck convinces him to dress as a girl and since it was the 50's it was the era of full petticoats. Chuck compliments his friend on his legs and the latter lift up the front of his dress giving a pretty good view of his undies. Bingo!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was beginning my gender transition, a man I met at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan compared what I was doing to Michael Jackson's surgeries and whatever else he did to himself.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I loved Thriller, I resented the comparison. That man could not understand why. For one thing, he thought Michael Jackson was a joke. For another, the changes I was making to myself in no way resembled what Michael did. I don't know what his motives were, but mine were and are to peel away the protective layers I developed over all of the years I presented myself to the world as a male. Perhaps I am wrong, but I always sensed that Michael was running from something. If that's the case, his motivations were exactly the opposite of mine.
To a lot of people, Michael Jackson is still a punchline denoting obsession with plastic surgery or such surgery gone awry. To me, he is someone who did some great music before he turned 30, not to mention the video that made music videos an art form. But he is also someone who had to explore new musical directions. He could not do that because he was hemmed in by public expectations, which kept him from becoming whatever kind of person he was supposed to be. That is what saddens me about his sudden death.
I talked a bit about this on my blog:
http://transwomantimes.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-06-26T22:04:00-07:00&max-results=3 (Look under "A Scandal and Two Tragedies", my 25 June entry.)
I live about an hour from the Disney properties in Florida. Michael Jackson spent a lot of time here in the 80s, and a lot of locals have stories about encountering him en femme in and around the theme parks.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall watching OMB as a kid, but I listen to old radio shows (it helps commutes go faster) and the Exact Same Plot was on one of the radio shows.
ReplyDeleteEven on radio, he didn't do drag. It would've been SO easy.
Anonymous --- Thank you for the Love That Bob reference. I watched that show, too, but missed that episode.
ReplyDeleteJustine --- Michael Jackson was a great talent, but his personal life was a mess and it saddens me to think about what might have been.
ReplyDeleteRoscoe --- Thank you for that info; it adds more credence to Jackson's possible trans-ness.
ReplyDeleteMeg --- Yes, drag on the radio would be a piece of cake! All you have to do is femme your voice.
ReplyDeleteStaci,
ReplyDeleteI thought the same recently about Michael, I am sure you remember the stories of him asking to be called Miss Ross.
To be selfish I hope he was not trans as it is not the best celebrity endorsement we could get.
April
I always thought he wanted to look like Liz Taylor
ReplyDeleteI got to meet Gale Storm when she came to town several years ago for a film festival. She also had her own show set on a cruise ship. Unlike THE LOVE BOAT, as she said after a veiwing an episode of the series, they never left the studio. As far as trans moemnts in TV, Max Baer played his sister, Jefreen on the BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. An agent on GET SMART, Charlie Watkins was always shown as a woman(and played by one). Of course, there was Flip Wilson as Geraldine. In a early LOVE BOAT, John Ritter in order to stay near his ex fiance, steals a suitcase which just happens to contain cosmetics, dresses and wigs that fit him! It is from episode 2 (Oh Dale) and can be viewed on cbs.com
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