With the femulations you've tracked down from both "This Is The Army" and POW camps, I wonder was there some weird Army/crossdressing linkage? It seems so interesting that the most masculine of professions had so much CDing.
There are countless stories about soldiers doing drag in entertainment situations. Back in the two "Big" wars there were no females serving in the military, so if the show was going to include ladies...... "pull up your skirts, soldier"! There are also stories about drag in prison camp shows. I remember reading the autobiography of Roberta Cowell, who was asked to grow "his" hair and play women's parts in POW plays. But keep in mind drag in vaudeville shows was very common and good drag artists abounded in those days -- think Julian Eltinge, for instance.
Back in the mid-1970s when I first started working in the computer industry (Yes, they took anybody back then!) I had a coworker who had been sent to a British boarding school for his 6th through whatever they call high school over there. He would show some slides (remember them???) at lunch of his time in school. He started with adventures in Kenya "in the bush". His roommate's father was the head gameskeeper in Kenya and he spent an entire summer there. I took notice of his long hair in a few of the photos. He also showed pics of his school and of himself in a few plays. I would describe him as petite in size, about 5'3-4" with small features and as soon as he got to his school he was recruited by the theater teachers as a female player for their productions. When I got to know him more intimately he "confessed" he went to the school with long hair (he was home schooled prior to being sent to boarding school) and the intention to be a girl in their plays, and did so throughout his years at school. It's hard to describe how envious I was when he told me his theatrical stories.
During WWII (and probably earlier) there were troupes of drag artists called "Soldiers in Skirts" in the British and ANZUS military. The British troupe was popular enough to continue for a few years after the war. But Drag, or Pantomime was very common in Great Britain. If I ever travel to England I want to spend some time in Brighton, apparently the "Mother Ship" of drag in the country.
There is at least one boarding school in England that has a renowned theater programme (check out the British spelling. Ha!) that used the so-called Shakespearian casting with all male acting. I'll root around my mess of disorganized URLs and try to find a link.
Aunty Marlena here: The all boys acting troupe you mentioned is Edward's Boys a drama program for boys at the King Edward VI School for boys in Stratford-on-Avon. Before live performances were suspended due to the pandemic, the troupe had performed numerous Elizabethan plays like The Malcontent and Woman in the Moon with boys making the most convincing women in the cast. http://edwardsboys.org/
It must have been difficult for some POWs to have a feminine hair style etc for a play to stay in male mode at all times when not on stage or rehearsing Lucy
Stana , this Someday Funnies are my dream Funnies !
ReplyDeleteWith the femulations you've tracked down from both "This Is The Army" and POW camps, I wonder was there some weird Army/crossdressing linkage? It seems so interesting that the most masculine of professions had so much CDing.
ReplyDeleteNo headaches, then?
ReplyDeleteThere are countless stories about soldiers doing drag in entertainment situations. Back in the two "Big" wars there were no females serving in the military, so if the show was going to include ladies...... "pull up your skirts, soldier"! There are also stories about drag in prison camp shows. I remember reading the autobiography of Roberta Cowell, who was asked to grow "his" hair and play women's parts in POW plays. But keep in mind drag in vaudeville shows was very common and good drag artists abounded in those days -- think Julian Eltinge, for instance.
ReplyDeleteBack in the mid-1970s when I first started working in the computer industry (Yes, they took anybody back then!) I had a coworker who had been sent to a British boarding school for his 6th through whatever they call high school over there. He would show some slides (remember them???) at lunch of his time in school. He started with adventures in Kenya "in the bush". His roommate's father was the head gameskeeper in Kenya and he spent an entire summer there. I took notice of his long hair in a few of the photos. He also showed pics of his school and of himself in a few plays. I would describe him as petite in size, about 5'3-4" with small features and as soon as he got to his school he was recruited by the theater teachers as a female player for their productions. When I got to know him more intimately he "confessed" he went to the school with long hair (he was home schooled prior to being sent to boarding school) and the intention to be a girl in their plays, and did so throughout his years at school. It's hard to describe how envious I was when he told me his theatrical stories.
During WWII (and probably earlier) there were troupes of drag artists called "Soldiers in Skirts" in the British and ANZUS military. The British troupe was popular enough to continue for a few years after the war. But Drag, or Pantomime was very common in Great Britain. If I ever travel to England I want to spend some time in Brighton, apparently the "Mother Ship" of drag in the country.
There is at least one boarding school in England that has a renowned theater programme (check out the British spelling. Ha!) that used the so-called Shakespearian casting with all male acting. I'll root around my mess of disorganized URLs and try to find a link.
Aunty Marlena here: The all boys acting troupe you mentioned is Edward's Boys a drama program for boys at the King Edward VI School for boys in Stratford-on-Avon. Before live performances were suspended due to the pandemic, the troupe had performed numerous Elizabethan plays like The Malcontent and Woman in the Moon with boys making the most convincing women in the cast. http://edwardsboys.org/
DeleteIt must have been difficult for some POWs to have a feminine hair style etc for a play to stay in male mode at all times when not on stage or rehearsing
ReplyDeleteLucy