Showing posts with label Actors in Drag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Actors in Drag. Show all posts

Thursday, June 23, 2011

What a Drag! Bending Genders Cinema Style

For one's art, an actor must suffer and sometimes cross gender. Some look better than others and some - well - some are just downright ugly! But, the great ones are good sports and throw everything into their role. And sometimes, something strangely sexy happens...


The men have a harder time looking passable, let alone feminine, but some manage to pull it off better than others. The ladies, while hardly ever looking truly masculine (except for a few), always look fetching, no matter how the gender bends. Mascara and lip gloss always seem to be handy.


Here are the Boys!
The Good
These few fellows actually make a passable woman!
Charlie Chaplin in "A Woman" - quite charming, don't you think?
Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie" - who would have guessed?
Shows you what great make-up and a great actor can do!
Sir Alec Guinness in "Kind Hearts and Coronets" -  
she's quite formidable!
Peter Seller in "The Mouse That Roared" - 
makes quite a believable Duchess,  doesn't he?

The Bad
These boys were bad, and fooled no one, but they tried.

Cary Grant in "I Was a Male War Bride" - not Cary's best look,
but  he was a good sport and would do anything for a laugh
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in "Some Like it Hot" -
yes, they  were  not really believable, but they were so cute!

William Powell in "Love Crazy" - oh Nick Charles! But, 
Bill does make a pretty good fussy old lady

The Really Ugly
These guys are just not in touch with their feminine side!


Gene Hackman in "Birdcage" - so wrong
George Sanders in "The Kremlin Letter" - 
He & Gene Hackman switched at birth?
Fatty Arbuckle - just say "NO"!

Curly - Maybe with a bigger hat....
Lou Costello (right) in "Lost in a Harem" - 
Lou looks as though he wandered in from "Birdcage"
Robert Preston in "Victor Victoria" - 
Not pretty, but funny as hell
Johnny Depp in "Before Night Falls" - 
some may like this look, but me? Not so much.

Here Come the Girls

The Cute
These girls might not have quite passed, but they sure looked adorable.
Louise Brooks in "Beggars of Life" - 
Louise always looked stylish, no matter what she wore
Edna Purviance in "Behind the Screen" - 
hmm.... Charlie is strangely attracted
Jessie Matthews in "First a Girl" - 
the early British version of "Victor/Victoria"
Julie Andrews in "Victor/Victoria" - 
she looks pretty feminine to me!
Miriam Hopkins in "She Loves Me" - 
Miriam is still cute as a button
Marion Davis in "Little Old New York" - WR Hearst liked to see her
 dressed as a boy. Let's not even go there.
Janet Gaynor in "Sunny Side Up" - pretty cute, pretty close
Merle Oberon in "A Song to Remember" - 
a lady to her fingertips (but very chic)

The Sexy
These 2 women defined continental sex appeal. No matter what the gender, they were hot.
Marlene Dietrich - the Queen

Garbo - always kept them guessing (beautifully)

The Disturbing
Sorry, but this makes me a little uncomfortable...
Katharine Hepburn in "Sylvia Scarlett"-  
Her co-star was Cary Grant. 
Not exactly "The Philadelphia Story."


Feeling a bit conflicted? Do you feel the onset on an identity crisis? It will be our little secret. 


Excuse me while I bake a cake. Men, start chopping some lumber!