#302348 - The Female Impersonator No 9 Neptune
The Female Impersonator, Number 9
Neptune Productions
Belmar, New Jersey
1975
digital replica
The cover says No. 9 but page three says Volume 6, Number 9. Either way, this is one rare issue of the earnest, East Coast transgender publication.
A few pieces expose the world of entertainers but most content explores the lifestyles of recreational cross-dressers. Lots of letters.
BREASTS BY PILL AND NEEDLE — article
Illustrated with photographs, the essay considers the pros and cons of hormone treatment and plastic surgery, including implants. Provides day-by-day details about surgery and recovery.
LOVE IS WHERE YOU FIND IT
In this first-person love story, a young man describes his excitement when meeting Kate. In bed, he's surprised to discover that his beauty was male. With photographs.
THE CONFERENCE — short story
by Evelyn Astin
A young dominatrix counsels a couple on the virtues of candor and acceptance.
THE REAL QUEENS OF STAGE AND SCREEN — article
Illustrated with photographs, this piece summarizes strategies and talents of successful female impersonators.
Mostly, professional female impersonators choose well-known actresses for their impersonations. For some reason, famous political women have not been touched by the mimics, but as more and more women rise to positions of prestige and importance, this will probably be a logical future happening.
Mostly, the women impersonated are famous actresses or singers. The stronger their charisma, the more they lend themselves to the wiles of the female mimic. In turn, the more skilled and charismatic the impersonator is, the better his rendition of the femme fatale will be.
In the past several years, there have been a handful of women who have become the favorites of the female impressionists; such women are Carole Channing, Bette Davis, Phyllis Diller, Marlene Dietrich, Diana Ross, Bette Midler and Pearl Bailey, to name a few.
It's difficult to see why these ladies are so loved and imitated by the mimics. They have very little in common with each other, save the fact that they are famous, have qualities that make them stars, and are loved by the homosexual subculture. These seem to be the criteria the mimics use in choosing the females they mimic.
There are quite a few female impersonators around today who do rather good visual impressions of famous females but the person who can do the voice as well is a rare performer. By the same token, there are very many female impersonators who are skilled at mimicking one female only. The artist who can do varied females is very rare also.
Nevertheless, there are two such female impersonators who have received recognition in their own profession, as well as the general public. They are Jim Bailey and Lynne Carter.
Both Bailey and Carter use their own voices to portray their famous females, an attractive quality these days. They both have lavish wardrobes to help strengthen the illusion, and both carry off their acts perfectly.
Lynn Carter is best known as a quick-change female mimic, who goes quickly from one famous female to another, without taking a lot of time for costume changes. Among his repertoire are such famous females as Marlene Dietrich, Phyllis Diller and Bette Davis.
Jim Bailey is best known for his impressions of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. His skill as a vocalist and the fact that he is blessed with a contralto voice makes him an impressionist of the highest caliber.
Pudgy Roberts must rate as one of the tops in this field as well. His varied impersonations include such diverse individuals as Carole Channing, Bette Davis, Pearl Baily, and Lily Tomlin, all carried off superbly. He is also skilled at the quick change, being able to do impersonations of a half dozen characters during one show.
Other excellent impersonators limit themselves to impressions of one or two characters. Well-known among these are Charles Pierce, who worked for many years doing male as well as female impersonations. His females include Mae West and Carole Channing, both done excellently.
Many of the "New Breed" of female impersonators who have recently risen to prominence also limit their impressions to one or two females. Prominent among these individuals are Charles Ludham and Claude Sacha, who do excellent takeoffs of Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand.
Because of this new talent in the field, female impersonation has reached a peak of popularity that it has not seen since the 1920s, when such individuals as Bert Savoy and Francis Renault graced the stage.
THE GOLDEN ONE
In this pictorial, Goldie becomes the girl of his dreams with the support and counsel of another man.
BILLIE
Pictures of a flamboyant drag queen at home.
West Coast Balling
“The Mayflower Ballroom in Inglewood, California, was the scene for one of the most elaborate and happening events of the West Coast drag scene, The Battle of the VIPs, 1974. Forty contestants battled for the title, Empress 111, as well as the runner-up trophies and prizes. Preparations for the event took several months and all of the contestants were sponsored by businesses and merchants in the Los Angeles area.”
Many photographs of party-goers in costumes. If you look carefully, you might see a wistful admirer gazing at Kim Christie.
The ebook contains all content of the 64-page magazine, including letters to the editor, news from companion publications, personal ads, and advertising for diverse merchandise. The original page sequence is retained but a few page layouts were modified. Some empty margins and borders were cropped out.
Brightness, contrast and levels were adjusted, shadows reduced and many specks re-touched. Those pages that were printed in color are not colorful. The ebook iteration improves on the clarity of the printed version.
All new scans. Nudity.
NOTE
Although some parts of pictures are obscured on this page, the ebook shows everything that's in the original.
One ebook, delivered by download from your 30th Street Graphics account.