Melissa Gohlke: San Antonio’s Drag Culture of the 1930s and 40s
A Bit of Texas LGBTQ History
Republished by permission from UTSA Libraries Topshelf-San Antonio's Drag Culture of the 1930s and 40s
by Melissa Gohlke[1]
<<ENTRY UNDER CONSTRUCTION>>
“MY, OH MY! WHAT A SHOW!” A 1949 advertisement for the Gay Paree touted the “Boys will be Girls” revue which enjoyed a long run at the nightclub. Female impersonators drew in the crowds providing patrons a glimpse into the exotic world of gender-bending gay performance. Where was this nightclub you might ask—San Francisco or New York? New Orleans, perhaps? Cabarets featuring female impersonators were staples in these cosmopolitan centers. But in San Antonio—cradle of Texas liberty, home of the Alamo, queer culture would have been on the fringes of society, right?
Not so. Gay Paree was one of several nightclubs located in the heart of the River City that drew famous female impersonators from around the country. Harvey Lee, pictured in this souvenir program, was a nationally known performer. According to one recollection, “Harvey Lee, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, was known for his elegant entrances, always dressed beautifully, and accompanied by his two large, white Afghan hounds.”[2] Lee shared the stage with Francis Blair, “a polished and lovely Prima Donna” and star in Seattle’s Garden of Allah cabaret.[3]
Gay Paree souvenir program [exterior], UTSA Libraries Special Collections, General Photograph Collection, MS 362
Gay Paree souvenir program [interior], UTSA Libraries Special Collections, General Photograph Collection, MS 362
Francis Lee aka Minnie Meyers photograph, 1949 Gay Paree souvenir program [insert], UTSA Libraries Special Collections, General Photograph Collection, MS 362
File:Feb.-18,-1949-hotcha-atGP.jpg
In 1949,Hotcha Hinton headed the lineup of “The Boys Will Be Girls” revue, creation of Texas female impersonator, Ray Bourbon.[4]Hotcha wooed audiences with her outrageous costumes and comedic burlesque. Don Paulson, in An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle, writes that: “she charmed and fooled both her audiences and her interviewers into seeing her as a woman. Her desire to be accepted as a woman was so strong that she simply failed to tell people she was man.”[5]
Notes
- ↑ The author is currently working on a book about San Antonio's LGBTQ history based on her Master's thesis: "Out in the Alamo City: Revealing San Antonio's Gay and Lesbian Past, World War II to the 1990s." She's uncovered some remarkable stories and wants to share these discoveries with our LGBTQ community.
- ↑ [1] Norm Billings, letter included with The Gay Paree souvenir program, August 13, 1997, General Photograph Collection, MS 362, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections from the Institute of Texan Cultures.
- ↑ Don Paulson with Roger Simpson, An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996), 135-140.
- ↑ Nite spot advertisements, San Antonio Light February 18, 1949, 14A; August 14, 1937, 5A; http://www.squidoo.com/Pansy.
- ↑ Paulson, Garden of Allah, 141-146.
