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Other Artists on Pansy Craze Show

Cole Porter & Noel Coward

Above, Cole Porter and (inset) Noel Coward

While I do not consider Cole Porter and Noel Coward to be Pansy Craze artists,
they each had a couple of songs that certainly fit in well with this show.

   

The faithful version of "Green Carnation" was found on the above Noel Coward
tribute album, one of the great series done by Ben Bagley in the 1960's. I inserted
the pic of Edward Earle, who did that track. Below, just a book with the same title.

Cliff Edwards &
Bailey's Lucky Seven

Edwards is another straight artist "guesting" on this show, as he happened
to be on the recording I found of the Karyl Norman song, and did that great
Mae West parody of "Come Up and See Me Sometime." I also found a
version of "Nobody Lied" as by the Magnificent Saxophone Sextette, 1922.

"Call Her Savage"

The 1932 Clara Bow movie has a wonderful, Wonderful scene in what
might be a gay bar, with our pansies singing "Working as Chambermaids."

 Bart Howard

The world knows him as a gifted songwriter, with the classic song
"Fly Me To The Moon," and many others. But I delight in knowing
that he played piano on some of the early recordings of Ray Bourbon.

Beatrice Lillie

Below, the song was a children's song, written in 1917, before Beatrice Lillie got a hold of it...

Durium Dance Band

I could not find a photo of the Durium Dance Band, but I understand that
the personnel changed frequently, and it was often led by UK dance band
leader Lew Stone. The discs themselves were single-sided, flexible
cardboard-backed brown cellulose records; they were budget priced to
showcase the latest hits, but were not durable.

Tessie O'Shea

Tessie O'Shea was a popular UK entertainer and actress, a frequent
headliner at the London Palladium and a Tony Award winner.

Mae West

Mae West could almost be considered the lady behind the curtain of this show,
as her influences started early and lasted a long time. During prohibition she
pushed the envelope of what society thought was acceptable, battling censorship.
And while her act and shows help popularize a more open atmosphere, which benefited
gay performers, when her shows were raided, the police crackdown probably
hurt the gay acts more, closing down the clubs. In the 40s she cast Ray Bourbon
in two of her shows, and I included in the show his singing, in her style, one of the
songs from "Catherine Was Great." She died in 1980, so I can remember her on
television, but by that time she had become a parody of herself…a shame, because
she was a force on Broadway and in the movies.

Above, Mae and Ray

 

January 2018

Late Additions

Les Poe
Had I known about (or had the sound file) when I did this show,
he would have been included. See More....

*******
another artist for whom I did not have the sound files for this show

Fred Barnes