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Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator
From the late 19th to the early 21st centuries, female impersonation was a hugely popular performance genre. Long before today's popular television shows, men in colleges, business, and even the military formed drag clubs and put on musicals and variety shows of all kinds with little fear of negative judgment. But no female impersonator was as famous, successful, or highly-regarded as Julian Eltinge (1881-1941). Eltinge, born William Dalton just outside Boston, started playing female characters and imitating women with his mother's encouragement as a child while his father shuttled his family around the Americas in search of a mining fortune that never materialized. The future drag star returned to Boston in his late teens where he quickly rose through the ranks of semi-amateur all-male musicals, then transitioned to vaudeville, and eventually starred in hugely successful musical comedies such as The Fascinating Widow (1910).
For decades, the Julian Eltinge Theatre on West 42nd Street bore testament to his stature. But Eltinge longed to play serious roles which did not require him to impersonate women; it was a lifelong struggle. He constructed a hypermasculine offstage persona-- a cigar-loving former Harvard athlete who beat up anyone who questioned his manliness--most of which wasn't true. But Eltinge's efforts were essential in a culture increasingly focused on separating “real men” from “inverts” and “perverts,” demanding men define themselves in new ways during a time of economic and cultural upheaval. During his heyday, Eltinge published a beauty and advice magazine for women, launched lifestyle-brand makeup and skincare products, and became a paid spokesperson for corsets and women's shoes, all without a hint of irony. Julian Eltinge's success with mainstream audiences, ever avoiding suspicions and scandal, says much about the emergent middle-class white heteronormativity of the era and what we have come to think of as the social construction of gender. Beautiful pays tribute to Eltinge and gives rich insight into his unique contributions to the transformation of cultural ideas about masculinity and femininity.
For decades, the Julian Eltinge Theatre on West 42nd Street bore testament to his stature. But Eltinge longed to play serious roles which did not require him to impersonate women; it was a lifelong struggle. He constructed a hypermasculine offstage persona-- a cigar-loving former Harvard athlete who beat up anyone who questioned his manliness--most of which wasn't true. But Eltinge's efforts were essential in a culture increasingly focused on separating “real men” from “inverts” and “perverts,” demanding men define themselves in new ways during a time of economic and cultural upheaval. During his heyday, Eltinge published a beauty and advice magazine for women, launched lifestyle-brand makeup and skincare products, and became a paid spokesperson for corsets and women's shoes, all without a hint of irony. Julian Eltinge's success with mainstream audiences, ever avoiding suspicions and scandal, says much about the emergent middle-class white heteronormativity of the era and what we have come to think of as the social construction of gender. Beautiful pays tribute to Eltinge and gives rich insight into his unique contributions to the transformation of cultural ideas about masculinity and femininity.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2024
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About the author
Andrew L. Erdman
4 books3 followersAndrew L. Erdman is a historian and psychotherapist who revels in uncovering misunderstood aspects of cultural history and how they relate to misunderstood parts of ourselves. A doctoral program in theatre studies led him to a deepened interest in the history of popular culture. A theatre kid who aspired to be a rock star, Erdman grew up to write for magazines, television shows, and the stage. His writings have also appeared in scholarly journals and he has taught at New York University, Brooklyn College, and elsewhere.
He is the author of: Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator (Oxford University Press, 2024), Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay (Cornell University Press, 2012), and Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals, and the Mass Marketing of Amusement, 1895-1915 (McFarland, 2004).
He is the author of: Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator (Oxford University Press, 2024), Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay (Cornell University Press, 2012), and Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals, and the Mass Marketing of Amusement, 1895-1915 (McFarland, 2004).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 24, 2024
About mid-way through this new book and really enjoying it. Learning a ton about American entertainment, vaudeville, show biz, minstrel shows, cakewalks, and of course drag, gender and gender roles during the late 19th and early 20th century in the US. It's packed with juicy details and interesting research..
I propose an additional subtitle. Here you go:
Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Impersonator:
& a lively romp through American entertainment, late 19th century through early 20th century
I propose an additional subtitle. Here you go:
Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Impersonator:
& a lively romp through American entertainment, late 19th century through early 20th century
Displaying 1 of 1 review