More Movie Stars In Drag: Some Hot, Some Terrifying

By Michael Musto Fri., Jul. 15 2011 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Film

Boris Karloff, "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E."

Thanks to Larry Myers for sending me the J.C. Suares-edited book, Hollywood Drag, which teems with these astonishing visuals.

Paul Lynde, "The Glass Bottom Boat"

Miriam Hopkins, "She Loves Me Not"

William Powell, "Love Crazy"

George Sanders, "The Kremlin Letter"

Steve Martin, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"

Rod Steiger, "No Way to Treat a Lady"

Bob Hope, "Casanova's Big Night"

Mickey Rooney, "Babes on Broadway"

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Ned Nifty

Perhaps a new category named "Females Appearing As Other Females in Drag." Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in 'Mommie Dearest' would be first on the list

Aubergine

Bob Hope's costars in that film were Joan Fontaine and Audrey Dalton. it's probably Audrey in the photo.

normadesmond

maybe boris coulda understudied for miss landsbury.

mjm

who's the girl with Bob Hope, she looks familiar.

Karloff looks like Estelle Getty.

Movielover

and Elaine Stritch.

Jaja

In the photo of Miriam Hopkins as a man, there's Kitty Carlisle Hart!!

Phillip McKrevis

George Sanders looks like Kathy Griffin

Southern Dave

Paul Lynde looks just like Ruth Gordon in "Lord Love a Duck."

Movielover

Rob Steiger was also a riot, mama's boy (and you get to see his bare butt!) in a really good, funny movie from the '60s called The Loved One. Robert Morse is the leading man. John Guilgood also in it, plays a fastidious Brit in Hollywood.

Movielover

ROD Steiger.

Dugaldo

See dad... Steve Martin did it.

mjm

more you left out:-Rex Harrison and Richard Burton in Staircase ('69)-Jack Benny in Charley's Aunt ('41)-Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell in Good Burger ('97)-Cary Grant in I Was a Male War Bride ('49)-Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green in Party Monster ('03)-Yul Brynner in The Magic Christian ('69)-Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown ('64) -John Hubbard and Carole Landis in Turnabout ('40)-Doris Day in I'll See You in My Dreams and On Moonlight Bay (both '51)-Michael Robbins in The Pink Panther Strikes Again ('76)-Janet Leigh in Walking My Baby Back Home ('53) -Vera Ellen in Three Little Words ('50) -Esther Williams in Fiesta ('47)-Roddy McDowall in the Mae West TV movie from the early '80s-George Clooney in The Harvest ('92)-Barry Watson, Harland Williams, and Michael Rosenbaum in Sorority Boys ('02)-Moms Mabley in The Emperor Jones ('33)

Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Hedwig, and To Wong Foo would be the obvious choices to put down

Faithfull

Musto has already done blogs of stars in drag before and naturally he included Priscilla, Hedwig, To Wong Foo, and some of the others you mentioned. He will no doubt also do more of these. No one ever said this was a comprehensive list of everyone ever in drag. Can't anyone just say "Thanks. Enjoyed this" without having to prove how many MORE examples they know of?

Divoon

Yeah, I hate when people say "you left out so and so." This was just an assortment of good photos. Maybe there will be more, maybe not. And Musto did run Yul Brynner already, for one.

Judy

The Mickey Rooney performance is one of the most off-putting things you can witness.

Lost Weekend

Rod Steiger played a psychopathic serial killer in "No Way to Treat His Lady," so his outfit is not "drag," per se (i.e., done for laughs).

Indri

Miriam Hopkins actually looks very hot as a man.

Anonymous

I agree!

Toppmann54

Most of them I knew right away tho Boris did look alot like Mother Mukka from Tales in the City BUT!! Rod Steiger....man I would never have been able to guess that one..