CROSS DRESSING IN THE PERFORMING ARTS
(Cross Dressing is used a "Catch-All" term)

In researching "Cross Dressing In British Cinema", it soon became apparent that there is a long and honourable tradition of
cross dressing in the performing arts in general, hence the title, and I hope, in time, to deal with these other strands, but first it is British Cinema, and then Hollywood.

The first British film to deal with Transgenderism seriously was the 1971 movie "I WANT WHAT I WANT", described in the British Film Catalogue simply as "Pt instructor loves Major's daughter,
who is really a man"...Fortunately I have more information about this film which will be referred to in the "soundies" part of the index.

Until the above film, cross dressing was either comedy..."KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS", or used as a plot device..."THE KREMLIN LETTER"

It is a sad fact that of the nearly eight thousand British silent fiction films made between 1895 and 1930 only about 20% are known to exist, mainly, I think, within the British Film institute archives...Happily copies of some of OUR films are among the survivors...These are listed in "B.F.I. Silent Comedies", and may well be viewable...These films are marked with an asterisk.

Also, many of the silents in the B.F.C. have very little information, so I am confident that this index is but a fraction of cross dressing silents.

And finally...I will add more information, as it comes to light.

A TRIBUTE. Creating this index would hardly be possible, but for the work of the late DENIS GIFFORD whose various BRITISH FILM CATALOGUES list just about every fiction and non-fiction film
Issued in the U.K. beteween 1888 and 1994...Monumental works and a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in the genre.

"The punters love Trannies - provided the trannies make the punters laugh" (Anon.)

CROSS DRESSING IN BRITISH CINEMA SILENTS

Each film is listed by year, title, running time (in feet at approx 1.5 ft per second), brief synopsis, and player(s)(where known)

1898
ALLY SLOPER (75)
Trick: Man dresses as woman, then the film is reversed

1899
A GAME OF CHESS AND KISSES (75)
Chess player dons bonnet and is kissed by opponent

WOMEN'S RIGHTS (69)*
Two women (played by men) stand gossiping behind a fence.Two workmen nail their skirts to the fence. the women try to get away, and pull the fence down

1900
THE OLD MAID'S VALANTINE (50)
A.K.A. THE VALENTINE
Spinster receives insulting valentine card
Tom Green as the spinster

1902
BLUEBEARD (100)
A scene from the Drury Lane Theatre production
Dan Leno as Sister Anne

1903
THE LADY THIEF AND THE BAFFLED BOBBIES (200)
Police chase woman thief on to train, she removes her skirt and escapes as a man

THE CONVICTS ESCAPE FROM PRISON (206)
Police chase man in woman's garb, fight in river, and throw him off cliff

1905
AN INTERRUPTED HONEYMOON (375)
Policeman chases jewel thief on to train where thief changes clothes with his wife, and ties policeman up

TWO SENTIMENTAL TOMMIES (300)
Soldier fools sergeant by dressing as girl

1906
THE PIRATES OF REGENTS CANAL (?)
Children steal sheets to convert barge into pirate ship, but are stopped by mother
Bill Haley as the mother

A SLIPPERY VISITOR (407)
Pursued burglar dresses as policeman, OLD WOMAN, etc.

1908
THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T (642)
Suffragettes find one of their number is a man

WHEN WOMEN RULE (600)
Suffragettes make men wear skirts, and then take over fire station

A CONVICTS DASH FOR LIBERTY (225)
Convict changes clothes with girl, and tries to escape down river

LORD ALGY'S BEAUTY SHOW (385)*
Actors pose as girls to win beauty contest

1909
THE ROBBERS'S PURSE: OR FOILED BY FIDO (425)
Thief poses as woman to steal cashbox, terrier brings police

HOW PERCY WON THE BEAUTY COMPETITION (423)*
Percy dresses as a woman, and wins £100 in contest, when his wig slips off, the other women give chase

SORRY, CAN'T STOP (235)
Boy fixes roller skates on sleeping auntie
Bill Haley as the auntie

THE NEW SERVANT (475)
Man poses as maid to fool amorous man and win his daughter

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION (325)
Man is forced to dress as woman when son steals his clothes

THE UNWELCOME CHAPERONE (400)
Courting couple strand aunt in boat on river
Bill Haley as the aunt

WHEN FATHER WEARS STAYS (355)
Fat man dons corset and can't pick up his slippers

THE LAZY BOY (750)
Stowaway on barge poses as girl to avoid hard work

1910
SCROGGINS PUTS UP FOR BLANKSHIRE (500)
Suffragettes pelt candidate and he wins by 6 votes
Dave Aylott as Mrs Scroggins

OLD LADIES CHASED BY BULL (307)*
At least one of the "old Ladies" is a man

THE TABLES TURNED (271)*
Woman dresses her midget husband as baby to go begging. Thieves steal the pram and one of them dresses as a woman, then they pose as a distressed family. The midget jumps from the pram and grabs the money they have made from begging

RIGOLLO THE MAN OF MANY FACES (200)*
Actor made up as suffragette

WITHOUT HER FATHER'S CONSENT (525)
Elopers hide father's clothes, so he pursues them dressed as a woman

HE ELOPED WITH HER FATHER (400)
Father dresses up as daughter to thwart suitor

THE UNFORTUNATE INVALID (680)
Tramp steals nurse's clothes and takes invalid out in bath chair

1911
BERTIE'S BID FOR BLISS (630)
Barmaid's fiancee poses as woman to thwart dude

MUGWUMP'S PAYING GUEST (450)
Jealous man poses as woman to trap wife, and sister poses as man

THE SUBALTERN'S JOKE (475)
Subaltern poses as aunt at dance, and colonel's daughter poses as a chair

IN LOVE WITH AN ACTRESS (500)
Man in bath fools dude into believing he is actress

THE HYPNOTIST AND THE CONVICT (290)
Trick: Hypnotist changes clothes with convict, GIRL, cleric
(Filmed in Kinemacolour)

AUNT TABATHA'S VISIT (395)*
Man poses as friends rich aunt from Australia

1912
A PAIR OF BAGS (375)
Man forced to wear hobble skirt when girl takes his bag by mistake

THE LITTLE GENERAL (950)
Clumsy maid redeems herself by catching burglar
(The only player listed is Fred Evans)

THE ARTFUL WIDOW (480)
Girl's suitor, rejected by father, poses as widow to force consent

CHARLIE SMILER CATCHES A TARTAR (425)
Charlie follows a tough woman who turns out to be a man

A DAY IN LONDON (680)
Man poses as maid to save girl from flirtatious uncle

THE CHAPERONE (590)
Student fools friends and girls by posing as a woman

THE GREAT TIGER RUBY (1090)
Detective poses as old woman to catch gem thief posing as sailor

A SUFFRAGETTE IN SPITE OF HIMSELF (600)
Man, arrested while posing as a woman, is saved by suffragettes
Marc MacDermott as the man

PIMPLE AS A BALLET DANCER (240)
Pimple tries to emulate ballerina
Fred Evans as Pimple

1913
OH! MY AUNT (720)
Man dresses as aunt to woo schoolgirl
Edwyn J. Collins as the man (?)

NOW SHE LETS HIM GO OUT (400)
Henpeck's friend poses as woman to fool wife

THE SANCTIMONIUOS SPINSTERS' SOCIETY (587)
Men pose as women to join spinsters' club
Hal Charlton, Thomas Brooklyn, Henry Wright as the men

MISS PIMPLE, SUFFRAGETTE (550)
Pimple poses as suffragette to blow up boat race
Fred Evans as Pimple

THE MOUNTAINEERS ROMANCE (1432)
Man fights sister's fiancee thinking he loves American tourist
Dickie Thorpe as Myrtle Madison

A MAID OF THE ALPS (1330)
Knight finds paper proving innkeeper's daughter is stolen heiress and squashes crone in grape-press
Goerge Moore Marriott as Mme Potard

DAD CAUGHT NAPPING (970)
Student poses as girl to flirt with beloved's father

INKEY AND Co - GLAD EYE (380)
Man poses as girl to thwart rival
Albert and Seth Egbert

A SURPRISING ENCOUNTER (485)
Boys change girl swimmer's clothes with those of swimming curate

RINGING THE CHANGES (419)
Man dresses as aunt to fool brother

THE FAIRIES' REVENGE (750)
Trick: Fairies change scoffer's clothes into ballet dress
Percy Manton

WILY WILLIAM'S WASHING (592)
Tramp steals clothes and poses as launderess

1914
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE (2000)
Man poses as girl to woo married woman
Arthur Roberts as Arthut Fitz-Awful Smith

INQUISITIVE IKE (250)
Man poses as girl to fool peeping tom
Fred Groves

THE TERRIBLE TWINS (1100)
Girl and sailor swap identities to shock count
Austin Melford and Ivy Close

WHO WILL MARRY MARTHA? (745)
Girl advertises for suitors and landlady blackmails them by posing as her husband
Joe Evans as Martha

A NOVEL WOOING (935)
Man dressed as girl forced to share bedroom with girl dressed as man
Norman Howard as the man

THE BLOODSTAINED SHOE (2200)
French detective, blamed for killing blackmailer, poses as woman to find missing witness
Henri Houray

THE ADVENTURES OF PIMPLE - TRILBY (1248)
Hypnotist makes girl singer star of Covent Garden
Fred Evans as Trilby
Joe Evans as Svengali

1915
SENTIMENTAL TOMMY (9675)
Territorials dress up as girls and are mistaken for spies

MR AND MRS PIECAN - THE GIDDY HUSBAND (650)
Wife fools flirty husband by having man pose s their maid

PIMPLE'S ROYAL DIVORCE (2150)
Emperor sues for divorce when his wife refuses to have baby
Fred Evans as Napoleon Bonaparte
Joe Evans as Josephine

PIMPLE'S THREE WEEKS (WITHOUT THE OPTION) (3200)
Burlesque of Eleanor Glyn's "Three Weeks"
Fred Evans as Princess Pimpelian

MADEMOISELLE PIMPLE (720)
Pimple poses as a Russian ballerina

THAT'S DONE IT (623)
Suitor poses as girl, and has to fight off her father

THE KNUT AND THE KERNEL (1005)
Anti-vice league president's husband has night out with nephew
Will Page as Mrs Nagger

POOR CLEM (925)
Musician turns busker and poses as widow's maid
Will Page As Clem
Ruby Belasco as the widow

1916
JOEY'S AUNT (927)
Joey hides girl in ottoman, and poses as his aunt
Joe Evans as Joey
Geraldine Maxwell as Mrs Joey

NIPPER AND THE CURATE (1036)
Youth poses as heiress to save sister from infatuated curate
Lupino Lane as Nipper

NIPPER'S BUSY BEE TIME (824)
Suitor poses as girl to divert man from beekeeper's daughter
Lupino Lane as Nipper

PIMPLE'S A WOMAN IN THE CASE (1090)
Burglar pose as woman to save partner from arrest
Fred Evans as Pimple
Joe Evans as Raffles

THE REAL THING AT LAST (5000)
American producer modernises MacBeth
Nelson Keys as Lady MacBeth
Caleb Porter, George Kelly, Ernest Thesiger as the witches

1917
DOING HIS BIT (2200)
Army reject poses as woman and becomes nurse
George Robey

1918
WHERE'S THE KEY? (2158)
Lawyer poses as girl to retrieve key from girl's dress
James Reardon

1919
A LITTLE BIT OF FLUFF (5000)
Flirts troubles with dancer's knecklace and suspicious wife
James Lindsay as Aunt Agnes

1920
THE CONTROLLER (2000)
Costers pose as widow and children to take over spinter's villa
Joe Cohan

1923
WIDOW TWAN-KEE(6050)
Retitled ONE ARABIAN NIGHT
Washerwoman's son uses magic lamp to marry Princess
George Robey as Widow Twan-Kee

1925
GAINSBOROUGH BURLESQUES (Series)
No.4 TYPICAL BUDGET: THE ONLY UNRELIABLE (1000)*
Adrian Brunel poses in some Paris fashions

SOMEBODY'S DARLING (8800)
Squire's novelist son poses as nurse to save heiress from guardian's private asylum
Rex O'Malley

End of part one

If anyone has any comments, criticisms (constructive?), ideas, suggestions, information, etc., will you be kind enough to post them on a separate thread, so that this thread can be kept clear for future work

Thank You, Elly. X

AN ADDITION

1904
THE BATHER'S REVENGE (75)
Boy swimmers upset bench and throw lovers into stream
Walter Haggar in "drag" as one half of the lovers