2020 Issue 6 Nov/Dec - Focus Mid-South Magazine

described as female
impersonation.”
It was always assumed that
he was gay, but he went to
great lengths to steer away
from that association
throughout his career. He
appeared in several films, in his
usual mode of having to
disguise himself for some
reason as a woman and then
reveal his true gender at the
end. In his only sound film,
“Maid To Order” (1931) he plays
a private detective who
disguises himself as a French
singer, Lottie Lorraine,
performing at a nightclub
where diamonds are being
smuggled. It is a forerunner of
“Some Like It Hot” and
“Tootsie” in which Lottie had to
room with another female
singer creating embarrassing
and farcical situations. He lived
a double life as a very
successful performer who was
famous for his female roles but
maintained a very masculine
persona (almost too much) off
stage.
Part of Eltinge’s legacy
remains today in Manhattan.
The Empire Theatre on 42nd St.
in NYC, was originally the
Eltinge Theatre. It was built in
1912 and named in Eltinge’s
honor (though there is no
record of him ever performing
there). It was well known as the
theater of the Abbott and
Costello performances. In 1998,
as part of the renewal of 42nd
Street, it lifted off its
foundation and moved 170 feet
to the west where it became
the lobby of an AMC movie
theater. Eltinge’s name is listed
there on a plaque facing the
street. It is said that the images
in the plaster and murals which
still may be seen are of Eltinge
in costume. Read more about
the theater at http://
cinematreasures.org/
theaters/255 Read more of
Eltinge’s biography at http://
www.julianeltinge.com/bio.
html
White, New York
L.A. Times archives
In these three photos, Julian Eltinge.
Eltinge was the most famous female
impersonator of his time. He was a star of
stage and screen. At left is Eltinge,
presenting as male in a promotional still.
A program from the UofM Collection shows
that Eltinge performed in Memphis at the
old Lyric Theatre on Madison in 1924.
Below is Eltinge performing as a female.
So ‘out’ was Eltinge when he
presented as a woman, he socialized
with very visible personalities of the
time. At left, Eltinge is seen chatting
with Pat Collins, left, and Edward G.
Robinson at a performance by the
Dominos Club, Nov. 25, 1935.
One last vestige of Eltinge is the lobby
entrance of the AMC theater on New
York City’s 42nd Street. The Eltinge
theater was built in 1912 and named in
honor of Eltinge. When the street was
revamped in 1998, the old theater was
lifted from its foundation and moved 170
down the famous street and joined to
the AMC structure.
©Vincent Astor
White, New York
GO! / NOV+DEC 2020 / focusmidsouth.com / Page 33