JULIE-CAT'S FAVORITE "CROSS-DRESSER FRIENDLY" CELEBRITIES

The following men have dressed in drag, or cross-dressed in panties or lingerie, or expressed an affinity for those who do.

In all cases, the public's knowledge of their "femme" side has, if ever so slightly, helped show people that this is not an uncommon fetish and that "even respectable" and "manly" males enjoy it.

J. EDGAR HOOVER tops the list. I put him on the top of the list because he's NOT a good looking fellow, and because his reputation was for being absolutely tough, the ultimate crime-fighter. The myth of the transvestite is that he is weak, feminine, and looks good in drag. J. Edgar Hoover disproves all of that!

CARY GRANT was a class act, all the way. How elegant he always looked in his suits. And underneath, he always wore women's panties. I don't know why he admitted to it; perhaps they showed during an interview, or a reporter glanced past the open bathroom door and saw the dainties hanging to dry.

Cary explained that he wore them because they were light (who wants bulky briefs ruining the sleek look of tight pants!) and because nylon undies dry quickly and an actor on the road doesn't need to lug around more than a few pairs. Two very good reasons, indeed! Men's cotton underpants are good only if you're involved in strenuous, sweaty activity. (Even then, I am SURE there's been many an athlete who has taken to the field with frillies underneath!!!) Cary insisted he wore "plain" white ones, and no lace. (In the movie "Bringing Up Baby" he did wear a pretty cute negligee with a furry collar!)

MARV ALBERT. I would've placed him on top of the list, since this flinty-eyed, hawk-faced macho sports broadcaster is probably very close to the average CD; a guy who likes to dress in lingerie even if he looks ridiculous in it. Marv apparently wasn't into wigs or make-up, he just liked to look down and see himself in lingerie. Like so many, he liked to look in the mirror and see a gender-bending sight. It was a relief from work pressures; after all, if you had to look at basketball players in those awful shorts, you'd long for panties, too.

Lots of CD's look like THIS. They don't try to be girls and wear make-up, they just like to have undies on! (Wheee, cold weather means bulky sweaters and bras underneath!!!) It's sad that Marv's cross-dressing was such an issue. Let's face it, if he'd simply been accused of biting some long-term kinky lover (who knew he was about to marry a younger woman) he'd be as admired as Frank Gifford, Bill Clinton or Bob Packwood. But in panties? No. The whole uproar in the case was the image of Marv in panties! Marv came off like Anthony Perkins in "Psycho" and Michael Caine in "Dressed to Kill." A "dangerous" CD who wore dainties to be dangerous! Awww. NO FAIR. Happily, Marv is now back on TV (ahem, I mean, television). Today he insists he never wore panties with any woman...but he DID go through a phase of partying with transvestites. Confusing, isn't it! I still like him, and think he gave people pause to realize TV/CD is something any male could enjoy. David Steinberg told Tom Snyder: "So he may have worn ladies underwear. So what!"

BOB EUBANKS. He's not a TV (well, he hasn't said so) but his NEWLEYWED GAME has been great for transvestites! I love this show! Almost every day Bob asks a question intended to get a TV response. And sure enough, the wife will gleefully tell about the time her husband tried on her undies...

ALBERT DEKKER, best known for playing "Dr. Cyclops," was a burly character actor, not the stereotype of the crossdresser. Unfortunately the way the world found out about his fetish was pretty grim: he was found handcuffed, in lingerie, an apparent suicide. Some have very strong doubts that it really was a suicide.

The rest on this list are celebrities who cross-dressed in "real life" in the sense that they did it live, in front of people, and not for a movie. In each case, it was an unexpected thing to do. And it helped make people realize that wearing women's clothing can be exhilerating and fun!

New York's MAYOR RUDOLPH GIULIANI, March, 1997, performed on stage in FULL drag. It was for a fundraiser, and as "Rudia" he joined "Victor/Victoria" star Julie Andrews in an act that startled The New York Times.

I quote the Times: "But no one was fully prepared for the sight of New York City's brawling mayor as he tottered onto the New York Hilton stage Saturday night in high heels, a full-figured spangled pink gown, a platinum-blond wig and several pounds of makeup. This is a man, after all, who has to pay media consultants to find his sensitive side. But in his newfound incarnation as Rudia, a transvestite nightclub singer, the mayor even sang a falsetto version of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" -- a la Marilyn Monroe -- and waved daintily at the crowd of thunderstruck spectators. It was perhaps the most astounding mayoral appearance since Mayor Edward Koch appeared at the 1984 show in a gold lame stretch bodysuit with a mechanical pigeon on his head, and it is believed to the first time any New York City mayor has appeared in public in drag. (Historians are welcome to try to dig up other examples.)"

He refused to answer questions about why he chose drag, or what was under his costume (frilly women's panties, I hope!). Then he insisted this was a "one time" thing. Heh heh...but six or seven months later, he was in drag again for a sketch on "Saturday Night Live."
How admirable! Most men -- especially politicians -- wouldn't dare to appear in drag. But the Mayor of NEW YORK CITY did it! And that's enough to give him immortality here in CD cyberspace!

REGIS PHILBIN actually dressed up as Kathie Lee Gifford for a memorable TV appearance in 1994. Kathie Lee, in turn, dressed up as Regis. I wish I had videotaped this moment! (At least, I THINK I wish I had!). And yes, I know Phil Donahue put on a dress for his TV show once, but he just looked and acted more annoying than usual.

BRUCE WILLIS put on a bikini and wig, and was very, very sincere about wiggling his butt and acting like the ultimate "Showgirl" during a David Letterman appearance. It really looked like he enjoyed being a girl. Many red-blooded males have the fantasy of getting into Demi Moore's pants. I wouldn't be surprised if, fulfilling the fantasy of quite a few OTHER red-blooded males, he may have spent a frisky evening getting into Demi Moore's panties!

HOWARD STERN. Yes, Howard. He was in drag for the cover of one of his books. He's also here because when he appeared in drag on David Letterman's show, he was clearly enjoying it. I also think that alot of his fans are neanderthals (alot, not ALL) and to see Howard being femme must have been a shock. Maybe, just maybe, now they least think twice before making fun of someone for wanting to explore femininity.

Now, a few celebs who are "CD friendly" even if they haven't admitted to actually cross dressing.
MATT LAUER is evidently quite interested in being a girl! I heard Al Roker mention on a talk show around Halloween in '97 that "Matt Lauer wanted to be Mindy" at a costume party. With Al as Mork. The second choice was for Matt to go as Xena and Al as Hercules! Al insisted Matt was serious. Said Al, "if he dresses in women's clothes I'd find him attractive!"

WOODY ALLEN hasn't appeared in drag in any of his movies (well, a scene where he played a "senorita" was cut from "Bananas"). However, Woody filmed one of the better "straight" transvestite scenes for "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex..." Lou Jacobi played a man very much like a lot of transvestites - he didn't look feminine at all, but found relief wearing a dress and acting femme. OK, he acted a little silly, but this was a comedy, after all. The point is, Woody knew very well the allure of women's clothes, and what it's like to look at yourself in a mirror and see someone PRETTY.

Someone once asked Woody who he could be if he could be anyone. His answer? Gigi. Yes, the little French girl. If I find the exact quote, I'll put it up here. I'll paraphrase for now. He said something like, "I'd love to wear a hat like hers, and have long curls framing my face, and skip along the streets of Belle Epoque France." Oooh, la la!

MILTON BERLE, TONY CURTIS, JACK LEMMON and many actors have played drag roles and shown how much fun it can be. I've mentioned them all in another piece on my website. But perhaps here is where I should add YUL BRYNNER.

He made an uncredited cameo appearance in "The Magic Christian" singing "Mad About the Boy" in very good drag. In the movie a male admirer coudn't believe it was him...till the wig came off! "Oh no!" said the surprised admirer. "Oh, YESSS!" said Yul, and with such pride and...delight!

While MICK JAGGER and various rockers have explored their femme side, RAY DAVIES, of the appropriately-named rock group The Kinks deserves a mention here, too. While rock star androgyny is well known and accepted, from Alice Cooper to Jane's Addiction, Ray was one of the first to sing a song about transvestism ("Lola") and in another tune, "Out of the Wardrobe," he declared of a burly fellow, "when he puts on that dress, he looks like a princess." A little Ray of sunshine for the TV's world. Click back to the main page or stop to read the complete "Out of the Wardrobe" song lyrics.

AND FINALLY, A SALUTE TO ELIZABETH HURLEY!
Yes, there's a woman on my list! Elizabeth is VERY TV-Friendly. As she said in the October '98 issue of Details Magazine: "I do like making boys wear my high heels and my earrings, because they look very good in them."
Elizabeth drew the line at lingerie. Her men don't get to try on her frillies! "Not my panties, because that's not going to look very pretty. It's all about the aesthetics."
Hmmm. Elizabeth, you simply haven't let the right men model for you...