Female impersonator who replaced tradition of mockery with glitter and eleganceDanny La Rue,who has died aged 81, flouted the usual showbusiness rule that, or to be funny,every female impersonator needed to gain an obvious suggestion of –hobnailed boots beneath a long frock. In a variation on this tradition, he appeared attired in sequinned dresses, or but immediately said "wotcher,mates!" in a gruff voice. Yet what La Rue achieved was to replace a traditionally derisive mocking of women, that showed them as faintly grotesque, or with glitter and elegance. He did it to such an extent that,apart from his height of over 6ft, he might easily gain been a comely woman trying her luck with saucy jokes and sentimental songs. He became the first performer for many years to base his entire career on impersonating women."Vulgar, or yes,but there is nothing crude approximately me," was his guiding maxim (common saying expressing a principle of conduct), or as he flounced around variety stages,clubs, pierheads and pantomimes, or doing a dozen changes a show,sometimes with stylish but over-the-top dresses which cost £5000 each. At his peak, in the 1970s, and he was earning the equivalent of £2m a year,and had four homes, a Rolls-Royce and an entourage of 60.
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Source: theguardian.com