Danny La Rue - The Most Glamorous Woman in the World
By Hannah Schmidt-Rees
“Vulgar, yes, but there is nothing crude about me.”
Danny La Rue was the first individual in history to make a legitimate career from dressing up as a woman; being a 'a comic in a frock' as he called it. Born in 1927, Daniel Patrick Carroll was the youngest of five siblings. Growing up in Devon after the his family home in Soho was destroyed in the Blitz in 1941, Daniel developed his interest in theatre and drama through participating in plays at his local village hall. As there were too many female roles and not enough girls, Carroll often played the female roles.
Serving in the Royal Navy from the age of 17, his first official performance in drag was at age 18, performing for his fellow soldiers as a character from the film White Cargo. After leaving the Royal Navy, La Rue continued this career in local clubs in the West End with other former servicemen, receiving personal encouragement from popular show promoter Ted Gatty to engage in this lifestyle as a legitimate career. Gatty was also the person to give Danny his official title as; Danny La Rue. Producer of the Churchill club, Cecil Landau gave La Rue a two week contract to perform at Churchill's, a contract which was extended to three years as La Rue expanded his popularity.
La Rue set a new standard for drag at the time, showing class & glamour with intricate and expensive wigs, dresses and feathered fans and boas. His performances were a combination of music and comedy, including impressions of classic female celebrities; Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins and Marlene Dietrich.His first words every show was 'Wotcha mates', a way to remind the audience that he was still in fact, a man. It was his way of keeping the audience comfortable with what he was doing, his self-awareness and confidence to blur the lines allowed for a more honest and glamourous performance. It was never sleazy or obscene, it was vulgarity explored through innuendo, double entendres and fun. La Rue made drag respectable by celebrating femininity, not parodying it.
In 1964, La Rue opened his own club in the West End, named Danny La Rue's, successfully performing two shows a night for nine years. His solo show in 1970 reached a million audience members in its two year lifespan at the Palace Theatre.
In the 70s, La Rue turned his intersts to property, restoring the then-derelict Walton Hall and transforming it into a hotel and arts centre. Unfortunately, the two Canadian partners who were assisting La Rue with the management of the hotel were conmen, and left La Rue in a state of voluntary liquidation, forcing him to sell his own home in Henley to pay off the mounting debt.
“Sleazy impersonators get their laughs by having people laugh at them. I do the reverse. I love laughter, glitter and glamour.”
Continuing to perform to pay off his debts, La Rue took the lead of Dolly Levi in the 1984 production of Hello, Dolly!. His performance was panned by critics and closed soon after, further complicating La Rue's career. Later that year, La Rue's manager and long-time partner of 30 years and 'love of his life', Jack Hanson suddenly passed away from a stroke.
La Rue's career was continuing, even in Australia for many months, but is was no longer a source of happiness nor income in comparison to many years ago. La Rue drank himself to sleep most nights until, a psychic told him that this pet dog was a reincarnation of his partner Hanson. Suffering from macular degeneration and a stroke in 2006, La Rue was "dying to get his old frocks out, dust them off and get back in the limelight". Danny La Rue passed away on May 31st, 2009.
“Oh my dear, I shall keep doing this until I drop.”
La Rue was one of the highest-paid performers on British television, being the first drag artist to perform at the Royal Variety Show in 1969. His career spanned 60 years, now known as the first man to make a legitimate career from dressing as a woman. He was awarded the British Entertainer of the Decade in 1979. He never missed a performance in his 60 year career, and critics never denied his likeable and grand nature off-stage.
Danny La Rue was a genuine star. It was never complicated, never crude, never excessive. Simple, genuine, funny, talented and glamourous.
