Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled "Farewell My Concubine" that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Douzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo's explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.
In Edo Japan, a kabuki actor seeks revenge against the three men who drove his parents to their deaths years ago.
In 1967, New York City is host to the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. This documentary takes a look behind the scenes, transporting the viewer into rehearsals and dressing rooms as the drag queen subculture prepares for this big national beauty contest. Jack/Sabrina is the mistress of ceremonies, and their protégé, Miss Harlow, is in the competition. But, as the pageant approaches, the glamorous contestants veer from camaraderie to tension.
Gay hair stylist Robin Turner does a lot of work for drag queens, all the while dreaming that he'll someday find the courage to perform in drag himself. When his schizophrenic friend, Liza, turns up looking for a place to stay, the two form an increasingly tight bond, Robin helping Liza through an unplanned pregnancy and Liza pushing Robin to develop a successful nightclub act.
Keeping the position of number one son requires a certain amount of ingenuity. Twelve year old Greg has inherited his father's competitive streak. On a family holiday to Fiji they have different ideas about where Greg should focus his talents. When his creative pursuits fail to amuse his father Greg goes to bizarre lengths to win him back.
When Agent Starrbooty's adopted niece is kidnapped, she and Agent Page Turner go undercover as prostitutes to rescue her from Starrbooty's old nemesis.
A very personal story that is both funny and poignant, TORCH SONG TRILOGY chronicles a New Yorker's search for love, respect and tradition in a world that seems not especially made for him.
Two homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective lessees arrive and try to rent it.
Danny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides.
A musical featuring favorites of Ava-Graph.
Features underground film makers and stars Jack Smith, Charles Ludlum, and Bill Vehr. A satirical film, comprising a collection of vignettes of the entertainment personalities who were famous during the "Roaring Twenties". Included is a take-off of the Ziegfeld Follies girl-parade, which features Ava-Graph's own pretty girls. Original music of the twenties. In stunning color
Stars Pudgy Roberts. A satirical short, featuring Pudgy's famous nightclub act. In color.
A story about a London vampire, set in the Gay '90s. In black and white.
The story of a nightclub girl of the twenties who meets a handsome swain. In color.
This color film reprises the female impersonator Adrian's nightclub act of the same name: "'Salome and the Dance of the Seven Veils' introduced the Club 82's new season to New Yorkers, in 1958. It was an immediate hit, and Adrian stayed on for four years, delighting audiences that came from all parts of the country and the world to see him. One of the reasons for its success was that Adrian, wanting everything to go perfectly, designed and made his own costume. He discovered a new talent, which he continues to use. The wax head of John the Baptist, which he uses in his act, is the same one which Brenda Lewis used in the Metropolitan Opera." - Avery Willard, Female Impersonators, 1971.
From transvestites to transformers, we will follow the trail that will lead us in different and famous Parisian music-halls, such as the mythical Alcazar of Paris, La Grande Eugène. Whether they are below or beyond their character, often these men who are looking for themselves look at life with the humor of despair. Why this need to "transform" themselves? Why is it always the men who cross-dress and not the women? Why did the public flock to these shows in the 1970s and 1980s? Interpretations of famous characters such as Diana Ross, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, the Peter Sisters, the Andrew Sisters, Zizi Jeanmaire, Judy Garland, Sarah Bernhardt, among others, contribute to making this musical document an essential testimony of this era.
While trying to nab a gang of diamond smugglers, the police are notified by Scotland Yard that the gang's leader, a beautiful Englishwoman who was on her way to the States to take control of the gang, has been caught. Because the American gangsters don't know what their English boss looks like, the police persuade a female impersonator to pretend to be her and infiltrate the gang.
A female impersonator giggles and flirts. By the following decade, many female impersonators would be shown doing their acts on the stage and in the movies; the Eltinge Theater on 42nd Street in New York is named for Julian Eltinge, the most famous of them. This was probably the earliest "name" example for the movies. Gilbert Saroni plays an exceedingly ugly woman who coyly flirts with her fan.
Vignettes of the twenties showing some of the newer original gowns of the period Ava-Graph has acquired. In color.
Ava-Graph’s answer to the TV commercials. In color.