Mae West: Death of a Drag

Forty two years: the life of Mae West impressionist Craig Russell was short and bittersweet.
• • "Craig Russell" was the stage name of Russell Craig Eadie [10 January 1948 — 30 October 1990), a Canadian female impersonator. Craig Russell would have turned 60 during January 2008. But even though he died of AIDS-related illnesses, he lived long enough to establish himself as one of the best female impersonators of his or any other time.
• • His impersonations also included acclaimed actresses such as Carol Channing, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, Tallulah Bankhead, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Midler, Anita Bryant, Peggy Lee, and Judy Garland. While performing, he always spoke and sang in the voices of the celebrities he was impersonating. Not only did he speak like them, he joked in their particular idiom. Unlike most other drag queens, Russell didn't lip-synch. He didn't need to.
• • Born on January 10th in Port Perry, Ontario, Russell Craig Eadie was fascinated by show biz glamour from an early age. When he was 13 and still in high school, he formed the Mae West International Fan Club. By the age of 15, Eadie had moved to Los Angeles to work for Mae West, a pivotal experience in his show biz education. He soon returned to Toronto to finish high school but dropped out for good, toiling as an insurance clerk before returning to California in 1967.
• • Eadie moved in with Mae West, becoming her personal secretary for seven months, assisting with her fan mail and honing his impersonations of her. In 1968 Eadie returned to Toronto, moved in with Margaret Gibson, and enrolled in hairdressing school. By day, he worked as a professional hairdresser [1969 — 1971]. By night, he pursued a career onstage.
• • By 1971, he was a regular headliner in Toronto gay clubs and had a burgeoning international following.
• • In 1977, Russell starred in Richard Benner's wonderful film "Outrageous!" — — based on a short story written by Margaret Gibson about their time as roommates. Two more films followed.
• • Hollis McLaren's character was drawn from the troubled life of Margaret Gibson, a schizophrenic Toronto author who penned The Butterfly Ward, a debut collection of stories. One of the stories in the book is "Making It," based on her relationship with her flatmate Craig Russell.
• • Cinema critic Janet Maslin was not charmed by the character of Robin nor his schizo soulmate Liza Connors (played by Hollis McLaren). But in her New York Times write-up, Maslin conceded that the characters were "more than convincing," if "a little hard to watch." Hollis McLaren, wrote Janet Maslin, "is either a brilliantly skittish performer — — or an authentic nervous wreck."
• • Though he publicly identified himself as gay rather than bisexual, Russell wed close friend Lori Jenkins in 1982. They remained married until his death at age 42 from a stroke (related to complications from AIDS) in 1990.
• • "Outrageous!" was screened 21 January 2008 in the Cinematheque Ontario lecture series.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West impressionist Craig Russell • • c.1980s • •
NYC
Mae West.