Bert Savoy (January 7, 1876 or 1888 – June 26, 1923), born Everett McKenzie, was an American entertainer who specialized in cross-dressing as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

act. His comedic skits contributed to popular culture with phrases such as "You slay me" and "You don't know the half of it."

Biography

Savoy often partnered with Jay Brennan on Broadway. ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

'' lists Savoy and Brennan appearing on Broadway in ''Miss 1917'', ''Ziegfeld Follies 1918'', ''The Greenwich Village Follies of 1920'' and ''The Greenwich Follies of 1922''. Savoy's drag queen mannerisms were an inspiration for

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

. Savoy was a rival of sorts to the more famous Julian Eltinge, and his star was on the rise when he was struck and killed by lightning while on the beach at Long Beach, Long Island, New York. There are several reports of his last words, one being that after a clap of thunder, he said "Mercy, ain't Miss God cutting up something awful?" Savoy is buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Savoy was the subject of an abstract painting by Charles Demuth, part of a series of abstract, "poster portraits" of friends and acquaintances of the artist, the most famous being '' I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold''. The painting '' Calla Lilies (Bert Savoy)'' makes coded references to Savoy's death and life: the wave, seashell and calla lilies to his death, but the flowers also having a well-known symbolism representing sexual orientations, such as bisexuality and homosexuality.

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Savoy in dress as a Lillian Russell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savoy, Bert 19th-century births 1923 deaths Accidental deaths in New York (state) American drag queens American male stage actors Deaths from lightning strikes American LGBTQ male actors American vaudeville performers Drag performers from Boston Drag performers from New York City

Biography

See also

References

External links