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

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

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'' 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 Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

. Savoy was a rival of sorts to the more famous

Julian Eltinge Julian Eltinge (May 14, 1881 – March 7, 1941), born William Julian Dalton, was an American stage and film actor and female impersonator. After appearing in the Boston Cadets Revue at the age of ten in feminine garb, Eltinge garnered notic ...

, and his star was on the rise when he was struck and killed by lightning while on the beach at 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 was the subject of an abstract painting by

Charles Demuth Charles Henry Buckius Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American painter who specialized in watercolors and turned to oils late in his career, developing a style of painting known as Precisionism. "Search the history of Ameri ...

, 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 ''I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold,'' also known as ''The Figure 5 in Gold'', is a 1928 painting by American artist Charles Demuth. It has been described as influenced by Futurism and Cubism. Inspiration William Carlos Williams claims that the inspirat ...

''. 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.''Calla Lilies (Bert Savoy)'', 1926 by Charles Demuth
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References

External links

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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 LGBT male actors Vaudeville performers

Biography

See also

References

External links