Thomas Craig "T. C." Jones (October 26, 1920 – September 25, 1971) was an American
female impersonator
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
, actor, and dancer who from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s performed on stage, in nightclubs, films, and on television. He was known chiefly in the entertainment industry for his imitations in full costume of many famous actresses and other women, including
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...
,
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 ...
,
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
,
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
,
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
,
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars.
Pia ...
, and
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The B ...
.
["T. C. Jones, Impersonator Of Actresses", obituary, ''The Washington Post'' (Washington, D. C.), September 28, 1971, p. C4. ProQuest.][Scheuer, Philip K. "T. C. Jones, Brilliant Female Impersonator", ''Los Angeles Times'', September 2, 1958, p. B8. ]ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
Historical Newspapers, Ann Arbor, Michigan; subscription access through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library. In 1959, the American magazine ''
''Time'''' described Jones as "probably the best female impersonator since vaudeville's late famed
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 ...
".
Early life and education
T. C. Jones was born in 1920 in
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
. Prior to his entertainment career, he attended
Bethany College in West Virginia to study for the
Campbellite Campbellite is a mildly pejorative term referring to adherents of certain religious groups that have historic roots in the Restoration Movement, among whose most prominent 19th-century leaders were Thomas Campbell (clergyman), Thomas and Alexander C ...
ministry, but midway through his education there he was "bitten by the acting bug" after spending one summer performing in plays in a
stock company.
["Who's Who in the Cast: T. C. Jones"](_blank)
biographical profile in ''Playbill'' (New York City), program for Jones's Broadway show ''Mask and Gown'', John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was de ...
, September 23, 1957, pp. 35-36. That stage experience convinced him to leave Bethany and return to Pennsylvania to enroll in drama school at
Carnegie Tech
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
.
Soon, with the outbreak of World War II, Jones joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and served as a pharmacist's mate at naval hospitals in Philadelphia and in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
.
Professional career
After his discharge from naval service, Jones moved to New York City in the fall of 1943, hoping to resume his plans for a stage career. He secured a job as a "chorus boy" in
Willie Howard
Willie L. Howard (born December 26, 1977) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played for them for two seasons be ...
's
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical ''My Dear Public'' before obtaining more substantial parts in the productions ''Jackpot'' and ''Sadie Thompson''.
During times when he was not being cast in additional plays, Jones served as an assistant stage manager, a position that afforded him many opportunities to observe and study closely the speech patterns, mannerisms, and costume choices of a variety of actresses.
["T.C. Jones, 50, Impersonator of Famous Actresses, Is Dead", ''The New York Times'', September 27, 1971, p. 38. ProQuest.] Soon he began imitating those performers and impressing his theatre colleagues with his talent for mimicry, so much so that they encouraged him to display those abilities to audiences. By 1946 Jones began working professionally in New York as a female impersonator, first with the
Provincetown Players
The Provincetown Players was a collective of artists, writers, intellectuals, and amateur theater enthusiasts. Under the leadership of the husband and wife team of George Cram Cook, George Cram “Jig” Cook and Susan Glaspell from Iowa, the Play ...
in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
.
Cast as "Fat Fanny", he performed his first impersonations on stage in the Players' production of
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...
' play ''
Him''.
He later recalled how simply his performance specialty started at that time: "One night...another of the players brought me some...material that was hilarious. The only catch was that it more or less required a woman to deliver it. He suggested I do an impersonation."
[ Public reaction to his performance was so positive that it led Jones to develop a nightclub act featuring his female characters.]
Jones next moved to the Jewel Box Revue in Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, where he presented and refined his impersonations of stars such as Tallulah Bankhead, Katharine Hepburn, Édith Piaf, Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...
, and Bette Davis. Jones's performances, especially his portrayal of Bankhead, attracted the attention of theatrical producer Leonard Sillman Leonard Sillman (May 9, 1908 - January 23, 1982) was an American Broadway producer. Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 9, 1908, he was the brother of June Carroll, the brother-in-law of Sidney Carroll and the uncle of Steve Reich and Jonathan Carroll. ...
, who cast him in ''New Faces of 1956'', a revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
directed by Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely closeted homosexuality, Lynde was well ...
.[ Although some people had strongly advised Sillman not to cast Jones, the producer stated, "I never think of T.C. as a female impersonator, as a man imitating a woman. T.C. on stage is simply an extraordinarily talented woman." Jones in the revue entered the stage by descending a staircase to the tune "Isn't She Lovely" and, as Bankhead, acted as mistress of ceremonies. The show proved to be a hit, running for 220 performances.][Botto, et al, p. 285.] The following year Jones starred in ''Mask and Gown'', another Broadway revue. Jones toured with ''Mask and Gown'' nationally and internationally, but it was unsuccessful.
Jones in the latter half of the 1950s appeared in regional theatrical productions, including ''The Man Who Came to Dinner
''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...
''.[ He also played the nightclub circuit, performed in lounges of major ]Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
hotels, and recorded two albums: the original cast recording of ''Mask and Gown'' (1958) and '' T. C. Jones – Himself!'' (not released until 1961). Jones recorded too an album with the original cast for ''New Faces of 1956'' (1956), and he released the single "Champagne Cocktails" b/w "Sunless Sunday" (1957). On television, after performing twice on ''The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
'', he was cast in several television series in the 1960s. He portrays the psychotic serial killer Nurse Betty Ames in "An Unlocked Window", a 1965 Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
-winning episode of ''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
'', as well as a similar type role in "Night of the Running Death", a 1967 episode of ''The Wild Wild West
''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...
''. Jones performed too in several Hollywood films in that period. He appears in a male role opposite Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...
in the 1963 sex comedy
Sex comedy, erotic comedy or more broadly sexual comedy is a genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual situations and love affairs. Although "sex comedy" is primarily a description of dramatic forms such as theatre and film, literary works such ...
''Promises! Promises!
''Promises! Promises!'' (presented as ''Promises... Promises!'' on screen) is a 1963 American sex comedy film directed by King Donovan and starring Tommy Noonan (who also served as coproducer) and Jayne Mansfield. Released at the end of the Produ ...
'', in the role of Henry with Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren (born Joan Lucille Olander; February 6, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and sex symbol. She is perhaps best known for the rock 'n' roll, juvenile delinquency exploitation film ''Untamed Youth'' (1957).
Early life
Van Do ...
in the 1964 comedy '' 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt'', as Mrs. Terry in the 1968 thriller ''The Name of the Game Is Kill!
''The Name of the Game Is Kill!'' is a 1968 American thriller film directed by Gunnar Hellström and starring Jack Lord, Susan Strasberg and Collin Wilcox Paxton.Lisanti p. 274 It was shot on location in Arizona.
Plot
A man resting in a rural ...
'', and in dual male/female roles as Mr. and Mrs. Ace in The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
' 1968 satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
''Head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
''.
Despite his additional work in films and on television, Jones in the 1960s continued his regular stage and nightclubs shows. The ''Los Angeles Times'', for example, announces the following in its August 6, 1965 edition: "Wardrobe and wigs valued at more than $100,000 will be worn by T. C. Jones, female impersonator, when he opens Tuesday in his one-man revue, 'That Was No Lady,' at the Ivar Theatre."
Personal life and death
Jones in the 1950s married Connie S. Dickson, a former actress and competitive fencer, who owned a chain of beauty parlors in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.["A Top Female Impersonator And Mimic Coming", '']South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' (Hong Kong), June 13, 1962, p. 7. ProQuest. She, in fact, met Jones for the first time when he visited one of her parlors in search of a new wig for his performances.[ The couple maintained a home in San Francisco for many years, sharing it at one point with 19 ]Siamese cat
The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand (f ...
s. They later relocated to Covina
Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley. The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city's slogan, "On ...
, east of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. where they were residing at the time of T.C.'s death.
In September 1971, after being treated for cancer for two years, Jones died at age 50 at the City of Hope Medical Center
City of Hope is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate school located in Duarte, California, United States. The center's main campus resides on of land adjacent to the boundaries of Duarte and Irwindale, with ...
in Duarte, California
Duarte () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia ...
. He was interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park is located in Whittier, California. It is currently owned and operated by Service Corporation International (formerly, Loewen Group). It claims to be the largest cemetery in North America.
Sites
; Mausoleums
* Whittier ...
in Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...
. Three years after Jones's death, writing for Newhouse News Service
Advance Publications, Inc., doing business as Advance, is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse Jr. It owns a large number of subsidiary companies, including Condé Nast, an ...
, the correspondent and theatre critic William A. Raidy reflected on the entertainer's talent and shared a personal experience that underscored how effective and convincing Jones was in his performances:
References
Bibliography
* Barrios, Richard (2003). ''Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall''. Routledge; .
* Botto, Louis, Robert Viagas and Brian Stokes Mitchell (2002)
''At this Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars''
Hal Leonard Corporation; .
* Krafsur, Richard P., Kenneth W Munden and the American Film Institute (1997). ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1961-1970''. University of California Press; .
* Senelick, Laurence (2000). ''The Changing Room: Sex, Drag and Theatre''. Routledge; .
* Tropiano, Stephen (2002). ''The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV''. New York, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books; .
* Wallraff, John (2002). ''From Drags to Riches: The Untold Story of Charles Pierce''. Haworth Press; .
* Willmeth, Don B. and Leonard Jacobs (2007). ''The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre''. Cambridge University Press; .
External links
*
*
accessed March 20, 2015.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, T. C.
1920 births
1971 deaths
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American drag queens
Male actors from Pennsylvania
United States Navy sailors
Actors from Scranton, Pennsylvania
Bethany College (West Virginia) alumni
20th-century American male actors
Deaths from cancer in California
20th-century American LGBT people