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* NEWS AND NOTES *****
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Obituary.
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Mei Lan-fang, 67, China's "Great King of Actors, whose willowy grace and flawless falsetto made him the formost female impersonator in the all-mal● Chinese classical drama, won him worldwide applause--his 1930 U.S. tour brought him honorary deg- rees from two U.S. colleges--and earned him as much as $4,000 per half-hour; died of a heart attack in Peking. He defiantly grew a mustache to avoid entertaining China's Japanese conquerers during World War II, but traveled the world for the Communists. He was visited during his fatal illness by another onetime TAN (male actress)--Red China's Premier Chou En-lai. (TIME Aug 18.)
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-IMPERSONATOR SHOWS--
Finocchio's in San Francisco; Jewel Box in Kansas City; Faust Club in St. Louis; Pat's Harbor Club on Staten Island; Ensign Cafe in San Francisco; Golden Horseshoe in Seattle; The Gay 90s Cafe in Minneapolis; The Diplomat in Detroit; Paramount Lounge in Binghampton, N.Y.---These spots have been sent in to report.
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TV IN THE MOVIES
Following in the steps of "Some Like It Hot" and "High Time" are several other movies with TV parts in them. The English seem to go for it. "Carry on Constable", "I'm Alright Jack", and "Watch Your Stern" all have TV in them I'm told. "La Dolce Vita" has everything including some gay impersonators. Of course "Homocidal" has impersonation all through it. I'm also told that a flicker called the "Touchables" has quite a lot too, but havent been able to find it. I learned that the pilot episode of Some Like It Hot" for Television with Vic Damone has been filmed, but can find out nothing about its release. Heard on the news the other day that the board that sets the rules for what can be shown on film voted to permit movies to depict sex variants provided the subject was handled with "dignity" So I guess we will be seeing some TV themes one of these days. Just found another letter saying that Brigette Bardot's picture "Come Dance With Me" also has a bit of impersonation in it.
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Send in others as they come to light and I'll mention them--Ed.