■ransvestia

What makes Mr. Tyler's work worthwhile is the fact that he does a great deal more than simply report who did what to whom in which movie. He comments. He wonders why. Many of his conclusions are stunning.

He gets around to us in a chapter called, "TRANSVESTITES — SACRED, PROFANE AND NEUTERIZED."

On the historical side, I was surprised to learn that in the history of motion pictures, there have been many films making effective use of men dressed as women.

In the silent days, the renouned female impersonator, JULIEN EL- TINGE made several popular films.

"CHARLIE'S AUNT" was a perennial favorite and was brought to the screen several times.

Well-known stars in female attire have included LON CHANEY in "THE UNHOLY THREE” and the great LIONEL BARRYMORE in "THE DEVIL DOLL.”

WILLIAM POWELL, CARY GRANT, ALEC GUINESS, PETER SELLERS and many more have donned skirts to face the camera.

In the early years, the closest Hollywood came to a portrayal of trans- vestism as we know it was in United Artists' 1940 production of “TURN- ABOUT." In this adaption of THORNE SMITH's hilarious novel, CAROL LANDIS and JOHN HUBBARD played a husband and wife who quarreled over who had the easier life. A mysterious power grants their wish to reverse roles. They do with the resultant confusion.

While his historical background is most interesting, it is Mr. Tyler's commentary that gives us serious food for thought.

He displays evidence of a broad understanding when he says, “In be- ing heterosexual as well as homosexual, transvestism cements the basic sexes into a stream of full, constant and fluid variations that develops new forms quite aside from surgical trans-sexualism.”

Does he observe something in us that we sometimes overlook in our own subjective observations?

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