With the recent bans on drag performers, including a law being considered by the Missouri state legislature, Kansas City public radio station KCUR took a look at the history of female impersonator performances in the city. Ray is briefly mentioned in the article with his work at the Jewel Box. It provides good context for … Continue reading Background on drag history in Kansas City
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Ray Bourbon in 1937 Columbia Short
Some time ago, I ran into a reference on pages 67-68 of James L. Neibaur's The Andy Clyde Columbia Comedies noting Ray in the cast of the 1937 Andy Clyde short, "He Done His Duty". Through the generosity of a film collector, I was finally able to view the short and confirmed that, indeed, Ray … Continue reading Ray Bourbon in 1937 Columbia Short
Ray’s Childhood, Part 3: An Invented Past
In our previous posts [part 1 and part 2] in this series, we looked at new research by Charles Cage revealing Ray Bourbon’s real name and some basic facts about his family and where he grew up. In this last post in the series, we look at the stories Ray told about his own life, … Continue reading Ray’s Childhood, Part 3: An Invented Past
New Candid Film Footage of Ray’s Friend, Egyptian Star Samia Gamal
A few months ago, I published a blog post telling the story of Ray's friendship with Egyptian movie star Samia Gamal. Gamal was declared the “The National Dancer of Egypt” by King Farouk in 1949, which led to a nightclub tour by her in the US the following year, setting off interest in "belly dancing" in … Continue reading New Candid Film Footage of Ray’s Friend, Egyptian Star Samia Gamal
Ray Bourbon Images at the Los Angeles Public Library
Images of Ray Bourbon are fairly hard to come by. According to friends and people who knew him, Ray had a large collection of scrapbooks and even carried around a tape machine and used it to record or try out routines. But, when he was arrested for murder, all his personal effects were, quite literally, … Continue reading Ray Bourbon Images at the Los Angeles Public Library