The Drag Queen Mae West Took Her Act From
Puncturing the pretense of originality among greats is a favorite pastime of mine. When he was still a teenager in Vaudeville, Fred Astaire copied his entire look and demeanor from Vernon Castle of the famous Castles dancing team, and his tap skills from black hoofers like John Bubbles, who never appeared in Astaire’s films. And Bob Hope, before he became a self-satisfied Republican Institution, carefully mimicked a roudy, chiseling character actor named Jack Oakie. view source