Carroll Revue collection

The Carroll Revue, the subject of this collection, was a California-based performance troupe of female impersonators founded by drag artist Carroll Wallace in or around 1954. Wallace, who began performing in drag on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip, assembled and headed the stage show with the help of his wife Ruth, who acted as the show’s producer. Also known as the Carroll Wallace Follies and the Carroll Wallace Show, the Revue involved a number of performers—singers, dancers, and comedians—who took to the stage in a variety of female guises, donning an array of costumes. Members of the Revue included such performers as Bobby Lane, Guy Doran, Jackie Phillips, Russell Reed, Ray Saunders, and Les-Lee. The Carroll Revue traveled widely from its home base in the San Francisco Bay area, performing at such international venues as the Grand Opera House in Manila, Philippines, the Tivoli Circuit in Sydney, Australia, and the Latin Quarter in Tokyo, Japan. The well-known San Francisco night spot featuring acts by female impersonators, Finocchio’s, was also a regular stop on the Revue’s itinerary, along with such venues in the western United States as the Tropics Room in Portland, Oregon, the Rendezvous Club in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Blue Note Night Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. When not performing with the Revue, Carroll Wallace appeared on stage as an emcee at Finocchio’s.