Pete: Great story on Hedy Jo Star, who was born Joseph Starke in Okla homa I
think it might have been1924. As a teenager he became a drag queen and ended
up with a small carnival in OKLA. (note: In the 1930s and fortys there were a
lot of female impersonaters in both carnival and circus. I believe they were
more comfotable there, because show people have always been non biased of
people who acted with different behaviors.) In my inaccurate research, I
believe there were 104 ten in one sideshows touring in north America in 1948 and 49.
Of these I expect 90% of them had a female impersonater
working as a half man, half woman (hermaphradite) as the blo off (annex
attraction) working on a pc of the annex ticket sales, Therefor most (if they were
good) made good money. By about 1942 Hedy Jo Star was operating a storeshow (
a sideshow presented in a rented empty store building in the main business
district in a town) in the winter in Oklahoma City. Hedy got drafted and had to
report for pre induction examination. Hedy had her own hair which reached
her mid back. She refused to allow them to cut her hair. The next moningg the
"Daily Oklahoman" had a front page photo of Hedy Jo behind bars, with the
headline "I'll see you in Hell before you cut my hair". I don't know if they
cut her hair, but I later saw a snapshot of him in an army uniform. During
World war two there was no "Don't ask don't tell." Of course the authorities
found some excuse to close her show and put the people out of work. I believe
for the time he was in the army he worked in army shows. Quite a few military
shows ,including the Irving Berlin, Broaday musical "This Is The Army" , used
female impersonaters in the female parts. I first met Hedy Jo the early
spring of 1947. I was in Dailey Bros. Circus winter quarters at Gonzales, Texas.
The Zachinni Bros Shows (carnival, owned by Tio and Bruno Zachhinni,
advertising their cannon act as a nightly free act, was a strong grift show. I went
with Fred Brad over to a nearby town to the carnival to work as ouitside man on
hus "Nut Mob", (three shell game), I was 16 and when the local sherriff
looked the game over, he decided I was to young to be participating in the
"Gambling game". So I had to back away and wander the midway. Hedy Jo had two small
shows: a half and half sigleO show which she worked herself. She did the
bally doing the talking and then inside did the act, She also had a small girl
show with 3 or 4 performers. My partner then, Harry Leonard , knew Hedy and we
visited with her. Over the years we would see her on midways we visited.
The only time we were on thre same midway was in1954 on "Gem City Showss" where
Harry and I had the sideshow, and Hedy had one large girl show plus a small
one. She had a very big house trailer ith a big sewing room in it. She made
all the costumes for the people on her shows. She was a great deigner and
costumer. The people on her shows always had very beautiful wardrobe. She always
lived as a female and possibly by 1954 she had already had ths surgery.
Sometime later she legally married a Doctor in Boston. The last time I saw her
she was making some special wardrobe for Circus Vargas and frequently visited
with Dale Longmire who was clowning on Circus Vargas at that time. Hedy Jo made
her home then in Las Vegas where she operated a costuming bussiness,
spelializing in feather work. I am not sure when she died. What a great book her
buiography would be. Cordially, Ward Hall