Letter to the Editor From David de Alba
When I was a teenager living in Chicago during the mid-1960s I got to perform every Sunday at a well-known and liked gay show bar named The Chesterfield Club. In those days I went by the theatrical name of Heri Del Valle.
I started there performing every Sunday evening as a male dancer doing solos (all kinds of ‘solo’ dances from Latin to Jazz) then later on I became the only guy who did Judy Garland at that particular show and at other drag shows, too. I was then labeled The Male Judy Garland.”
During that period at that club I got to see Vicki Marlane perform. I don’t mean this harshly, however, he was not considered a beauty as far as a female impersonator, especially next to Jackie Knight who was gorgeous. But Vicki’s performances were always extremely dramatic especially when he lip-synched to: “Who Can I Turn To” and his performances got a lot of applause. (Ed. Note: In those days female impersonators were always referred to with male pronouns and honorifics.)
Vicki wore a long, lovely platinum human hair wig and that I remember vividly. Another thing that came to mind was that in the performances Vicki gave while at The Chesterfield Club in Chicago he moved as a contortionist.
I never became a close friend to any of those impersonators. I was treated more like an outsider. Who knows, because I was Cuban or whatever, but strangely enough many years later when two different books concerning Chicago and its past drag performers were published I was featured in them with glowing reviews. To me it means a lot that my performances as a teenager were not lost in vane, but that historians writing books saw something in me.
Later on when I moved to San Francisco, and was performing as David de Alba, I was doing a one afternoon gig outside Finocchio’s at a well known show bar on Market Street called The Orpheum Circus and lo’ and behold, Vicki was in the audience. After the show I told Vicki that I had met him originally at The Chesterfield Club in Chicago and how much I enjoyed seeing him on stage.
I am sorry I don’t have a more embellished story about Vicki Marlane to share with the TGF folks as I would if I were to speak about any of my dear old friends and show co-workers from Finocchio’s.
I am glad Vicki is getting this new recognition in San Francisco.
Thank you,
David de Alba
Here is a video of David performing If Love Were All.
[youtube]uIYv3Fv5ILc[/youtube]
Category: Transgender History, Transgender Opinion
Dear Vicki,
Remember when you interpreted so well lip-synching to the song “Who Can I Turn To…. When Nobody Needs Me?”
Well my dear, I know in my heart that now that you are in The House of The Lord and at peace, and you will get to see again many of those passed on fans of yours from The Chesterfield Club days that applauded your act.
Wonderful days they were indeed, as I still remember vividly how those nice folks that attended that club also welcomed my stage act when I did my Judy Garland Act…..I miss them!
God bless,
David de Alba, ‘La Leyenda Cubana’.