Foo Foo Lammar: Difference between revisions
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=== Drag queen === |
=== Drag queen === |
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It was at the age of 20 that Pearson originally discovered drag |
It was at the age of 20 that Pearson originally discovered drag,<ref name=":3" /> and he first wore a dress in a sketch at a Christmas party for mill girls.<ref name=":7">{{Citation |title=BBC Archive - 1981: Nationwide: Foo Foo Lammar - By BBC Archive "Frank Pearson is one of the few self-made men who's also a self-made woman." #OnThisDay 1981: Nationwide reported on Foo Foo Lammar's enterprising... |url=https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/1981-nationwide-foo-foo-lammar/468574954438534/ |website= [[Facebook]] |language=en |access-date=2022-06-21}}</ref> Whilst working in the paper mill as general manager, Pearson began to appear in pubs as Foo Foo Lamarr by night, with [[Hedy Lamarr]] being his favourite screen actress (the surname was latterly spelt as Lammar).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> It was suggested by him that the first name was a result of a Frenchman being unable to pronounce Frank.<ref name=":7" /> Lammar later told the story of his father throwing a bar stool at him after discovering what his son was doing. "Somebody told my dad that I was singing in the Ancoats Arms, but what they did not tell him was that I was stretched across the piano in a frock," Lammar commented.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Scullard |first=Vickie |date=2018-12-29 |title=Memories of Foo Foo Lammar - one of Manchester's most flamboyant characters |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/memories-foo-foo-lammar-one-15585139 |access-date=2022-06-20 |website=[[Manchester Evening News]] |language=en}}</ref> |
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The 1960s was a boom period for drag acts in the northern clubs, and by the 1970s, performers like [[Danny La Rue]] and [[Larry Grayson]] had made camp entertainment mainstream, a niche which Lammar slotted into. "Appearing on stage in blonde bouffant wigs and expensive sequinned gowns, he was known for his caustic wit and repartee with tough northern audiences", ''[[The Times]]'' wrote of his act.<ref name=":0" /> |
The 1960s was a boom period for drag acts in the northern clubs, and by the 1970s, performers like [[Danny La Rue]] and [[Larry Grayson]] had made camp entertainment mainstream, a niche which Lammar slotted into. "Appearing on stage in blonde bouffant wigs and expensive sequinned gowns, he was known for his caustic wit and repartee with tough northern audiences", ''[[The Times]]'' wrote of his act.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Revision as of 04:34, 30 June 2022
Foo Foo Lammar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francis Joseph Pearson 22 March 1937 Ancoats, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 7 November 2003 (aged 66) Withington, Manchester, England |
| Burial place | Gorton Cemetery |
| Other names | Foo Foo Lamarr Frank Lammar Frank Lamarr Frank "Foo Foo" Lammar Frank "Foo Foo" Lamarr |
| Occupation(s) | Drag queen Nightclub owner |
| Partner | Billy Hughes |
Francis Joseph Pearson (22 March 1937 – 7 November 2003) was a British drag queen and nightclub owner known professionally as Foo Foo Lammar (or Foo Foo Lamarr).[1] The Times called him "One of the North of England's most popular female impersonators", whilst the BBC described his performance as "a legendary drag act". Lammar, who was based in his native Manchester, worked in entertainment for over 30 years, and amassed a fortune of over £5m.[2][3] He became an established name in Manchester from the 1970s onwards, and was well-known in the city until his death in 2003.
Early life
Francis Joseph Pearson was born to a working class family on 22 March 1937 in Ancoats, Manchester, then part of Lancashire.[1][2][4] He was one of five brothers, and his father was a rag-and-bone merchant.[5] Francis, known as Frank, left school at 15 without any qualifications and worked in a paper mill.[2][6] In his teens, he was a boxer, and lived on the same street as future Coronation Street actor Bill Tarmey.[7]
Career
Drag queen
It was at the age of 20 that Pearson originally discovered drag,[5] and he first wore a dress in a sketch at a Christmas party for mill girls.[8] Whilst working in the paper mill as general manager, Pearson began to appear in pubs as Foo Foo Lamarr by night, with Hedy Lamarr being his favourite screen actress (the surname was latterly spelt as Lammar).[2][6] It was suggested by him that the first name was a result of a Frenchman being unable to pronounce Frank.[8] Lammar later told the story of his father throwing a bar stool at him after discovering what his son was doing. "Somebody told my dad that I was singing in the Ancoats Arms, but what they did not tell him was that I was stretched across the piano in a frock," Lammar commented.[9]
The 1960s was a boom period for drag acts in the northern clubs, and by the 1970s, performers like Danny La Rue and Larry Grayson had made camp entertainment mainstream, a niche which Lammar slotted into. "Appearing on stage in blonde bouffant wigs and expensive sequinned gowns, he was known for his caustic wit and repartee with tough northern audiences", The Times wrote of his act.[2]
Although drag has long been associated with the gay community, Lammar mainly played to straight audiences.[10] "I don't see myself as a drag queen," he said, adding "I'm more of a comic in a frock."[2] The Guardian described Lammar's performing persona as "an outrageous cross between Bet Lynch and Myra Breckinridge."[5]
He appeared on television, radio and in theatres, working with La Rue.[2] The BBC 1 series Nationwide profiled Lammar in a May 1981 edition of the programme,[8] and in a 1990 episode of the BBC 1 TV drama Making Out, he had a cameo as the Compere.[11] Lammar was also a regular guest on TV chat shows, and hosted a segment for the Men & Motors channel, Hot Agony Aunt, in which he gave advice to viewers' problems.[2][9] In 1996, Lammar took part in Liz Dawn's House Party!, a direct-to-video release hosted by Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn.[12] In October that year, he was seen in The Ghost of Ivy Tilsley, a Channel 4 documentary about another Coronation Street actress, Lynne Perrie, who had played Ivy Tilsley in the soap opera.[13] He also appeared in the film Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land in 2000.[14]
Clubs
Lammar bought his first club, the Picador in Shudehill, in 1971. He subsequently took over Celebrity in Dale Street, which he renamed Foo Foo's Palace. The latter became established as a top location: it was a favourite venue for Manchester United footballer players, and patronised by showbusiness personalities.[2] Lammar worked behind the bar, serving customers in full drag, before doing two turns as the cabaret entertainment, with two support acts in between. He would surprise audiences at the end by appearing as himself, minus the drag. Coachloads of hen parties would visit from around the country to see him perform.[2][5] Lammar also owned a Manchester punk club, The Ranch.[15]
By the 1990s, the Canal Street area had become popular as the city's gay village, and Lammar bought several clubs there, including Napoleon's and Cruz 101.[2] In 1994, he opened Metz on Brazil Street.[10]
Charity work
In his spare time, Lammar was a prolific fundraiser for local charities, such as the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. His appearances at charity auctions would attract large donations from members of the public,[2] and Lammar reportedly raised £4m for charity.[6] In March 1997, The Times reported that he had obtained a donation of £500 for the Children's Hospital from Diana, Princess of Wales.[16]
Recordings
Lammar made a number of recordings as a singer, including two albums and two singles. The first, My Life at the Palace: The Frank Lamarr Story, was recorded live in July 1976 at Foo Foo's Palace. The second, My Own Special Creation, was recorded at Pennine Sound Studios in Oldham and released in the mid-1980s. Both included covers of well-known standards made famous by gay icons.[17] "Foo Foo's Netball Team", backed with "Love You Being Around", was a single recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport and issued by Columbia in 1980, whilst "Around the Old Campfire", backed with "I'm Gonna Be Strong", was released in 1989.[1]
Personal life and death
Lammar was said to be "a familiar sight in his native city dressed in shiny suits and dripping in gaudy jewellery." He owned a number of Rolls-Royce cars with the licence plate FOO 1, and enjoyed giving lifts to locals. He was "devoted" to his mother Leah, taking her shopping every day and having tea at the bungalow he had bought for her in Moston.[2][6] Lammar lived in Shuttleworth, near Bury, in the 1990s, and at the time of his death, he was living in Piccadilly Village, an apartment complex in Ancoats.[6][18][19] His autobiography, I Am What I Am, was published in 2002, with an introduction by Sir Alex Ferguson.[2][20] Lammar was a supporter of Manchester United F.C, which was managed by Ferguson at the time.[21]
On 7 November 2003, after suffering from cancer, Lammar died at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, aged 66.[3] As the funeral cortege made its way through the streets of Manchester, hundreds of people lined the streets. The ceremony took place at Corpus Christi Priory in Miles Platting, attended by Ferguson, actress Sue Johnston and former England captain Bryan Robson. This was then followed by a private burial at the family grave in Gorton Cemetery.[22][23] Lammar was survived by his partner of 29 years, Billy Hughes.[2]
Legacy
A painted mural in Manchester's gay village features an image of Lammar, alongside several other historical figures with local links, including Emmeline Pankhurst, Quentin Crisp and Alan Turing.[9][24] In addition, Lammars Restaurant & Bar on Hilton Street is named after him.[25]
References
- ^ a b c "Frank Foo Foo Lamarr". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Frank Pearson - Obituary." The Times (London, England), November 18, 2003: 37. NewsBank: Access Global NewsBank. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&docref=news/0FEEBEB43628E919.
- ^ a b "Frank 'Foo Foo' Lammar dies". BBC News. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ General Register Office; United Kingdom. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]
- ^ a b c d McManus, Irene (1 May 1981). "An evening of ecstasy for two quid at the door". The Guardian. p. 9. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Farewell, Foo Foo". Manchester Evening News. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Tarmey, Bill (2010). Jack Duckworth and Me : My Life on the Street and Other Adventures. London: Simon & Schuster, Limited. ISBN 978-0-85720-241-3. OCLC 1090970645.
- ^ a b c "BBC Archive - 1981: Nationwide: Foo Foo Lammar - By BBC Archive "Frank Pearson is one of the few self-made men who's also a self-made woman." #OnThisDay 1981: Nationwide reported on Foo Foo Lammar's enterprising...", Facebook, retrieved 21 June 2022
- ^ a b c Scullard, Vickie (29 December 2018). "Memories of Foo Foo Lammar - one of Manchester's most flamboyant characters". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b Turner, Jenny (8 June 1996). "The gay village, Canal Street, Manchester". The Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Making Out. Series 2. Episode 5. 3 April 1990. BBC.
- ^ Cunningham, Eddie and Kinnersley-Hill, Darren (executive producers) (1996). Liz Dawn's House Party! (Videotape). PolyGram Video/Talent Television.
- ^ "The Ghost of Ivy Tilsley". The Fame Factor. 5 October 1996. Channel 4.
- ^ "Frank Lammar". BFI. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "The Singles". www.boredteenagers.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Royal donation - News in Brief." The Times, (London, England), March 4, 1997: 6. NewsBank: Access Global NewsBank. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&docref=news/0F924BBED1B37179.
- ^ "Frank Foo Foo Lamarr". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Piccadilly Village Manchester". piccadillyvillage.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Foo Foo sees the funny side." Lancashire County Publications (England), April 16, 1999. NewsBank: Access Global NewsBank. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&docref=news/10D8753B5D6964E1.
- ^ Lamarr, Frank (2002). I am what I am : the autobiography of Frank 'Foo Foo' Lamarr. Ian Penney, Pete Smith. London: John Blake. ISBN 1-904034-09-8. OCLC 50100403.
- ^ Beckham, Ted (2006). David Beckham : my son. Tim Allan. London: Pan. ISBN 978-0-330-44645-7. OCLC 64742639.
- ^ Manchester City Council; Manchester, England; Manchester Grave Burial Registers. England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2016 [database on-line].
- ^ "Frank 'Foo Foo' Lammar buried". BBC News. 16 November 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Glendinning, Amy (24 September 2014). "Artists create massive mural to honour Manchester's gay icons". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Lammars Manchester". manchesterbars.com. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
External links
- 1937 births
- 2003 deaths
- 20th-century British businesspeople
- 20th-century British male singers
- 20th-century LGBT people
- 21st-century British male singers
- 21st-century British businesspeople
- 21st-century LGBT people
- British autobiographers
- Charity fundraisers (people)
- Deaths from cancer in England
- English drag queens
- English male boxers
- Gay entertainers
- People from Ancoats
- People from Manchester
- People from the Metropolitan Borough of Bury