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The world's oldest drag queen, Walter W. Cole took the [[stage name]] of [[Darcelle XV]], in honor of Denise Darcel.
The world's oldest drag queen, Walter W. Cole took the [[stage name]] of [[Darcelle XV]], in honor of Denise Darcel.

In 1968, Denise was name Queen of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.


==Death==
==Death==

Revision as of 14:12, 7 December 2023

Denise Darcel
Darcel in 1949
Born
Denise Billecard

(1924-09-08)8 September 1924[1]
Paris, France
Died23 December 2011(2011-12-23) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Singer
  • Vaudevillian
Years active1948–1963
Spouses
  • William Shaw (m. 1947; div. 19??)
Francis Peter Crosby
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1951)​
  • Robert Atkinson (m. 1961; div. 19??)
  • Richard Vance (m. 1972; div. 19??)
George Simpson Jr.
​
​
(m. 1990; died 2003)​
Children2 sons (Chris and Craig)

Denise Darcel (née Billecard, 8 September 1924 – 23 December 2011) was a French-American vaudevillian, actress and singer, who from 1948 and 1963, appeared in films in Hollywood, and briefly on the stage, television and radio.[2]

Early years

Born as Denise Billecard[3] in Paris, she was one of five daughters[4] of a French baker,[5] and she was college educated,[6] studying at the University of Dijon.[4] According to a friend, whom she met in Paris during World War II, she was a passenger in an L-5 Stinson light observation aircraft on VJ Day to see the celebration from the air. The pilot, James Helinger Sr., a US Army Air Corps glider pilot (a friend) was at the controls, while they flew under several bridges along the Seine and finally, under the Eiffel Tower, with the crowds below.[7]

A winner of the title "The Most Beautiful Girl in France,"[8] Darcel was a cabaret singer in Paris after World War II before being spotted by Hollywood. Denise came to the United States in 1947[9] and became an American citizen in 1952.[3]

On 15 February 1952 she was named "Miss Welder of 1952" by the National Eutectic Welders' Club. Presenting her with a scroll as "the girl we would like most to weld with" was R. D. Wasserman, President of the Eutectic Welding Institute. Wasserman hoped that her photograph would inspire women throughout the nation to join the ranks of the labor force and support the war effort in Korea.[10]

Stage

Darcel's debut on the legitimate stage came in 1950, when she appeared in Pardon Our French, premiering 5 October at the Broadway Theatre.[11]

Vaudeville

In 1950, Darcel had a Vaudeville act, which was panned by at least one reviewer. About Darcel's performance 5 May 1950, at the Strand in New York, the Billboard review said: "Denise Darcel showed her well-stacked chassis ... but her heavily accented English sounded like so much gibberish; it got laughs instead of attention. ... her singing is inadequate, her over-use of hands and arms is clumsy and she shows herself completely at a loss in handling hecklers."[12]

Film

Her first film appearance of note was in Battleground (1949). She made quite an impression in Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950) opposite Lex Barker, then co-starred with Robert Taylor in Westward the Women (1952) and Glenn Ford in Young Man with Ideas (1952). In 1953, she was seen in the swimming musical Dangerous When Wet, which starred Esther Williams (1953). Her most important film was Vera Cruz (1954) where she played the female lead opposite Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster. Her last film (1961) was Seven Women from Hell.[13]

Television

Darcel appeared on various TV shows in the 1950s. In 1954, she was hostess/MC of Gamble on Love, a summer program on the DuMont Television Network. Darcel asked questions of married couples who sought to win the grand prize of a mink coat. A review in Billboard described her as "Gallic to the point of unintelligibility."[14] Also in 1954, Colonel Productions produced a pilot of Chez Denise, a 30-minute "comedy-intrigue" program starring Darcel, which apparently did not sell.[15]

Later years

After her film and television career began to wane, Darcel, aged 41, became an ecdysiast (stripper),[13] appearing in West Coast theatres in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Oakland, and Los Angeles. She retired from stripping after a few years and returned to the cabaret circuit, making a few appearances on television. In 1991,[16] she was cast as "Solange La Fitte" in the Los Angeles 20th anniversary revival of the musical Follies, produced by the Long Beach Civic Light Opera. She would later repeat the role of Solange in 1995 for revivals in Houston and Seattle.

Personal life

Darcel's first husband, William Shaw,[13] was an American Army captain whom she married in 1947.[4] Darcel obtained a Mexican divorce from Peter Crosby 12 August 1951.[17] She married Robert Atkinson 24 April 1961.[18] They had two sons, Christopher[19] (born 17 November 1961[20]) and Craig. Husband George Simpson died in 2003.[4]

In the early 1950s, Darcel was linked romantically with singer Billy Eckstine.[21][22][23] In 1993, Jet magazine reported, "Eckstine's hot romance with actress Denise Darcel cooled off after their photo appeared on cover of Life Magazine, causing a White backlash."[24]

Recording

Online music store iTunes recently made Darcel's album, Banned in Boston (recorded in 1958[4]), available for purchase alongside actress Lizabeth Scott's album, Lizabeth.

On 23 June 1968, Darcel was arrested in Miami, Florida, and charged with shoplifting women's undergarments valued at $38.94 ($340 today). She was released on $500 bond.[25] She was found guilty and fined $300 ($2,630 today) in a trial 10 July 1968.[26]

Darcel and her husband, Robert Gerard Atkinson, filed bankruptcy petitions in San Bernardino, California, in 1963. The petitions listed "total assets of $1,508 ($15,010 today) and individual and joint debts of $88,904 for her and $62,223 for him."(total of $1,504,000 today)[27]

Honors

In September 2009, she was honored with the Cinecon Career Achievement Award, presented in Hollywood at a banquet held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. Prior to the ceremony, a new 35mm color print of her 1953 film, Flame of Calcutta, was screened at the Egyptian Theatre. After the screening, at the banquet, she cheerfully announced to the audience, "I'm back".

The world's oldest drag queen, Walter W. Cole took the stage name of Darcelle XV, in honor of Denise Darcel.

In 1968, Denise was name Queen of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

Death

Darcel died in December 2011, aged 87, after emergency surgery to repair a ruptured aneurysm.[28][29]

Selected filmography and television appearances

Radio appearances

Year Program Episode/source
1950 Quick as a Flash NA[30]
1985 Musical Comedy Theater Going Hollywood[31]
1952 Lux Radio Theatre Westward the Women[32]

Television appearances

Year Program Episode/source
1950 This Is Show Business 21 May episode[33]
1951 Don McNeill's Breakfast Club 7 November episode[34]
1954 Droodles 21 June episode[35]
1963 Combat! 19 November 1963 "A Distant Drum"

Notes

  1. ^ "Denise Darcel". The Daily Telegraph. London. 10 January 2012.
  2. ^ Obituary for Denise Darcel in The Telegraph (UK)
  3. ^ a b Denise Darcel at the British Film Institute[better source needed]
  4. ^ a b c d e Bergan, Ronald (13 January 2012). "Denise Darcel obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Denise Darcel May Wed Texan". Independent. Long Beach Independent. 26 March 1950. p. 39. Retrieved 6 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Denise Darcel at the TCM Movie Database
  7. ^ "The Adventures of Jim, Sr – Part III". Chaotic Synaptic Activity. 15 August 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  8. ^ "Runners-Up A Typist and College Student". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 10 August 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 6 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ Erickson, Hal (2007). "Denise Darcel". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  10. ^ Welding Journal 31(4), April 1952, p374.
  11. ^ Francis, Bob (14 October 1950). "Broadway Opening: Pardon Our French". Billboard. p. 57.
  12. ^ Smith, Bill (13 May 1950). "Vaudeville Reviews: Strand, New York". Billboard. p. 46.
  13. ^ a b c Bernstein, Adam (10 January 2012). "Denise Darcel, French-born actress, dies at 87". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  14. ^ Francis, Bob (31 July 1954). "Gamble on Love (TV)". Billboard. p. 49.
  15. ^ "Denise Darcel in Video Bid". Billboard. 6 March 1954. p. 4.
  16. ^ Bergan, Ronald (13 January 2012). "Denise Darcel obituary". The Guardian. London.
  17. ^ "Actress Denise Darcel Gets One-Day Divorce in Mexico". The San Bernardino County Sun. The San Bernardino County Sun. 13 August 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  18. ^ "Denise Darcel Weds". The Kansas City Times. 26 April 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ "New Baby for Actress". Florence Morning News. Florence Morning News. 26 November 1961. p. 21. Retrieved 8 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ^ "Denise Darcel a Mother". Statesman Journal. The Oregon Statesman. 19 November 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 8 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ^ "(photo caption)". Jet. 1 (8): 31. 20 December 1951.
  22. ^ "People Are Talking About ..." Jet. 1 (20): 44. 13 March 1952.
  23. ^ "The Secret Love Life of Billy Eckstein". Jet. V (21): 24. 1 April 1954. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Billy ('Mr. B') Eckstine, A Stroke Victim, Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Age 78". Jet. 83 (21): 14–16, 54–57. 22 March 1993.
  25. ^ "French Star Denise Darcel Is Arrested For Shoplifting". The Fresno Bee. The Fresno Bee The Republican. 24 June 1968. p. 23. Retrieved 7 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  26. ^ "Denise Darcel Is Fined for Shoplifting". The Mercury. Pottstown Mercury. 10 July 1968. p. 3. Retrieved 7 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  27. ^ "Denise Darcel to Appear in S.B. Bankruptcy Court". The San Bernardino County Sun. The San Bernardino County Sun. 7 September 1963. p. 19. Retrieved 8 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  28. ^ New York Times obituary for Denise Darcel
  29. ^ Variety report of Darcel's death
  30. ^ White, Sid (12 May 1950). "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  31. ^ Kirby, Walter (7 December 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 52. Retrieved 14 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  32. ^ Kirby, Walter (28 December 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 36. Retrieved 5 June 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  33. ^ White, Sid (23 May 1950). "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  34. ^ "McNeill TV Seg Blacks Out on ABC for 17 Mins". Billboard. 17 November 1951. p. 5.
  35. ^ Morse, Leon (10 July 1954). "Droodles". Billboard. p. 38.
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