Rae Bourbon - Let Me Tell You About My Operation

Front cover of the mid 1950's LP record album, "Let Me Tell You About My Operation" by the legendary female impersonator, Rae Bourbon (1892-1971), that was released on his own private record label "UTC (Under the Counter) Records." Bourbon peddled this and his other records from the trunk of his car at his night club performances.

Here is a track from his 1950's album "Ladies of Burlesque" also released on UTC Records called "Forty-Five":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=reuYPMdVqJU

Ray Bourbon was born in 1892 in Texas but often gave different dates for his birth to make himself younger. At times he claimed his birth name was Hal Wadell and at others, he claimed it was Ramón Ícarez. During his life, Bourbon stated that he was the illegitimate son of a Texas Congressman and that he was the last of the French royal family, the “Habsburg Bourbons,” his mother having given birth to him shortly after immigrating to the United States. These claims were probably made to bolster his career and to generate interest.

In reality, Bourbon was the son of Frank T. and Elizabeth Wadell. Mr. Wadell was a successful rancher and oil man in El Paso, Texas. The young Bourbon was raised on the family ranch where he developed a life long love of animals and became a skilled horseman.

According to Bourbon, his family sent him to Europe in the early 1900’s to attend a private school in London, England. It was in London that he said he developed his passion for the stage and acting. Bourbon claimed that during his stay in London, he befriended Charlie Chaplin and that Chaplin gave him valuable training in the art of comedic acting.

Bourbon returned to the family ranch in El Paso in the early 1910’s as the Mexican Revolution was raging on both sides of the Mexican border. Bourbon claimed his parents were close personal friends with the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa, and that Villa was a frequent guest at their ranch house. Bourbon stated that he secretly transported weapons for Villa while in drag using the moniker of “La Señora Diablo.” Bourbon’s detailed knowledge of Villa’s revolutionary inner workings brought him to the attention of academic researchers in the 1960’s.

Bourbon was married during the mid 1910’s and fathered a son in 1918. The information regarding this marriage is scant…

In the early 1920’s, Bourbon traveled to Hollywood where he found work as a stand-in and stuntman (he stood in and performed stunts for both actors and actresses). He made small appearances in numerous films starring legendary performers such as Rudolph Valentino, Hopalong Cassiday, and Gloria Swanson, to name a few.

In the early 1930’s as the silent film era was drawing to a close, Bourbon launched an unsuccessful stage career. Realizing the stage was taking him no where, Bourbon began performing in drag in small clubs and other similar venues in Los Angeles, California, Chicago, and New York. However, the clubs he performed in were often raided by the police and performers appearing in drag were arrested and jailed for public indecency.

In 1931, a local El Paso, Texas newspaper reported that Bourbon had inherited 1.5 million dollars from his late father’s estate. Bourbon told the paper that he was planning on travelling the world and launching a writing career. During this time, he penned a novel, “Hookers,” that detailed the seedy underworld of El Paso. According to Bourbon, he traveled across Europe, Africa, and Asia and performed his drag act in hundreds of clubs and theaters. He claimed that he opened a nightclub in London and that he befriended the legendary Josephine Baker.

After years of lavishing spending during the 1930’s, Bourbon went bankrupt. He resorted to traveling across the country driving an old car and pulling a trailer. He traveled with his many pets whom he lovingly referred to as his “children.” He took his pets with him everywhere he went. Bourbon went from town to town and city to city wherever he could find work. His performances frequently came under the scrutiny of the police and he was often arrested for dressing as a woman. Bourbon’s harassment by the police eventually became so intense that he was once arrested in Miami for dressing like a man…

During the late 1940’s, Bourbon appeared in a number of films starring the legendary Mae West and was given critical acclaim for his comedic performances; however, by the early 1950’s, his career opportunities were waning. He formed his own private record label, “UTC (Under the Counter) Records,” in the 1950’s and peddled recordings of his performances from the trunk of his car at his club appearances.

In the mid 1950’s, Bourbon claimed to have undergone a sex change operation in Mexico with the hopes this would reignite interest in his floundering career. He began billing himself as “Rae Bourbon” instead of “Ray Bourbon” at this time to reflect his “change.” This publicity stunt did little for his career other than to generate interest from a few curiosity seekers. His album “Let Me Tell You About My Operation,” went into detail about his supposed sex change operation that he later admitted as being a cancer operation.

In 1961, Bourbon approached the FBI with information he had regarding two Soviet defectors who attended a private party held in Washington, DC by a high ranking Pentagon employee. These defectors apparently attempted to collect classified information from inebriated officials attending the party. The FBI interviewed Bourbon at length and believed the account he provided; however, Bourbon became reluctant about speaking further with them after claiming his passport was stolen and that he had been shot at by an unknown assailant in Detroit, Michigan.

By 1967, Bourbon was performing exclusively at a club called “The Jewell Box” in Kansas City, Kansas while constantly on the look out for other gigs. In September 1967, he was invited to perform in a club in Juarez, Mexico. Bourbon eagerly loaded his car with all of his earthly possessions, hitched his trailer with his more than 70 dogs and cats, and hit the road for Juarez. Along the way, Bourbon’s car engine caught on fire along the road. Passing motorists stopped and helped him unhitch the trailer and save the animals, but he lost all of his possessions. A generous friend loaned him enough money to buy another used car, but this car also broke down along the road in Big Springs, Texas.

Bourbon managed to find a local animal shelter owned by a man named A.D. Blount that agreed to board Bourbon’s pets until he was able to return and pick them up. He eventually made it to Juarez and saved enough money to return to Big Springs to get his beloved pets.

Bourbon began the long drive to Big Springs to get his pets. He stopped along the road and called Blount to let him know he was on his way. Blount told him not to bother coming any further because he had sold all of Bourbon’s animals to a chemical testing laboratory because he had not paid his bill to the animal shelter.

Bourbon was overcome with extreme grief and returned to the small apartment he had been staying in while performing in Juarez. Upon entering the apartment, he was attacked and shot by an unidentified home intruder. After recovering from his injuries, Bourbon purchased a hand gun for his own protection and began an intense search and campaign to get his pets back. He wrote letters and made phone calls to newspapers, local politicians, and to the governor of Texas. Despite his efforts, Bourbon made no progress in getting his pets back.

In Desperation, Bourbon summoned two young men who had worked with him in his drag performances. He asked the two men to locate A.D. Blount and “rough him up” in order to find out where his pets were. Bourbon gave the men 30 dollars and the hand gun he had purchased earlier. He later wired them 50 more dollars while on their road trip. When the two young men found Blount, they shot and killed him but failed to find out where Bourbon’s pets were.

Bourbon was arrested, along with the two young men, for the murder of A.D. Blount. In early 1970, he was found guilty of being an accomplice to Blount’s murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. At one point during his incarceration, the elderly Bourbon had an opportunity to escape by simply walking out of the facility where he was being held. After being gone for less than two hours, he slowly walked back into the facility and sadly stated to the guards on duty, “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Ray Bourbon died in prison of a heart attack on July 19, 1971. Such was the end of one of the most colorful characters of the 20th century….

Taken on: January 1, 1955

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