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THOSE CREATURES preening in The Birdcage are hardly a new species. In fact, drag may well be the oldest tradition in show business, dating back through all of movie history -- and long before it. (Remember, there wouldn't have been a Juliet in Shakespeare's day without Avon calling. And what about those outfits on the cavemen's walls?) Here's a selective look at the long legacy of men as women in film.
1. TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR (1995) DRAGSTERS: John Leguizamo (as Chi Chi, left), Wesley Snipes (Noxeema, center), and Patrick Swayze (Vida) portray the three musketeers in crinoline. WHY? These three have made a certain lifestyle choice -- with emphasis on style. FASHION STATEMENT: Leguizamo and Snipes look like unhappy hookers, while Swayze dolls up to be the daughter every mother would love.
2. CHARLEY'S AUNT (1941) DRAGSTER: Jack Benny as the rich Brazilian Babbs. WHY? Perennial student Benny is forced to masquerade as Babbs to provide a suitable chaperone while his pals woo their very proper girlfriends. FASHION STATEMENT: Very tasteful. Nothing cheap for this Benny.
3. THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994) DRAGSTER: Terence Stamp as Bernadette, the almost absurdly ladylike Australian transsexual. WHY? A man becomes a woman, and dresses become him. FASHION STATEMENT: So this is how you dress to listen to ABBA in the outback.
4. VICTOR/VICTORIA (1982) DRAGSTER: Robert Preston as the cunning cabaret performer Toddy. WHY? In the Paris of 1934, dressing like this wasn't a bad living. FASHION STATEMENT: Slightly Carmen Miranda, slightly Rita Hayworth, totally unacceptable for day wear.
5. TOOTSIE (1982) DRAGSTER: Dustin Hoffman as soap opera rave Dorothy Michaels. WHY? Struggling actor Michael Dorsey has to choose between portraying a woman on a daytime drama or, literally, a tomato. FASHION STATEMENT: Double the shoulders of Joan Crawford, half the style.
6. HIGH TIME (1960) DRAGSTER: Bing Crosby as college frosh Harvey Howard. WHY? As a fraternity initiation rite, Der Bingle dons the frock of an aged Scarlett O'Hara. FASHION STATEMENT: Sigma NO!
7. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) DRAGSTERS: Tony Curtis (left) and Jack Lemmon as Josephine and Daphne, musicians fiddling around with an all-girl band. WHY? If you've witnessed the St. Valentine's Day massacre, it's a good thing to go around in a disguise. FASHION STATEMENT: Ultraconservative, befitting graduates of the Sheboygan Conservatory of Music.
8. THE CRYING GAME (1992) DRAGSTER: Jaye Davidson (left, with Stephen Rea) as the sweet and surprising Dil. WHY? Some boys just like the touch of silk. FASHION STATEMENT: Never too revealing.
9. YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW (1941) DRAGSTER: Jimmy Durante as accidental Army recruit Jeeper Smith (left, with Joe Sawyer as his sergeant). WHY? He's trying to escape from the military life. FASHION STATEMENT: Durante's personal style is right on the nose.
