Peter Moselle interviewed by Bill Stephens [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 2301569
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Moselle, Peter, 1926-2003, interviewee
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 1985
- 2 sound tape reels (90 min.) : analog, 7 1/2 ips, two track, mono. ; 10 in.
- Summary:
-
Peter Moselle born in England; his interest in entertainment as a young child; his family background; childhood; forming a youth group at 16 and performed his first revue; recruited as a driver into the British Army; transferring to the Education Corps; the popularity of his Carmen Miranda impersonation leading to his female impersonations; experience in repertory theatre; siblings and family today; performing in "This is the Army"; performing with Danny La Rue and Harry Seacombe; joining the Buskin Players; his preference for playing character roles; forming a double act with Johnny Stanton; circumstances leading to his migration to Australia; an approach by Sammy Lee to review and improve his show Les Girls.
Moselle discusses the styles of entertainer in Les Girls; establishing a similar show at the Coolangatta Hotel which then moved to the Broadbeach Hotel; moving the show to the Jet Club; bombing of the Whisky Au Go Go; returning to the Coolangatta Hotel; split of the company, financial problems; a move to Tasmania and then back to Brisbane; going on tour with the Bare Touch of Spain; currently performing at the Music Hall; personalities he has met at Les Girls; Les Girls today; female impersonators who took hormone treatments; other performers at Les Girls; Rose Jackson ad Bobby Le Brun; considering himself more as a comedian than as an impersonator; his reasons for not going into film or television.
- Biography/History:
-
Born and raised in England, Peter Moselle always wanted to be an entertainer and through his childhood had singing and dancing lessons, leaving school at age 16 to form a youth club where he wrote and performed his first revue and played for wounded soldiers recovering in hospital, at age 18 he was recruited as a driver into the British Army but transferred to the Education Corps where he continued to entertain the British troops, the popularity of his Carmen Miranda impersonation leading to his female impersonations, after the War he joined the Repertory Theatre where he learnt most of his theatrical skills, later he played in London's West End and toured Europe with Danny La Rue. The turning point in his career came when he met Johnny Moselle Stanton, an Australian dancer and acrobat, in London and began a double act, Stanton and Small, and their partnership lasted for 25 years. In 1955 they arrived in New Zealand and shortly after took their act on South Pacific cruise ships where they were discovered by a Sydney entrepreneur who booked them at Andre's, later he was approached by Sammy Lee to review and improve his show Les Girls. For the next 5 years the new format involved changing the cast to an all-male revue with Moselle as its compere in order to send it up and introduce a vaudeville element.
During this period he made TV appearances and became a long-standing friend of Dita Cobb but also he developed in this period the first signs of breast cancer which was to plague him for many years to come. He later established a similar show on the Gold Coast's Coolangatta Hotel for the next 4 years then later moved it to Broadbeach as the Peter Moselle Show and had great success. There followed the catastrophic bombing of Whisky A Go Go which deterred audiences from attending drag shows. So his large company split up and he established a small company of half a dozen young performers in Tasmania, which also proved very successful.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on July 19, 1985 in Southport, Qld.
- Digital master available National Library of Australia;
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (3 p.)
- Subject:
-
- Moselle, Peter, 1926-2003 -- Interviews
- Les Girls (Sydney, N.S.W.)
- Peter Moselle Show (Gold Coast, Qld.)
- Vaudeville -- Australia
- Entertainers -- Australia -- Interviews
- Female impersonators -- Australia -- Interviews
- Music-halls (Variety-theaters, cabarets, etc.) -- Australia
- Entertainers -- Australia
- Occupation:
- Entertainers
- Other authors/contributors:
- Stephens, Bill, 1936-, interviewer
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
Contact us for information about copying. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2055 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1985
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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