# First cross-dressing movie? (Eve?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752 "2002-06-06T23:14:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/1 "2002-06-06T23:14:48Z")
There’s a [new movie](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0247444) coming soon about an NBA star who dresses as a woman in order to play for the WNBA. It’s gonna suck, of course, but waddya gonna do? What was the first movie in which a male character has to/chooses to dress like a woman for whatever reason? I checked the IMDB and found that _Glen or Glenda_ came out (so to speak) before _Some Like It Hot_. Is there an earlier example? Eve? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/2 "2002-06-06T23:47:47Z")
Well, there’s a scene in _The Crimson Pirate_ (1952) in which Burt et. al. dress up as “local girls” to fool the British Governer… but it’s probably not the oldest scene of it’s kind. In fact, i’d assume the first cross-dressing movie was the first time anyone pointed a camera at a production of _The Merchant of Venice_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/3 "2002-06-07T00:07:00Z")
The earliest I can think of is Charlie Chaplin in _The Woman_ (1915) and Lon Chaney in _The Unholy Three_ (1925) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/4 "2002-06-07T00:20:09Z")
Harold Lloyd in _Spit-ball Sadie_ (1915) and Chaplin again in _The Masquerader_ (1914) _A Florida Enchantment_ (1914) features a woman charachter who dresses up to impersonate a man. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/5 "2002-06-07T14:10:49Z")
Everyone else—movie buffs and cross-dressers alike—has already answered for me. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/6 "2002-06-07T14:13:58Z")
Thanks for the info. I’m surprised it goes back that far! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/7 "2002-06-07T15:37:12Z")
From IMDB, a list of things pre-dating 1960 that have some element of cross-dressing or transvestisism. I make no claim the list is accurate or complete, just that these are movies which listed “cross-dressing,” “tranvestisism,” or “drag” in their keywords. The second on the list is female to male, but it may be the earliest where cross-dressing had a sexual/romantic purpose. Apparently the lead takes some pill that causes her to take after women; she then dresses like a man to have a chance with them. [The Leading Lady](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0001730), 1911 [A Florida Enchantment](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0003973), 1914 (female to male) [A Woman](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0006309), 1915 [The Butcher Boy](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0007761), 1917 [Doing His Bit](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0126267), 1917 [Yankee Doodle in Berlin](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0010925), 1919 [Charley’s Aunt](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0020754), 1930 [The Man from Monterey](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0024293), 1933 [Släkten är värst](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0028268), 1936 (Sweden) [Sylvia Scarlett](http://us.imdb.com/Plot?0027067), 1936 [La Grande Illusion](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0028950), 1937 (France) [Charlie’s Big Hearted Aunt](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0032323), 1940 [Charley’s Aunt](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0033457), 1941 [Blåjackor](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0037548), 1945 (Sweden) [Lilla helgonet](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0037019), 1944 (Sweden) [Fram för lilla Märta](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0037714), 1945 (Sweden) [Lilla Märta kommer tillbaka](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0040540), 1948 (Sweden) [Glen or Glenda](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0045826), 1953 [Casey Bats Again](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0046835), 1954 [Charleys Tante](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0047932), 1955 (West Germany) [Glade skomakaren, Den](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0048122), 1955 (Swede) [Weiching jiande](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0246326), 1955 (Hong Kong) [Pablo y Carolina](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0048463), 1957 (Mexico) (female to male) [Dragstrip Riot](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0051555), 1958 [Some Like it Hot](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053291), 1959 [Voulez-vous danser avec moi?](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053428), 1959 (France) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-cross-dressing-movie-eve/112752/8 "2002-06-07T23:03:16Z")
According to the IMDB, the first film version of [_As You LIke It_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0000636) was released in 1908. The first film version of [_The Merchant of Venice_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0000724) was the same year, and then there was [_Twelfth Night_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0125564) in 1910.