Forgotten Queens: The Legendary Mrs Shufflewick

Apologies for my absence during this last week or so, not that you've missed me. I've been away for a much deserved break in the country - the Cotswolds to be precise. I know what you're going to say but all this cogitation can be very tiring for an old soak like me, that's not to mention all the heavy lifting I do during the day - those bottles of Gordon's don't get shifted from the Co-op on their own you know, and sometimes I have to make two or three...or four trips a week. Then there's all of the public speaking I do. If you didn't know, I give talks all over the place, imparting my wisdom to whoever is stupid enough to listen. I've had the pleasure of performing before the likes of Duke of Edinburgh...the Prince of Wales... the Duchess of Bedford... and quite a few other well known London pubs. (I can only apologise for that gag - full credit should go to Mr Jameson for all of it's awfulness - but more about him in a mo). 

Anyway, there I was trolling around the pretty Cotswold's villages with the old ball and chain, perusing the antique shops, spilling the tea and stuffing ourselves silly with cream cakes in quaint little tea shops, when in one particular shop I picked up an old record that took me on a trip down memory lane. I couldn't wait to get it home, dust off the old turntable and put it on, which I did right away... after pouring myself a drink and  opening a packet of Woodbines of course. It was then it all came flooding back: the Black Cap, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the Skinner's Arms... all of the old haunts and all of the old characters, all gone now. The record? 'A Drop of the Hard Stuff', a live recording of the legend of the London gay scene during the last century, Mrs Shufflewick. Long dead and long forgotten, I've decided to write about her and many of the other drag queens from the years gone by who may have alluded the masses of young people who relish drag today, since it's recent popularisation thanks to the likes of Ru Paul's Drag Race bursting onto out screens. So, on with the history lesson!

By way of background Mrs Shufflewick was the creation of Rex Jameson, purportedly a Londoner by birth and something of an alcoholic, taking his stage name from the famous brand of whisky... not all that far from his drag act. Gladys Shufflewick was an often-tipsy cockney woman, seen in a floral hat and often clutching at her faux fur stole which she proclaimed to audiences to be her 'genuine, untouched pussy'. She could often be found propping up the bar, or in the snug at her local pub ,'The Cock and Comfort', which she described as 'a lot of comfort but not much of anything else'. 

After spending his childhood in the cinema or at the theatre or music hall, Jameson started performing in the RAF in 1942 as part of Ralph Reader's RAF Gangshow alongside the likes of Frankie Howerd, Peter Sellers and Tony Hancock (with whom Rex would spend much of his spare time drinking scotch). After the war, Rex joined a comedy troupe and toured the country performing various characters including a vicar who would tell his congregation to "flock off" and an unnamed cockney charlady. It was the latter character that got him his first job at the BBC on Variety Bandbox in 1950, where the famous Mrs Shufflewick was born and was a great success. From there Mrs Shufflewick appeared on ten different radio shows and toured the country, becoming something of a household name in both the north and south (which was no mean feet considering the stark differences in humour noted by comics of the day).

As the 50s came to an end so to did the popularity of the music hall. Rex began to spend more money on booze and betting meaning he was eventually declared bankrupt in the early 60s. To fund his habits, he was forced to tour more than ever before and could often be seen in working men's clubs up and down the country. The pressure and increased volume of work took its toll on Rex and his drinking, often turning up to work drunk, leading to Mrs Shufflewick's tales becoming dirtier and full of expletives. However, this didn't stop "Shuff", as she was known to many of her fans, becoming a fixture of the London gay club circuit of the 1970s. As well as regular performances at the, now closed, Black Cap, Rex took his character to the Theatre Royal Stratford where he found a younger audience to whom he introduced a number of up and coming comedians. 

Rex Jameson collapsed on his way to the Theatre Royal from the Black Cap in 1983. "I can't find out what's wrong with you," the doctor said to Rex. "I think it must be the drink." In his unforgettable fashion Rex replied: "Never mind doctor, I'll come back when you're sober". He subsequently passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59. A legend of the theatre, working mens' club, music hall, radio and gay bar, Mrs Shufflewick is all but forgotten today which is a shame as she paved the way for so many other queens, forming an important part of the history of drag. After the needle reached the end the vinyl I raised my G&T to Rex and Shuff, as I remembered her closing philosophy:

"Always remember, do unto others as you would be done by them, otherwise if they get in first they'll do you."

Rex Jameson
1924 - 1983

For those of you who are interested, here she is in all her glory in a rare piece of footage which is, unfortunately, the only film I could find online. Live from the Downtown Nightclub in 1977, it is my pleasure to present the inimitable Mrs Shufflewick...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi9aZslA-XQ

Do you remember Mrs Shufflewick? Let me know in the comments section below!