Charles Pierce--Rare 1987 TV Interview, Mae West, Bette Davis

Charles Pierce discusses his life and career, including impressions of Mae West and Bette Davis, in this rare TV interview with cable TV host Skip E Lowe from 1987.

[@michaelcubria]

Thank you Alan for posting this interview with an entertainer that never got the recognition he deserved. Charles was a great illusionist.

[@philwilliams470]

Michael A Cubria ....... Your SO RIGHT Michael! - A Lovely Guy.

[@orbs1062]

He was extremely well grounded. Marvelous voice. Extremely talented. Much missed.

[@midnightmilkman1]

This man was a true talent a gift to the world of emtertainment...a golden era gone bye bye

[@teeniebeenie8774]

charles had the best act i ever saw beyond hilarious

[@madeleinebelle2105]

thank you for this old school sharp drag with glamour and grit...& wit!!

[@bob110088]

What a wonderful man. Thanks for posting this.

[@2Brian]

Hilarious! What a fun interview. I miss both these guys.

[@mrkkg27]

He certainly has Bette down to a T. Amazing, so talented. A consummate performer.

[@lohphat]

This was about when I met Charles at Wayland Flowers apartment on Fairfax in Hollywood. Wayland had just done his last performance at Studio One Backlot (across the street from The Abbey) -- so we went to see his shw and since I was with Rudy de la Mor and Rod Miller who were friends with Wayland so we were invited over for drinks. I was 22 then. There was a knock on the door and when I opened it this nice man walked in and sat with the group and they played piano and told jokes all night long. I didn't know at the time it was THE Charles Pierce. Wayland succumbed to HIV shortly after.

[@src3360]

Thank you for sharing this memory!! Do you have anymore?? Im a small town gay and live vicariously through others lol

[@ShogunHull]

YOU CAN THANK THE DEEP STATE AND DR. FAUCI FOR THE AIDS... THEY TAINTED HEPATITIS D *"VACCINES"* WITH AIDS. I LOST SEVERAL OF MY DEAR, WELL LOVED FRIENDS TO IT...IN A MONTH. HOW DO LIKE THE DEMONRATS NOW? CONTROL YOURSELVES. BUT YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE. YOU LET THIS OCCUR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSES...BECAUSE WE COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW LOW THEY STOOP. THEY ARE PERMANENTLY IN THE STOOP POSITION. THEIR BONES HAVE GROWN AND STUCK IN THAT POSITION. I LOST A LOVE OF MY LIFE TO THAT "VACCINE" . WHEN WILL YOU WAKE UP COMPLETELY? PLEASE.

[@RT-vw6yw]

@@ShogunHull Why do conservatives type in all-caps? It's so strange, not necessarily the practice itself, but that all conservatives do it. Can you explain?

[@dwightpowell6673]

Wayland Flowers didn't die of HIV.He died of boredom.

[@philipwilliams2310]

..... Skippy Lowe 🌟🌟🌟 👍 Phil Liverpool UK 🇬🇧

[@mgrainger3805]

Thanks to skip e lowe we have such rare interviews

[@Paulkazey1]

A very talented man.

[@3506Dodge]

this is funny on so many levels. It's like being on drugs watching this.

[@deletedladiesdeletedladies6473]

Thank you so much for posting this. A very sepcial interview with a very special man.

[@okay5045]

He was the best in the game.

[@Moosetta]

Incredible eyes

[@teeniebeenie8774]

king Charles.....come back u divine bitch ! we miss u xlxlxlxl maude

[@jaimeywilkes5500]

PS whatever happened to Skip the guy who is the interviewer? Is he still around? Always loved his shows! Bravo!

[@aeichler]

No, he passed away a few years ago. Check out his two books on Amazon. Full of fun gossip.

[@bosheihab6463]

I think Martin Short based his character Jiminy Glick on Mr. Lowe lmao

[@ShanteYouStay]

The interviewer can't seem to stop talking long enough to hear the other man speak.

[@geo-george2639]

Yes, he never shuts up.

[@NeoGee]

It should come as no surprise to you that Martin Short based his Jiminy Glick character on Skip E Lowe

[@nonenoneonenonenone]

Pierce should do an impression of Skip.

[@teeniebeenie8774]

him was BEST !!!!!

[@mlvc82]

I miss GAYS that were like this...smart, witty, charming, interesting........where are you? and this is coming from a Gay man.

[@shaneblankenship8193]

here

[@renaldcosma7192]

Rich ! It don't get a whole lot more charming then that . Lol

[@alvinwhitley8020]

Girls will be girls. Coco.... we have some good ones.

[@popland1977]

Lots are but, I think really what you're saying is you prefer the culture of a previous decade

[@LaDivinaLover]

We’re around, but Intelligence and wit doesn’t get you a spot on Bravo or some other vapid T.V. channel these days.

[@cjh661]

His impression of Tallulah Bankhead was better than his Bette Davis!!! Love him!♥️

[@phd2007]

I agree!

[@knockshinnoch1950]

1987. Back then Drag acts had an ACT, they were talented. RUPAUL has almost destroyed that scene single handed. Drag Race is almost the drag equivalent of MacDonalds, all the local flavor and any real meat has been substituted for a cookie cutter look and dreaded lip sync and death drop. Instagram is filled fill "look queens"

[@kennethkdj]

You are so right, RuPaul has to be one of the most overrated performers ever. I do enjoy the fun and work and talent that goes into many ‘drag’ acts, but this man appears humourless, tired and playing to a formula as opposed to an ‘act’

[@3506Dodge]

Skip E Lowe is clearly Martin Short's inspiration for Jiminy Glick! God Lowe is annoying!

[@jpotokar]

So true. Lowe is beyond annoying and also was so patronizing. UGH! And he also was continually cutting Pierce's answers off.

[@IceAintNice]

Absolutely!

[@kennethmaese4622]

I came here to say that

[@blueskye6372]

Nice interview. Notice both guys have large ears. They can surely hear each other. 😂👌🙂💜

[@seasonedcatholic906]

I was first introduced to Charles Pierce in 1982 when he did a local interview on San Francisco's KGO radion station before it was bought out and became the local right wing HATE radio station for Republican indoctrination. Charles was still quite young then and full of impromptu wit and whimsy. I wish I still had that interview - originally recorded it on cassette tape. I remember Charles saying that as a kid he kept having dreams of being chased by hot Nazi storm troopers. He innocently asked "Doesn't everyone have those dreams?" He was asked if they were nightmares or wetdreams, and he responded "I had to change the sheets in the morning." The man was amazing.

[@src3360]

Wonderful memory!!! Thanks for sharing

[@cherryedwards3]

Skippy acts like he’s done crack... he’s so jumpy .

[@rmacapobre]

je me demande ce que charles pierce penserait du ru paul d'aujourd'hui ..

[@lunaluvya]

He just skipped by that reveal........ you don’t just skip by a guy telling you someone killed themselves in front of them.

[@kguy152000]

28:19 Does anyone here know who the last person they referenced was? Kent Russel? I can't find anything on him, and their mention of him soarked my curiosity.

[@aeichler]

Craig Russell, who did the film "Outrageous."

[@williamevans9426]

I can well imagine Pierce as Eleanor Roosevelt - the eyes were very similar.

[@thomasbinninger8373]

Leave skippy alone.hes underneath a house and his toes are curling up.

[@rotunnoe]

Thomas Binninger That’s cause the shoes were to die for!

[@src3360]

Who shot JR?! I mean the fellow in his dressing room? Any ideas....

[@gregorypatrick2844]

Was the interviewer the inspiration for Jimminy Glick???

[@withonelook1985]

Partly

[@acappelladude50]

I was just getting ready to post that very thing. He sounds just like Martin Short. Or vice versa.

[@tensacross]

good call!

[@ShanteYouStay]

He just needs to eat a whole plate of doughnuts. lol.

[@inkyguy]

“The gays”? Who does that guy, Skip E. Lowe, think he’s fooling? He’s far more identifiable gay and stereotypical than his female impersonator guest Charles Pierce.

[@cxg37]

Gay men sometimes refer to themselves as a group as “the gays” hunny

[@ShogunHull]

*HOW INTERESTING, MR. PIERCE.* WHAT A JOY. I WOULD HAVE HOPED TO HAVE YOU STAR AT THE CABARET I'M BUILDING INSIDE MY HOTEL, WERE YOU STILL WITH US. WOW... YOU LEFT TOO SOON.

[@martymahem236]

Charles Pierce was a riot. Skip E. Lowe was a silly pandering fool.

[@withonelook1985]

Somehow this show lasted from 1978 to 2014 (only in LA and NYC). But why would anyone give Skip E. Lowe a job?

[@aeichler]

Because Skip E was a one-man operation. He produced the shows, booked the guests, paid the cost, etc. None of the guests got paid and they were all there because they wanted to be.

[@Silver-Sunshine]

@@aeichler Good answer.

[@georankin2728]

Is this the original Alyssa Edwards and Leslie Jordan? #Alyssaedwards #Lesliejordan

[@hrhbear]

He went into drag because he really wasnt that good of an actor to keep getting booked so he ended up in the bars!,,,...

[@kevinwilson3609]

How is an interview rare if it's posted on youtube?

[@Silver-Sunshine]

It's rare because hardly anyone saw it at the time (1987). Now it's on KZbin it isn't rare anymore but that's not what the uploader meant when he posted it.

[@kguy152000]

Going down the rabbit hole of Charles Pierce, Jim Bailey and Jimmy James (again). The art of female impersonation has been devoured by "contemporary drag". What a shame. But, at least we can still watch these clips from when it was great.

[@joesmith5514]

Jimminy Glick!

[@Jardinier2023]

Are those ears real??? They look freaky...

[@xtazen]

The interviewer is so queeny !

[@inkyguy]

u-mei kwan Kamal, and yet he refers to “the gays” “Why do *_the gays_* like Bette Davis so much?” he asks.

[@xtazen]

@@inkyguy well it takes a queen to know another one! and this one is the queen of queens considering "her" age n experience...

[@josephflannigan4385]

Wish he"d taken off those ugly sunglasses!!! Might have been a radio interview@

[@hrhbear]

Jimmy Glick seems so fake and like he would gossip about everybody behind their backs.......

[@keithklippensteen2720]

The unctuous and obnoxious SKIP E LOWE is so coked up that it's surprising he didn't O D mid-interview.

[@johnthompson932]

sorry love him but the ears???

[@BobGerathy]

The interviewer is reeeely annoying. Gotta go!

[@J33-k3s]

Why does skip sound like a middleaged woman? He strikes me as a gay where his mother was his idol. Like when he was a kid he sat around listening to his mother and her friends gossiping and emulated it for the way he talks. Just odd.

[@hrhbear]

This old man died poor!

[@nikkix2896]

He's not that great. He's doesn't sound like the ppl he's supposedly impersonating nor does he have their mannerisms. Very amateurish

[@gregedgar6012]

What?

[@hudsony777]

I wish I had seen him perform. He could be scathingly funny. See his other shows here on YT.

[@johncommand1619]

you don't get it and are a moron too sorry CP was a kind and fun pal