Craig Russell was an awkward young man who found himself thanks to Mae West. Lori Eadie was a fan who found herself because of Craig Russell. In the book Outrageous Misfits, author Brian Bradley examines the life of a famous Canadian female impersonator, and the most influential people in his wife. Russell was known for his talented impersonations of not only Mae West, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, and Carol Channing. Lori Eadie was a quiet theater lover who experienced serious trauma and found herself working with Craig.
While the book does discuss the positive aspect of Craig’s performances and life in the film Outrageous, it doesn’t shy away from the negative aspects of his life, including mental health issues, drug addiction, the abandonment of his daughter, and the sexual assault and abuse Lori suffered when she was younger. There’s also an entire part a bout how Craig became so worried about not remaining Mae West’s favorite, that he was caught possibly stealing one of her dresses. Brian Bradley definitely did his research on this one.
Outrageous Misfits is now available from Dundum Press.
Thanks so much for this, Victoria 🙂
Thank you for such a great book!