Lessons from La Liberace, Part II

Darlings!

Here I am again, your Decent Docent of All Things Shiny and Spectacular.

The image above is taken from a tasteful lady's handbag being sold at The Liberace Museum Gift Shop. I included it to illustrate to all you non-believers out there what a sexy beast Mr. L really was. Check out the boobage - not a hint of nip anywhere. Dude sure knew how to work it.

Now those of you who wish to give your eyeballs a gentle bleaching before we proceed, please do so know in an orderly fashion. We'll wait.

Originally, I was going to blow all of your minds with the Costume Portion of the program.

But my editor has suggested that I leave the best for last.

And I always listen to my editor.

Because otherwise he poops on the floor when I'm out, that's why.

So.

Today.

The Awards.

I must say, the word that comes to mind when I entered the Awards area of the Liberace Museum was intriguing.

Why, you may ask?

Well, for one, I never realized that the King Of Bling had won these:

Uh huh. They read "Best Entertainment Program - The Liberace Show", and "Most Outstanding Male Personality 1953".

Hmm. While I'll agree with the "Personality", which he obviously had in spades, I have been reading that La Lee was not one to be standing out anywhere. He was quite comfy in way back in his , um, armoire with his feathered capes and rhinestone booties (I hear it smelled like lilacs and coconuts in there...).

In his acceptance speech*, "'after thanking his mother, his brother, his managers and the television station producers, he also thanked his sponsor 'The Citizens National Bank, whose product I admire' " .

Oh ho ho, what a saucy chappy, our Liberace. Knew the value of cross-marketing.

Not happy to rest on his bedazzled laurels, Mr. Fancy also was the proud recipient of this:

(complete with a reference letter for the Papal Venetian Cape Maker, Gianfranco diGeeGaw)

and this:

(I'm not even going to mention the irony here...)

and this:

The Canadian equivalent of an Emmy.
No kidding.
Really.

Dare I say it?

Take a gander!

Oh ho ho, I think the Baroness has been breathing in too many costume preservatives...

There were a couple of awards missing from the Museum, for respectively obvious reasons.

First were the 2 stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. I mean, c'mon, whadda they gonna do? Tear up the sidewalk? That would just set a nasty precedent.

But if you should ever find yourself trodding along Hollywood Boulevard between McCadden and Las Palmas, you will see them glittering up at you. Who am I kidding? You can probably see them from space.

Just remember - step lightly.

Mince, even.

The second award I did not see in the Grand Hall of Accomplishments (or maybe just didn't take a picture of) was the coveted "Golden Mike" awards, given to Liberace in 1981 by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters.

Strangely, it seemed to disappear shortly after being presented.

Coming up on Tour de Force Tuesday: Baby You Can Drive My Car...

Until then, Be Fabulous!!!


*from the book "Liberace: An American Boy" by Darden Asbury Pyron