The History of Tranny and TV
The Tranny and TV strip that appears on this blog is, of course, only the latest incarnation of the much-loved comedy duo. Trannies throughout the decades have laughed along at the exploits of the transgendered radio and his gender-confused television friend. Lets look back at the history of Tranny and TV, in a little feature I like to call "The History of Tranny and TV".
The History of Tranny and TV
Tranny's first recorded appearance was in the ground-breaking animated short "Tugboat Tranny", which was the first Flash-animated tranny cartoon skit, way back in 1915. Unfortunately no recordings still exist of this skit, as many Flash animations were wiped in the early 21st Century to be re-used for Vodafone banner ads.
Cel from the first appearance of Tranny, 1928
While Tranny was earning a name for himself in animated shorts, TV was still very much a stage-based actor. His 1920 performance of Piglet, Princess of Denmark, is still seen to this day as the definitive rendition of the greatest tranny play Shakespeare never actually wrote.
Ironically, TV's rising star in the theatre was stalled by the invention of his namesake, television. When asked about the new broadcasting miracle that was ruining his career, TV was characteristically stoical. "I always wondered what my aerial was for," he is reported to have said.
It was on a tour of the US that TV first met Tranny, and a life-long friendship was forged. They started perfoming together in burlesque, and were soon spotted by Hollywood.
Titles from Tranny and TV's first on-screen collaboration
Tranny and TV's early Hollywood films would be unrecognisable to someone more used to their more recent work. Their on-screen characters were almost the reverse to what they are now, with Tranny portraying the bumbling simpleton and TV his brash, overbearing (but only slightly more intelligent) partner. Audiences rolled about in the aisles whenever TV uttered his immortal catch phrase "And that's yet another awkward situation into which you've placed us, Tranny!"
Both Tranny and TV saw active service in WWII, TV entertained the troops (on radio and in person) with his bawdy semi-naked drag act, earning the nickname "The Forces' Sweetmeat". Meanwhile Tranny earned his wings as an RAF pilot, and even had time to make the classic transgender-interest movie "I was a Wireless War Bride".
The Fifties were a difficult time for the pair. For the first time the British Housewife could have appliances (albeit non-transgendered appliances) in her own home, and Tranny and TV no longer held the caché they once enjoyed.
"Four Trannies", Warhol, 1966
They fell off the radar for a decade, re-emerging in the most unlikely of places, as members of Andy Warhol's retinue of bohemian eccentrics and muses, known as "The Factory". Warhol actually used Tranny in some of his best known work, but TV tended to just lounge about eating crisps.
"TV Feeling A Bit Peaky", Peter Hujar, 1968
In the Seventies they went their separate ways again. TV decided briefly to go "full time", and after extensive reconstructive surgery (and panel beating) actually managed to convince everyone he was a genuine woman. This peaked with a part as a Bond Girl in the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". However he was ignominiously outed by a British tabloid, and after a period in hiding re-emerged once again as a regular TV in the early eighties.
News of the World Headline, 1970
In 1992 the BBC were looking for a new show to plug the gap in their children's TV schedule between "Cities of Gold" and "Neighbors". Tranny and TV pitched an idea for a show featuring two aging Northern transvestites who move furniture about and act like children, "but not in a creepy way", as TV put it! Thus "TrannyVision" was born, which kept the money flowing in throughout the Nineties.
TrannyVision titles, 1996
In 2005 retirement beckoned, until a third-rate tranny blogger ran out of real things to talk about and decided to fill her blog with made-up nonsense. Tranny and TV were once again in demand!
Thus we come to the end of the story so far for the Bakelite Boy-Babes, who knows what the next century will bring? I'll let Tranny answer that question himself!
"Who bloody cares!?"
The History of Tranny and TV
Tranny's first recorded appearance was in the ground-breaking animated short "Tugboat Tranny", which was the first Flash-animated tranny cartoon skit, way back in 1915. Unfortunately no recordings still exist of this skit, as many Flash animations were wiped in the early 21st Century to be re-used for Vodafone banner ads.
Cel from the first appearance of Tranny, 1928
While Tranny was earning a name for himself in animated shorts, TV was still very much a stage-based actor. His 1920 performance of Piglet, Princess of Denmark, is still seen to this day as the definitive rendition of the greatest tranny play Shakespeare never actually wrote.
Ironically, TV's rising star in the theatre was stalled by the invention of his namesake, television. When asked about the new broadcasting miracle that was ruining his career, TV was characteristically stoical. "I always wondered what my aerial was for," he is reported to have said.
It was on a tour of the US that TV first met Tranny, and a life-long friendship was forged. They started perfoming together in burlesque, and were soon spotted by Hollywood.
Titles from Tranny and TV's first on-screen collaboration
Tranny and TV's early Hollywood films would be unrecognisable to someone more used to their more recent work. Their on-screen characters were almost the reverse to what they are now, with Tranny portraying the bumbling simpleton and TV his brash, overbearing (but only slightly more intelligent) partner. Audiences rolled about in the aisles whenever TV uttered his immortal catch phrase "And that's yet another awkward situation into which you've placed us, Tranny!"
Both Tranny and TV saw active service in WWII, TV entertained the troops (on radio and in person) with his bawdy semi-naked drag act, earning the nickname "The Forces' Sweetmeat". Meanwhile Tranny earned his wings as an RAF pilot, and even had time to make the classic transgender-interest movie "I was a Wireless War Bride".
The Fifties were a difficult time for the pair. For the first time the British Housewife could have appliances (albeit non-transgendered appliances) in her own home, and Tranny and TV no longer held the caché they once enjoyed.
"Four Trannies", Warhol, 1966
They fell off the radar for a decade, re-emerging in the most unlikely of places, as members of Andy Warhol's retinue of bohemian eccentrics and muses, known as "The Factory". Warhol actually used Tranny in some of his best known work, but TV tended to just lounge about eating crisps.
"TV Feeling A Bit Peaky", Peter Hujar, 1968
In the Seventies they went their separate ways again. TV decided briefly to go "full time", and after extensive reconstructive surgery (and panel beating) actually managed to convince everyone he was a genuine woman. This peaked with a part as a Bond Girl in the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". However he was ignominiously outed by a British tabloid, and after a period in hiding re-emerged once again as a regular TV in the early eighties.
News of the World Headline, 1970
In 1992 the BBC were looking for a new show to plug the gap in their children's TV schedule between "Cities of Gold" and "Neighbors". Tranny and TV pitched an idea for a show featuring two aging Northern transvestites who move furniture about and act like children, "but not in a creepy way", as TV put it! Thus "TrannyVision" was born, which kept the money flowing in throughout the Nineties.
TrannyVision titles, 1996
In 2005 retirement beckoned, until a third-rate tranny blogger ran out of real things to talk about and decided to fill her blog with made-up nonsense. Tranny and TV were once again in demand!
Thus we come to the end of the story so far for the Bakelite Boy-Babes, who knows what the next century will bring? I'll let Tranny answer that question himself!
"Who bloody cares!?"
Labels: trannyandtv
> two aging Northern transvestites
To you? To me? Perchance? :)
well there goes the neighbourhood.
:o)
"I fucking hate the Chuckle Brothers."
I second that emotion.
@anonymous: Damn you - I wanted to make that gag!
God, I'm such a killjoy.
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