Welcome to Moon Trent's "Catching up with the Cockettes" Website erected in 1997.



NEWS!!! THE COCKETTES ARE COMING TO NEW YORK - APRIL 2009

Rumi of The Cockettes is coming to NEW YORK with The Thrillpeddlers of San Francisco!!!

info at: cocketterumi@gmail.com More details as they come....

Check out Cockette Rumi Missabu on myspace!

The soundtrack to The Cockettes movie is available on CD. Click here to order!

The Sylvester book, The Fabulous Sylvester is now available.

Sweet Pam of the Cockettes has written a book about her life as a Cockette and you can Click here to order!

Click HERE for film clips from the movie The Cockettes!

Yep! YOU FOUND IT!!! This is the Official Cockettes Web Site by Cockettes webmaster/fan Moon Trent of San Francisco. click HERE to e-mail the Cockettes or the webmaster.

Stills from the film/Cockumentary: "The Cockettes". top to bottom, left to right: Jilala/Jet, John Waters, Dusty, Marshall, Scrumbly and Fayette. Promotional postcard by Marsha Kahm.


From Newsday critic Jan Stuart...

"...racously affectionate ode to theatricality and communal living in San Francisco, 1969-72, transcended its talking-heads leanings to be the fizziest documentary of the year."

CONGRATULATIONS to the still fabulous COCKETTES AND THE FILMMAKERS David Weissman and Bill Weber!!! - moon

Check out some movie clips and reviews.



  • From the Gay Enclopedia; Cockettes: a gay theater group of men wearing women's clothing and beards at the same time. From 1970 to 1972. Syn: gender fuck or genderfuck; radical drag. Genderfuck: [80s] man wearing women's clothing, and a beard at the same time. Syn: cockettes; radical drag.

    In one of the most enduring images of the Vietnam War, a preppy pacifist, all floppy blond fringe and chunky roll-neck sweater, places a flower in the barrel of a National Guardsman's rifle at a peace rally in Washington, D.C. The young man in the 1967 photograph -- an 18-year-old stage actor named George Harris -- was en route from New York to San Francisco, where he would undergo the trippiest transformation in the history of makeovers, growing a glitter-festooned beard, ditching the chinos for layers of vintage skirts and changing his name to Hibiscus. READ MORE from the New York Times

  • The Cockettes consisted of:
  • Hibiscus*
  • Fayette Hauser*
  • Gary Cherry*
  • Dusty Dawn*
  • Goldie Glitters*
  • Harlow*
  • Link Martin*
  • Rumi Missabu*
  • Johnny*
  • Big Daryl/Kreemah Ritz*
  • Ralph*
  • Scrumbly*
  • Marilyn Brodie (no photo available)*
  • Roland Perlin (no photo available)*
  • Marshall Olds IV
  • Aaron
  • Tahara
  • John Rothermel
  • Sylvester
  • Sweet Pam
  • Sandy
  • Lendon
  • Brent
  • Bobbie
  • Martin
  • Pristine Condition
  • Wally
  • Reggie
  • Daniel Ware
  • Danny Isley
  • Inez Paloma
  • Chris Kilo
  • Marquel
  • John Flowers
  • Drew Eshelman
  • Donnie Ward
  • James T. Harris
  • Stuart
  • Ocean Moon, infant son of Dusty Dawn

    • Many others contibuted to the group's success, including:
  • Chris Flynn
  • Rick Elfman
  • Jilala/Jet
  • Candida Royale
  • Sandy Love
  • Tomata Du Plenty
  • Scotty
  • Diane
  • Paulie
  • The Phantom Cockette
  • Nicky Nichols
  • Mary Hale
  • Michael Skilling
  • Michael Kalmen
  • Miguel
  • Roger Webster
  • Tina
  • Roger Nyren
  • Lizzie
  • Casper & Zasu
  • Billy Orchid
  • Toby
  • Michael Shane
  • Becky & Cass
  • Adrian Milton
  • David McMillan
  • Joey
  • Fritz (Steinerger)
  • Rachel
  • Steven Arnold
  • Steven Iden and
  • Divine

    • * denotes Cockettes in first show January 01 1970

    The Cockettes in "Luminous Procuress" 1970 photo: Scott Runyon


    The first Cockette show was New Year's Eve 1970 at the Palace Theater in North Beach. The last show was July 15th 1972 at the House of Good, next door to the Fillmore Auditorium on Geary and featured Divine.

    From the San Francisco Bay Guardian December 11, 1996 interview with John Waters: "BG: How was San Francisco in the '70s, as opposed to today? In particular I'd like you to talk about the Cockettes. JW: The Palace Theater -- booked by a guy (Sebastian, Cockettes first manager) who also had a place called the Secret Cinema -- was an incredibly huge influence at the time, in gay life and in the cinema life. Weekends at the Palace were truly amazing. The shows were sold out; half the audience was on LSD, and all the people in the shows were. [San Francisco] was the first place outside of Baltimore where my films really caught on, and it was due to him. He was the first person to ever pay for Divine to do an appearance. He sent him a plane ticket. And Divine, without one penny in his pocket, got in full drag and got on a plane to San Francisco. The Cockettes met him at the airport."

    Inez Paloma, Kreemah Ritz, John Rothermel, Martin Worman. Final NY performance of Pearls over Shanghai 1971. Photo by: Bud Lee

  • Goldie Glitters, Dusty Dawn, Hibiscus, Kreemah Ritz, Barry. Aquarius Day Parade San Francisco 1970. photo: John Peden


  • The Cockettes 25th Reunion-1994. Fayette, Kreemah Ritz, and Rumi. Photo: Vicky Sanchez. John Flowers, Fayette, and Scrumbly. Photo: Rumi Missabu.

    Visit the 30th Reunion Page.


    • "High Trash Low Art" exhibit Closing Night Show at the SF Center 22 November 2002 Photos by Chet Helms www.digfotos.com



  • live shows* filmography* bibliography* mentions* news*links* The QUOTE OF THE MONTH* In Memorium* email the webmaster*email: Rumi Missabu

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    This page was last updated 28 March 2008 by Moon Trent. This site was erected in January 1997 and would not be without the never-ending assistance of Cockettes Archivist Rumi Missabu. thanx ru! Anyone wanting to put pictures up, e-mail them in!!!