Philadelphia-born Jim Bailey honed his singing voice at the city’s Conservatory of Music. As a teen, he appeared regularly on The Horn and Hardart Children’s Hour, a variety show broadcast in Philadelphia and New York showcasing child performers. The show was a springboard for such future talents as Frankie Avalon, Rose Marie, Bernadette Peters, Rosemary Clooney and many others.

In the late 1960s, Jim began doing imitations various female singers (like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Peggy Lee) and developing a nightclub act. His performances in Las Vegas and New York brought rave reviews. He soon met comedian Phyllis Diller, who coaxed him to adding her personality to his act. Jim would go on create the visual illusion of the singers he imitated, using authentic costuming and makeup. During a performance, Judy Garland joined Jim onstage to sing a duet of “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which Jim had originally rehearsed as a solo. Jim became lifelong friends with Judy Garland and she served as his mentor for the remainder of his career.

In high demand, Jim was a frequent guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Carol Burnett Show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was befriended by Lucille Ball and was asked to be a guest on her sitcom.

In the 70s, Jim became a Las Vegas staple, even performing in “The Judy and Liza Show” at The Flamingo, alongside Judy’s daughter Liza Minnelli. He would often appear as Barbra Streisand during Streisand’s lengthy gaps in live shows.

Into the 90s, Jim worked benefits for AIDS research and had an audience with Britain’s Royal Family. In 2009, he played Judy Garland once again, this time at London’s West End for the 40th anniversary of the singer’s death.

After a long and celebrated career, Jim passed away from complications related to pneumonia in 2015 at the age of 77.

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Tallulah Bankhead often broke ranks with her staunch Southern political family. Her liberal views and advocacy for civil liberties cause grief for her US Senator grandfather and Congressman father.

But, Tallulah often marched to the beat of her own drummer. She was a successful stage actress, known for her husky voice, unusual good looks and no-nonsense demeanor. Her performances on the stage were critically acclaimed and, although she appeared in a number of films, she only enjoyed one bonafide hit — Alfred Hitchcock‘s 1944 claustrophobic thriller Lifeboat.

Tallulah was a frequent user of drugs — marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and pills — in addition to smoking a reported 120 cigarettes per day. In the latter part of her career, her addictions affected her roles. She skipped rehearsals and flubbed lines, resulting in a decline in interest for her acting services. She took roles that she deemed beneath her, including a low-budget horror film, a two-part arc on the campy TV series Batman and a stint on the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour that Bette Davis had opted out of due to a broken leg. Lucille Ball was very apprehensive about working with Tallulah, her reputation preceeding her. However, her performance and comic timing were on point, prompting Lucy to apologize.

In her personal life, Tallulah was “secretively open” about her bisexuality. She had speculated affairs with both famous men and women, including Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Patsy Kelly, Hattie McDaniel, Rex Whistler and Gian Carlo Menotti. Instead of “bisexual,” she preferred to use the term “ambisextrous.” She was also an avid baseball fan, specifically the New York Giants. She once said: “There have been only two geniuses in the world — Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.”

In December 1968, Tallulah was suffering from double pneumonia, exacerbated by emphysema and malnutrition. Looking much older than her years, she passed away at the age of 66. Her last words were a request for codeine and bourbon.

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Stephen Donaldson was a troubled kid. He had regular run-ins with police, mostly due to his confrontational behavior. He was an outspoken advocate for bisexual rights in a time where homosexuality was classified as a crime. He campaigned and wrote about homosexuals being unjustly, inhumanely and savagely discriminated against by large segments of American society. He had ally in Frank Kameny and the Mattachine Society.

Stephen was imprisoned in Washington DC, arrested for taking part in a demonstration. While incarcerated, he was set-up by the head prison guard to be raped by a large group of inmates. This was done in anticipation of an article Stephen was writing about prison reform. His subsequent press conference, during which he spoke freely and openly about the horrific incident, brought the issue of prison rape to the forefront for the first time. He eventually became the president of Stop Prisoner Rape, an organization formed to help prisoners deal with the psychological and physical trauma of rape. (In 2008, the organization became known as Just Detention International.)

Stephen moved on to music journalism, using the name “Donny the Punk.” His articles kept an edgy tone and touched on other related areas, including anti-racist skinhead subcultures.

Still active as an advocate for LGBT rights, Stephen passed away in 1996 at the age of 49. His death was determined to be AIDS-related.

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