Terri Rogers, Transsexual Ventriloquist - Wild Comedy "PS Your Cat is Dead"

Barry Cryer mentioned a favorite act of his, the “very obscene and hilarious” transsexual ventriloquist Terri Rogers. They were on a few bills together. Terri’s dummy was named Shorty. Unlike the most famous female “vent” of all time, Shari Lewis, who sometimes used a male dummy named Charley Horse, Terri’s male companion spoke in a remarkably deep voice. Obviously the sex change and hormones did not affect Rogers’ flexible vocal cords. Even established impressionists, like Marilyn Michaels, didn’t do their male voices (in her case, Jackie Mason and George Burns for example) in such a lowered octave. Terri didn’t exactly bill herself as a transgender act, though most in the audience knew her back story. What is remarkable is that if one didn’t know, there was nothing about her to give it away. How fortunate that sometimes “the woman inside” (or “the man inside”) emerges so perfectly. Indeed, many transgenders simply want to live their lives and not be a Christine or Caitlyn and be a spokesperson for a cause. Born IVAN SOUTHGATE (May 4, 1937), Terri emerged as female in a 1968 revue “Boys Will Be Girls,” and was soon popular in a variety of British cabaret venues, as well as 70’s TV variety shows. She also won some gigs in Las Vegas, and performed at The Magic Castle, a California club devoted to comedy and magic. Terri was the author of several books on magic, published in 1985. 1988, and in 1998. Beloved British magician Paul Daniels performed some of the tricks Terri created. TERRI ROGERS died May 30, 1999.