Douglas E. Flanders
The Martini collection, 1980-2005. ca. 2 ft.
MSS 245
The Martini collection consists of memorabilia
of Douglas E. Flanders, of Boise, Idaho, chiefly relating to his activities in
the 1980s and 90s as the female impersonator “Martini.” Much of the material
pertains to Boise’s drag court, the Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho, with
which Flanders was active. The collection also includes memorabilia from other
gay-related groups and causes in Boise, and programs from Boise theater groups.
Most of the material is printed matter (posters, flyers, handbills, and
programs). The collection was donated to Boise State University by Doug
Flanders in 2005.
The earliest materials (1980) are three
newsletters (entitled “The Time Warp”) from the Rocky Horror Picture Show fan
club in Boise, which Flanders joined while still a teenager. His first royal
title with Boise’s drag court was Crown Prince V Doug (1983-1984). He later
served as Crown Princess IX Martini (1986-1987) and as Empress XI Martini
(1988-1989). He has also served as the court’s treasurer. In 1998, he founded
LipsInc., Idaho’s first professional female impersonation troupe, offering
programs several times a year. Flanders has also been a columnist for Boise’s
gay newspaper, an organizer of the Elm Awards, and an officer of Your Family,
Friends, and Neighbors (YFFN), a lobbying group in Boise.
The collection is divided into three series:
Court Memorabilia,
Other Memorabilia, and
Coronation programs. The largest
part of the collection comprises programs from drag court coronations in Boise
and other cities in the West. One of the responsibilities of court royalty is
to represent the court at out-of-town coronations, and the collection includes
coronation programs from Portland, Salt Lake City, and other Western cities as
well as Boise. These coronation programs, which serve as yearbooks for each
court, offer a glimpse of drag court culture in the West in the late 1980s and
early 1990s when Martini represented the Idaho court at out-of-town
coronations. The principal purpose of the court system, other than serving as a
showcase for the fashions and talents of the female impersonators who are its
stars, is to raise money for charitable causes. Each year the courts in the
United States and Canada raise thousands of dollars for scholarships,
AIDS-related causes, and other charities, primarily through the shows and
pageants they produce.
A list of the contents of the collection follows.
This series contains printed memorabilia
relating to Flanders’ activities with the Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of
Idaho. An article from the gay magazine, The Advocate (Folder 7)
explains the history and structure of the court system in North America.
Programs for coronations are found in Series III, Coronation programs.
Box 1: Memorabilia
(chiefly posters, flyers, handbills, and programs)
Folder 1 As Empress, 1988-1989
2 As Crown Prince and Crown Princess, 1983-1987
3 Certificates: Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho, 1983-2005
4 Certificates: Out-of-town courts, 1984-1990
5 Memorabilia; Out-of-town coronations
6 Idaho court memorabilia: Miscellaneous
7 Clippings: Drag culture, 1986-1987
In this series is memorabilia from theater groups and other
organizations in Boise, mostly gay-related.
Box 1: Memorabilia (chiefly posters, flyers,
handbills, and programs)
Folder 8 Biographical clippings
9 Rocky Horror Picture Show: “The Time Warp”
(newsletter), ca. 1980
10 Boise Underground Theatre Troupe: Programs, 1984-1985
11 Unfinished Business, The AIDS Show: Program and reviews, 1987
12 AIDS fundraising / awareness
13 Metropolitan Community Church, 1984-1986
14 Mr./Miss Gay Idaho pageants
15 The Bitches: Programs, 1987-1988
16 Miscellaneous flyers and handbills, 1982-1991
17 Miscellaneous memorabilia
18 Newspaper
columns: Martini's About Town, 1985-1988
Series
III: Coronation programs
Here are coronation programs from the Imperial
Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho and other courts, as well as programs for other
pageants, including Mr./Miss Gay Idaho programs.
Box 2: Programs, Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho
Prince and Princess Ball, 1982 (Stars of the Night)
Coronation, 1982 (A Place in Time)
Prince and Princess Ball, 1983 (Moonlight & Roses)
Prince and Princess Ball, 1984 (Galaxy 2000)
Prince and Princess Ball, 1985 (Memories of Some
Enchanted Evening)
Coronation, 1985 (Gay Paree: A Night of Fashion)
Coronation, 1986 (Art Deco: The Crowning Event)
Coronation, 1987 (In Black, White, and Red)
Investitures, 1988 (Leather and Lace)
Coronation, 1988 (Safari)
Investitures, 1989 (Rehab: Therapy for the Insane)
Coronation, 1990 (A Decade of Elegance)
Coronation, 1991 (The Climax of the Fantasy of the Gem)
Coronation, 1999 (Jungle 2 Jungle)
Coronation, 2000 (Return to Mount Olympus)
Coronation, 2001 (An Evening of Fun, Fantasies &
Realities)
Coronation, 2002 (X-Files, Outer Limits, or Boise, Idaho)
Coronation, 2003 (25th Anniversary)
Coronation, 2004 (Diversity in King Arthur’s Court: Drag
Queens of the Roundtable)
Box 3: Programs: Various cities
Mr./Miss/Ms. Gay Idaho pageants
1987: Vegas Style: A Black Tie
Event
1988: Let
the Music Speak
1989:
Glamour in the City Lights
1990: Champaign Wishe’s & Caviar Dream’s
1991: Idaho’s Tropical Heatwave
1999: Mannequin: A Night at the Stockroom
Salt Lake City: Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire
Coronation, 1983 Japan: Our Island in
Time
Coronation, 1984 The 8th Wonders of the World
Coronation, 1987 Future Shock
Coronation, 1987 Coronation Week Guide
PR Ball, 1987 After Shock
Coronation, 1989 Mindscape
Coronation, 1990 Supernatural
Coronation, 1991 Le Couronnement
Denver: Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire
Coronation, 1987 Triangle Denver/
Journey to the Land of Enchantment
Coronation, 1989 A Royal Journey to Faraway Dreams
Reno: Imperial Silver Dollar Court of the Comstock Empire
Coronation, 1989 A Night at the Soaps
New York City: Imperial Court of New York City
Night of a Thousand Gowns, 1987
Vancouver, B.C.:
Dogwood Monarchist Society
Coronation, 1989 An Elegant Evening of Fantasy in the Land of Paradise
Edmonton, Alberta:
Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose
Coronation, 1988 The Magical Darkside
Box 4: Programs: Various cities
Portland: Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Oregon
Coronation, 1982 Imperial Russia
Coronation, 1983 Premiere Night
Coronation, 1984 Halloween
Coronation, 1986 Ecstasy of the Rose
Prince and Princess Ball, 1986 Tora Tora Tora
Coronation, 1987 A Steamy Night
Coronation, 1988 Rapture of the Rose
La Femme Magnifique, 1989
Coronation, 1989 A Night at the Crystal Palace
Coronation, 1990 Aftermath: Welcome to the Dome
Coronation, 1991 Vision of the Future, Pieces of the Past:
An Imperial Journey
Salem: Imperial Court of the Willamette Empire
Coronation, 1983 A Garden Party
Coronation, 1984 Games People Play
Coronation, 1986 An Evening in Paradise
Coronation, 1987 Ray-Dede
Coronation, 1988 Future Visions, Future Dreams
Coronation, 1989 Of Elegance
Eugene: Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire
Coronation, 1984 Festival of Fantasies,
Friendship, and Flowers
Coronation, 1985 A Night at the Opera
Coronation, 1988 Beehives, Beatniks, and Beach Boys: A
Sixties Extravaganza
Coronation, 1989 It’s a Small World: A Salute to the Child
Stars
Prince and Princess Ball 1989 Swingshift: A Journey Back to
the 1940s
Mr., Miss, and Ms Gay Eugene Pageant 1989
Mr., Miss, and Ms
Gay Oregon Pageant 1987
Vancouver,
Washington: Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire
Coronation, 1986 An International Extravaganza
Coronation, 1989 Return to the Land of Oz
Tacoma,
Washington: Imperial Sovereign Court of Tacoma, Diamond Empire of the Cascade
Coronation, 1986 The Orient Express, A Tour of the Pacific Rim
Coronation, 1988 Return to Tara
Seattle: Imperial
Court of Seattle and the Olympic and Rainier Empire
Coronation, 1984 The Rhythms of Life
Coronation, 1989 Imperial Russia
Spokane: Imperial
Sovereign Court of Spokane
Coronation, 1986 City Lights, A Night on the Town
Everett: Imperial
Sovereign Court of Everett, Empire of Snow and Ice
Coronation, 1989 A Night in the Jungle, Inca Style
San Francisco:
Imperial Court of the Golden Gate
Coronation, 1985 Xanadu, the Court of Kubla Khan
Coronation, 1985 Coronation Week Guide
Coronation, 1987 Legends, Myths, and Magic
Coronation, 1988 Millionaires, Miners, and Madams
Coronation, 1989 Imperial Ball
San Francisco
Cable Car Awards, 1992
Los Angeles
Coronation 1988 Around the World in a Day
Long Beach:
International Imperial Empire of Long Beach
Coronation, 1989 Myth and Magical Masquerade Ball
Coronation, 1990 B-Movie Coronation
San Fernando
Valley: Imperial Court of the San Fernando Valley
Coronation, 1989 Cabaret on the Titanic
Coronation, 1990 Decadence at the O.K. Corral
Visalia,
California: Imperial Sequoia Empire de Tulare and Kings
Coronation, 1987 That’s Entertainment
Hawaii: Imperial
Maile Court of All Hawaii
Coronation, 1988 Illusions of Paradise
Oversize drawer
Rocky Horror Picture Show Pressbook (20th
Century Fox Film Corp., 1975)
“Unfinished Business: The AIDS Show” Boise poster,
autographed by cast, 1987
Mad Tea Party Progressive Dinner poster, 1989
“I’m a Peacock Fan” (hand fan)
Computer print-out 8th anniversary wishes, to
Doug from Tony
This page last changed: 26 July
2007
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