77: In the House Made RuPaul Play a Heterosexual

“Boys II Men II Women” (December 4, 1995)

Twenty-five ago, long before he’d become a media mogul and the face of an international franchise, Rupaul made 1995 his most mainstream year yet. Not only did he have his mainstream debut in The Brady Bunch movie, but he also did one-off guest roles in a number of network sitcoms. But only In the House had him playing a drag queen who was an avowed heterosexual.

Drew talked with In the House creator Winifred Hervey about her time on Golden Girls. Read his roundtable interview with her and other Golden Girls writers here.

Here is the In the House episode that has Debbie Allen playing opposite her real-life sister, Phylicia Rashad.

And here is an episode of Friday Night Videos that has Debbie and Phylicia hanging out — and Debbie referring to eldest daughter Saundra as “the older one.”

Drew appeared on last week’s Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie to discuss Don’t Go to Sleep, a made-for-TV oddity that features Ruth Gordon getting killed by an iguana and Valerie Harper menaced by a child wielding a rolling pizza cutter. It’s weird!

This episode’s outro track is Black Book’s “You Must Change (Mystery Woman),” which isn’t on any of the streaming services so maybe just listen to it on YouTube?