A Hollywood actress is outed as trans after her death. Her friends and lovers flash back to their time with her. Amateur actors and copious nudity branded Dinah East an exploitation picture. But it’s also a sympathetic look at closeted lives in the entertainment industry. Dinah never interacts with other trans people. But she meets a gay actor and a bisexual costume designer who offer their support.

I’ll break it down in this spoiler filled recap. Trigger Warning for transphobia, suicide and sexual assault. Most of which is discussed in scene four.

Citizen Dinah

Scene One: Morgue
REPORTER: Dinah East has died of a heart attack? What happened next?
CREEPY CORONER: Well I was molesting the corpses, as I do, when I discovered she was transgender.
REPORTER: Only the movie never uses that word.

Scene Two: Hollywood Costume Shop
COSTUMER: I remember when we first met.
(Flashback. The Costumer is having sex with another woman. Dinah walks in on them.)
DINAH: I wanted to talk to you about… Oops.
COSTUMER: Please don’t tell anyone.
DINAH: I won’t. I have secrets too. In fact…
COSTUMER: So I became her exclusive costume designer. I won an Oscar. I asked why she took so many risks.
DINAH: It’s all I know how to do.

Scene Three: Gay Bar
(Most gay bars in pre 90’s films are presented as menacing places. This one’s just fun. A machine blows bubbles on the crowd. A gogo boy dances in a pirate hat.)
GOGO BOY: Arrr. It’s a living.
GOSSIPS: That’s the famous actor! Wasn’t he dating Dinah East?
ACTOR: Yep.
(Flashback.)
AGENT: The tabloids are going to out you. You have to date your co-star.
ACTOR: Hey chick… (Strips naked.) How’s about we… Ack! I can’t go through with it.
DINAH: I figured. Wanna be each other’s beards?
ACTOR: It was great. Till I was caught soliciting an undercover cop.

Scene Four: Lawyer’s House. (Trigger warning)
EVIL LAWYER: I’ve been fired.
LAWYER’s SON: Because you were dating Dinah East? Were you a top or bottom? Is that why mom killed herself?
EVIL LAWYER: I loved Dinah. When she told me her secret I tried to sexually assault her. Then I assaulted your mother instead, to prove I was a man.
LAWYER’s SON: The screenplay knows this is horrible. So why is it filmed like porn?
EVIL LAWYER: Because the director wants to objectify everyone in the cast.

Scene Five: The East Mansion
LAWYER’s SON: Jeff, are you all right?
JEFF (Dinah’s adopted son): This morning I was surrounded by police and reporters. I didn’t know what to say to them. I loved her.
LAWYER’s SON: You look the same age as her. And you’re always naked. When did she adopt you? Were you partners? Are you and I partners?
JEFF: This part of the story is vague. All I’ll say is my fiancée left me when Dinah was outed.

Scene Six: A beach
DINAH: If you lose one more fight you’ll be out of work.
BOXER: You’re the only one who cares. Before this I was turning tricks.
DINAH: I could hire you as my chauffer.
BOXER: Wouldn’t you rather date?
DINAH: You know I’m…
BOXER: I know. It doesn’t matter.
(Dating montage. It’s very sweet. Then we’re back to present day.)
BOXER: I miss you.
(The boxer carries Dinah’s scarf as he walks into the sea. The scarf washes back to shore. The Boxer doesn’t.)

Scene Seven: A funeral
(The cast gathers over Dinah’s grave. They take one last look at each other. Then exit their separate ways.)
GRAVE DIGGERS: That’s Hollywood for ya.

THE END

Pioneers

It’s not Myra Breckinridge nor is it The Christine Jorgensen Story, but Dinah East – a trans movie produced in 1970 and, while it isn’t completely not detestable, it remains troublesome on several fronts. ~ LGBTQ Nation

The end result is rather like a banquet, all the courses of which taste like Cream of Wheat. ~ Drag Magazine

 

Dinah East is the best camp classic you’ve never heard of. ~ Le Cinema Dreams

Trans rep is more nuanced in 2025 (usually) but this film was ahead of its time. The film was marketed as a comedy. But Dinah’s life is never played for laughs. The abuse is taken seriously. And still she finds success, love and a support system. She’s subjected to a homophobic slur but never transphobic slurs. The characters seem unfamiliar with the concept. Her detractors see her as a cis gay man. Dinah knows herself better.

Legend spread that the press mocked actress Mae West, claiming the film was based on her life. She, allegedly, kept the film out of circulation. More likely they lacked the budget for wide distribution. Most queer films of that era vanished until the invention of DVDs.

You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.