Fellow Travelers: How Historically Accurate Is Frankie’s 1950s Drag Queen Character?

Frankie Hines is one of the most provocative and scene-stealing characters on Showtime’s Fellow Travelers series. Played by Noah J. Ricketts (American Gods, High Fidelity), Frankie is an outspoken and unapologetic bartender at the Cozy Corner bar in Washington D.C., where most of Fellow Travelers’ first three episodes take place. Frankie also doubles as a drag performer at nearby venues in the D.C. area, which might seem surprising given the historical impact of the Lavender Scare under Senator Joseph McCarthy and leader of the Subcommittee of Investigations, Roy Cohn.