Mae West: "Sex" Sold Out April 26, 1926

Mae West: "Sex" Sold Out at its Premiere on April 26, 1926

April 26, 1926 "Sex." It's a comedy. Mae West plays a Canadian woman with no time for those mountees; it's the British navy for her. It runs through one season, but the following it is raided as immoral. The cast is arrested and West, who also co-produced, is sentenced to 10 days in jail and is fined $500. When West is released from prison after only eight days, she memorably tells the press, "It's the first time I ever got anything for good behavior." A well-received off-off-Broadway revival in 2000 proved that the show still had laughs and a unique social point of view.

This text originally appeared here:
Theatre History: APRIL 26
By Anne Bradley and Ernio Hernandez
PLAYBILL on 26 Apr 2005