• • In May 1904, Dreamland opened in Coney Island. To the right of the Surf Avenue entrance stood a building that Mae West entered, holding the hand of her father "Battling Jack" West. Almost 11 years old, but looking younger because of her petite frame, little Mae was nearly as transformed by the experience as Alice was when plunging into Wonderland.
• • For years, Mae talked about, and thought about, the impression Bostock's lions left on her. The lead lion tamer was Captain Jack Bonavita. Born in Philadelphia in 1866, his muscular frame and courage - - not to mention his sleek military garb, knee-high boots, and sinister moustache - - made him popular with the ladies. Actress Marie Dressler, then working a concession at Coney Island, caught Bonavita's act as often as she could. And it was an unparalleled performance that the 38-year-old trainer gave with his 26 trained lions.
• • Mae's fixation on Jack Bonavita and Bostock's lions inspired her to do "I'm No Angel," in which she fulfilled a lifelong dream of being inside the cage with the king of beasts. Born under the sun sign Leo, Mae felt destined for this - - and she insisted on performing her own stunts. The film begins with Mae riding an elephant. How many other 41-year-old actresses are eager to take risks like that?
• • Dreamland burned to the ground on May 1911.
• • Frank Bostock died, after a bout with influenza, in October 1912.
• • From 1913 -1917 Jack Bonavita focused on filmmaking, working as a stunt man, a director, and an actor. His silent films always co-starred wild animals and some of the lion or jaguar tamers he had worked with at Bostock's Circus. A few flickers he starred in were: "Avenged by Lions" [1916] and "The Woman, the Lion, and the Man" [1915].
• • Mae's hero Jack Bonavita died in the month of March from a polar bear attack at age 51 on 19 March 1917 in Los Angeles, California.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • lion lady • • 1934
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Mae West.
Hi, I'd love to know your sourcing on Mae West's childhood visits to Dreamland and in particular her admiration for Louise Morelli. I've been researching Morelli and the women lion tamers working for Frank Bostock, and the Mae West connection is fun. I'd like to use it if I can find a source. :)
ReplyDeleteSeveral Mae West biographies -- by Jill Watts and other biographers --mentioned it. Check the indexes of M.W. biographies to see which book has the most details on Coney Island and Dreamland before making a purchase.
DeleteTY, I may see what the local library has to offer. Morelli was a badass, and began on Coney Island in 1893, working there and the east coast vaudeville circuit, and later a few circus/carnival stints. Morelli and the other female Bostock trainers were high profile stars. She once performed at a labor rally as the opening act for a keynote speech by Mother Jones! Morelli mostly worked w/ leopards but also lions, wolves, and bears, and had the scarred torso and limbs to show for it (which is why you always see her covered up in long sleeves and high-necked dresses). Totally understandable why Mae would be impressed. There would probably be no Mabel Stark w/o Louise Morelli, she came from a lineage of trainers that stretched back to those early Bostock performers. Thank you for this lead!
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