Mae West: Her 1931 Housecar

According to David Woodworth, this 1931 Chevrolet Housecar was owned by MAE WEST. It had been built for Paramount Studios to present to Miss West when she left vaudeville and "the legit" to make movies for the studio in 1931. Notice that, unlike the modern recreation vehicles, this is a chauffer-driven lounge car — — not designed to be a camper. Since Mae West did not like to fly, this "portable hotel" made her road trips more comfortable.
• • This photo is from the David Woodworth Collection.
• • From chauffered models such as these, the industry has evolved. In early June 2010 there will be a large gathering of attendees at the the RV/MH (Recreational Vehicle/Motor Home) Heritage Museum in Elkhart, Indiana as the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) is planning to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
• • As reported by The Providence Journal: “The industry is in a ready mode now,” said Al Hesselbart, being interviewed by phone by Peter C.T. Elsworth from Elkhart, where he is the museum’s historian.
• • Providence Journal Staff Writer Peter C.T. Elsworth adds: The museum, which moved into a new facility three years ago, features a collection of 48 vintage campers, including an RV once owned by movie star Mae West, an extensive library, and an industry-related Hall of Fame.
• • Mae West's 1931 Housecar was preserved, and has been displayed at road shows, thanks to Californian David Woodworth, a leading collector of early RVs and RV camping memorabilia.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • her 1931 Housecar • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Jack Merrill Holmes

Every Bowery queen must have her consort — — and MAE WEST's costar was J. Merrill Holmes who portrayed Gus Jordan, the saloon keeper and ward heeler who keeps Lil in diamonds for the 1928 Broadway production.
• • Born in Pennsylvania on 21 July 1889, J. Merrill Holmes was featured in a few mainstage productions during the 1920s, most especially the well-regarded "What Price Glory" [1924 — 1925]; he took the role of Lieutenant Cunningham.
• • From 1930 — 1948, he was a character actor who appeared in dozens of motion pictures in Hollywood under the name Jack Holmes or Jack Merrill Holmes.
• • During the month of February he died — — on 27 February 1950 — — in his adopted city of Los Angeles, California.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Waupaca Mystery

A clever library promotion deserves a mention — — especially when it has a vivid 1920s theme and features MAE WEST.
• • Aiming to raise funds for the Waupaca Area Public Library’s 2010 Book Festival in the autumn, organizers have planned for a mystery dinner that will be held at the Best Western Grand Seasons Hotel [110 Grand Seasons Drive, Waupaca, WI] on 5 March 2010.
• • The intriguing story line is this: “A group of cultured people from the 1920s have materialized in a modern apartment in London. H. G. Wells had been testing his novel’s time machine at a soiree. Now he is discovered dead in the bathroom. Who killed him? Was it Mae West, James Joyce, Isadora Duncan, T.S. Eliot, or another of the visitors? Agatha Christie herself is present to help solve this crime. The key to this puzzle may appear in a line of verse or it may not. But in any case, we must achieve justice — — poetic or not.”
• • Participants will receive a description of their chosen character and a set of clues when they buy their ticket. Spectators can attend, too, as well as those who want to be Mae West for the night or another active participant. [All spectators will still receive their own clue to the mystery with the purchase of a ticket.] All attendees will mingle and exchange information during the course of the evening.
• • Tickets, which include dinner and entertainment, are available at the Waupaca Area Public Library. While there may be tickets available for walk-ins, it’s best to purchase in advance to guarantee a spot at the event. Proceeds will help fund the Waupaca Area Public Library’s 2010 Book Festival in the fall.
• • Where to get tickets: Waupaca Area Public Library, 107 South Main Street, Waupaca, WI 54981. Info: 715-258-4414. Tell them the MAE WEST BLOG gave you a clue and a shove.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Helen Jerome Eddy

An actress often cast as an aristocrat or a woman from a wealthy, distinguished family was featured with MAE WEST in the motion picture "Klondike Annie" [1936].
• • Helen Jerome Eddy, who portrayed Sister Annie Alden, was (like Mae) a native New Yorker. Born in Manhattan during the month of February — — on 25 February 1897 — — she was raised on the West Coast and entered the film trade while studying at Berkeley. In her youth, Eddy had performed in productions staged at the Pasadena Playhouse.
• • The memorable scene that introduces her is when shady lady Rose Carlton [Mae West] is escaping on the ship to Seattle and spots the frail missionary Annie Alden [Helen Jerome Eddy], who will conveniently die en route to Alaska.
• • Helen Jerome Eddy had a rather patrician demeanor that enabled the five-foot-seven performer to portray young women of untold wealth throughout the silent era, first at Vitagraph and later on at several major film outfits. According to Hal Erickson: A character actress in the talkie era, Eddy essayed such roles as the beneficent society matron in Our Gang's first talking short "Small Talk" (1929) and the kindly, terminally ill missionary whom Mae West impersonates in "Klondike Annie" (1936). Helen Jerome Eddy retired in 1940 — — ever afterward remaining available for interviews concerning Hollywood's "Golden" era.
• • On 27 January 1990, Helen Jerome Eddy died of heart failure in Alhambra, California. She was 92.
• • "Klondike Annie" was released on 21 February 1936.
• • In his "All Movie Guide," Paul Brenner observed: Mae West butts heads with Victor McLaglen [1886 — 1959] in Raoul Walsh's "Klondike Annie." But the real victor was the Legion of Decency, whose censorship strictures transformed a saucy and spicy gumbo into something closer to chicken noodle soup. Mae West plays Rose Carlton, the kept woman of Chan Lo (Harold Huber), who takes her from walking the streets to pacing the floors of her high rent apartment. Rose ends up killing Chan and beats it from San Francisco to the frozen north. She boards a ship where burly sea captain Bull Brackett (Victor McLaglen) takes a shine to her. When he finds out she killed Chan, he blackmails her into coming up and seeing him sometime. Boarding the ship in Seattle is missionary Annie Alden (Helen Jerome Eddy), who dies on the way to Alaska. Rose assumes Annie's identity and, upon arrival in Alaska proceeds to preach the Good Book, saving sinners by unorthodox methods. Mountie Jack Forrest (Philip Reed) arrives in town searching for Chan's murderer and he falls in love with Rose, unaware that the woman he loves is the killer he seeks.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's co-star • • Helen Jerome Eddy • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Starstruck

"Those were the years of the excitement of MAE WEST, Bogart, W.C. Fields, and the Marx Brothers," said New Yorker and cinema memorabilia collector Ira M. Resnick, explaining that those anarchic screen legends had become idols of the counterculture Woodstock generation.
• • During the past four decades, the 60-year-old movie maven has amassed some 2,000 vintage posters and some 1,500 stills and lobby cards — — and 258 vibrant and colorful posters from this treasure trove have been reproduced in his book "Starstruck," which came out in early February 2010.
• • Ira Resnick attended NYU film school for his junior and senior years. Martin Scorsese, who wrote the foreword to the book, was one of his instructors. He graduated in 1971 and recalls browsing for lobby cards on West 13th Street at a movie memorabilia store, Cinemabilia, in Greenwich Village. The items he purchased there, which formed the basis of his collection, appear in this new release printed by Abbeville. If you love silent classics and the golden age of cinema, then "Starstruck" is for you. Catch a free premiere on Ira Resnick's web site.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Margaret Perry

An actress from a most distinguished theatrical family was featured with MAE WEST in the motion picture "Go West, Young Man," a 1936 screen production of an original Broadway play called "Personal Appearance." Margaret Perry took the role of Joyce Struthers.
• • Born in Denver during the month of February — — on 23 February 1913 — — she was one of two daughters of Frank Frueauff, who worked in the gas and electric industry, and the illustrious Antoinette "Toni" Perry, the director and stage actress for whom the Tony Awards were named.
• • She was raised on a rugged Colorado ranch far from Times Square; her great grandparents homesteaded in South Park in 1862.
• • The 16-year-old made her stage debut in 1929; two years later she appeared on Broadway in John Van Druten's "After All" [1931]. Her mother Toni directed her in "Ceiling Zero" [1935] and "Now You've Done It" [1937]. Her very brief cinema career did not eclipse her theatre work; she was cast in only a few Hollywood movies during the 1930s.
• • By the time Margaret Perry was cast in "Go West, Young Man," she had married her second husband, actor Burgess Meredith; the newlyweds had tied the knot on 10 January 1936 and divorced two and a half years later.
• • With her third husband Paul Fanning — — scenic artist and art director/ co-producer of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" [1962] — — she bore four children. In 1952, the divorcee retired to Colorado to raise her kids and continued to live on the family's Salt Works Ranch, in South Park, Park County, Colorado until her demise.
• • Margaret Perry died in Hartsel, Colorado on 8 April 2007, outliving her sister and her daughter Toni.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Lucile Gleason

Starring MAE WEST, the motion picture "Klondike Annie" was released during the month of February — — on 21 February 1936. Several cast members have February birthdates.
• • Five-foot-six Lucile Gleason took the part of Big Tess. Born in Pasadena, California on 6 February 1888, the Irish-American character actress often acted with her husband James Gleason. He wrote the script for "The Shannons of Broadway" [1929]. Originally created for the stage, this project co-starred James Gleason with his wife Lucille Webster. (In 1905, Lu wed James when she was 17.) The married couple are cast as Mickey and Emma Shannon, a vaudeville duo who are failures until a healthy real estate transaction revives their career. This musical comedy enjoyed success as a silent and a talkie.
• • Interestingly, Lucile Gleason was the first treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). She along with Alden Gay were the two women among the 21 founding members of SAG.
• • Lucile and James Gleason had one son, Russell. Born on 6 February 1908 in Portland, Oregon, Russell kept busy as a child actor. Most unfortunately, the 37-year-old fell from a hotel window in New York City and died the day after Christmas on 26 December 1945.
• • Seventeen months after her only child died, Lucile Gleason had a heart attack. She died in Brentwood, California on 18 May 1947. Her husband survived her.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Jewel Heist

In reality, there really was a daring, horrifying jewel heist and on 21 February 1934 the radio program "Calling All Cars" broadcast "The MAE WEST Jewel Robbery," a production put together without Mae's participation.
• • According to J. David Goldin, "Calling All Cars" — — Program #13 — — was aired on CBS Pacific net (also known as the Don Lee network at this time). "The Mae West Jewel Robbery" was sponsored by the Rio Grande Oil Company. Goldin notes: "The story of the real robbery of Miss West's jewels and $3000 in cash is dramatized. Well done! Martha Wentworth impersonates Mae West. The program was broadcast on the day one of the robbers was caught. The script was used on "Calling All Cars" again on March 19, 1935." The run time is 28 minutes, 30 seconds.
• • Martha Wentworth • •
• • Born on 2 June 1889 in New York City, voice actress Martha Wentworth certainly had the right regional accent and attitude for her Brooklyn bombshell impressions — — and she was also the voice of Jenny Wren (based on Mae) for that Silly Symphony cartoon "Who Killed Cock Robin?" [1935] as well as the "Calling All Cars" episode. After a long, busy career as "the actress of 100 voices," Martha Wentworth died at age 84 on 8 March 1974 in Sherman Oaks, California.
• • Thanks to the web site Radio Lovers [www.radiolovers.com], several of the "Calling All Cars" episodes have been archived. Go to their site and listen to Martha Wentworth cast as Mae West in this drama based on true events. It is free to listen.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Without a Stitch

"I've seen MAE WEST without a stitch and she's all woman," proclaimed designer Edith Head. "No hermaphrodite could have bosoms... well, like two large melons." Head, an Oscar-winning Hollywood costumer, was debunking the rumor that Mae was actually a man.
• • Edinburgh columnist Lee Randall reminds us of this long-standing hokum and the raging misogyny behind it.
• • Lee Randall writes: My late, great, best friend had many eccentricities, among them the insistence that any man who was at all accomplished, adorable and generally worth paying attention to was obviously a member of his brethren — — that is, gay.
• • Lee Randall explains: He also insisted, right up until the day she died and was autopsied and the matter, along with her remains, was finally laid to rest, that Mae West was a man.
• • Lee Randall adds: Giggle if you must, but this was a very popular urban myth. Some people ignorantly refuse to accept that a woman can be talented, sexually predatory, pro-gay rights (her play about homosexuality was banned in New York in 1927) and decked out like a drag queen if he/she/ it isn't actually a drag queen. So when . . . .
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Elton simply picked one of the good guys for his own team…"
• • By: Lee Randall
• • Published in: The Scotsman [Edinburgh]
• • Published on: 20 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Chester County

If you collect autographs and memorabilia linked to MAE WEST, a chance to add to your collection comes during March in Pennsylvania's Chester County.
• • Gordon S. Converse & Co. is preparing for a Discovery Antique Auction on Thursday, 25 March 2010, at 12:15 p.m. About 250 lots will be sold.
• • “Luckily for us, a small and collectible collection of posters and fine arts came in at the last minute, rounding out this next sale nicely,” said Gordon Converse of Gordon S. Converse & Co. He was referring to 30 lots of artwork by Marc Chagall, Ben Shahn, Fernand Leger, and others, all vintage lithographs and posters.
• • “My favorite is a framed photo and signed check of Mae West with a gold leaf frame and a stunning light blue satin mask,” added Gordon Converse.
• • These are part of a much broader and eclectic range of categories, which will also include ceramics, sporting prints, furniture and collectibles. . . .
• • Info: Gordon S. Converse, 758 Mancill Road, Strafford, PA 19087.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Access to Excess Sex

One does not think of MAE WEST as sex deprived. Mae seems to have had the confidence required for zesty conquests and enough access to willing partners to meet her needs. Nevertheless, there are many older women out there for whom the bedroom has become a battleground.
• • David Schnarch, Ph.D. takes pen in hand to remind his readers: There’s a lot of unquenched fire when one partner lacks desire. And often the more passionate person is female.
• • A Valentine to the Mae West in Every Woman • •
• • David Schnarch, Ph.D. writes: In the classic marital struggles over frequency of sex, who do you envision as the high desire partner? The man? Or the woman?
• • Usually we think of the man as the one who "can't get enough." So much so, that guy's grousing about being sexually deprived has almost become politically incorrect, instantly dismissed as the drivel of an insensitive jerk. But behind this stereotype hides some of the most heartbreaking parts of people's lives.
• • There are a large number of women secretly pining away for a good romp with the man they love. These are the "Invisible Women" who want more sex; older married women who go decades without sexual satisfaction with their partner. In almost half the couples I treat for sexual desire problems, like Anne and Bill, the man is the low desire partner.
• • Women like Anne are easily dismissed from mind. They suffer from loneliness rather than horniness, and crave a little joy rather than more genital relief. Dying to be held for more than five minutes, so they can finally relax in bed. For Anne and Bill, this never happened in the few times a year they had sex, and Anne increasingly feared they would never really connect before they die. Bill was so frightened to let someone really know him, so filled with anxiety, he fumbled through the act. No emotional contact during physical contact. Not that Anne didn't know Bill's secrets and vulnerabilities-the very fact she suffered in silence for years was proof that she knew and loved him. She lay next to Bill each night, complying with his unmarked "no trespass" zone that separated them physically by inches, and emotionally by miles.
• • Lest I paint too chaste a picture, the Annes of the world also want a good romp in the sack. They know when Mae West said, "A hard man is good to find," she wasn't talking about body building. There are lots of women with more than a trace of Mae West in them — — buried under years of trying not to want sex, and feeling bad about themselves because they still do. It's ok for men and generation X girls to declare themself sexually carnivorous, but women who were girls decades ago aren't use to doing that.
• • What's the impact of this kind of deprivation? ....
• • What would Mae West have said to this?
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "A Valentine to the Mae West in Every Woman — — Does Valentine's Day give women what they really want?
• • BY: David Schnarch, Ph.D. | Columnist
• • Published by Psychology Today — — www.psychologytoday.com/
• • Published on: 17 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Fulton J. Sheen

Quite doubtful that MAE WEST ever traded banter with a man-of-the-collar. It's certain that the screen queen sympathized with nuns she spotted waiting for (or riding on) a bus; Mae donated many of her old cars to the local convents to prevent nuns from such indignity and hardship. Nevertheless, the Empress of Sex often became a punchline. Father Joseph repeats an iffy from the fifties.
• • Father Leo M. Joseph O.S.F. takes pen in hand to remind his readers: There’s an old joke that goes: One day in February back in the 1950s, the legendary Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the original televangelist, was at a TV studio in New York to tape one of his Lenten programs (sponsored by Progresso Soup) and it so happened that he crossed paths in the hallway with the aging iconic “bad girl” of stage, film and TV, Mae West.
• • She paused in front of him, gave him a slow once-over in all his bishop’s regalia, and cooed, “Not bad looking. Why don’t ya come up and see me sometime.”
• • Bishop Sheen reared up in righteous indignation, turned as purple as his pontifical mantle, and replied, “You wicked Jezebel! Don’t you know it’s LENT?”
• • As she sauntered off, Mae West snapped, “Well, no I didn’t. But uh, why don’t you come up and see me when you get it back ...”
• • These days, Mae West is not the only one who doesn’t know about Lent. The mass media will have plenty of footage showing the revelry in New Orleans as Mardi Gras winds up its weeks of partying in the streets, but little mention of the “morning after,” Ash Wednesday and the 40-day observance of Lent. Yet for Christians all over the world this is a time-honored tradition that dates back . . . .
• • How many think that is (or was, even for a half second back in the 1950s) hilarious?
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Mardi Gras — — the morning after"
• • BY: Fr. Leo M. Joseph O.S.F. | Columnist
• • Published by Lake County News — — lakeconews.com
• • Published on: 15 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Rochester

Rarely did MAE WEST miss a performance. When she did, however, it made the news.
• • Exactly sixty years ago today, on 16 February 1950, Mae was starring in her popular Bowery drama "Diamond Lil" at the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester — — when she collapsed onstage. She was suffering from food poisoning.
• • The Auditorium Center was originally constructed for the Freemasons in 1928.
• • Happily, the Rochester Auditorium Theatre is still open for business and in the same location as back in 1950: 875 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14605.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Westchester

Fond memories of MAE WEST performing at the Tarrytown Music Hall are part of its legacy — — cherished along with sunny recollections about Dave Brubeck rousing the audience and Bruce Springsteen impulsively jumping on stage. Built in 1885 by the local chocolatier William Wallace, and enjoyed by presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, unfortunately, the chips were down for awhile before a determined German couple Helen and Berthold Ringeisen rescued this glorious damsel-in-distress with a savvy combination of blood, sweat, and volunteers.
• • Mae West in Tarrytown • •
• • Westchester scribe Peter D. Kramer has assembled an inspiring narrative, a portion of which is below.
• • Peter D. Kramer writes: "We like to say that chocolate coins built this theater," jokes executive director Björn Olsson.
• • The Tarrytown Music Hall, the oldest theater in Westchester County, had played host to presidents and bombshells over the years: Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Mae West all appeared at the Main Street venue. But by the mid-1970s, the building had fallen into disrepair, with a leaking roof and no heat.
• • Today, because of the dedication of the Friends of the Mozartina, the nonprofit group that repaired and saved it, 80,000 patrons a year are drawn to its programs, from children's theater to jazz greats to folk music.
• • The hall kicked off its 30th/ 125th anniversary year with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Blind Boys of Alabama, Levon Helm, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, David Bromberg and Jorma Kaukonen.
• • It was also recently the shooting location for "Henry's Crime," a film starring Keanu Reeves, James Caan, and Vera Farmiga set for release later this year.
• • Nobody's quite sure when, but the story is that sometime during the 1980s, Bruce Springsteen came to see a show at the Music Hall and jumped up on stage to join in the fun. And greats from James Taylor to Bonnie Raitt have played there. It is now listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
• • The venue is still a work in progress — — the air-conditioning has been upgraded but the bathrooms are "extremely genuine," Olsson says — — but the momentum seems to be carrying the hall in the right direction.
• • It's a long way from Valentine's Day 1980, when the Friends of the Mozartina took possession of that leaky, drafty, water-stained relic. ...
• • Continue reading at the link below.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Twin anniversaries mark Music Hall's comeback"
• • BY: Peter D. Kramer | Columnist
• • Published by New York's Lower Hudson Valley — — www.lohud.com
• • Published on: 14 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West appeared onstage here • • 1901 entrance • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Bottoms Up

"Inspired by MAE WEST, I created a cocktail containing ample aphrodisiacs," states LeNell Smothers, "goji, pomegranate, cayenne, and cocoa." Let's commemorate Valentine's Day the Mae way — — with a goodly portion of oral pleasure.
• • Here's what Alabama-born Mistress of Mixology LeNell Smothers has to say: Mae supposedly was not a big drinker, but you can find her lapping it up in the movie "Night After Night." With this in mind, I decided to make a fizz. A fizz always includes something bubbly, and when that bubbly is Champagne, it becomes a "diamond fizz."
• • Diamond Lil gets Diamond Fizz • •
• • The common ingredients in a fizz are citrus juice, a sweetener, a sparkling ingredient (like soda or Champagne) and a spirit. Fizzes often contain egg, but they don't have to. A "silver fizz" includes egg white. A "gold fizz" includes the yolk. I decided to make a "royal fizz," with the addition of the whole egg.
• • For a touch of sweetness, I added Pama pomegranate liqueur, since pomegranates were the fruit of Aphrodite. Either pink or yellow grapefruit work, as long as the juice is freshly squeezed. Besides being one of my favorites, Four Roses Single Barrel 100-proof bourbon seemed fortified enough for a strong-willed woman like Mae, while maintaining a touch of romance with its rose emblem.
• • I chose a saucer for this cocktail instead of a tall glass or a flute. The many legends of the Champagne saucer being fashioned after various women's breasts add to the romance of this drink. To go along with the diamond reference, I added a sugared rim for a little sparkle and tingle. Like Mae, I'm no angel.
• • • • Mae West Royal Diamond Fizz [Serves two] • • • •
• • 2 oz Goji-Infused Bourbon*
• • ½ oz Pama pomegranate liqueur
• • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• • 1 whole egg
• • Brut Champagne
• • Hot sugar**
• • Chill two saucer glasses. Shake all ingredients, except Champagne and hot sugar, to emulsify. Add ice and shake hard, at least 30 seconds. To rim the glass with sugar, take a slice of grapefruit and moisten the outside of the glass. Dip half the rim into the hot sugar. Pour cocktail into glass. Top with Champagne to make a foamy head right up to the rim of the glass. Garnish with two Goji berries left over from the infused bourbon. Put them on a toothpick to the side of the glass, shaping them like two lips.
• • *Macerate 4 ounces of dried goji berries in a 750ml Four Roses Single Barrel 100 proof Bourbon bottle. Let sit overnight, at least. Strain the leftover liquid through a gold coffee filter.
• • **Hot sugar is made of 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper and a pinch of unsweetened cocoa.
• • • • Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things — — most recently, the proprietress of Casa Cóctel with partner Demián Camacho Santa Ana. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin, and men.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Fielding the Facts

"I have been approached by MAE WEST to consider collaborating," wrote W.C. Fields in 1935. "But I want my work to stand out individually. Besides Mae has the wrong slant on this thing [i.e., the bed]. She says she does her best writing in bed. Well, I do my best loafing there, and consider that this is the primary purpose of a bed."
• • The motion picture screenplay they eventually would produce together came about a few years later when the screen queen was no longer attached to Paramount Pictures.
• • "My Little Chickadee" — — starring Mae West and W.C. Fields — — was officially released in the month of March — — on 15 March 1940 — — and was booked in Manhattan at the prestigious Roxy; then located at 153 West 50th Street, this superbly appointed cathedral devoted to the cinema had first opened on 11 March 1927.
• • Canadian researcher and consummate Mae-maven R. Mark Desjardins has examined the conventional wisdom about these two former vaudevillians disliking each other, and gracefully plucked the stinger out.
• • Mr. Desjardins writes: Mae and W.C. Fields had a very complicated relationship for sure, but my research implies they had a friendship of sorts, which stretched back to the early days of Vaudeville. By the time of the premiere of "I'm No Angel" Hollywood's green-eyed monster, envy, resulted in few of Hollywood's royalty coming out for the opening. However, W.C. was one of the few who made a madcap appearance, arriving atop a four-horse brewery truck!
• • Mr. Desjardins adds: The following facts are culled from my manuscript, "In Search of Mae West." And although "My Little Chickadee" didn't initially live up to expectations at the time of its release, it eventually came to be recognized as a classic of its genre. Mae West stated: "Some people have gotten the quaint idea that I made more than one film with W.C. Fields. No way, baby. Once was enough." At the time West signed onto the film, she foresaw the day motion pictures would be shown on a new medium called "television," which already existed in prewar Britain. She had a clause written into her contract that stipulated she would receive royalties from subsequent broadcasts. Studio executives laughed at her, but West had the last laugh. In 1991, Daily Variety reported that MCA/Universal was being sued by the representatives of the Mae West estate for allegedly failing to pay about $1,000,000 owed in back royalty payments. The matter was quietly settled out of court.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Seduction Instructions

MAE WEST has inspired a new release on the ancient art of flirting and seduction and "being bad" to do some good. Well, well, well — — words (and other things) can be wild in the mouth and not achieve their potential. Any many regions can brim with a fugitive bliss that is somehow not arrived at. Look to a book that promises answers.
• • It is what journalist Laura Coventry describes as a beginners' guide to releasing your inner minx — — packed with WESTian wisdom along with tips from the naughtiest girls in history.
• • Laura Coventry writes: Whether you want to learn how to flirt at work or need to ensnare a man, The Naughty Book For Girls holds the answers.
• • Author Candice Hill promises to bring readers "a little more sugar and spice in their lives." ...
• • THE ART OF FLIRTING • •
• • Sex symbol Mae West said: "It isn't what I do but how I do it. It isn't what I say but how I say it — — and how I look when I do it and say it."
• • The best way to have the world eating out of your flirtatious palm is . . . well, just check out The Naughty Book For Girls by Candace Hill [published by Michael O'Mara Books].
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "New book encourages women to bring a little naughtiness into their lives"
• • BY: Laura Coventry
• • Published by: The Daily Record [UK] — — www.dailyrecord.co.uk
• • Published on: 10 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Viva Vaudeville

MAE WEST and other vaudeville legends were fondly recalled in a Canadian article that draws attention to an ambitious variety show being planned in Ontario. Performers are needed.
• • Laurel Beechey begins "Vaudeville show planned for Annandale" by offering some history. She writes: What form of entertainment included the following: singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, trained animals, impersonators, comedians, jugglers, acrobats, lecturing celebrities and short one act plays? Here is a hint. If you were bad they threw tomatoes and other produce at you! You are right — — Vaudeville!
• • There are not a lot of people around anymore who know what Vaudeville was all about, but that will be rectified by Annandale National Historic Site's Vaudeville exhibit this summer. To top off the exhibit, the museum would like Theatre Tillsonburg to help by producing a Vaudeville show.
• • So let me give you some background on Vaudeville so you can work up the perfect act for the show. ...
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Vaudeville Show Planned for Annandale"
• • By Laurel A. Beechey
• • Published by: Tillsonburg News [P.O. Box 190, 25 Townline Road, Tillsonburg, N4G4H6, Ontario, Canada]
• • Published on: 11 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Good in Carlsbad

MAE WEST and Charlie Chaplin never performed in the same motion picture — — but on February 12th they will share a room. Yes, it's true.
• • The NMSU-C film series will screen Mae West's well-loved comedy-drama set on the Bowery "She Done Him Wrong" at 7:00 PM on Friday, 12 February 2010 (in room 153), along with a Charlie Chaplin comedy. All ages are welcome to attend. Free admission.
• • WHERE: New Mexico State University at Carlsbad [1500 University Drive, Carlsbad, NM 88220]. Phone for details: (575) 234-9200.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Up Against City Hall

MAE WEST was arrested on 9 February 1927 along with the cast of "Sex," the cast of "The Virgin Man," and the cast of "The Captive."
• • • • Playing the role of Mr. Clean, attempting to disinfect the sewer Broadway had become, New York City's Acting Mayor Joseph V. McKee made sure the news men were informed the night before.
• • After 10:00 PM, Helen Menken, Dorothy Hall, and Mae West were charged with "contributing to a common nuisance" and "obscene exhibition" and found themselves face to face with each other and answerable to Magistrate John Flood Wells, who set bail at $1,000 each.
• • On February 10th, the local newspapers actually focused more on Miss Hall and Miss Menken than on Mae West, who was still an unknown and not the Broadway star Helen Menken was during the 1920s.
• • The raid and arrest in 1927 are dramatized in the full-length play "Courting Mae West." Watch a scene on YouTube. This is a copyrighted image from the Courting Mae West Comic Book; the original is in color.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 2 February 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Oh, Orlando!

MAE WEST a playwright? Who knew? — — is the teasing title of an announcement by blogger and Florida drama critic Elizabeth Maupin. Despite this wide-eyed expression, Ms. Maupin knows the answer, of course, and immediately applauds the courageous theatre people who arranged a Staged Reading of "The Drag" scheduled for Superbowl Sunday.
• • Elizabeth Maupin writes: Well, maybe you did. Actually, you may have heard tell of a play West wrote called Sex, which ran on Broadway for about a year before the New York Police Department shut it down for obscenity and sent West off to jail. She got off two days early for good behavior — which is a funny notion in itself.
• • Anyway, West wrote plays, and one of them, a play called Drag [sic], will be given a reading next week by Queer Quills, a local group dedicated to bringing to the public eye some plays with gay and lesbian themes.
• • It’s a reincarnation, of sorts, of a reading series done in 2004, put together by Scottie Campbell and Margaret Nolan, who presented readings of Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Boys in the Band and The Killing of Sister George.
• • Chris Robison is directing the reading of Drag [sic], which will be at 7 p.m. Sunday (during the Super Bowl!) at Breakthrough Theatre, 419-A W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park. There’s a suggested donation of $5, which will go to the Paul M. Wegman Scholarship for Actors at Valencia Community College.
• • Here’s info about the scholarship program named for the late, great actor and director Paul Wegman, who died in 2004:
• • The Paul M. Wegman Scholarship for Actors at Valencia Community College will be awarded annually to an acting/performance major who has completed her/his first year of study. ...
— — Source: — —
• • Article: Mae West a playwright? Who knew?
• • BY: Elizabeth Maupin | Theater Critic for the Orlando Sentinel
• • Published by: The Orlando Sentinel — — blogs.orlandosentinel.com
• • Published on: 3 February 2010
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Chickadee Comes to Klamath

The publicity machine went into overdrive when it came time to build excitement for "My Little Chickadee" starring MAE WEST and W.C Fields — — who collaborated on the screenplay. Though this motion picture was officially released in the month of March — — on 15 March 1940 — — theatre owners and movie house managers were trying to secure it during February.
• • Comedy in Klamath • •
• • An entertainment scoop for the Klamath Theater is announced for this month by manager J. J. Perry, who has signed one of the greatest screen comedies of the year, “My Little Chickadee,” starring Mae West and W. C. Fields. The film has just been released in Hollywood and is now playing in the big cities where it is a “packing them in.” [Item from the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, February 1940.]
• • The Daily Triplicate is now located in Crescent City, California 95531.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1940 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.