Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Mae West: Shadoplay

MAE WEST was Shadoplay's cover girl for their February 1934 issue. Inside the publication Roger Bayer had an interesting story to tell — — "Five Stars Hollywood Can't Lick," all about Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Will Rogers, Paul Muni, and Charles Laughton.
• • On Saturday, 29 February 1936 • •
• • "Goin' to Town" was released as "Now I'm a Lady" in certain countries. The Mirror in Perth, Australia, ran an article on page 18 in their issue dated Saturday, 29 February 1936: "'Now I'm a Lady' — Mae West as Society Lady."
• • The Mirror wrote: Mae West's adventures in "Now I'm a Lady" open in a western mining town, range over the Western hemisphere and reach their climax in the strongholds of society at Southampton. . . .
• • The Mirror wrote: How this go-getting lady beats society at its game, and gets out of the romantic tangle and into Paul Cavanagh 's arms furnishes a grand climax to the picture. Miss West's performance is highlighted by her singing of a number of new songs, including the persuasive "He's a Bad Man." But the grand climax is her singing of the operatic aria from "Samson and Delilah," which pleases society and sends the audience into an ecstacy. The "tall, dark and handsomes" who support Miss West in "Now I'm a Lady," are well chosen and more than usually effective. They include . . . .
• • On Saturday, 29 February 1936 in Hollywood • •
• • Taking advantage of one extra day in February to complain about Mae West and censor the script for "Klondike Annie," Will Hays sent a letter to Joseph Breen, dated on Saturday, 29 February 1936. Sounds like he was working overtime.
• • On Saturday, 29 February 1936 in San Mateo • •
• • On Saturday, 29 February 1936, Mae West was on page 2 in the San Mateo Times. "Mae West's Latest Motion Picture" was the headline, indicating the various upcoming features being shown on the following Tuesday at the local moviehouses in San Mateo, California. Black and white photos from "Klondike Annie" were featured in a spread on page 2.
• • On Saturday, 29 February 1936 in Los Angeles • •
• • "Stop Lewd Films" was the headline of an article referring to Mae West in the Los Angeles Examiner, issue dated 29 February 1936.
• • On Thursday, 29 February 1940 • •
• • On Thursday, 29 February 1940 Hattie McDaniel — — who worked with Mae West in "I'm No Angel" [1933] — — became the first black actor to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind" [1939].
• • On 29 February 1964 • •
• • Subscribers who opened their TV Guide (issue dated February 29 — March 6, 1964) noted an article about Mae West's guest starring role on "Mister Ed," a sitcom about a talking horse. The feature "Mr. Ed Barges into a Boudoir" was printed on pages 20, 21.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A girl’s greatest danger lies in actually falling in love with the wrong person, or, if she’s unwilling to make the sacrifice love demands, in falling in love at all."
• • Mae West said: "Suggestion is always more intriguing than reality. You must be stimulating to a man’s imagination."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about the play "Sex" mentioned Mae West.
• • D.J. R. Bruckner wrote: If it helps a writer to know a lot about her subject, Mae West brought great authority to her first play, ''Sex,'' written and first produced in New York in 1926. The writing is not as accomplished as it is in some of her later film scripts, but there are enough characteristic West lines to let you know who the author was, and it was good enough to get her tossed into jail in 1927 as the creator and star of an indecent public performance. As a publicity stunt the trial was perfect; from then on she was a star whatever she did.
• • D.J. R. Bruckner wrote: Oddly, the text of the play was lost for 70 years. So the show was never revived in the city. But now the Hourglass Group has resurrected it in a production at the Gershwin Hotel — — a setting that has the 20's written all over it — — under the direction of Elyse Singer. It is smart, funny and even a little irreverent to West's creaky plot and often corny dialogue. . . .
• • Source: Review: "Mae West's First Play (for the Stage, That Is)" written by D.J. R. Bruckner for The N.Y. Times; published on 24 December 1999
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2224th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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