Monday, July 30, 2012

Mae West: Eddy Grove

In 1944, when MAE WEST auditioned the cast who would appear with her in "Catherine Was Great," a play about a Russian ruler, it was fitting that she hired one actor from the borough of Queens, New York.
• • Eddy Grove [30 July 1917 — 28 September 1995] • •
• • Born in Queens, NY in late July — — on 30 July 1917 — — Eddy Grove was 27 years old when he appeared as a soldier in Mae West's Broadway extravaganza.  He had previously appeared in summer stock.
• • From 1951 — 1958, Eddy Grove appeared in about a dozen network TV shows such as "Playhouse 90" and "Dragnet." Afterwards, he devoted himself to teaching the dramatic arts at Julliard, the Yale Drama School, and elsewhere. After he retired, he wrote and starred in a solo show "Yiddish Tales."
• • Eddy Grove died of cancer in Washington D.C. on 28 September 1995.  He was 78.
• • Alexander Hall [11 January 1894 — 30 July 1968] • •
• • Alexander Hall directed "Goin' to Town" [1935], starring Mae West.
• • Alexander Hall was born in Boston on 11 January 1894.  After working for many years as an actor, Hall made his directorial debut in 1932. In Hollywood, Hall turned out a number of sophisticated, light-hearted movies.
• • After suffering a stroke, Alexander Hall died in San Francisco on 30 July 1968. He was 74.
• • On Friday, 30 July 1937 • •
• • The headline read: "Marriage of Mae West — Court Order Sought." And the legal battle was ever so much longer than their relationship.
• • Los Angeles, July 28 — A petition by Frank Wallace, a vaudeville performer, for an order decreeing that he and Mae West, the film star, were still man and wife, was refused by the Court today. The Court was satisfied, however, that the two had been married on April 11, 1911.
• • Miss West admitted early this month that she had married Mr. Wallace in 1911, but denied thal she had ever lived with him. She alleged that he had married again without having obtained a divorce from her.  Mr. Wallace brought an action to compel Miss West to admit their relationship and divide their community property, which, he said, exceeded £20,000.
• • [Source: The Argus on page 13; published in Australia on Friday, 30 July 1937.]
• • On Tuesday, 30 July 1957 in The N.Y. Times • •
• • Mae West sued Hollywood Confidential Magazine for defamation and the trial began in early August 1957 in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, 30 July 1957, The N.Y. Times ran an item explaining the issues at stake. Mae submitted sworn depositions to avoid testifying in person.
• • Save the Date: Thursday, August 16th • •
• • Thursday, 16 August 2012 will be the next Mae West Tribute in Manhattan and the evening affair will start at 6:30 pm at 155 Mulberry Street.  This year Mae-mavens will enjoy an indoor event (ahhh, air conditioning), music written by Mae West's Italian husband will be played, and attendees will be seated.
• • At the Reception, Italian wine and light refreshments will be served. The ever-popular Mae West Raffle will offer rare prizes once again to a number of lucky attendees. The public is invited.
• • Mae West was born in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, 17 August 1893.
• • Closest MTA subway stations: Grand St. or Canal St.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I can't say the things other actresses say. When they say 'em, they're funny.  When I say 'em, I'm vulgar.  People seem to read double meanings into every word I speak."  
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article printed in Australia mentioned Mae West's midriff.
• • When the newspaper printed this item, Mae would have been 60 years old. Clearly, the poison pen behind this snarky sarcasm felt comfortable peek-a-booing from behind the AAP bunker.   
• • The Australian Associated Press wrote:  New York, July 28 (AAP) — Mae West, 60, opened a two-week stand at the Las Vegas, Nevada Sahara Hotel last night, selling the same kind of entertainment that launched her career 30 years ago. She wore a black sequinned gown, which left bare a not-too-trim midriff.  ...
• • Source: Item: "Not So Trim" written by AAP and syndicated; printed in The Courier-Mail on page 1; published on Thursday, 29 July 1954  
By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2379th 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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• • Photo:
• • Mae West • 1944
• •
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2 comments:

  1. R. Mark Desjardins12:57 PM

    Over the course of Mae West's long and varied career, many world famous photographers captured her essence on film, but George Maillard Kessiere did exceptionally fine work. I was lucky to see many of his photographs taken to promote the play "Catherine Was Great" which were donated to the David Rose Library in NYC.
    Your event in NYC on August 16th promises to be a remarkable evening, and I wish I was able to attend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is very fortunate that those photos from "Catherine Was Great" made it into the library. The night before Kesslere was going to donate the bulk of his work to the N.Y.P.L., his collection was destroyed in a fire!

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