Mae West: Dorothy Vernon

MAE WEST starred in  "My Little Chickadee" and Dorothy Vernon was briefly seen as a diner.

• • Dorothy Vernon [11 November 1875 — 28 October 1970] • •
• • Born in Germany on 11 November 1875, Dorothy Vernon supposedly gave birth to slapstick comedian Robert Vernon [1897 — 1939] when she was 22. But how could Harry Burns [1885 — 1948] have been the father?  Harry Burns was a 12-year-old in 1897.
• • Trained for the stage, Dorothy appeared on Broadway in the 1911 revival of "Oedipus Rex." She participated in four musicals on The Great White Way from 1918 — 1937.
• • From 1919 — 1957, she appeared in over 200 Hollywood motion pictures. Often consigned to bit parts as a maid, party guest, mother, townswoman, neighbor, spectator, wife, landlady, customer, or wardrobe woman, occasionally she scored a meatier role.
• • Her son died of a heart attack in 1939. Dorothy Vernon also suffered from heart disease.  She died in Granada Hills, California on 28 October 1970. She was 94.
• • On Wednesday, 29 October 1930 • •
• • "Mae West is getting ready to shock the smaller burgs," noted Variety in its issue dated for Wednesday, 29 October 1930.  The touring company Mae assembled for her play "Sex" was already wrapping up its Chicago engagement. "Sex" was booked into theatres in Detroit, St. Louis, and Cleveland, where Mae starred onstage as Margy LaMont.
• • On Saturday, 29 October 1932 • •
• • The gala premiere on Saturday, 29 October 1932, revealed that "Night After Night" was only 73 minutes long. No one remembers anything about this film except for the hilarious moments when Mae West was onscreen.
• • On Thursday, 29 October 1959 in New Statesman • •
• • Mae West's memoir was reviewed by Maurice Richardson. His critique of "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" [NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1959] appeared on page 657 of the New Statesman on Thursday, 29 October 1959. Published when Mae was 66 years old, the sunny-side-up narrative focuses on her triumphs and downplays (or omits) any inconvenient setbacks.
• • On Wednesday, 29 October 2008 • •
• • Diane Shipley's article "Women authors aren't funny? Don't make me laugh,"  published in London's Guardian on Wednesday, 29 October 2008, provoked feedback from 50 readers.  Many emphasized the achievements of the endlessly quoted Mae West.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A book author had more freedom of expression than the stage permitted at that time."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A museum collection includes costumes worn by Mae West.
• • On the eve of the V and A’s major exhibition, Hollywood Costume (20 October 2012 — 27 January 2013), the BFI and V and A are delighted to announce that the BFI’s collection of over 500 film costumes is being transferred to the V and A. ...  Highlights in the collection include a silk satin wedding dress and train designed by Travis Banton for Mae West as Tira in "I’m No Angel" [1933], ...
• • Source: V and A; published in October 2012

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2472nd 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1940 • •
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Mae West: Voltaire Vixen

"MAE WEST Philosophy" was the headline in Singapore on Sunday, 28 October 1934.  The lengthy article, which bore no byline, recapped Mae's controversial Broadway career and the 1927 trial and conviction along with various comments from her enemies — — before swinging around sympathetically to the Brooklyn bombshell herself, who compared herself to Voltaire.  Curious? Let's explore.
• • "Mae West Philosophy" • •

• • This is Mae West's philosophy:  "I'm a tonic to tired housewives. My style of vamping makes the women rest easy. I, myself, hate those slinky dames."  How Mae West swept to success in face of strong opposition from many quarters ...
• • "a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire" • •
• • "Honey," Mae West said, sitting down and speaking earnestly, "It's like this.  The women don't razz me because I don't make 'em jealous. The only censorship directed at me comes from men because intelligent men resent my satire. In one way I'm a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire, honey, because I show that bigshot guys with a lot of dough and tailcoats and culture will fall like shooting gallery ducks for a lady lion tamer or any Madame Honky Tonk that gets a range on them. Once in a while that burns up an intelligent man because it makes him feel inferior." ...
• • Source: The Straits Times (Singapore); published on Sunday, 28 October 1934.
• • Aggie Herring [4 February 1876 — 28 October 1939] • •
• • Born in San Francisco on 4 February 1876, the five-foot-four performer launched her silver screen career at the age of 40 with a Western, "The Darkening Trail" [1915], which starred William S. Hart, who also directed.  Working steadily in Tinseltown from 1915 — 1939, Aggie Herring was often seen in minor roles such as the cook, housekeeper, flower vendor, charwoman, seamstress, Irish washerwoman, landlady, mother-in-law, and once as a nun. Steadily employed for twenty four years in the screen trade, her name was attached to 122 projects (though Herring was often denied screen credit).
• • In "She Done Him Wrong," Aggie Herring was cast as Mrs. Flaherty. She was 57 when that motion picture premiered in 1933.
• • Six years later, her last cinema gig would be in "Everybody's Baby" [1939], a production that also featured Hattie McDaniel, who was seen in "I'm No Angel" [1933] as Mae West's maid.
• • Employed in the screen trade right until the end, Agnes Herring died in Santa Monica, California on Saturday, 28 October 1939.  She was 63.
• • On Saturday, 28 October 1933 in Boston Herald • •
• • "Miss West in Her Victorious Course," an article in Boston Herald on Saturday, 28 October 1933, described the box office brouhaha in Beantown caused by "I'm No Angel." Crowds rushing to secure tickets reminded a local journalist of a "run on the neighboring bank."
• • On Tuesday, 28 October 1941 • •
• • On Tuesday, 28 October 1941, Hollywood columnists broke the story that Mae West was seeking a divorce. The Courier Mail (Brisbane) ran the piece on the front cover.
• • Hollywood, October 28 — Mae West, the film star, announced to-day that she was filing a suit for divorce against Frank Wallace, to whom she was married in 1911. The action will be a cross-complaint to Wallace's suit for separate maintenance. 
• • Source: Article: "Mae West Seeks Divorce" written by A.A.P. and printed in The Courier-Mail (page 1); published on Wednesday, 29 October 1941.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "There are women who keep right on thinking they can be something special to a man — — and they are."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An obit mentioned Mae West.
• • Daily Record wrote: Erma E. Sheppard, 85, of West Salem, Ohio died Friday, August 3, 2012, at Burbank Parke Care Center. ... Erma was born Aug. 5, 1926, in Cleveland, the daughter of Joseph and Bertha (Nagy) Janicsek. She had worked in Cleveland as a makeup artist and had the pleasure of doing Mae West's makeup.  ...
• • Source: Obit written for The Daily Record (Wooster, Ohio); published in August 2012

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2471st 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West: Sam Ash

MAE WEST starred in "The Heat's On" [1943] — — and  Sam Ash was cast as Frank.
• • Sam Ash [28 August 1884 — 20 October 1951] • •
• • Born in Campbell County, Kentucky on 28 August 1884, Sam Ash had a varied career in theatre and in Tinseltown.
• • He appeared several times on Broadway, usually in musical comedies or revues, between 1915 — 1922.  He worked with J.J. Shubert, for instance, in "The Passing Show of 1922."
• • From 1929 — 1953, he appeared in 204 feature films occasionally in a singing role but mainly in bit parts.  His participation in "The I Don't Care Girl" [1953], a musical bio-pic about vaudeville sensation Eva Tanguay (played by Mitzi Gaynor), was his final film credit. Mae West paid very close attention to how wonderfully well Tanguay did in vaudeville..
• • Sam Ash died in Hollywood on Saturday, 20 October 1951.  He was 67.
• • Allan "Rocky" Lane [22 September 1909 — 27 October 1973] • •
• • By choice, Mae West did not do much TV work.  Her fans really enjoyed her star turn on "Mr. Ed" — — broadcast on 22 March 1964.
• • Born in Indiana, Allan "Rocky" Lane was a studio leading man and the star of many cowboy B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. Lane appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in a career lasting from 1929 to 1966. He also did the voice of the talking horse on the television series "Mr. Ed" from 1961 — 1966.
• • After "Mr. Ed" ended in 1966, Lane retired. In 1973, he was residing in Woodland Hills, California when he lost his battle with cancer on Saturday, 27 October 1973. He was 64.
• • On Saturday, 27 October 1934 • •
• • Picture-goer, Britain's publication for film fans, discussed the costumes designed for Mae West for her latest movie "Belle of the Nineties" in their issue dated for Saturday, 27 October 1934.
• • On Sunday, 27 October 1935 • •
• • Which actresses would be most popular in 1936?  The L.A. Times weighed in on the merits of Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, and Jean Harlow in an article printed on Sunday, 27 October 1935.
• • On Tuesday, 27 October 2009 • •
• • "Mae West Wrote Plays; Pity We Can Only Read Them" was the title of an intriguing book review written by Rick Whitaker.  It was published on Tuesday, 27 October 1997 in the peach-colored newspaper The New York Observer. The title under discussion was this: "Three Plays by Mae West: 'Sex,' 'The Drag' and 'The Pleasure Man'," edited by Lillian Schlissel [Routledge, 246 pages]. Excellent book.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Back in the 18th century, when everybody had long white hair, great ladies used to receive callers in the bedroom. It was considered class."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A news item mentioned Mae West.
• • Billboard's columnist Uno wrote: Pam Lawrence is in Mae West's "Diamond Lil" at the Plymouth, New York. ...
• • Source: Item: "General News" written by Uno for Billboard Magazine; published on Saturday, 22 October 1949 

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2470th 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1943 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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