Mae West: Rewriting Play

On Wednesday, 22 October 1947, MAE WEST was on the front page of an Australian newspaper talking about the British tour of "Diamond Lil," which had been a success on Broadway.  The original production in 1928 had a run-time of three hours.  Here it was almost twenty years later.
• • "Mae West Busy Re-writing Play" • •

• • London, October 21 — Mae West left the Palace Theatre, Manchester, tonight, returned to her hotel and began re-writing her 20,000-word play "Diamond Lil."
• • The play ran for three years (sic) in New York, but critics were not impressed at the British opening.  The Evening Standard said: "After two hours the audience was left wondering what it was all about. 'Diamond Lil' is merely something to show off Mae West in clinging gowns singing 'Frankie and Johnnie' and reclining on a bed which is surmounted by a huge golden swan."
• • Mae West, who is 57, said: "I am not done. I will adapt and improve the dialogue and introduce new jokes."
• • Source: Article: "Mae West Busy Re-writing Play" printed (on page 1) in Barrier Miner; published on Wednesday, 22 October 1947.
• • Edward Burra [29 March 1905 — 22 October 1976] • •
• • Born near East Sussex, Edward Burra was an English painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He was best known for his depictions of gay life, vaudevillians, performers, the urban underworld, black culture, and the Harlem (NYC) scene of the 1930s.
• • Mae West inspired this quirky British artist. Edward Burra's startling "Portrait of Mae West" came to life thanks to "Belle of the Nineties," a motion picture he viewed several times during the mid-1930s.
• • On Sunday, 22 October 1933 • •
• • On Sunday, 22 October 1933 The N.Y. Herald Tribune drew attention to the significance of Mae West, the hottest movie star of the year.  The editors noted Mae was "as much one of the major phenomena of 1933 as the NRA, "The Three Little Pigs," or Senator Huey Long." Wow.
• • On Tuesday, 22 October 1935 in Hollywood • •
• • Missives flew back and forth from the Hays Office about the wicked script for "Klondike Annie" and Mae West.
• • On Tuesday, 22 October 1935 Will Hays emphasized this: "We wish to repeat our general caution, as set forth to you in our letter of October 19, regarding the photographing of Mae West's breasts.  We again remind you that there is a definite code provision which ordains the breasts must never be exposed, either in whole or in part — — nor should these be emphasized in the costume.  ..."
• • On Sunday, 22 October 2006 • •
• • Angus McBean photographed Mae West, Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and numerous movie stars. His exhibition "Portraits" was held at the Porter Gallery, opening on 5 July 2006 and closing on Sunday, 22 October 2006.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I soon saw that I was a prisoner of my publicity and success."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on 22 October 1933 quoted Mae West.
• • Mae West said: "The movies, in picturing erring women as doomed to suffer heartbreak and misery, have only been half right.  Maybe years ago that situation prevailed.  But not today.  People are more broad-minded." ...
• • Source: Article in The L.A. Times; published on Sunday, 22 October 1933 

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2465th 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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