Sunday, October 28, 2012

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 1933
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