Mae West: Jack Perrin

MAE WEST starred in "Go West Young Man" [1936] and Jack Perrin played a policeman.
• • Jack Perrin [25 July 1896 — 17 December 1967] • •
• • Born in Three Rivers, Michigan on 25 July 1896, Jack Perrin had a father who spotted opportunities for a real estate investor on the West Coast and moved his family there before Jack started school. The film trade was really taking off. In 1917, 21-year-old Jack found it easy to be cast in shorts during the silent era.

• • Discharged from the US Navy in 1919, he returned to Hollywood and landed a contract with the prestigious studio Universal but this fizzled out after two years.   Meanwhile, he had met and married Universal star Josephine Hill in 1920. To keep earning a paycheck, he made the mistake of making cowboy movies and fast-buck adventure pictures for low-budget outfits such as Rayart, Arrow, and Aywon. The stigma attached to the "poverty row" studios and the lack of good film credits that would boost an actor's visibility and casting cred was a fatal combination that would kibosh numerous careers and Perrin soon saw his downfall. He even had to sue to get his salary paid.
• • From 1917 — 1962, Jack Perrin made appearances onscreen and on TV in almost 350 films and television series.
• • A minor role as a police officer in "Go West Young Man" [1936] was typical for Jack Perrin. The tedious bit parts that came his way (but never built momentum for him) included that of bailiff, barfly, detective, driver, gambler, henchman, onlooker, spectator, passenger, party guest,  soldier, saloon customer, and townsman.  After brief appearances on "The Lawman" TV series from 1959 — 1962, he retired.
• • Jack Perrin had a heart attack. He died in Hollywood on Sunday, 17 December 1967. He was 71.
• • Melvin "Sy" Oliver [17 December 1910 — 28 May 1988] • •
• • Born in Battle Creek, Michigan on Saturday, 17 December 1910, Melvin "Sy" Oliver hailed from a musical family.  His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a multi-instrumentalist who made a name for himself demonstrating saxophones during an era when at a time that woodwind instrument was seldom used outside of marching bands. Their talent rubbed off on their son, who became a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader.
• • In the 1950s Mae West worked with Sy Oliver.  Several tracks they did together were released in 1954 on the Decca label. Currently, you may find a few of these cuts on various compilations such as the LP called "Come Up and See Me Sometime" and others.
• • Mae loved to work with black musicians. With accompaniment by Sy Oliver's Orchestra, Mae recorded singles such as "I’m in the Mood For Love," "If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight," "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk," "A Guy What Takes His Time," and "My Daddy Rocks Me."
• • Melvin "Sy" Oliver died in New York City on 28 May 1988.  He was 77.
• • On Friday, 17 December 1937 • •
• • On Friday, 17 December 1937 in The Hollywood Reporter industry people surely noticed an article about Mae West on page 1:  "Legion of Decency Drive Impends on Radio 'Sacrilege'." This piece continued on page 4.
• • On Friday, 17 December 1937 • •
• • An article appeared on the front cover of The Cornell Daily Sun on Friday, 17 December 1937 — — above the fold. The title was "Propriety of Mae West Broadcast Questioned."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "There is something about big cats that appeals to me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Hollywood gossip columnist mentioned Mae West.
• • Jimmie Fidler wrote: "Watching Mae West stroll down the avenue, I always catch myself musing on the sway of all flesh."
• • Jimmie Fidler [24 August 1900 — 9 August 1988] was an American columnist, journalist, and radio and television personality. He wrote a high-profile Hollywood gossip column.
• • Source: "Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood" printed in the Los Angeles Daily Mirror; published on Tuesday, 17 December 1940
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2518th 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 • • 1936 • •
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