Mae West: Strand Theatre

MAE WEST, a famous Broadway star in 1931, was mentioned but once by The Film Daily staff during the twelve months of that year since she was not in the screen trade yet. However, in their issue dated for Wednesday, 21 January 1931, a curious news item was printed about ticket-buyers at the Strand Theatre.

• • The Film Daily staff noticed Mae West and Texas Guinan intently watching the mobster-centric "Little Caesar" in Manhattan.  Whispers hinted that the character of Joe Massara was based on their friend George Raft.
• • "Little Caesar" officially debuted at the Strand Theatre [1579 Broadway at West 47th] in New York City on 9 January 1931.
• • Though the motion picture was reviewed in Photoplay Magazine in their December 1930 issue, and though it was ready for general release during the twelfth month of the year, Warner Brothers felt a gangster-and-guns vehicle was not a Christmas film.
• • The Film Daily wrote: Zeb Epstein and his assistants made a list of the notables who entered the Strand Theatre, to see "Little Caesar," during the 24 hours ending Monday midnight. Here they are: Mae West, Eddie Leonard, Texas Guinan, Bill Tilden, Pauline Starke, George Bancroft, Irving Berlin, Grant Withers, Tammany Young, Primo Camera, and "Shipwreck" Kelly, who tried to crash the gate with his wife and whole family. ...
• • Source: Item: "'Little Caesar' Draws Notables" in The Film Daily; published on Wednesday, 21 January 1931. 
• • On Friday, 21 January 1938 • •
• • On Friday, 21 January 1938 Mae West was in many newspapers again due to more legal woes. The headline in The Argus announced "Action Against Mae West" and this item appeared in the daily Melbourne, Victoria publication (page 11) on 21 January 1938.
• • Filing the story from Los Angeles on Thursday, January 20th, a West Coast correspondent wrote: Miss Mae West, the film actress, and Paramount Pictures have been sued for 1,000,000 dollars (£A200,000) by Mr. Mark Linder, an author, who has charged them with fraud in connection with the story of the film "She Done Him Wrong," which, he alleges, was written by him. Mr. Linder claims that he was induced to sell his interest in the story for 25,000 dollars (£A5,000), while Paramount Pictures made 4,000,000 dollars (£A800,000) and Miss West earned 330,000 dollars (£A67,800). ...
• • On Saturday, 21 January 1950 • •
• • When the revival of "Diamond Lil" left the Plymouth Theatre on Saturday night, 21 January 1950, Mae West immediately took the show on the road. The hard-working performer has never let an understudy substitute for her onstage. How many actresses can say that?
• • On Tuesday, 21 January 2003 in the UK • •
• • Ben Southwell directed the episode "Living Famously — Mae West," which was part of a television series originally broadcast in Great Britain from 2002 — 2003. Starring W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, Mickey Hargitay, et al, this footage originally aired in the UK on Tuesday, 21 January 2003.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Just because I was born in Brooklyn, some people figure the West family tree is a rubber plant."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Aphra Behn mentioned Mae West.
• • Belinda Webb wrote: Three and a half centuries on, the Restoration's Mae West makes many of today's women writers look distinctly genteel ...
• • Source: Article: "Aphra Behn: still a radical example" written by Belinda Webb for The  Guardian; published on Tuesday, 13 November 2007
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2553rd 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 • • with Texas Guinan in 1930 • •
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