Mae West: Chic Bowery Queen

The decision to film "Diamond Lil" by MAE WEST meant that Paramount had joined the Hollywood race to produce "sex pictures," a race begun when the Motion Picture Association board banned gang pictures in September 1931, wrote Leonard J. Leff and Jerold L. Simmons in "The Dame in the Kimono."
• • According to Leff and Simmons, the story department told the front office that the playscript would make a  poor picture.  Why?  It was believed that the Gay Nineties setting would alienate the core audience — — college students, teenagers, and children.
• • Management at Paramount had a decisive approach: this picture, shot quickly would not be expensive, and thus it might succeed. Indeed.
• • Which is your favorite Mae West movie?
• • On Wednesday, 31 August 1938 • •
• • An article complimenting Mae West and applauding her newest motion picture "Every Day's a Holiday" was published in The Queenslander (Brisbane, Australia) on Wednesday, 31 August 1938.
• • The Queenslander wrote: Mae West goes back to her favourite period, the nineties of last century, for her latest film, "Every Day's a Holiday," a Paramount picture. It has a steady flow of Westian wit, such as "Let joy be unrefined," with a plot that gives the comedienne large scope. She has surrounded herself with an imposing array of male comedy talent, including Walter Catlett, Charles Butterworth, and Charles Winninger, and has included Edmund Lowe for romantic appeal, so that the film will not disappoint even the most critical of her admirers.  ...
• • On Sunday, 31 August 1969 • •
• • "Sex is an emotion in motion," Mae West told The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, 31 August 1969. That's a pretty provocative way to end a hot month, eh? 

Juan Sebastian Cortes, Joanna Bonaro, Sidney Myer in "Diamond Lil"

• • See "Diamond Lil" This Autumn! • •
• • By popular demand, actress Darlene Violette — — and the wonderful cast who brought the Bowery denizens and Suicide Hall’s ne’er-do-wells to life — — will return in “Diamond Lil” for several evening performances at Don’t Tell Mama [343 W. 46th Street] on these dates in 2013:
• • 7:00pm on Sunday September 15th and 22nd. 
• • 7:30pm on Sunday October 27th — Hallowe'en Party — come in 1890s costume!
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 3rd — vote for Gus Jordan for Sheriff Night.
• • 8:30pm on Sunday November 10th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 17th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 24th
• • Phone after 4pm to reserve a seat: 212-757-0788; RSVP online: www.donttellmamanyc.com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: 42nd St./ Times Sq. via A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over). Join us as we turn the iconic NYC nightspot Don't Tell Mama into Gus Jordan's "Suicide Hall"! 
• • The Cast: Starring Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery and also featuring Sidney Myer, Anthony DiCarlo, Joanna Bonaro, Gary Napoli, Juan Sebastian Cortes, Kimmy Foskett, Jim Gallagher and live music by Brian McInnis
• • Come up and see for yourself. You might even win a swell Raffle Prize.
• • Read a Review of "Diamond Lil" • •
• • L'Idea Magazine's editors attended four times and had a lot to say. Here's the link: http://www.lideamagazine.com/usa-still-entertaining-mae-wests-diamond-lil-makes-new-fans-in-new-york-city/
• • Staying faithful to the gritty themes in the novel, LindaAnn Loschiavo trimmed the work to 85 minutes for a cast of eight.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "They kept begging me and telling me they had a contract with me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Salina.com mentioned Mae West.
• • "From Mae West to Miley" • •
• • "Is that a banana (sic) in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" — — Mae West
• • Ben Wearing, Executive Editor of Salina.com wrote: We offer this Mae West quote to add a little perspective to a world gone atwitter over Miley Cyrus' performance Sunday at MTV's VMA Awards.
• • Ben Wearing continued:  If you didn't see Cyrus' act, you can watch online and see what the fuss is about. Or, if you're easily offended, here's our short version: Miley, the former "Hanna Montana" star and daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, prances around in what appears to be flesh-colored bra and panties and basically gives it the old bump-and-grind with Robin Thicke as they both sing — — to the degree that any pop or rock performers "sing." Actually, it's more like shouting, but hey, it's worked for decades for Mick Jagger.  She also does some nasty antics with a big, foam finger and sticks out her tongue a lot.
• • Ben Wearing explained:  Much of the entertainment world and some audience members are shocked, shocked we tell you, to see faux sex on stage.
• • Ben Wearing noted:  What does this have to do with Mae West? Nothing, except that if you take a look back even just a few decades, there have always been entertainers using sex to shock viewers and sell themselves. Each new generation thinks they are doing something groundbreaking, when in fact they're only the latest to create a scene.  ...
• • Ben Wearing added:  From novels to stage plays to music and videos, performers are always trying to shock us to promote themselves. There's typically little new or significant here, and we're always mystified when people are surprised or offended. We guess when you have no sense of history, everything is new.
• • Ben Wearing concluded:  What's not a puzzle is why performers go to such extremes. Mae explained it decades ago: "Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office."
• • Source: Article written by Ben Wearing, Executive Editor for Salina.com; published on Thursday, 29 August 2013
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2731st 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 • • Diamond Lil returned for Mae's birthday • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West: Sequence of Lovers

On Monday, 30 August 1948 MAE WEST was in Los Angeles.  The newspapers described the star as trim, stylish, and "dolled up in black satin" when she took the stand in a crowded Los Angeles courtroom.
• • It was quite galling when she and Mike Todd were sued for plagiarism by the writers Edwin K. O'Brien of New York City and Michael Kane of Hollywood, who tried to finagle a $100,000 payday for themselves.
• • In fact Mae has been sued before over this play — — and in a similar suit she testified that she invented the story "out of my own head" and did not draw upon other writers or stories for material.
• • "Mae West Sued For Plagiarism" • •
• • Los Angeles.— U.P.I. — Mae West told a courtroom bulging with spectators that no woman could be expected to remember the order of 300 lovers. The "come up and see me sometime" star of stage and screen testified in defense of a $100,000 plagiarism suit charging she stole most of her play "Catherine was Great" from writers Edwin K. O'Brien and Michael Kane. Under cross-examination by Attorney Henry T. Moore, Miss West said she couldn't remember the sequence of Catherine the Great's lovers.  When Moore became insistent, the sultry actress exploded: "I can't remember the order of them — — no woman could."
• • Miss West, dressed in slinky black satin even to her gloves, said her play paid little attention to the actual number of Catherine's love affairs. "I did the best I could in a couple of hours of entertainment," she said.  ...
• • Source: Article on page 10: Statesville Daily Record; published on Monday, 30 August 1948.
• • The trial lasted six weeks. After the jury deliberated four days, they acquitted Mae West and Mike Todd.  Did it end there?  No.  (Sigh.)
• • On Sunday, 30 August 1931 • •
• • When Mae West brought her play "The Constant Sinner" to Atlantic City for a try-out in August 1931, the crowds lined up for tickets. 
• • Noted The New York Times: "With two rows of standees and chairs in the aisles for extra celebrants, last Monday night saw Mae West run through her latest daisy chain, 'The Constant Sinner,' at the Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City. . ."  Their man on the aisle described this play as "underworld material," leading us to assume that this sheltered individual rarely ventured above the wilds of West 59th Street.
• • Source: The N.Y. Times on Sunday, 30 August 1931.
• • On Sunday, 30 August 1970 in The L.A. Times • •
• • Joyce Haber referred to Mae West as "the Last of the Living Legends" in The Los Angeles Times Calendar on Sunday, 30 August 1970.

• • See "Diamond Lil" This Autumn! • •
• • By popular demand, actress Darlene Violette — — and the wonderful cast who brought the Bowery denizens and Suicide Hall’s ne’er-do-wells to life — — will return in “Diamond Lil” for several evening performances at Don’t Tell Mama [343 W. 46th Street] on these dates in 2013:
• • 7:00pm on Sunday September 15th and 22nd. 
• • 7:30pm on Sunday October 27th — Hallowe'en Party — come in 1890s costume!
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 3rd — vote for Gus Jordan for Sheriff Night.
• • 8:30pm on Sunday November 10th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 17th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 24th
• • Reserve a seat by phone: 212-757-0788; RSVP online: www.donttellmamanyc.com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: 42nd St./ Times Sq. via A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over). Join us as we turn the iconic NYC nightspot Don't Tell Mama into Gus Jordan's "Suicide Hall"! 
• • The Cast: Starring Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery and also featuring Sidney Myer, Anthony DiCarlo, Joanna Bonaro, Gary Napoli, Juan Sebastian Cortes, Kimmy Foskett, Jim Gallagher and live music by Brian McInnis
• • Come up and see for yourself. You might even win a swell Raffle Prize.
• • Read a Review of "Diamond Lil" • •
• • L'Idea Magazine's editors attended four times and had a lot to say. Here's the link: http://www.lideamagazine.com/usa-still-entertaining-mae-wests-diamond-lil-makes-new-fans-in-new-york-city/
• • Staying faithful to the gritty themes in the novel, LindaAnn Loschiavo trimmed the work to 85 minutes for a cast of eight.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "The nerve of a brass monkey."
• • Mae West said: "I sat around for 12 weeks drawing money and I never saw a script. This wasn't for me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The New York Times reviewed "The Constant Sinner," a play by Mae West set in Harlem.
• • The New York Times wrote: "It is underworld material from start to finish, and Miss West handles her role with surety and a sufficiency of wisecracks that provide laughter with frequency." . . .
• • Source: Review in The New York Times; published on Sunday, 30 August 1931
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2730th 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 • • Diamond Lil returned for Mae's birthday • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West: Highly Censorable

Hollywood's interest in a "picturization" of "Diamond Lil" by MAE WEST was discussed in the book "The Dame in the Kimono" by Leonard J. Leff and Jerold L. Simmons (University Press of Kentucky, 2001). 
• • Here's a brief excerpt from their chapter "Welcome Mae West!"

• • Audiences went crazy over "Diamond Lil." The play opened on Broadway in Spring 1928, toured well into summer 1929, and despite "vulgar dramatic situations" and "highly censorable dialogue won over Hollywood.  Universal production head "Junior" Laemmle needed some properties to balance his forthcoming release "All Quiet on the Western Front," and by January 1930, he had contacted the Studio Relations office about "Lil." When Jason Joy answered that no company could make an acceptable picture from "Lil," Universal countered that it might add Mae West to its writing staff.  Joy knew where the back door led and naturally "discouraged the idea."
• • Aware that more such queries about "Diamond Lil" were forthcoming, Will Hays triggered an existing mechanism to blunt them.  ...
• • On Wednesday, 29 August 1979 • •
• • An item about Mae West's radio spot for Poland Spring appeared. Kevin Thomas wrote the article "Mae West — Testing Commercial Waters" for The Los Angeles Times; the paper ran it on Wednesday, 29 August 1979.
• • Mae West didn't need the money and rarely did things of this nature.  But with Poland Spring, she was merely endorsing a product she had personally used for years.
• • On Tuesday, 29 August 1989 in The Village Voice • •
• • Arlena Gibson's article "Go West, Young Man," which referenced Mae West and the opportunities she gave to young actors, was printed in The Village Voice, a weekly, on Tuesday, 29 August 1989 (pages 37, 38).  .

• • See "Diamond Lil" in September! • •
• • By popular demand, actress Darlene Violette — — and the wonderful cast who brought the Bowery denizens and Suicide Hall’s ne’er-do-wells to life — — will return in “Diamond Lil” for two 7 o’clock performances at Don’t Tell Mama [343 W. 46th Street] on Sunday September 15th and 22nd.  Come up and see for yourself.
• • Read a Review of "Diamond Lil" • •
• • L'Idea Magazine's editors attended four times and had a lot to say. Here's the link: http://www.lideamagazine.com/usa-still-entertaining-mae-wests-diamond-lil-makes-new-fans-in-new-york-city/
• • Staying faithful to the gritty themes in the novel, LindaAnn Loschiavo trimmed the work to 85 minutes for a cast of eight.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'd never marry a man who drinks to excess, or one who cannot carry his liquor like a gentleman. For one reason, the man I marry has got to be interested, not in liquor, but in Mae West!" 
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • WeHoVille.com mentioned Mae West.
• • "Celebrity Cruising" • •
• • WeHoVille.com wrote:  Driver Brian Donelly will have you laughing (not easy, considering the subject) during his two and a half hour drive through Hollywood, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. You’ll see the spot on Ivar and Hollywood Boulevard where Fred Mertz collapsed on the street. You’ll see the last place where Mae West could say “come up and see me some time.”  ...
• • Source: Article: "The Ultimate West Hollywood Staycation Guide" written by staff at WeHoville; published on Wednesday, 28 August 2013
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2729th 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/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Diamond Lil returned for Mae's birthday • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC  Mae West