• • 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.
• • 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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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Diamond Lil returned for Mae's birthday • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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