• • "'Diamond Lil' Puts Mae West on Top" • •
• • Willis Thornton wrote: The "dozen" plays that her stay on Blackwell's Island inspred her to write did not immediately materialize. ... Then suddenly "Diamond Lil" exploded on Broadway like Payne's fireworks. Mae West's flippant pen, her feline wiggle, her husky, croony voice made "Diamond Lil" into something everybody just had to see.
• • Willis Thornton continued: The story of the lady who took her funds where she found them was not distinguished, but the costumes of the Lillian Russell era, the purring lines like "I ain't ice!" and "Come up sometime and see me!" set up a new character in theatre lore to stand beside the Sadie Thompson of "Rain." . . .
• • Source: Article: "'Diamond Lil' Puts Mae West on Top" by Willis Thornton for The San Jose Evening News (page 25); published on Friday, 6 October 1933.
• • On Saturday, 10 September 1921 • •
• • "The Mimic World," a musical revue Mae West performed in, opened on 17 August 1921 at the Century Promenade Roof on Central Park West at West 62nd Street. Originally designed as a rehearsal space, this outdoor auditorium could seat 500.
• • "The Mimic World" closed on Saturday night, 10 September 1921.
• • In 1930, the building was razed to make way for the Century Apartments.
• • One of the musicians behind "The Mimic World" was Owen Murphy [2 September 1893 — 3 April 1965]. A composer, writer, and lyricist, Owen Murphy was born in September in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. During her Hollywood years, Mae would visit Mt. Clemens for the healing mineral springs.
• • On Wednesday, 10 September 1980 • •
• • It was on Wednesday, September 10th that the news media reported that a stroke had caused Mae West to suffer a speech impairment. At the time, she and Paul Novak were registered in Good Samaritan Hospital under the press-dodging names of Gloria and Paul Drake. The Los Angeles sunshine invaded their private room, flooding the floor with fractured light.
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| Darlene Violette has the title role in "Diamond Lil" and Juan Sebastian Cortes plays a seducer from Rio |
• • 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
• • Director: Co-directed by Dena Tyler, The Actors Studio, and Darlene Violette.
• • 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: "Lions surely do have halitosis."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • "Contemporary American Playwrights" mentioned Mae West.
• • Linder, Mark. Born New York City. Converted his vaudeville sketch, "The Frame-Up," into full length play, "Chatham Square"; Mae West liked the idea but not the play which she rewrote as "Diamond Lil" (1928); got 176 performances; wrote "The Squealer," and had a hand in "Room 349," "The Honor Code," "Triplets" and "Summer Wives" (1936). ...
• • Source: Book: "Contemporary American Playwrights" edited by Burns Mantle; published in 1940
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2738th 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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