Monday, October 14, 2013

Mae West: Never Recovered

On a cold day in The Windy City, MAE WEST was stolen. Dave Hoekstra tells the tale very well.
• • Dave Hoekstra wrote: Tom Boyle owns Yesterday's Wrigleyville nostalgia shop that sells everything from 1970s Cubs baseball cards vintage movie posters. 
• • Dave Hoekstra continued:  A great dive soaks up the dust of the past. There is no way a new place can be a dive. That new upscale tiki bar Three Dots and a Dive? Give it 20 years.
• • Dave Hoekstra explained: Yesterday’s, 1143 W. Addison,is a fine nostalgia shop to everything from 1970s Cubs baseball cards to vintage movie posters. Yesterday’s opened in 1976. It is in a rickety frame building that was constructed in 1884, older than Wrigley Field down the street.
• • Dave Hoekstra added: But what happens when someone steals a life-size cut-out of actress Mae West from the front of the store?  You don’t rip off old stuff from a dive.  Even when sex symbol Mae West said, “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”
• • Dave Hoekstra got the whole story from the owner: For the past 10 years Yesterday’s owner Tom Boyle tied up Mae West against a CTA bus sign in front of his store. Last December someone walked off with the 6-foot-tall wooden figurine. “You know when they have a (Christmas) bar hop?,” Boyle asked last week at his store. “Thousands of people came by. It was getting time to close and I told my associate to bring in Mae. He went out and she was gone. We were shocked. We looked all over thinking someone may have dropped her off somewhere.”   That’s no way to treat a lady.
• • Mae West has never been recovered! • •
• • Dave Hoekstra emphasized: Mae West has never been recovered.  Boyle filed a police report and her “kidnapping” was reported in the neighborhood Inside-Booster newspaper. Unfortunately, Boyle never took any pictures of his favorite bootie.
• • A Mae West collector sold the figurine to Tom Boyle, along with with the script from her final movie “Sextette” (1978) that featured Tony Curtis, Alice Cooper, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr among others.  “When Mae was out there people knew we were open,” Boyle said. “People stood in front of her and took pictures.” He priced the figurine at $100.
• • Nostalgia fans ranging from “Star Wars”-era Harrison Ford to Jimmy Kimmel have visited Yesterday’s, which has “thousands” of old items, according to Boyle. But folks who live in Wrigleyville know more about Kanye West than Mae West.  Yet, this isn’t the first time someone tried to steal an iconic figure ...
• • Source: Article: "After theft, Mae West missed at Yesterday’s in Wrigleyville" by Dave Hoekstra for the Chicago Sun-Times; published on Thursday, 10 October 2013.
• • On Monday, 14 October 1929 • •
• • This illustration is from a special 1929 "Diamond Lil" Program starring Mae West. The Windsor Theatre on Fordham Road, Bronx, NY began a two-week engagement of the Broadway hit on Monday, 14 October 1929.  That's Jack LaRue as the suave South American lothario Pablo Juarez embracing Mae.
• • On Saturday, 14 October 1933 • •
• • The review in Film Daily (on page 6) had this title: "Mae West in 'I'm No Angel.'" Film Daily ran it in their issue dated for Saturday, 14 October 1933.  The New York Evening Journal printed their review (on page 8) on 14 October 1933, too. The New York Post ran a glowing piece about Mae on 14 October 1933: "America's sweetheart."
• • On Thursday, 14 October 1937 • •
• • It was Thursday, 14 October 1937 — — and some Californians held an engraved invitation to take tea with Mae West.
• • The opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea prepared by George Rector — — who was being featured in Mae's latest motion picture for Paramount — — was quite the sought after invitation.
• • The event was staged at Major Studios — — 1040 North Las Palmas.
Pablo Juarez Meets Diamond Lil (2013)
• • See "Diamond Lil" This Autumn! • • 
"Darlene Violette channels Mae West to perfection!" — Stu Hamstra
• • 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:
• • 7:30pm 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.
• • Watch a short clip: Diamond Lil meets Pablo, a gigolo
• • 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.
• • Audience Comments about "Diamond Lil" • •
• • Gigi Garcone said:  Just saw "Diamond Lil" — — a very entertaining production! This tribute to the sultry, irresistible diva Mae West is a must see! All the actors are very talented and you can see they put their hearts into their roles. I especially liked Darlene Violette as Mae West and Joanna Bonaro as Rita, a madam from Rio. Darlene encompassed the whole persona of Mae and Joanna was sublime as the madam — — she really has such a presence on stage. Very enjoyable performance and it's worth the trip!
• • Rick Baynes of Baltimore said: I second Gigi's comments. "Diamond Lil" brings the fabulous Mae West back to life. The wonderful Darlene Violette is spot-on in her portrayal of the lusty, bawdy Mae. Do yourself a favor and go see this lovely production.

• • Mrs. Jean McLoughlin of NYC said:   I recently saw "Diamond Lil" and loved every minute. The entire cast was top-notch, and I was impressed with their creative use of the entire space. The characters really came to life and I was transported back to the raunchy days of Mae West. Darlene Violette gave a great performance as Diamond Lil  — — but Joanna Bonaro really shone as the sultry, venomous Rita. Joanna commands attention and I was more than willing to give it. Fantastic show, I highly recommend that everyone see it! Even my husband, who does not like theater, really enjoyed it.
• • At Jefferson Market Library in NYC next month • • 
• • Mae West's legal woes inspired the stage play "Courting Mae West." See it on 23 November 2013 in the very same room where Mae faced off with Judge George Donnellan and 12 jurors. 
• • Darlene Violette stars as Mae West and the rest of the cast will soon be announced. 
• • The play, based on true events, is set during the Prohibition Era when Mae's plays were padlocked and she was sent to jail. Talk about a woman who climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong.. 
• • This free event is open to the public and there is ample seating. [Note: The humor and adult themes are not suitable for children under 13.]
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I haven't had time to change."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in La Figa mentioned Mae West.
• • Lisa Derrick wrote:  I am all for women making money and creating their own jobs, which sometimes means really breaking out of the norm. Mae West, Madam C.J. Walker, Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun, Jane Austin, Louisa May Alcott, Marie Laveau, Tori Spelling’s relentless round of lifestyle shows — — the list of women who have found ways to survive, support themselves and their families, and build fortunes is endless and inspiring. But there is something really repulsive and poorly conceived about Wines by Wives.  Where to begin?  ...
• • Source: "The Utter Stupidity of Wines by Wives" by Lisa Derrick of Firedoglake; published on Thursday, 10 October 2013
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2763rd 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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