Mae West: Licking the Demon

MAE WEST was spreading her wings in California newsrooms back on May 14th.
• • Paramount's ad copy ran like this: Mae West is that kind of woman, in her first starring picture, "She Done Him Wrong," for which she also provided the story, and which opens today at the New Santa Cruz Theatre. The darling of Broadway portrays the vivid character of a Bowery belle, with devastating results for the men she meets, including Noah Beery and Cary Grant.
• • "You May Blush" • •

• • Paramount's ad copy continued: You May Blush . . But You'll Like It When Mae West Sings "Frankie and Johnny," "A Man What Takes His Time," "Haven't Got No Peace of Mind." Billy Sunday, the fire-and-thunder, anti-rum evangelist, demonstrated how he licked the demon to Mae West and Mrs. Sunday on the bar-room set for Mae West's first starring picture for Paramount, "She Done Him Wrong."
• • "She Done Him Wrong," a story of the New York Bowery, which opens today at the New Santa Cruz Theatre, was written by Miss West. It is her greatest success and breaking all attendance records!
• • Source:  Full page ads on page 2 in The Santa Cruz Sentinel; published on Sunday, 14 May 1933.
• • Mae West Trivia • •
• • There is a "Mae West Hotel Apartment" at Essex Manor in Los Angeles.  It features a queen size bed with three of Mae's photos over it.
• • On Saturday, 14 May 1927 in Collier's • •
• • After Mae's arrest in 1927, Booth Tarkington was commissioned to write an article — — and "When Is It Dirt?" [published in Collier's, The National Weekly, on Saturday, 14 May 1927] discussed the issue of censorship and government intervention.
• • An author himself, Tarkington never champions the rights of the censors, of course, in his thoughtful essay.  Though Mae's name is not mentioned in his piece, the magazine page was designed around a huge photo of Mae, looking very annoyed, in court.
• • On Tuesday, 14 May 1968 • •
• • "A Night With Mae West at Universal City Studios" was a radio event. The program was aired on Tuesday, 14 May 1968.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's plans for a vacation trip have been blasted by a Paramount notice that she must be ready to start on her next picture about the middle of July.  Meanwhile, she must help get the screenplay in shape.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Nothing would please me more than that a guy would come along and write a play that I could really put over."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Broadway columnist referred to Mae West.
• • "Mae West Would Blush at New Broadway Play" • •
• • "Inez Wants It Closed" • •
• • Journalist Inez Robb lamented the fact that there were not enough police to go to the Alvin Theatre to padlock "House of Flowers," a Broadway musical about bordello madams in Trinidad based on a story by Truman Capote. Robb references the punishment Mae West faced in 1927 as being far too harsh and adds her opinion that even Mae would want this nasty show closed down. Hmmm. A debatable point indeed.
• • Source: Article by Inez Robb for Binghamton Press (NY); published on Friday, 7 January 1955
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2913th 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 • • in 1932 with Billy Sunday and his wife • •
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