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Most Mae-mavens know that MAE WEST was born on Bushwick Avenue and that she was proud of introducing her Brooklyn accent to the movie industry. Born in 1893, the Broadway hopeful honed her skills as a child in amateur vaudeville and stock companies in Brooklyn. At that time, Bushwick and Greenpoint were full of vaudeville houses and repertory theatre groups.
• • In contrast, the borough of Queens had neither opportunity to offer an aspiring performer.
• • This information is well-known and has been published in several Mae West biographies by Emily Wortis Leider, Jill Watts, Simon Louvish, et al.
• • Apparently, no one at The Greater Astoria Historical Society reads books. That is why their hysterical society wrote this pathetic and baseless nonsense recently. To wit:
• • Sex symbol Mae West spent her childhood in Woodhaven [sic] • •
• • Written by The Greater Astoria Historical Society • •
• • The Greater Astoria Historical Society wrote: Star of stage and screen, one of the first Hollywood sex symbols, writer and singer, Mae West’s outsize curves and personality earned her recognition as one of the greatest female film stars of all time. . . .
• • The Greater Astoria Historical Society wrote: Mary Jane West was born Aug. 17, 1893. Although sources debate where exactly she was born, she spent her early years in various neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Woodhaven [sic].
• • TRUTH: There is no "debate." Mae West was born right on Bushwick Avenue.
• • TRUTH: Mae West did not spend "her early years" in Woodhaven. By the time her family moved there, Mae was an adult and had been featured in Broadway shows.
• • The Greater Astoria Historical Society wrote: Her father John was a prizefighter known as “Battlin’ Jack West” and mother Matilda was a fashion model. She began singing and dancing at local churches and amateur venues at 5 and later at Neir’s Tavern, which still stands on 78th Street in Woodhaven [sic].
• • The Greater Astoria Historical Society wrote: The girl from Queens [sic] wowed crowds, and in her teens moved on to vaudeville. ...
• • For more information, call 718-278-0700.
• • Source for this foolish misinformation: The Queens Ledger (www.timesledger.com ); published on Saturday, 23 August 2014.
• • TRUTH: Mae West did not sing nor did she entertain in Neir's barroom. No other female of Mae's era did either.
• • The Queens Ledger occasionally prints some Mae-malarkey, some fond falsehood about Mae "hanging out" at Louis Neir's place, originally a grocery store that gradually expanded into an all-male saloon for laborers and sweaty factory workers during the brief time the West family resided in the area.
• • No, Mae West did not set foot inside Neir's — — nor did any other respectable women during the Prohibition Era. Why would they? During the 1920s and 1930s, there was no "ladies' entrance" at Neir's and their rarely-cleaned urinals were another reason this Woodhaven dive was a regular gathering spot only for those gritty spit-on-the-floor blue-collar fellows versus couples (until modern times).
• • Factories based in Woodhaven when Mae resided there • •
• • Woodhaven's growth and building boom were directly linked to the employment opportunities at its local factories, such as Lalance and Grosjean Manufacturing Company (whose sprawling plant resembled a country village); Merit Hosiery Company at 104th Street; Custen Brothers, who produced buttons; Regal Spear Company, who made straw and cloth hats; D. Nussbaum Knitting Mills; Uneeda Garment Company (95th Street); Anheuser-Busch Company (who built a steel plant to make ice cream on 94th Street during Prohibition); et cetera.
• • Because it developed as a blue-collar factory district, Woodhaven had no local theatres for live performances of plays, ballets, operas, nor concerts. During the 1920s, however, movie houses began to be constructed.
• • The West family relocated often. By the mid-1920s, for instance, they were no longer in Woodhaven and were living in Floral Park, Queens.
• • 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.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West never forgets a friend nor a kindness, and seems to have an inexhaustible memory for the faces of those who have crossed her pathway in her long journey from Brooklyn to Broadway.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'm Mae West, I can't wear the same clothes twice."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An item in The Pittsburgh Press mentioned Mae West.
• • "Mae West Rings Up Profits in Her Tour" • •
• • The Pittsburgh Press said: Mae West got half of the $327,000 grossed by her personal appearance tour and will make another soon. ...
• • Source: "Other Bits of Filmland News" in The Pittsburgh Press; published on Sunday, 12 June 1938
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 10th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during this past decade.
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2993rd 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 • • in 1932 and as a child in Brooklyn stock • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
MAE WEST was making headlines in Ottawa in August 1977.
• • "Mae West — She still more than measures up" • •
• • Written by George Anthony — Special to The Ottawa Journal • •
• • HOLLYWOOD — — "She has more glamor per square inch than anybody in the world," said Edith Head, dismissing all other contenders with a wave of her hand. We were sitting in Head's Oscar-lined office at Universal studios, and we were talking about Mae West — — who isn't these days? — — and her finally completed "Sextette," the screen comedy she's both promised and threatened to make for the last two decades.
• • When "Sextette" went into production, West chose British actor Timothy Dalton (Heathcliff in the remake of "Wuthering Heights") as her new leading man. But just to keep the odds in her favor, she also cast Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, Tony Curtis, and (gasp) Dom DeLuise as a clutch of former lovers and husbands.
• • Before the cameras rolled, however, Hollywood's prima designing woman, the prolific and award-laden Head, was summoned to design a dozen new gowns for West. "I have always loved working with Mae," said Edith Head with a blissful sigh, "because she's so professional. Mae West is in her 80s now, but she stands for costume fittings for hours and never complains. Some of our young actresses on the way up should take lessons from her!" ...
• • To be continued on Monday, Labor Day.
• • Source: Interview in Ottawa Journal (Ottawa, Canada); published on Tuesday, 30 August 1977.
• • 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 this sheltered individual rarely ventured above the wilds of West 96th 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.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Even at the fourscore mark, Mae West remains a remarkable figure of a woman.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "There was the robber, waving his gun in my face, and asking me to turn over my jewels to him. I said. 'Listen, big boy, you can have the jewels, but do you mind lowering that gun a bit? I can always get more jewels, but I've got to have my face to do it with!'"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article by Associated Press discussed Mae West.
• • Bob Thomas wrote: The interviewer wonders if this soft-voiced woman of 80 could have aroused such a clamor. The answer is yes. She continues to spout such comments as: "Sex is like a small business; you gotta watch over it." ...
• • Source: Syndicated article rpt in The Journal News (Hamilton, Ohio); published on Saturday, 18 August 1973
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 10th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during this past decade.
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2992nd 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 • • with Mr. America in 1977 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
In 1947 MAE WEST was going to Great Britain and happy headlines heralded her visit.
• • "Mae West for Own Play in London" • •
• • LONDON, Thursday. Mae West, who turned down £2,000 a week to play here before the war, is packing, her bags to come to England.
• • She is due here on September 11 to begin rehearsals for her own play "Diamond Lil," a tale of New York's Bowery in the 1890s.
• • Mae insists on bringing American actors with her to play a low down Tammany politician and a Chicago gangster, but 50 hefty middle-aged Britons will be sought for American "tough guy" roles, including dope fiends, gigolos, crooked lawyers, and political racketeers.
• • Daily auditions for these roles are being held in London. Qualifications: Applicants must "talk rough and look it." — — "News" Special Service.
• • Source: Front page article in News (Adelaide); published on Friday, 29 August 1947.
• • 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).
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Perhaps surprisingly, Miss West deplores the current film trend toward sex and nudity.
• • "I don't approve of it, it's just not right," she declared. "I can see what's happening. The picture makers have run out of titles; that's why you get all those long titles nowadays. They've also run out of plots."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Don't ever make the same mistake twice — — unless it pays."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A letter in The L.A. Times defended Mae West.
• • "He Done Her Wrong" • •
• • Ramfis Diaz wrote: I was appalled at director Ken Hughes' story about Mae West in "Sextette," Miss West's final film in 1978 ("Acting Had Nothing to Do With It," Feb. 23).
• • Ramfis Diaz continued: God bless her, she couldn't have looked or been so great as she was at age 85! Why is it that every time this film is mentioned, it's panned and blame quickly goes to Miss West? Since the 1930s, Miss West was treated so poorly by Hollywood — —but adored by her friends and fans all over the world.
• • Ramfis Diaz noted: To the fan, Mae West was Mae West at any age. When we fans asked her to please make another movie, she gave us "Sextette" and we love her for it. The fact is, when she did this very difficult film she was a diabetic and suffered from other ailments, as could any 85-year-old or younger person. Shame on Ken Hughes for deciding to bash Miss West.
• • Source: Letter in The L.A. Times; published on Sunday, 2 March 1997
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 10th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during this past decade.
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2991st 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 • • in 1947 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
