Mae West: Personal Assistants

With so much career commotion to cope with, MAE WEST tried to keep her business affairs simple.  For example, she had career guidance from the Brooklyn-born lawyer James A. Timony, who remained at her side for 37 years.  
• • On 5 April 1954, Jim Timony, age 68, suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving Mae without a steadfast, faithful manager for the first time since 1917.
• • Mae West's Personal Assistants: A Chronology • •
• • Of all her secretaries, Larry Lee was the man Mae counted upon the longest. According to Jill Watts, "Larry Lee . . . had worked for her in various capacities since 1929."  On 5 December 1977, Mae West signed the last check (from United California Bank) to Larry Lee, paying him $50 for "services in full to date of any and all claim." 
• • According to combined sources, the female impersonator Craig Russell  [10 January 1948 — 30 October 1990] was hired as her assistant during the "flower power" era. Since he had been her Canadian fan club's president, they met finally in 1967. He worked for Mae for seven months and was deemed so trustworthy that he even lived at her luxurious beach house in Santa Monica.  In 1968, Craig Russell returned to Toronto, Canada. Before long he was doing supper club work and then a movie.

• • Mae's devoted friend Robert Duran took on the duties as her assistant from 1968 to about 1972.  Duran was often at Mae's side, as an intimate friend and confidante. 
• • In 1973, Mae hired Larry Grayson as a driver, secretary, and personal assistant. Grayson was Filipino and gay, wore "leisure suits," and carried around a small portable bar in a white attache case. It seems that men found Grayson sexy and irresistible. He enjoyed regaling Mae with these stories and she enjoyed listening. He worked with her until 1976 or 1977, when a minor traffic accident made him resign.
• • Mae West always mentioned her assistants by name in her books.  A glance at the "Acknowledgments" section in any book, a thank you list compiled by Mae herself, is the best way to know which men were officially engaged as employees on her payroll. 
• • Mae West preferred the company of tall, trim, good looking men whether she was hiring a driver, floral designer, or secretary — — as you can see from these photos.  

• • Image: Robert Duran, a favorite companion and a personal assistant, with Mae West 
• • Thanks: We thank Damon Devine for this one-time use of both images of Mae West with her assistants. Do NOT "borrow" Mr. Devine's photos. Ask his permission. Be nice. Thank you.
• • On Saturday, 31 May 1975 • •
• • "Hollywood Hotline: Mae Writes About Man" • •
• • Nancy Anderson, a syndicated columnist for Copley News Service, wrote:  Hollywood — — At the Columbia Pictures 50th anniversary dinner, Mae West confided that she’s written a book, “Pleasure Man,” which Dell will bring out in June. “It would make a great picture,” Mae added. “I’d hoped Laurence Harvey would play the leading role, because he would have been perfect for it. However, Paul Newman would also be very good.”
• • Nancy Anderson added:  As far as picture plans go, Mae said she’s offered properties every day but that nothing she’s seen lately appeals to her as an actress.  The Columbia dinner brought out an array of stars, among them Charles and Jill Ireland Bronson, Karl Malden, Charlton Heston, Miss West of course, Groucho Marx, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Janet Blair, but the celebrity who created the greatest pandemonium was Barbra Streisand, accompanied by Jon Peters.
• • After Dark Magazine, May 1977 • •
• • In the late 1970s Patrick Pacheco took over the editorship of After Dark Magazine and tried to boost the iron content with more red-blooded interviews. In the May 1977 issue, Patrick Pacheco's article on Mae West was printed. The title was: "Ladies and Gentlemen — The Lady, the Lions, and Her Amazing 'Sextette'!"
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Drawn to us as if by a magnetic force concealed beneath the floor, Mae West enters, gliding almost mechanically to her chair.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Mr. Eisenhower's a leader, and a leader has drive and decision and power, and that makes a man a man."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Daily mentioned Mae West.
• • At Menlo and Mayfield Theatres — — Mae West in "Klondike Annie."
• • Source:  Item in The Stanford Daily; published on Tuesday, 31 May 1938
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eleven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3453rd 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 • • with personal assistant Robert Duran • •
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Mae West: Larry Lee

MAE WEST always had a faithful secretary at her side.  In her memoir "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It," she thanked several special people.
• • Mae West wrote:  A book about one's life necessarily demands a tremendous amount of recollection and research, and I have never kept a diary. I once told an interviewer that if I ever kept a diary it would have to be written in invisible ink.
• • Mention must be made of my dear friends and business associates, Murray Fall and James J. Geller, who finally persuaded me to set down the events of my life.
• • Many of my records preserved through the years were hopelessly ruined in the storage room of my apartment building in Hollywood during the "unusual" floods of 1933—1935. My important papers, copyright cards, and family photos stored there could not be replaced.
• • I am, therefore, appreciative of the assistance given me by Larry Lee, my longtime associate, in recalling to me many of the names, dates, places and events which I have recorded in this autobiography.
• • I also wish to thank Criswell for the hours and days he spent in research, exploring library records and newspaper files for factual information and data concerning my life not easily obtainable otherwise.
• • My sincere thanks, too, are given to Dolly Lyons Dempsey, long my devoted fan and friend, for the reference use of her many scrapbooks in which she has collected published material about me since 1935. I owe special thanks to Stephen Longstreet for his editorial assistance. — — M. W.,   Hollywood, California
• • Of all her secretaries, Larry Lee probably worked with Mae the longest. According to Jill Watts, "Larry Lee . . . had worked for her in various capacities since 1929."
• • Mae's secretary, Larry Lee gave a memorable courtroom appearance, too.  On 28 August 1948, a wire service reported on this: "Scenes From Play Are Staged In Court By Mae West Aides."  Apparently, Mr. Lee was quite entertaining. No wonder Mae enjoyed having him around.
• • More of Mae's "official" secretaries (i.e., paid employees) will be featured in the next post.
• • On Wednesday, 30 May 1934 • •
• • One more installment of the very interesting week-long article "Mae West in Roads of Romance" by Harry Lee and Winfield Meggs, Side Glances columnists and illustrators for The Winnipeg Evening Tribune, was published on Wednesday, 30 May 1934.
• • On Tuesday. 30 May 1950 • • 
• • On this date an article appeared: "Mae West Will Open a Casino." The plan to launch Mae West's Diamond Lil Casino Restaurant in Las Vegas was being worked on by her lawyer Charles Catt and her manager Jim Timony.
• • On Wednesday, 30 May 2007 • •
• • Christie's held this auction of a Mae West movie collectible in New York City, Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday, 30 May 2007.
• • A costume design for Mae West, circa 1970s, by Edith Head possibly for "Sextette" [1978]. The sketch of this elegant pink gown is pictured in the auction booklet. A collector paid $900 to possess it.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Unless there has been a change In plans, Mae West opens Tuesday at Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Columbus,  Ohio, in something called "Sextette." John Kenley is producing.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Love means one thing to one's parents and something else to another. lt's a more or less powerful emotion beyond ordinary human control. Try it yourself sometime and you'll get what I mean."
• • Quote, Unquote • •

• • A Midwest paper discussed Mae West.
• • The article was called “Papa Handy Goes Up to See Mae West.”
• • Source: Article in The Chicago Defender; published on Saturday, 7 May 1938 
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eleven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3452nd 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 1938 • •
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Mae West: Alan Young Dies

MAE WEST met Alan Young [19 November 1919 — 19 May 2016] when she was invited to guest star on the popular TV series "Mister Ed," about a talking horse. Alan played Wilbur Post, the architect who owns this intelligent 4-legged creature. The CBS show ran for six seasons (1961 to 1965).
• • "Alan Young, star of 'Mr. Ed,' dies at 96" • •
• • Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to a talking horse in the 1960s sitcom “Mister Ed,” died of natural causes.  His children were around his bedside. He was 96.
• • His death occurred at the Motion Picture and Television Home, where he had been in residence for the past four years.
• • Alan Young was an English-born Canadian-American actor, voice actor, comedian, radio host, television host and personality best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television comedy series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games.  In addition to Mae West, an eclectic group of celebrities, including Clint Eastwood and baseball great Sandy Koufax, made lively guest appearances opposite the talkative horse.
• • On Monday, 27 May 1935 • •
• • It was Monday, 27 May 1935 and Mae West fans were lining up to see the screen queen in "Goin' to Town" opening its exclusive engagement at  Capitol Theatre in Ontario, Canada.
• • That week in Ontario, these feature films were onscreen: "The Bride of Frankenstein" starring Boris Karloff and "Loves of a Dictator" starring Olive Brook (at the Tivoli).
• • On Friday, 27 May 2005 • •
• • Talented artist Tom Tierney released his wonderful "Mae West Paper Doll" book on Friday, 27 May 2005.  Dover published it. You must have a copy in your collection of Westian.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • It's a film event when Mae West's leading man in "Belle of the Nineties" co-stars with the glamorous star of "Berkeley Square."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Keep cool and collect."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A newspaper mentioned Mae West.

• • Louis Sobol wrote:  Johnnie Ray travels backstage of the Latin Quarter to pose for a few camera shots with Mae West . . .
• • Source:  Louis Sobol's syndicated column "New York Cavalcade" rpt in Desert Sun; published on Monday, 1 November 1954
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eleven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3451st 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 1954 • •
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Mae West: Out of Romance

MAE WEST took credit for the script and dialogue of "Go West, Young Man" even though it was based on a well-regarded Broadway play by Lawrence Riley.  That is one more proof of the power the blonde bombshell had at Paramount Pictures at the height of her career.
• • Mae West is in “Go West. Young Man” at the Lincoln and at the Orpheum • •
• • The legit show “Personal Appearance,” done “right” by Mae West, comes to the movies as “Go West, Young Man.”
• • Those who may have witnessed the stage play, either by the New York City's Broadway cast or by the University Players, or have read the book on “Personal Appearance” need not back up from Mae’s version.  It’s well known that Mae uses her own gags and has the rawest wit of the screen. She can strip all the other wise-crackers of their glory and dwindle them to pint size in a very few minutes of verbal sparring and hip rhythm.
• • General trend of the story is the same. 
• • Mavis Arden is a movie star out on a string of personal appearances and is accompanied by Warren William, her press agent, whose assignment as defined by her husband [sic], head of the picture company for which she works, is to keep her out of romance with the boys along the way. Randolph Scott is a roadside filling station operator and inventor of a motion picture gadget. Lyle Talbot is a candidate for political office who sees his chances go haywire after a string of headlines proclaims his love-nesting with a married [sic] and screen famous woman. New event in the story Is a phony kidnapping finish which builds up to a gag ending — — the likes of which Mae is past mistress of manipulation.
• • Isabel Jewell, Alice Brady, Margaret Perry, a newcomer, and Elizabeth Patterson are strong in their portions.
• • Lawrence Riley [1896 — 29 November 1974] wrote the original.  But the credits say screen play and dialogue is by Mae West.
• • Source:  Article in The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, Nebraska);  published on Sunday, 6 December 1936.
• • On Sunday, 26 May 1889 • •
• • Another wedding in the Jacob Delker family; Delker was Mae's maternal grandfather.  Matilda West's brother Carl Delker married Miss Mathilde Misdorn on Sunday, 26 May 1889.
• • Earlier that year Miss Matilda Delker had wed John West in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Saturday, 19 January 1889.
• • On Saturday, 26 May 1934 • •

• • A week-long series, titled "Roads of Romance" by Harry Lee and Winfield Meggs (illustrated with charming pen and ink drawings of Mae on page 31), was printed in The Winnipeg Evening Tribune on  Saturday, 26 May 1934 (and 5 other dates).
• • On Wednesday, 26 May 1999 • •
• • Wednesday, 26 May 1999, TV viewers and Mae mavens were able to watch  Intimate Portrait, Season 5, Episode 28: "Mae West." This was the original air date and it was shown on LIFE.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Asked if she liked clothing by Christian Dior, Mae West told a fashion reporter, "I think Dior looks good on Dior."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Without diamonds, honey, I'd feel undressed."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Cinema Retro Magazine discussed the film career of Mae West.
• • Don R. Stradley looks at "Sextette," the cinematic swan song of the legendary Mae West
• • Source:  Article in Issue # 26 of Cinema Retro; published in May 2013
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started eleven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3450th 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 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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