Friday, October 07, 2016

Mae West: Personal Insult

In September 1933, MAE WEST sat down for a series of interviews with a West Coast syndicated columnist Willis Thornton.
• • "'Diamond Lil' Puts Mae West on Top" • •
• • Editor's Note: This is the third of three installments on Mae West, the  buxom actress who is restoring curves to to feminine favor.  Today's post is excerpt ee, the conclusion to the entire series.
• • Written by Willis Thornton, NEA Services Writer • •
• • No time for the wedding march • •
• • Willis Thornton wrote:   Mae's never had time even to marry [sic]. If she ever does, it'll be no handsome sheik, she insists. "The homely ones have more sex appeal," she says bluntly. Then she goes on to explain, "Sex appeal is the radiation of an attractive personality."  It is not necessarily beauty of face or figure. 
• • Mae's slant on clothes was well shown by her comment when Marlene Dietrich tried to start a trouser vogue.
 • • "What burns me up," said Mae, "is them dumb dames on the West Coast wearin' pants. They don't have any shame. You'll never catch me in pants! I take that fashion as a personal insult!"
• • But by the same token, the coming fashions are a personal tribute to Mae West, the little Brooklyn girl who vowed by Venus that a world should come to her own generous ideas of the feminine figure.
• • NOTE: This is the third of three stories on Mae West, the buxom actress who is restoring curves to feminine favor.  [A lengthy section, it was posted piece by piece during this week. This post was excerpt  ee, which was the conclusion to the entire series. We hope you enjoyed this rare archival interview.]
• • Source: syndicated content rpt in The Courier News [Blytheville, Arkansas]; published on Saturday, 9 September 1933.
• • On Friday, 7 October 1932 • •
• • On Friday, 7 October 1932, The N. Y. Times reported the dramatic changes in Mae West's career. Though the critical reception of "Night after Night" was lukewarm, Mae West was a whole sultry sideshow unto herself, preventing the reviewers from dozing off when she was onscreen.  Paramount signed Mae to a generous contract on October 6th.
• • On Saturday, 7 October 1933 • •
• • It was on Saturday, 7 October 1933 when Mae recorded "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk" for the Brunswick label.  The song was written for the motion picture "I'm No Angel."
• • On Saturday, 7 October 1933 • •
• • Marie Beynon Ray wrote an article about Mae West's influence on fashions — — "Curves Ahead" — — for Colliers Magazine. It ran in the issue dated for 7 October 1933.  And a review of "I'm No Angel" appeared in Motion Picture Herald (page 38) in the issue dated for 7 October 1933.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Alice Ardell, character actress, has been added to the cast supporting Mae West in her first picture under the banner of Major Pictures for Paramount release.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Tired of all those jokes about my figure and my man talk? No,  If people expect me to be the same off-stage — — why I call that flattery."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Joe Breen mentioned Mae West.
• • "I saw both pictures myself and they are definitely wrong," wrote Joe Breen to Will Hays on Monday, 7 October 1935.  This was the reason he gave to Paramount when he denied permission to re-release two hits starring Mae West distributed in 1933 to a blitz of ticket sales.
• • Source:  Motion Picture Academy files;  dated for Monday, 7 October 1935
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 12th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past twelve years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started twelve years ago in July 2004.
You are reading the 3547th 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   

• • Photo:
• • Mae West • in 1932

• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
  Mae West

No comments:

Post a Comment