Mae West: Called "Sex"

On Saturday, 18 October 1947, MAE WEST was interviewed by a London reporter.
• • "Mae West's visit gives lift to London's spirits" • •
• • "Wisecracks, diamonds — and those eyelashes enthrall her many admirers written by Bill Strutton of our London staff" • •
• • This is Part 8 of 9 segments.
• • Her play "Sex" • •
• • Bill Strutton wrote:   Disillusioned males learned not only that she had a husband called Frank Wallace, but, moreover he was claiming divorce with alimony and revealing that he and the ageless Mae were married way back in 1911.
• • Bill Strutton wrote:   They lived together for only a short while.
• • Bill Strutton wrote:   It was while her play called, with simple directness, "Sex" was running in New York that Mae made the acquaintance of prison.
• • Bill Strutton wrote:   The play "Sex" provoked furious controversy, was denounced by many. It ran for two years [sic], and had been seen by hundreds of thousands of people before the authorities acted.  
• • Theatre raided • •
• • HER Broadway theatre was raided while Mayor Jimmie Walker was away on vacation.
• • Note: Mae's play "Sex" ran for ten months, not two years.
• • The Workhouse and a $500 Fine • •    . . .
• • Source: Article by Bill Strutton for The Australian Women's Weekly; published on  Saturday, 18 October 1947.
• • On Friday, 27 September 1935 • •
• • According to "The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville," one greedy variety artist tried to stage his comeback based on a bigamy scandal.  Anthony Slide wrote:  Billed as “Mister Mae West,” Frank Wallace opened in burlesque at the Eltinge Theatre on Friday, 27 September 1935, in an act with Trixie LeMae that he claimed he had performed with his first wife Mae West.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Harry Cohn should have realized that the 1940s would not be the era of Mae West, who had not made a new picture since "My Little Chickadee" (1940).
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:   "I speak two languages: English and body."
• • Quote, Unquote • •

• • An article about the book "Holy Mackerel!," which discusses aspects of the Amos 'N' Andy story (by Bart Andrews and Ahrgus Julliard) has mentioned Mae West.
• • Reporter Robert J. Booker writes: Nick Stewart, who played "Lightnin," the slow-moving janitor in the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge Hall on the show "Amos 'n' Andy," was born in New York City and had performed in more than 50 films before joining the show. He had also done Broadway shows as a song-and-dance man. Mae West caught one of his acts and asked him to be in one of her movies, "Go West Young Man" in 1936.   . . .
• • Source:  Article: "Actors enjoyed abundant careers" written by Robert J. Booker for Knox News; posted on Tuesday, 20 September 2011
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 13th anniversary • •  
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,700 blog posts. Wow!   
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started thirteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3796th 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 1936 • •
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