Mae West: Muck and Mire

On Wednesday, 10 October 1928, Variety published a long editorial in order to scold MAE WEST.  Her offense was that she had written a play about homosexual men. But even worse was the indisputable fact that the public wanted to see it. Variety's publisher was incensed. He wrote this scathing head-shaking, finger-pointing essay. 
• • "Is Show Dirt Box-Office Pay Dirt?" • •
• • Perversions of "The Pleasure Man" • • 
• • Variety wrote:  In these ultra-modern times of disillusionment, frankness, hyper-sophistication and the ready knowledge of The Facts of Life, there's no need for mirroring the muck and mire and the frailties of  humankind on any platform before a mixed audience.
• • Variety wrote:  The newspaper drama ["The Front Page"], which is one of the three similarly dubious plays on the boards at the moment, will survive more on its merits as a theatrical property, possessing something of the elements of a good play — — very few — —but more than the loose-jointed, exhibitionistic perversions of "The Pleasure Man."
• • stage plays about the decadent world • •  . . .
• • This is Part 4. Part 5 continues tomorrow.          
• • Source: Editorial in Variety (page 44);  published on Wednesday, 10 October 1928.  
• • On Tuesday, 24 March 1970 in Look Magazine • •
• • "Raquel Welch, Mae West Talk about Men, Morals and Myra Breckinridge," on page 45 in Look Magazine's weekly issue dated for Tuesday, 24 March 1970.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "I'm No Angel" with Mae West is at the Prince Edward Theatre in Sydney.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:    "He who hesitates is a damned fool."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Columbia Daily Spectator mentioned Mae West on the front page.
• • "Freshmen Succumb to Mae West Lure" • •

• • The Mae West influence has "got" the Freshmen. The yearlings were having their tri-weekly swimming lesson. One of their number dove into the pool and stayed beneath the surface for a long time. 
• • As the seconds passed and the swimmer failed to reappear, the suspense of the onlookers became terrific. 
• • Finally a small white-faced Frosh standing at the foot of the pool could restrain himself no longer. 
• • Half anxiously, half facetiously, he leaned forward and murmured faintly, "Why don't you come up some time?"
• • He came up.  ...
• • Source: Item on page 1 in Columbia Daily Spectator (NYC);  published on Monday, 30 October 1933 
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 13th anniversary • •  
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past thirteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,800 blog posts. Wow!   
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started thirteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3821st 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1933 • •
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