Mae West: Stephen Longstreet

MAE WEST dictated a fanciful retelling of her life to her secretary Larry Lee. The material was reshaped by ghostwriter Stephen Longstreet and published as "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" in 1959. For Mae mavens interested in a factual, insightful account, The Mae West Blog recommends the riveting biographies written by Jill Watts and Emily Wortis Leider. Meanwhile, enjoy these (uncorrected) excerpts below from the pen of Mae West.
• • "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" by Mae West — — Acknowledgements • •
• • Mae West wrote: 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.
• • Mae West wrote: 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.
• • Mae West wrote: I owe special thanks to Stephen Longstreet for his editorial assistance.
• • Note: Stephen Longstreet [18 April 1907 – 20 February 2002] was an American author.
• • Note: Born as Chauncey (later Henri) Weiner (sometimes Wiener), he was known as Stephen Longstreet from 1939. However, he wrote as Paul Haggard, David Ormsbee, and Thomas Burton, and Longstreet, as well as his birth name.
• • Note: The 1948 Broadway musical High Button Shoes was based on Longstreet's semi-autobiographical 1946 novel, “The Sisters Liked Them Handsome.”  Under contract at Warner Bros. in the 1940s, Longstreet wrote The Jolson Story and Stallion Road, based on his novel of the same name and starring Ronald Reagan. He later wrote The Helen Morgan Story, and as a TV writer in the 1950s and 1960s he wrote for Playhouse 90.
• • Note: Using a well-worn comeback borrowed from her friend, speakeasy hostess Texas Guinan, Mae titled her life story "Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It."
• • Chapter 1: Take the Spotlight • •
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: The Autobiography of Mae West  [N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1959].
• • On Sunday, 25 January 1948 • •

• • On Sunday, 25 January 1948, The New York Times's London correspondent noted: "The audience displayed little interest in the comedy melodrama of the nineties but it warmed to Miss West. ..."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • A sharp reprimand to the National Broadcasting Company for presenting a skit called “Adam and Eve,” in which Mae West played the part of Eve, was delivered today [January 15] in a letter from Frank R. McNinch, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Motion Picture Daily mentioned Mae West.
• • Accompanied by Jack Mclrnerny, publicist for the Paramount, Weitman will leave on Nov. 5 for Chicago to catch the opening personal appearance of Mae West, who is scheduled for a personal appearance in New York on Nov. 18, 1936.  . . .
• • Source: The Motion Picture Daily; published on Saturday, 24 October 1936

• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 14th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,100 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4135th 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 1948 • •
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